love your life. live well in love.™
dr rae sandler simon | licensed clinical psychologist
About Dr. Rae Sandler Simon
Licensed Clinical Psychologist |
Founder of Live & Love Well ™
I'm Dr. Rae Sandler Simon, a licensed clinical psychologist and the founder of Live & Love Well ™ my private therapy practice devoted to adult wellness and couples counseling in Colorado, Hawai'i, and across 35+ PSYPACT states. I'm a Denver native with deep roots in Hawai'i, and both places shape how I approach healing - with grounded energy, natural beauty, and warm connection.
​
How I Got Here​
I didn't take a straight path to psychology. After earning my BBA and Spanish minor at Emory University, I entered the work force as a management consultant at a top five firm. The work was intellectually engaging, but something was missing. I felt pulled toward work with deeper emotional purpose.​​
​
That pull led me to the nonprofit world, where I helped refugees and political and religious asylees build new lives in the United States. It was demanding, sometimes heartbreaking work, and it profoundly shaped how I understand resilience, loss, and hope. I learned that healing is never just individual - it happens in relationship, in community, and in the slow, courageous act of rebuilding what has been disrupted.
​
I earned my doctorate in Clinical Psychology (PsyD) from the University of Denver, focusing on emotional connection, trauma, and healing. Today, I draw on both professional expertise and lived experience to help clients navigate life's most complex challenges.
​​
What I Know About Pain - Personally​
I live with chronic pain and autoimmune disease, including two spinal fusion surgeries in recent years. For a long time, I didn't realize how much pain had quietly shaped my daily life until I slowed down and listened to my body. Through mindfulness, movement, and support, I've learned how to live with pain rather than just survive it.​
​
These experiences deeply inform how I work with clients facing chronic illness, invisible struggles, or the exhaustion that comes from carrying more than anyone can see. I don't just understand these challenges clinically. I understand them in my body. You can read more about my health journey on the Live & Love Well ™ blog.
​​Why Couples Therapy Is My Passion​
My commitment to couples therapy is rooted in personal experience. I grew up in a family where love was continually tested and strengthened through effort, communication, and growth. I've carried that forward into my own marriage of nearly 20 years. Both experiences taught me something I hold as deeply true: thriving relationships don't happen by chance. They are built with intention, honesty, and care.​
Identity, Faith, and Belonging
As a Jewish woman, spirituality and cultural identity are core parts of who I am. I bring this depth into my practice while creating a space that is fully inclusive - where clients of all backgrounds feel safe, respected, and seen.
​
In a world that can feel increasingly polarized and unsafe, many Jewish individuals and families are searching for a therapist who understands their experience without them having to explain it. The rise of antisemitism, the complexity of Jewish identity, and the particular grief and resilience that come with belonging to a historically marginalized community are realities I hold with care. Whether you are seeking therapy rooted in shared cultural understanding or simply a place of warmth and acceptance, you are welcome here. ​
The Jewish value of tikkun olam - repairing the world - guides how I practice, from protecting your privacy and dignity to offering scholarship-based care to honoring your full identity in the room.
Outside the Office
I stay grounded through pilates, hiking, ballet barre, skiing, art, reading, and spending time in nature with my husband, our two teenagers, and our fur babies.
​
I also volunteer as an on-call psychologist for families at Brent's Place in Denver and Tūtū and Me in Hawai'i - two organizations close to my heart for their support of children and caregivers facing major health challenges.
