253 Main St., Yarmouth, ME 04096
Lauren Costello, MS, RDN, LD
I am an anti-diet dietitian from Western Massachusetts looking to empower patients through nutrition.
I graduated from Saint Michael’s College with a bachelor’s degree in biology and from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a master’s degree in nutrition. I then went on to complete my dietetic internship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. I have experience as a GI dietitian, where my main focus was providing patients with tools and support they needed to stay safe and nourished.
Along my personal and professional journey, I have seen patients and friends struggle with diet culture-- but I think that we all do at some level. I believe we are all born intuitive eaters, and in order to return to this, we must heal from the messages thrown our way by diet culture and remember how to trust our own instincts and experiences.
During my dietetic internship, I also nurtured a love for GI nutrition and have seen that for those with GI disorders, intuitive eating practices can be integral to finding peace with food as well.
I believe in celebrating the little victories on the way to finding comfort and trust with your body and self compassion throughout this process. I am absolutely thrilled to work with a team of social workers and dietitians who share the philosophy of empowering all patients through nutrition.
When I am not working, I enjoy spending time playing with my rescue dog, Mia, horseback riding, skiing, and hiking.
Karen Fisher, LCSW
I earned a B.A. from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and a Masters in Social Work from Boston College Graduate School of Social Work. I have worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for over thirty years providing clinical counseling services to individuals, couples, families and groups. Much of my clinical work has been focused on eating disorders and assisting clients in exploring their relationship with food. I am a supporter of the Health at Every Size™ model and believe that self-compassion is at the foundation of all healing.
I am certified as a Am I Hungry? TM Group Facilitator which utilizes principles of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness techniques to examine the emotional reasons we use food to cope with difficult feelings and allows us to get back in touch with our internal cues of physical hunger and fullness. Most recently I have become a CDWF (Certified Daring Way Facilitator TM ) after training with Brene ́ Brown, PhD. and her team. The primary focus of The Daring Way TM is on developing shame resilience skills and developing a courage practice that transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. I have woven my educational background together to focus on the client as a whole, believing that wellness reflects the mind, body and spirit of every client I work with.
On a personal note, I am a connector. I love people and conversations and enjoy assisting others in making positive change and forward movement in their lives. I feel I am equal measures head and heart. You will be greeted with compassion, warmth and reason, with some humor mixed in for good measure. Some clients believe that as a counselor I must not struggle or have personal problems. Oooh, how I wish! To be human is to struggle and we all have personal problems from time to time. I am real and accessible to my clients. I am not an expert. On anything. On disordered eating, fitness, trauma, identity, shame and relationship issues, parenting, addiction, grief, etc. Yes, I have a lot of training, experience, certifications, etc. but I do not know more about you than... YOU. I can assist in helping you find the power to heal and move forward . Together our combined strengths and knowledge is a catalyst to help you achieve your goals. Sometimes it takes all the energy you have just to show up. And on those days, that will be your victory. Other times, we will celebrate together your feeling that you can move mountains. Bottom line: You are enough. You are worthy. You are perfectly imperfect and wonderfully made.
Rebecca Smith, LCSW
I believe that the healing that occurs in therapy forms and grows from the relationship between the client and therapist. My work is rooted in connection, compassion and empathy. I believe that each of us is the expert on ourselves and our path, and the therapist’s role is that of a supportive guide through our own individual journeys.
I discovered the Health at Every Size and intuitive Eating models years ago at a stage in my individual journey where I realized that I had a choice to make. I could continue on the path that diet culture had laid out before me: one of restriction, scarcity and shame, or I could reject it and choose intentional, hard-won joy instead. In my own, irreverent words at the time, I could keep striving for thinness at all costs, or choose instead to live, “free, fat, and happy.” Choosing to live joyfully in a larger body hasn’t always been easy, but it has always been worth it.
Professionally, I have utilized my passion for mindful self-compassion, body positivity, and fat acceptance to support clients of all ages, sizes, and backgrounds in discovering their self-worth and capacity for joy. After receiving my Master’s degree in Social Work from the University of Southern Maine I went on to treat children, adolescents and adults with a variety of mental health concerns in community-based settings. Through that foundational work a passion for understanding and treating the lasting effects of trauma emerged. I’m trained in both Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and the Attachment, Regulation, and Competency models for trauma treatment. I believe that exploring, understanding, and healing the effects of our past can empower us to shape our future.
In my spare time, I’m a true home-body who loves nothing more than to stay in with a good book and a great cup of coffee. When I do venture out, I love spending time outdoors exploring Maine’s lakes, beaches and parks with my family, or, in the warmer months, hitting the local nursery to find the perfect addition to one of my flower or vegetable gardens.
Diana Laite, LCSW
Hi! I’m Diana Laite. I’m a Mainer, a wife and a Mom of three. I’m a licensed clinical social worker, who has been working in Midcoast Maine in private practice as a therapist for the past several years. I come to Kaleidoscope Eating Disorders and Recovery Center with over 17 years of experience in the field of mental health, both as a case manager and as a therapist, I have dedicated my career to providing compassionate care to those seeking support and guidance on their journey towards healing.
As a therapist, I believe in a client-centered approach, working collaboratively with each individual to develop a personalized treatment plan that addresses their unique needs and goals. My interest in working with eating disorders stems from my own personal experiences, as well as my commitment to combating weight stigma and mental health issues and promoting body positivity. I’m dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment for the folks I work with to explore their relationship with food and their bodies. I believe that everyone deserves to feel empowered and confident in their own skin, because just like height, our bodies have a natural size that they are meant to be that varies widely and is unique to each of us.
I promote health for the body and mind by utilizing Health At Every Size (HAES™) principles and attuned eating practices with the goal to gain interoceptive awareness and learn what the body is truly feeling. I understand that eating disorders can be complex and multifaceted, and I have become passionate in learning and utilizing evidence-based modalities such as Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) along with mindfulness techniques and body awareness practices and to help clients navigate the challenges around the disordered eating and weight cycling inherent in the diet mentality. I am deeply committed to ongoing education and professional development, and I strive to stay up-to-date on the latest research and best practices in the field to ensure that my clients receive the highest quality of care.
On a personal note, I am fortunate to share my life with my amazing husband and three children and my extended family and friends. We love the outdoors, spending time in the woods, hiking or on the water. I love reading, creating art, and playing with my children. As I reflect on who I am now, I appreciate the gift of gaining awareness of my own body, intuitively letting my body tell me what it needs and letting go of diet culture beliefs.
Danielle Fuchs, LCSW
"I received a Bachelor's in Studio Art from Guilford College in Greensboro, NC and a Masters in Social Work from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. I spent years working as a Social Worker in the medical field, with patients who had disfiguring head and neck cancer, as well as life-changing transplant surgeries. My perspective changed over those years to one where I valued what my body could do, rather than couldn't, and wanted to care for myself so I could keep it going, as well as I could, for as long as I could. I had to shake off my inner critic, fueled from years of what society, and my family, had fed me over the years about how the shape of my body related to my worth as a person. I also had to give up the destructive cycle of dieting, made even more difficult with a diagnosis of PCOS. In my professional practice, I look to have an authentic connection with clients that includes humor and confronting long-held limiting beliefs that keep you from living your best life.
I balance my life with work, new challenges, and plenty of time to rest and relax. Hiking in nature with my pups Rosie and Mandy is especially restorative, and I also appreciate losing myself in a good podcast, prepping a meal, exploring the great state of Maine with the fresh eyes of a southern transplant, volunteering, and getting my hands dirty with my numerous houseplants and little garden.
Ria Saunders, MS, RDN, LD
Hi! I’m Ria. My pronouns are she/her. I’m a registered dietitian with more than a decade of experience helping clients develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. Having grown up in Aroostook County, I’ve loved living in Maine throughout my life. I remember when I was first told I had an eating disorder. “But that’s impossible!” I thought. I eat. What happened next changed my life forever. I was fortunate that my eating disorder was caught early and I
started receiving treatment right away. I was able to make a full recovery. My treatment had such a lasting impact on me that it impacted my career selection. At the University of Maine, I majored in Food Science and Human Nutrition and graduated with my master’s degree in 2013.
Finding a job that fit my morals and beliefs was hard. Dietitians are often looked at for weight loss advice, something I wanted nothing to do with (and I knew didn’t work). The anti-fat bias in our culture is tied to so many other oppressive systems like homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and racism (as outlined by Sabrina Stings in Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia and Da’Shaun L.
Harrison in Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness). As a dietitian specializing in intuitive eating and a Health at Every Size® framework, I believe it’s my role to investigate those systems.
I work with clients to develop a healthy relationship with food and their body. I believe in compassionate care that treats people with the dignity and respect they deserve. You are the expert of you. My goal is to help people rediscover the joy of eating and develop attunement with their body and
needs. Connecting with our authentic self is life-long work, and I’m honored to be a part of people's journeys.
I currently reside in central Maine with my partner and dog. One of my greatest joys is spending time in nature. I enjoy hiking and spending time reflecting, whether that’s by the water or under a tree.
Josh Palomera, MS, RDN, LD
I’m an anti-diet dietitian and West-Coast transplant that balances the importance of scientifically based, evidence driven practice and the realities of day-to-day living. I earned my B.S. in Nutrition from San Diego State University and later completed a Masters and Dietetic Internship at Simmons University in Boston, MA where I specialized in eating disorders and sports nutrition. As a former athlete, I recognize the importance of nutrition to fuel performance, but also understand that food is much more than just fuel. I work with clients to find that balance for themselves, to listen to their bodies, and to learn to trust themselves to become empowered around their food choices.
Tonya Thurlow, LCSW, CIEC
I first began my Intuitive Eating journey about three years ago when I stumbled upon a podcast with this focus, and quickly went down the rabbit hole! I became a Certified Intuitive Eating Counselor, and incorporate the principles into my work with students and adults where appropriate. I completed my Masters degree at the University of Southern Maine and since have been trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TFCBT),Dialect Behavioral Therapy (DBT), DNA-v and ACT as well as certified ADHD/Executive Function professional.
My role in the therapeutic relationship is to help guide individuals to what their bodies and brains already know though may not be able to access just yet. I aim to provide insight that can disrupt the now-unhelpful routines and habits that may keep you stuck or pull you down. This is an alliance. You bring all that you are and all that you know about yourself while I guide how to move through some of the harder parts. Together, we can find the path for you to see that you are a pretty amazing human being who deserves to feel comfortable in your own skin and are worthy of compassion.
