Meet Eating Disorder Therapist for Teens, Jen Villasenor
Welcome Kindful Body’s newest clinician, Jen Villasenor. She is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist with over seven years of experience working with eating disorders in a variety of realms.
Jen completed her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy in 2020, after which she continued to build expertise in the treatment of eating disorders and co-occurring issues.
While the topic of therapist self-disclosure can be controversial at times, Jen wants clients to know that for her, this work is personal.
“I find it hard to skirt the reality that I found myself drawn to this field because of my own history with an eating disorder. Once I established recovery, I found myself grieving lost time and yearning to be surrounded by people who understood me. I involved myself in the treatment world and found a sense of empowerment when I began to use my first-hand knowledge of eating disorders to help others. For me, this was the difference between early recovery and true healing.”
When working with clients, Jen aims to be the expert on eating disorders that they need, while providing a warm and safe therapeutic space to experience genuine connection. She enjoys working with clients with diverse backgrounds, temperaments, and co-occurring issues. Her approach is never one size fits all.
“I believe that a strong therapist can read the subtle changes in tone of voice, body posture, or train of thought that indicates a client is having a new experience, and that the therapist will shift their approach to make space for what is happening in the moment.”
Throughout her experience, Jen has recognized themes of trauma and disrupted attachments among many individuals who are struggling with eating disorders.
“There tends to be a theme of self-invalidation and negative self-talk that often mirrors messages that we’ve received from others in the past. It is important to help clients differentiate between the voice of their true Self and the echoes of voices that have hurt them in the past.”
As your eating disorder therapist, Jen aims to provide supportive, empathetic guidance to help you identify the changes you need to make in order to recover. “Individual change is hard when the environment remains the same; recovery usually requires shifts in all areas of a person’s life!”
While big changes are necessary for recovery, Jen wants to make it clear that eating disorder therapy isn’t about “fixing” you.
“I wish that society would recognize that people don’t need fixing– they need compassion, safety, and healthy boundaries.”
She is optimistic that access to eating disorder treatment will expand with increasing numbers of medical providers receiving training in eating disorders. “That fosters a sense of safety for individuals who may experience anxiety or fear of judgment when going to the doctor, which is especially important for people who have co-occurring medical issues such as diabetes.”
Jen hopes to see eating disorder treatment become more accessible for people who are low-income or have less access to resources.
Get to know Jen Villasenor
Before her heart was set on being a therapist, Jen wanted to go to school to become a zookeeper. “I love animals and nature, so many aspects of that career would be a perfect fit.”
Instead, she now gets her nature fix in her free time. “I have fun teaching my kids how to respect and enjoy the outdoors the way I do.”
For Jen, laughter really is the best medicine! “I laugh a lot, thanks to my husband who has his own contagious laugh and a knack for being funny.”
To begin working with Jen or any of our clinicians, contact us to schedule a free consultation.