Food and Body
It’s just really hard to be yourself, just as you are.
You may feel bombarded by the many pressures and messages that tell you how you have to be and what you have to look like to be accepted. They are loud, they are big, and they are everywhere. Maybe these messages come from your own family members, your friends, your culture. Maybe they come from you.
It’s hard to hear your own thoughts and feelings over all this noise. All that pressure and all those messages take up so much space in your mind and heart that eventually you feel and act differently toward yourself. They feel like yours but they’re not actually yours. You compare yourself constantly to others. You can’t stop.
You have feelings of self-dislike or self-hatred. You might engage in destructive behaviors around food and movement. You aren’t kind to yourself. And it’s hard to put the measuring stick away.
Maybe you feel tricked because all these harsh thoughts, feelings, and behaviors were supposed to win you acceptance, admiration, even love.
But now everything is twisty and it’s hard to know which way is up. And maybe you’ve been thinking these thoughts and feeling these feelings for so long it’s hard to stop the behaviors.
It’s hard to find yourself deep down in there. You're tired of feeling pressured to measure up. Your relationships may be strained, loved ones worried, and there is no joy.
And yet.
Maybe a rebellion has started inside of you and you’re looking for a way out.
How I can Support You
Evaluating your relationship with food to determine the safest level of care.
Deconstructing diet culture and adopting a peaceful, neutral body image.
Cultivating self-acceptance and turning down critical outside voices.
Decreasing engagement in distressing or disordered eating behaviors.
Connecting with your body’s internal somatic cues, hunger, and fullness.
Creating space to safely feel, process, and express your emotions.
Reclaiming autonomy, finding freedom from self-hatred, and discovering joy
Freedom from the self-hatred is an option.
I can help you turn down all the outside voices so you can hear you. I know that is so uncomfortable. But that rebellion inside of you is ready to give it a try.
-
My specialized training in body image and eating concerns began with a pre-doctoral internship at the University of Oregon Counseling Center, working directly within their dedicated eating disorders track. During my time there, I coordinated the Eating Disorder Treatment Team—leading a multidisciplinary collective of therapists, physicians, psychiatrists, and dietitians to provide comprehensive care for students.
Building on that foundation, I spent 14 years providing individual and group therapy to Seattle University students navigating body image and eating concerns through 2023. -
Health at Every Size (HAES) is an approach that values body diversity and the idea that everyone, regardless of their size, can pursue health and well-being.
In our work together, we step away from using weight loss as a primary measure of health. Instead, we embrace a holistic, multifaceted approach to well-being that prioritizes your physical, mental, and emotional health. -
The Core Principles of HAES Include:
Respect and Acceptance: Promoting deep respect and acceptance for all body sizes and shapes.
Intuitive Eating: Listening to your body’s unique hunger cues and internal wisdom instead of following rigid diets.
Joyful Movement: Encouraging personalized physical activity that feels enjoyable.
Stigma-Free Healthcare: Emphasizing care that is entirely free from weight stigma, promoting dignity and respect for all people.
