Michelle Kozimor

Are you feeling overwhelmed by life, weighed down by self-doubt, past wounds, or stuck in patterns you can’t seem to shift? Whether you’re navigating this as an individual, a couple, or a family, you don’t have to do it alone. Life is hard. While there aren’t quick fixes, therapy offers a steady, safe place to feel, grieve, reconnect, and find your way forward — maybe for the very first time.

In our work together, we’ll identify the strengths already present in you, your relationship, or your family system. We’ll clarify your specific needs and begin moving toward your values with intention. I help individuals, couples, and families learn to listen more deeply — to themselves and to one another — regulate their nervous systems, and create meaning even in the midst of difficulty. We’ll get curious, build practical skills, and create new ways of responding that help you feel less stuck and more connected.

With decades of experience in the helping professions, I also bring the perspective of my own human journey. Therapy with me is an authentic, compassionate space where you can show up fully — the goodness and the mess — and be met with care and steadiness. For couples and families, this means creating a space where each voice matters and healthier patterns can take root.

The foundation of my counseling practice is the belief that you are worthy, deeply important, and capable of living a meaningful life — individually and in relationship. I practice person-centered therapy that is strength-based and compassion-focused.

Congratulations, you’re already taking a meaningful step toward caring for yourself, and that’s worth celebrating! I’m deeply invested in your journey and committed to offering you unconditional support. I approach therapy with a warm, friendly, and genuine style that focuses on being present for you. I create a safe space where you can tap into your inner wisdom to process, heal, and find hope. I’ll guide you to develop a loving relationship with yourself and align your life with your personal values. Each counseling session is unique, and at the heart of my work is a deep passion for helping you feel seen, heard, and supported.

With decades of experience in counseling, I have a strong foundation in helping navigate grief, loss, women’s issues (including motherhood, balancing many roles, and navigating midlife), or the overwhelming feeling of life sometimes being unbearably hard—when things feel out of control, or you’re stuck in unhappiness, or struggle with a sense of aimlessness.
 

Eating Disorders - It's Not About the Food

By Kelly Lopez

If it’s not about the food, what is it really about?

The eating disorder serves a function, it does a job. Despite the problems an eating disorder creates, it is an effort to cope, shield against, communicate, and solve problems. Behaviors may be a way to establish a sense of power or control, self-worth, strength, and containment. Bringing may be used to numb pain. Purging may be a way to release emotions. When one cannot cope in healthy ways, adaptive functions (behaviors) are created to ensure a sense of safety, security, and control.
According to Carolyn Costin*, some of the “adaptive functions that eating disorder behaviors commonly serve are”:
It’s not about the food, it’s a way of coping with low self-esteem, negative emotions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, unstable home, difficulty resolving conflict and much more.
*Costin, Carolyn. The Eating Disorder Sourcebook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Causes, Treatments and Prevention of Eating Disorders. 3rd. edition, McGraw Hill, 2007.
Fuller, Kristen. “Eating Disorders: It’s Not All about Food.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 22 Mar. 2017