ABSTRACT
As a psychologist who specializes in working with the LGBTQ+ community, I’ve been fortunate to work with truly amazing clients. I genuinely love my job and the conversations I get to have with clients, primarily because they’re incredible but also because I get to try to do for them what my therapists have done for me. I struggled with Binge Eating Disorder (BED) for over a decade before finally starting therapy and eventually moving into recovery. The therapist who helped me pull myself out of BED and supported me as I grappled with developing a healthy relationship with food and my body was, is, and will always be such a powerful force of good in my life. It was only with her help that I was able to start thinking about myself with curiosity and compassion instead of hatred and disgust, and that I was able to start the process of understanding my sexuality and gender. There are days that are easier than others but overall, I feel so happy and so proud of my fat, bisexual, non-binary self. I hope to help others through sharing my experiences, specifically regarding the role of connection and compassion in finding hope.
