Inspirational and Innovative Psychologist

My Story

 Rebecca Bailey, PhD is a leading family psychologist and equestrian who has become a world-renowned professional teacher, speaker, author, and entrepreneur.

Rebecca is the former director of the Sonoma Police Departments Youth and family services program, was a therapist educator for programs such as Marin County’s DUI Program, and is the founder of Transitioning Families, a group of independently licensed mental health practitioners dedicated to Bailey’s innovative ideas for helping families through crisis and difficult change. She continues to work with a variety of state and national organizations such as The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and is an advisory council member of the Onsite Foundation and Brain Train America.

Dr. Bailey is actively involved in applying Dr. Stephen Porges’ research on the autonomic nervous system to her long standing work with a variety of patients recovering from life altering stressful and traumatic experiences. She believes that understanding the interaction between the nervous system and our thoughts and actions is the key to compassionately guiding families and individuals to healing and self-understanding. Along with her two colleagues, Margie McDonald and Jaycee Dugard, she has founded the Polyvagal Equine Institute. 

Polyvagal Equine Institute offers in-person and virtual workshops, trainings and interventions that help us get unstuck from old patterns, think flexibly, and have effective communication with compassion and kindness.

A graduate of The Wright Institute in Berkley, CA, Dr. Bailey was raised in the Boston area, but relocated to California 35 years ago. She now lives in Northern California with her loving husband and countless animals.

Highlights

Rebecca has been interviewed by Diane Sawyer, Dr. Oz, Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric, Piers Morgan and has also been a guest on CNN, Good Morning America, 20/20, Elizabeth Smart’s Lifetime Special: Smart Justice and many more. She is available as an expert commentator on a variety of mental health topics, including: abduction, resiliency, self-compassion, and appeasement (a concept that she, Dr. Stephen Porges, and Jaycee Dugard are using to replace victim blaming words regarding inescapable situations). She is also a leading expert in innovative therapies such as eco-therapy, culinary therapy and equine facilitated interventions.