My specialty areas include disordered eating, body image, anxiety, life transitions, relationships, trauma, invisible illnesses/disabilities, perfectionism, shame, and navigating your 20’s and beyond. I have extensive experience working in the field of eating disorders and supporting clients who are living with a complicated relationship with food and/or their bodies. Combining clinical and lived experience with a love of social justice, my passion to help others renegotiate their relationship to these problems is integrated into each part of my work.
How I work
Many of my clients describe me as the “anti-therapist,” which is a description I wear with pride. I bring enthusiasm, improvisation, imagination & creativity into each session. My ability to think outside the box and ask questions that others may not enables me to develop creative solutions with clients to help untangle what many would consider being complicated problems. I believe in (and embrace) experimentation: the freedom to test things out and see how they fit, to explore the various facets of yourself, and to allow for complexities, contradictions, and messiness.
My Approach
Rooted in a desire for social change, I employ a critical feminist, anti-oppression, health at every size approach. My therapeutic approach is grounded in Narrative theory, an evolving set of ideas and practices, which embrace a collaborative, non-pathologizing, culturally-sensitive, and respectful approach to working with people, families, and communities. This approach supports those who consult with me in developing self-understanding, establishing meaningful relationships with others, and navigating life-defining challenges.
My Why
I have been in the battle with food and weight, caught in the war zone of an eating disorder, and come out on the other side. Now recovered, I love working with others to discover their own version of recovery, and find out what is keeping them stuck from living the life they desire. I am extremely passionate about working alongside individuals discover and connect to their hopes, values, passions, and interests outside of the problem, and support them in re-(dis)covering what their “anti-eating disorder” life will look like.
License & Education
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, LMFT 113307
- Master’s Degree, Clinical Psychology, Philips Graduate University
- Bachelor’s Degree, Psychology, University of Southern California
- Registered Yoga and Mindful Movement instructor
Professional Affiliations
- International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP)
- California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)
- American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAFMT)
- Valley Federation of Eating Disorder Professionals (VFED)
- Academy of Eating Disorders (AED)
- National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), Member & Registered Speaker
Testimonials
“I’m truly so impressed and beyond grateful for Tessa. She is helping me deconstruct 19 years worth of disordered eating mess and I’ve come farther in the two and a half weeks of working with her than with anything else I’ve tried. She asks the most pertinent questions and challenges me in ways I didn’t realize I needed or was aware of. That being said, she is also super understanding and patient with exactly where I am at. I feel supported, challenged, motivated, and understood for the very first time in this very long and rigorously isolating disorder.”
“Tessa is truly amazing. I owe a large part of my newfound life to her.”
