Body Image & Food Counseling in Federal Way, WA
3 Areas of Growth that You Can Achieve When Leaning into Body & Food Support
Movement
You feel shameful and hateful about your body. You believe the world would treat you better if you magically became skinny. Constantly seeing “transformation” stories on social media has you feeling guilt about your lack of physical activity. Maybe engaging in movement causes physical pain, or you’ve tried workouts that haven’t felt body inclusive. This has caused you to avoid taking your dog for a walk or joining a zumba class or going on hikes with friends. You find the gym to be intimidating and you’re tired of feeling anxious about what others think about you.
Food
You’ve tried the latest diets, but find them hard to maintain. When you see others appear to be successful with them, you wonder “what’s wrong with me?” You see health tips everywhere selling opinions about “healthy food,” causing you to feel confused about what exactly you should be eating. You feel out of control around food and often binge at night. Maybe you’ve wondered if you have an eating disorder or some form of disordered behavior. This makes you feel helpless and as though you don’t have willpower. You're left wondering why eating feels so hard?
Relationships
You struggle to feel attractive or desirable in your partnerships. Whether you are already partnered or are seeking one, you feel unlovable and fear that you’ll have to settle for someone who doesn’t respect your body. You fear that unless you lose weight, your partner won’t put effort into the relationship. If you’re online dating, sending a full body picture feels like the most vulnerable thing you could do and you desperately want to avoid it. You struggle to feel confident and comfortable with sex and intimacy. Maybe past or current partners have made negative comments about your body, blame you for being “lazy,” and dismiss your needs and desires. You’re ready to demand respect and love from your relationships and to stop hating your body.
You’re in the right place my friend!
I’m Katie, a licensed mental health counselor, and I work with plus size adults who have low self-esteem and struggle with self-care due to a lack of body and food peace. When working together, you will experience change in therapy by ditching diet culture and learning to attune to your body’s needs. You’ll learn how to navigate dating and romantic relationships through boundaries and building confidence so you feel valued and sexy in your body. Diet fads almost never take emotional and mental wellness into account when it comes to health.
Don’t worry, I’ll pick up their slack! I’m passionate about helping you find joy in movement, have less fear around food, and ultimately feel empowered to engage in life no matter the size or ability of your body.
“That sounds great, but how the hell does that happen?”
Glad you asked! Clients meet for weekly sessions online in WA State or in person at my office in Federal Way, WA. I know personally the difficulties in unlearning toxic messages and habits around body and food issues. For that reason, my approach is gentle and compassionate, while being direct and challenging as we navigate changes in your beliefs and habits. I love to utilize humor and swearing, which makes this work a little more bearable. Most clients have shared that they feel like I’m a human helping them endure the human experience alongside them.
Life is about so much more than losing weight! So if you’re ready to feel at home in your body and spend less time feeling guilt and fear around food and movement, then book a FREE 15min consultation here. Discover what therapy would be like with an anti-diet therapist who believes you deserve to take up space and enjoy life in the body you have.