A little bit ’bout Jessica

A personal Take on Body acceptance

When I was in high school I watched several friends struggle with negative body image and disordered relationships with food. One close friend battled with what I now know to be Atypical Anorexia, but because she was not deemed underweight, her doctors never diagnosed her properly. I watched firsthand how society’s skewed perspective on body weight, shape, and size was impacting her ability to get the support she deeply needed. Even as a high schooler this was incredibly disheartening.

We live in a diet culture, so just like you, I too am susceptible to the negative body image days the broken narrative of the “thin ideal” creates. I’m committed to my own body acceptance journey daily and look forward to navigating yours right alongside you. These experiences shaped my desire to be part of that solution, to be a provider in the community that does the work alongside my clients and does not discriminate based on size.

I always tell my clients that body acceptance takes time. You didn’t learn to feel discontentment, or even hatred, toward your body overnight, so finding acceptance will also be a journey.  Yes, I know, this can definitely be frustrating! There are often significant societal factors that can make it feel like accepting your body is impossible. I cannot promise that you will love your body, but I can promise to get to know you and your unique experiences while doing my best to help you move toward body acceptance.

What a session with me looks like

I will listen to what your needs are and work with you so that we can develop a plan together that addresses those unique needs. I want to get to know YOU as I know that there is SO much more to you than a diagnosis.

I utilize a combination of evidenced based treatments including family-based treatment (FBT) for adolescent eating disorders, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). My work is informed by a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach. I am also a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor and am eager to help you move in that direction with food.

I will provide a confidential, non-judgmental space, for you to share how you are feeling and we will work together to identify the tools that work best for YOU.

My Path + passions:

Michigan born and raised, for as long as I can remember, I have had an interest in working with those who are experiencing a difficult season in their life. I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2014 and then went on to receive my Master of Social Work degree with a focus on Interpersonal Practice in Mental Health (a big word for clinical social work) from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2017.

I have experience in various clinical settings including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient treatment for eating disorders and outpatient treatment experience working with various eating disorder diagnoses including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), as well as body image concerns, anxiety disorders, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder in children, adolescents, and young adults. 

In my spare time you can find me: gardening, baking, relaxing with my husband, spending time with family, and cuddling my cats <3.