Qualified and Committed to Helping You
I have been a licensed psychotherapist in private practice for over 35 years. I love my work and every day it is an honor and a privilege to serve others. I have extensive experience treating disordered eating but have always kept a percentage of my practice for the general population.
Areas I can help with:
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Grief
- Addiction
- Compulsion
- Trauma
- Relationships
- Eating disorders
- Codependency
- Sexuality
- Any struggle you could use support and clarity about
There is no therapist I would more highly recommend to anyone. I wish that everyone could have a Lise Welsh in their lives. She has truly made all the difference in mine.”
L.H.
Building Relationships
Building a relationship with the Self is my real specialization. We all struggle at some point in our lives – with anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, compulsion, relationships. Regardless of what we struggle with, it was in relationship that we became wounded and it is in relationship that we find healing.
I can help you build a friendly, honest and supportive relationship with yourself so that you might experience yourself as an equal in your relationships and in the world in general. This leads to authentic real connections with others, a life of integrity and a feeling of dignity and self-respect. Let’s face it, if beating yourself up was going to make you feel better, you’d be ecstatic by now.
“When I met Lise, 20 years ago now, I was hungry and scared and pregnant. I hadn’t a clue how to eat or take care of myself, I struggled with deep shame and fear. All these years later, I still return to Lise from time to time for the same good stuff she gave me then. She is warm, kind, irreverent and funny, like super funny. But the thing that makes her special, is that she guides me through my own thinking in a way that helps me see that my thinking and behavior is often at odds with what I say I want or need. Every time she helps me arrive at that ah-ha moment, I’m surprised, often delighted (like she did a parlour trick) and I feel so much clearer about my intentions going forward. Not only that, as I practice untangling the knots of my unexamined beliefs, she shows me how to do it myself.”
K.W.
My Experience
I have a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology. While I love working with the general population, I have extensive training and experience in disordered eating, supporting sufferers and family members for over 35 years. I grew up thinking about food all day long. I know that if it can be different for me then it can be different for YOU!
What I Believe
I believe that EVERYTHING we do is an attempt to HELP ourselves. At any given time, our behaviors and habits represent the only way we know how to take care of ourselves. We DO NOT purposely hurt ourselves, although the things we do may hurt us. At one time this coping worked well for us. I want to help you understand how your behavior and habits serve your needs and purposes. Then I want to help you find more direct ways of helping yourself than through the use (and distraction) of those behaviors and habits.
I also believe that if beating ourselves up was going to make us do and feel better, we would have been happy and ecstatic a long time ago (and you wouldn’t be reading this page). It is NOT about to happen. You ARE NOT one self-loathing thought away from being happy.
I help people realize and put into practice what taking care of themselves truly is. Most people I work with have no idea they are supposed to feel good, so they have not built the skill, the practice, of helping themselves to feel good.
I believe in TOTAL recovery from disordered eating. I believe you can learn to trust yourself. I believe you can get through a day eating only when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re satisfied. I have worked with hundreds and hundreds of people who have come to feel better about their relationship to food, their body and themselves.
By the time I started seeing Lise for my eating disorder, I had been in and out of therapy for many years. I had never really connected to a therapist and I didn’t anticipate that it would be any different with her. I could not have been more wrong.
A.K.
Disordered Eating
Do You Need Help?
Are you a family member or friend of someone who struggles with an eating disorder?
I believe in TOTAL recovery from disordered eating. I believe you can learn to trust yourself. I believe you can get through a day eating only when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re satisfied. I have worked with hundreds and hundreds of people who have come to feel better about their relationship to food, their body and themselves.
Are You Someone Who …
- Obsesses more than not about food, body, weight, etc.?
- Wants to get back to “normal” eating — eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’re satisfied? You know, the kind of eating OTHER people do?
- Wants to help a friend or family member who struggles with an eating disorder?
Lise Will …
- Help you recover from, or prevent you from tumbling further into an eating disorder.
- Guide and educate friends and family members as to how to help a loved one struggling with an eating disorder.
- Do all this on the phone or video chat in the comfort of your own surroundings.
With Lise’s guidance, I was able to separate my healthy, soul self from my eating disorder self.
R.C.
Who I Help
My clients are adults and teenagers who struggle with a variety of issues, as well as those who (believe they) can not trust themselves in the realm of food and eating. They feel out of control, hopeless, ashamed. Many of these people have become more and more isolated, live more and more narrow lives and many become very unhappy if not seriously depressed.
For over 35 years…
I have worked with teens, adults and with those trying to find normal in the realm of food and body image.
People who have tried dieting and find it does not work in the long run.
People who feel hopeless about living a life free from thinking about food when they’re not hungry.
People who want to learn to trust themselves.
Family Members
Do you want to know what you can do? Do you need answers fast?
Do you need help communicating with other family members to negotiate what needs to be done?
Do you need help figuring out what to look for in a treatment facility?
If Any Of The Above Sounds Like You …
I have learned so much about challenging my own thinking, her methods are effective and empowering.
What They Say
I’m unendingly grateful that in 1996, she was the only eating disorder specialist my health insurance could recommend. Learning to nourish myself was a much bigger project than I could have imagined. She has literally saved my life.
S.T.
If you struggle with self-esteem, body issues, or an eating disorder, I highly recommend seeing Lise. She will bring light to your life!
R.R.
There aren’t enough words to express the gratitude I have for Lise. I have had my fair share of experiences with therapists and she has by far been the most open, honest, and understanding one I’ve worked with. There was nothing I could tell her that would make me feel judged or misunderstood – she truly has a special way of making you feel comfortable and understood. She was always available in time of need and went above and beyond to help me when I almost had to stop seeing her due to my insurance. Her commitment to her clients and their success is unmatchable. I’m truly grateful for the guidance and support she provided me and I would recommend her to anyone and everyone if I could!
A.D.
“Lise is a truly caring therapist and I would go as far as saying a miracle worker! I went to her at a time in college when life felt out of control. I felt more grounded after meeting with her the first time. She remembers details about my life which means she truly cares. I can text her about anything at any time and she will text back when she is available. The thing about meeting with Lise is that we don’t focus so much on what’s wrong in my life.
J.C.
When I met Lise I was sad, lonely, lost and scared. Feeling stuck in my sickness and reluctant to leave behind the eating disorder that I’ve lived with for so long, Lise provided me with a comfortable, warm and safe environment to begin talking about my struggles, anxiety and fears. She speaks with authentic truth without judgment and presents with a quiet strength and confidence. Her infectious personality, compassionate smile and genuine concern allowed me to open up, face my fears and begin my journey of recovery.
C.B.
“She walked side by side with me through “the fires” of recovery and always greeted me on the other side with her beautiful smile and unconditional commitment to leading me down each challenging, recovery path. She helped me to embrace my healthy, soul self and find connection within. My life is now radiating with spirit, happiness, hope and love.
L.R.
Lise celebrated the things that I had been taught to be ashamed of. She was honest and open and would come to be my rock at a time in my life where there was not a lot of consistency.
A.K.
It took a lot of courage to call and make that first appointment with her. I had never seen a therapist for anything and admitting that I had let things get so far out of my control was hard. But from the first time I sat down in her office, I knew I had made the right choice.
N.W.
“Thanks to Lise and my treatment team, I remained steadfast in my journey of a complete recovery. I experienced a transformation of self, a metamorphosis into the most beautiful, lively soul. I am so grateful to Lise for all that she has done for me and all that she will continue to do to help others. Lise Welsh is an amazing person and an extraordinary therapist, no doubt in a league of her own.
T.H.