MEET LEAH...

I am a graduate student studying clinical mental health counseling. I am an intern with the Body, Beauty, and Bravery Project. I currently facilitate counseling sessions under the supervision of Alison Cross and Lenoir-Rhyne University in Asheville, North Carolina.
My focus of practice is treating eating disorders, disordered eating, and negative body image. Often these challenges are intertwined with anxiety, depression, trauma, burnout, inner existential conflict, feeling out of control, and experiencing an imbalance of being and doing in daily life. Many of those who struggle with eating patterns are highly sensitive people in a world which asks them to hide this part of themselves. I help people move away from harmful and frustrating coping mechanisms towards a full and nurturing embodiment of themselves.
I collaboratively work with clients to foster the skills needed to live a life genuinely and profoundly in tune with personal values and desires. It is my goal to help clients reunite with their sensitive nature in a supportive way, creating a life of autonomy, pleasure, and peace. I am passionate and committed to working on the social justice issues intertwined within the roots of diet culture and have a body liberation focused approach.
I guide clients towards using the body as a key messenger to their needs through the path of recovery. As a registered yoga teacher, I share knowledge around yogic principles and practices as desired to foster mindfulness, develop somatic awareness, strengthen connection to the body, and teach various ways of regulating the nervous system.
I facilitate treatment from the principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Themes that are explored while working collaboratively towards greater well-being may include authenticity, unique intersections of privilege and oppression, and what gives life rich value and purpose. I view the therapeutic counseling space as sacred and life giving. It is an honor to work alongside clients as they journey closer to their inner home.