Dr. Goodman completed a B.A. in Psychology at Yeshiva University in 1994, a master’s degree in clinical psychology at St. John’s University in 1997 and a Doctor of Psychology at St. John’s University in 2000. She is a member of the Ordres des Psychologues du Quebec, the College of Psychologists of New Brunswick, and the College of Alberta Psychologists. Dr. Goodman has more than 25 years of experience with areas of expertise including the evaluation and treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders, stress, trauma and PTSD, ADHD and neurocognitive disorders, caregiver stress, and memory wellness. She has a passion for and has spent much of her career working with Holocaust survivors and their families as she the daughter and granddaughter or Survivors. She maintains a private practice in which she provides individual cognitive behavior therapy, conducts neuropsychological and clinical evaluations, and has a passion for prevention and wellness, especially as relates to aging well. She has specialized training in treating older adults, in menopause and mental health, and in diabetes and mental health. Dr. Goodman is the former co-Associate Director of the Montreal Jewish General Hospital’s Alzheimer’s Risk Assessment Clinic (ARAC).
Rachel’s life and work have been profoundly shaped by her family history. Her mother is a child Holocaust survivor who was hidden and saved in Belgium between the ages of two and four by a courageous couple, Alida and Charles Pontus, while her parents were interned in a labor camp. Rachel helped to ensure that the Pontus couple were recognized by Yad Vashem as Righteous Among the Nations. This legacy of survival, gratitude, and moral responsibility instilled in Rachel a deep sense of purpose—to contribute meaningfully to the world, to serve others, and to “pay it forward.” In tribute, she named her first child after the woman who saved her mother.
Rachel is originally from Toronto, moved to New York City for 12 years and then moved to Montreal in 2003. Dr. Goodman is married and the mother of three. She is deeply committed to community leadership. She co-founded and co-chaired the Annual Mental Health Shabbat across North America,
serves on the board of MADA in Montreal, and annually mobilizes close to 100 women to volunteer in honor of her birthday .She recently participated in the Binat HaLev mental health mission to Israel and is passionate about sharing insights on Jewish resilience and post-traumatic growth. She is navigating midlife transitions with honesty and purpose and is dedicated to sharing her knowledge of brain health, resilience, and mental wellness—professionally and personally—with the broader community.