About Jessica
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Jessica Smith, MSW, LMSW, is a therapist and PhD candidate based in Maryland who specializes in working with pre-teens, teens, and adults navigating eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, anxiety, and depression. She provides virtual therapy to clients in Maryland and offers after school/work hours.
Jessica brings a unique blend of clinical expertise and research insight to her practice. She has years of experience providing therapy in Intensive Outpatient (IOP) and Partial Hospitalization (PHP) settings at Alternative Options, a treatment center specializing in eating disorders. In that role, she worked closely with clients and families managing anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and OSFED within a multidisciplinary team model. Over the past three years, she has continued her clinical work in a trauma-informed outpatient private practice, supporting teens and adults with eating disorders and co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders. In addition to her clinical practice, Jessica is a fourth-year PhD candidate at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, where her research focuses on eating disorders and the intersection with emerging interventions. Jessica has presented on HAES-informed treatment, facilitated training, and engaged in conference presentations. Jessica’s therapeutic approach integrates Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) within a trauma-informed, Health at Every Size (HAES)-aligned framework. She is passionate about helping clients build more compassionate relationships with their bodies, navigate the impact of systemic and relational factors, and move toward values-based living. She is also deeply committed to creating affirming spaces for clients of all body sizes, identities, and backgrounds. Jessica’s past lived experience with an eating disorder informs her work with a level of empathy, attunement, and non-judgment that clients often find grounding and supportive. She believes in fostering holistic healing through collaboration and compassion, helping individuals to meet their recovery goals. |
My Approach as an Eating Disorder Therapist
In my clinical work, I draw from a variety of evidence-based modalities tailored to the individual needs of each client. I frequently utilize Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to support emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness. I incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) when addressing unhelpful thought patterns, trauma-related beliefs, and body image disturbances. Additionally, I integrate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients develop psychological flexibility and move toward values-based living, independent of body size or shape.
Throughout my work, I maintain a trauma-informed, person-centered, and Health at Every Size (HAES)-aligned framework As a therapist, integrating HAES means both unlearning some dominant weight-normative assumptions and actively creating a space that validates and uplifts clients of all body sizes.
I bring not only clinical training but also my own lived experience of recovering from an eating disorder, which deeply informs my compassion, empathy, and dedication to this work.
I feel so grateful to be a therapist and to walk alongside individuals as they learn to let go of the eating disorder and reconnect with their values, joy, and freedom.
*I am currently taking on a limited number of new therapy clients. If my schedule is full, I’d be happy to place you on a waitlist or connect you with another trusted clinician on our team.
Throughout my work, I maintain a trauma-informed, person-centered, and Health at Every Size (HAES)-aligned framework As a therapist, integrating HAES means both unlearning some dominant weight-normative assumptions and actively creating a space that validates and uplifts clients of all body sizes.
I bring not only clinical training but also my own lived experience of recovering from an eating disorder, which deeply informs my compassion, empathy, and dedication to this work.
I feel so grateful to be a therapist and to walk alongside individuals as they learn to let go of the eating disorder and reconnect with their values, joy, and freedom.
*I am currently taking on a limited number of new therapy clients. If my schedule is full, I’d be happy to place you on a waitlist or connect you with another trusted clinician on our team.
Eating disorder therapy in Rockville, Maryland. Serving Potomac, Bethesda, Gaithersburg, and Montgomery County. Specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, as well as anxiety, depression, and trauma.