Kate Daigle, MA, LPC, CEDS, Eating Disorder and Body Image Specialist and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist
“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” ~Carl Jung
Hi, I’m Kate! I’m an avid gardener, animal lover, amateur knitter, and dreamer and I am very passionate about mental health and supporting people to find a peaceful home in their bodies and with food.
Let me tell you a little about my story. I have been inspired by the opportunity to help others since I was a little girl. I have always been a sensitive and intuitive person, sometimes called an “old soul”, with an active imagination and zest for life. I love relationships and the energy that sizzles in them. When I was about 13 I began to struggle with my relationship with my body and with myself and developed some disordered eating patterns. The subsequent nine years were a journey of struggling with a severe eating disorder, getting help, and finding my own path to recovery.
After college and exploring parts of the world and myself, I felt very secure in my recovery. I finally found my “home” in the Counseling Psychology and Counselor Education graduate program at the University of Colorado Denver, from which I graduated with honors. Much of my journey to where I am today has involved overcoming my own struggle with anorexia and bulimia, and reconnecting with my own intuitive healing wisdom that has aided me in writing a new life story free of eating disorders. I credit highly empathetic and supportive therapists with guiding me to my own recovery, and I hope to be able to provide that same foundation for my clients today.
Since 2007, I have immersed myself in the world of eating disorder and body image treatment, spending time working in an outpatient eating disorders program at Kaiser Permanente, reading current literature and research about eating disorder treatment, attending trainings, consulting with experts, attending conferences, and volunteering with the Eating Disorder Foundation where I facilitate support groups and workshops. Now, as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS)*, I am passionate about shining bright the message that seemed so hard for me to believe for so many years: “You can fully recover from an eating disorder!“
Since 2010, I have helped to facilitate weekly FREE support groups for those struggling with eating disorders at the Eating Disorder Foundation . The Eating Disorder Foundation is a wonderful support center that offers multiple groups and classes for those struggling with eating disorders and also for their loved ones. These groups have provided powerful support for recovery for hundreds of people for many years and continue to do so. More information about the groups: Eating Disorder Foundation.
*The Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) credential is developed by the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp). Iaedp established the certification process to promote standards of excellence within the field of eating disorders. Individuals with iaedp Certification designations (CEDS, CEDRD, CEDCAT, or CEDRN) are health care professionals who have met rigorous educational and skill requirements, have accumulated a minimum number of hours of qualifying work experience, have made a commitment to stay abreast of current developments in the field through continuing education, and have agreed to comply with the Association’s ethical principles.
Professional Affiliations:
- Professional Member, International Association for Eating Disorder Professionals, 2012-present
- Professional Member, American Counseling Association, 2007-present
- Member, Colorado Counseling Association, 2009-present
- Member, Association for Contextual Behavioral Sciences (and Colorado Chapter), 2013-present
- Nationally Certified Counselor (NCC), 2009-present
- Member and Past Co-President, Chi Sigma Iota Counseling Honors Society
Trainings and Presentations:
- Mindful Gardening: Planting Roots to Nourish the Soul, workshop series: 2013-present
- Speaker, Eating Recovery Foundation Conference, August 2017: Conceiving a Healthy Recovery: Exploring the Connection Between Eating Disorders and Shame Related to Fertility, Pregnancy and Postpartum Recovery.
- The Body Project Training and presentation to Colorado Academy 2013-present
- Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) Training, 2015
- Fundamentals of Somatic Experiencing Trauma Treatment Training, 2014
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Training, 2013
- Workshop Presentation, Assoc. for Contextual Behavioral Sciences Rocky Mountain Region Conference 2013: Embracing Our Bodies, Allowing Our Experience: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Approach to Treating Body Image and Eating Disorders.
- Attendee, Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference, Anaheim, CA, Dec 9-15 2013.
Community Involvement:
- Volunteer, Support Group Facilitator and Workshop Presenter, The Eating Disorder Foundation
- Member, Professional Committee, The Eating Disorder Foundation
- Member, Education Outreach Committee, The Eating Disorder Foundation
- Social Media Chair, International Association for Eating Disorders Professionals, Denver Chapter
- Member, LGBTQI Health Care Guild Denver Chapter
- Member, Case Consultation Group, Denver, Colorado
One of my favorite quotes about the recovery process: “She knew this transition was not about becoming someone better, but about finally allowing herself to become who she’d always been.”
Recovery is about discovering that you are beautiful just as you are!