ABOUT ALLISON
Education, Credentials, & Experience
I am a licensed professional counselor with mental health service provider designation (LPC-MHSP) in Tennessee. I earned a Master of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from Purdue University. With 14 years of experience as a therapist, I specialize in treating adolescents and adult women of all ages with eating disorders, disordered eating, body image concerns, perfectionism, guilt and shame, and anxiety. I am a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist (CEDS), as credentialed by the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP). I was the first Eating Disorder Treatment Facilitator in the state of Tennessee as a member of the task force created by IAEDP to address the gaps between primary care medical providers and clients needing treatment for eating disorders.
I have intentionally sought out work experience and training in a variety of mental health settings and levels of care, including residential, intensive outpatient (IOP), psychiatric crisis stabilization, hospital emergency rooms, and in-home services. These experiences allowed me to gain a unique perspective on our mental health care system, to identify the gaps and challenges in the system, and to help you and your family navigate the system.
Therapeutic Modalities and Style
I use an eclectic approach of evidence-based practices and have extensive training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Family-Based Treatment (FBT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I also draw on my lived experience as a person recovered from disordered eating and the harms of dieting and from the experiences of the many brave clients I have treated. My therapeutic style is directive, practical, and validating.
I take great joy in providing a safe and nonjudgmental environment where you can feel comfortable doing the hard work of learning about yourself and why you think, feel, and behave the way you do. I am identity-affirming and enjoy working with the LGBTQIA+ community. I approach my work through the lenses of intersectional feminism, anti-racism, and social justice.
My Views on Weight, Eating, and Diet Culture
Does it feel impossible to love, accept, or even just tolerate your body, weight, and/or shape in a world that is always telling you to be something other than what you are? Diet culture is everywhere, and it can be so confusing to know what, when, and how much to eat and how often and in what ways to move your body. Perhaps you are struggling with guilt and shame related to things you’ve heard or been taught about your body and food. If you want to move toward peace and freedom with food and to have a more neutral view of your body, then this is the place for you.
During our work on your disordered eating and body image, I will practice from a HAES (Health At Every Size) perspective and utilize the principles of Intuitive Eating. I aim to help you heal your relationships with food and your body. I find that we often do not realize just how immersed we are in diet culture. My passion is to help you re-train your brain to reject diet culture, its myths, and the harm it has done to you. My goals for our work together are for you to learn to enjoy food, to learn to move your body for joy, and to learn to love your body just as it is.
Let’s connect
Whether you or your child have been suffering in silence and have never sought therapy or if you have tried therapy before and do not think you can be helped, I invite you to reach out and see if our work together can make the difference.