Who We Are
Colleen Young, MA, LMFT
She/Her/Hers
Co-Founder, Director, Therapist
@liberatingjasper.com
Maggie Mills, MS, CN
Alex McKee, MS, RD
Angelica Rivas-Brown, BA
I am from Tacoma and hold years of experience working in education as well as eating disorder recovery facility settings. I identify as a cis, omni, able-bodied, Chicana.
Due to my personal and professional background, I am passionate about compassionate mental healthcare and am honored to be a part of an organization offering healing and liberation to all bodies.
Virginia “Gigi” Alcalde,
MA, LMHCA, RDN, CD
Hello, my name is Gigi Alcalde. I work as a dietitian and therapist at Liberating Jasper and in
my private practice Embody Nutrition & Integrative Therapies. My education and training
include earning a bachelor’s degree in Dietetics and Nutrition from Florida International
University and completing a dietetic internship at Bastyr University where I also earned a
master’s degree in Counseling Psychology. In addition, I have studied and completed various
teacher trainings in mindfulness, yoga, and meditation and have taught these disciplines in
private and public settings since 2013. I’ve worked in eating disorder treatment facilities at the
PHP, IOP, and now OP level of care since 2018 supporting adolescents and adults with medical
nutrition therapy and nutrition counseling, as well as facilitating group therapy such as meal
support, and mindful movement groups.
I am guided by the philosophy that we all embody the innate potential for healing which can be
tapped into given the necessary support. My mission is to provide person-centered,
compassionate, culturally sensitive, trauma-informed, and weight inclusive care to my clients as
I support them with their mental health goals and healing their relationship with self, food, and
body. I offer nutrition counseling and mental health therapy using evidence-based, integrative
(mind-body), and mindfulness-based modalities. I work with a wide range of conditions
including eating disorders, disordered eating, anxiety, and depression. I am bilingual, fluent in
English and Spanish and work with adolescents and adults.
Taylor Saunders, MSW, LSWAIC
As a clinician who is devoted to body liberation, my approach is weight-inclusive and non-diet. I am here to support you on your healing journey by using practices that are not only evidence-based but also rooted in social justice. I practice from a feminist, trauma-informed, anti-oppressive perspective. My modalities include a blend of CBT, DBT, ACT, and somatic work.
I strongly believe that there is no one “right” way to have a body or mind. Neurodiversity and body-diversity are the principles on which my work is founded. As a cis (she/her), white, bi, fat, able-bodied clinician it is important to me that my work with clients is anti-oppressive. There will be times in our sessions that you may challenge yourself, so it is extremely important that you feel safe, supported, and seen.
I work with teens (16 years old and above) and adults of all genders. As a clinical social worker, I offer my clients not only psychotherapy but help accessing additional resources in their community. My session fee is $100 for individuals and $125 for families/couples. I do not accept insurance currently through my private practice but do offer several sliding scale spots. I look forward to supporting you on your healing journey!
Leigh Shaw, MSW, LSWAIC
I am a Clinical Social Worker/Therapist here at Liberating Jasper and in my own private practice, the Inner Counsel, PLLC. I am an educated, white, cisgendered, bi, alternative lifestyle affirming (poly, kink, group living, etc…), petite female-bodied provider striving to be conscious and accountable in the work of acknowledging my privileges. I deeply respect the authority of diverse lived experiences and am invested in the active dismantling of domination based paradigms be it in body, identity, relationship or society.
My work with clients is inspired by the nurturing of mind-body-spirit connection and informed by an eclectic approach tapping into the beauty of neuroscience, the skills of evidence based practices, mindfulness and movement, creativity, and the honoring of each person’s own capacity and desire to heal and grow. With my clients, we focus on the innate intelligence and wisdom of our bodies (somatic) through a trauma informed lens and invite into the space a conversation with lived experiences and relationships that have shaped our learning along the way. In an inclusive and supported space we nurture compassion, awareness and empowering narratives.
My passions include spending time with mama nature, stretching, eating good food, quality time with loved ones and fur babies, art & music making, writing and geeking out on new learning!
Angelina Lane, Student
Hi! I am an MSW student at UW and deeply grateful to be completing my advanced practicum at Liberating Jasper. I have been in body liberation work and peer organizing/leadership around eating disorders and related issues for eight years. My focus has been on advocacy with and for marginalized folks who are struggling with food and body issues. I am a revolutionary at heart and have a radically liberatory approach to healing our relationships with food, body, self, others, and the earth.
As a disabled, thin, cisgender Jewish woman, I navigate the complexities of identity with care as I work with clients. My approach to therapy is anti-oppressive, collaborative, trauma-informed, and strengths-based. Eating disorders are bio-psycho-social-spiritual conditions and I believe that recovery can be a process of opening up possibilities for healing, connection, and meaning that go far beyond just “fixing” the disorder. I am here to support you as you explore the path out of the narrow place of disorder and into life’s expansive possibilities.
Maggie Stang, MA, LMFTA
Maggie loves accompanying clients on their body liberation journeys through a Health at Every Size® and non-diet approach. She earned her Masters in Spiritually Integrated Couples and Family Therapy at Seattle University. Maggie enjoys working with a variety of relationship constellations (couples, families, etc), as well as individuals (16 y/o and above). As a queer, cis-gender, white therapist, Maggie is passionate about accompanying clients as they begin to embrace and love their many intersecting identities. Maggie believes that healing trauma and pain in our own bodies can help our communities move towards liberation for all. In order to practice therapy from an anti-oppression and de-colonized lens, Maggie acknowledges her privileged identities and works to dismantle oppressive structures within herself. If you’re looking for a nurturing therapist who is genuine, wants the best for your unique life, and will challenge you for deeper healing, then Maggie might be a good fit!
Amanda England, Student
I am excited to be working on my master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from
Northwestern University. I am passionate about helping people form trusting relationships with
their bodies through the Health at Every Size® and Body Trust® models of treatment. As a
cisgender, white, heterosexual woman it is my goal to acknowledge my privileges and the
pathologies created by racism, sexism, bigotry, ableism, anti-fat bias, and diet culture. Through
continued learning and my own lived experiences I strive to appreciate the intersectional lenses
through which each individual experiences the world. I want to create a space where clients
feel empowered to forge their own paths to recovery. Through collaborative, evidence-based
interventions I hope to help clients cultivate self-compassion and curiosity. My areas of focus
also include existential approaches to grief and traumatic loss. I believe the value of this work
lies in cultivating not just compassion within ourselves, but a more compassionate world.
Ashley Marrow, Student
I am so grateful to be completing my internship here at Liberating Jasper. I am working towards my MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Antioch University Seattle. As a student, I focused my elective coursework on complex trauma and addiction studies, both subjects close to my heart. I approach conversations around food and body from the Health at Every Size® framework which celebrates body diversity and building mindful health practices through abundance, pleasure, and joy. As a straight, white, cis woman with my own mental health needs, I occupy both positions of privilege and vulnerability. I will always work actively with you to interrupt our internalized messages of a disordered society that is fueled by oppression.
I come from an attachment and neuroscience based foundation that considers all behaviors to be adaptive and intelligent strategies that keep us safe. As a counselor, I focus on helping clients increase their self-compassion, curiosity, and tolerance for those pesky both/and gray areas that can be so hard to reconcile. I believe that in acknowledging and befriending our many Parts, we can find empowerment through Self-leadership. My goal as a counselor is to companion you through dark woods as a lantern, but ultimately you hold the map and have all the internal wisdom you need to decipher it.
When not learning how to be a counselor, I am kayaking, baking sourdough, or snuggling with my cats and playing Skyrim, again.
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Amber Lagerwey, MS, RD
I am a Registered Dietitian and Washington State Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. I received my Master of Science in Nutrition Degree from Bastyr University & completed my Dietetic Internship at Sea Mar Community Health in Seattle.
As a multi-racial, cisgendered, petite female-bodied provider I am dedicated to dismantling systemic racism & prejudice towards marginalized peoples (POC, LGBTQ+, larger-bodied) in health-care. I deeply respect the diversity of cultures, HAES body ideology & individuals lived experiences & the vital connection this has on body-mind nourishment. As a provider, my passion is to support & empower clients on their journey away from mainstream body oppression to positive food relationships & body peace
Lorraine Chu, MS, RDN, CDN
Lorraine Chu is a Registered Dietitian and New York and Washington State Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She received her Master of Science in Nutrition Degree from Hunter College in New York, NY, where she also completed her dietetic internship.
Lorraine is passionate about helping others find a sustainable way of eating that makes sense for them and their individual lifestyles, that emphasizes self-compassion and does not fixate on the scale. She practices a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach, which celebrates body diversity and supports people of all sizes, focusing on adopting healthy behaviors rather than hitting a certain number on the scale. She combines this belief with an intuitive eating approach, working with others to let go of fear or emotional ties towards certain foods and instead help them enjoy all foods. She believes that everyone’s experiences and journey with food is completely their own and enjoys helping others find a healthy and happy lifestyle that works for them as an individual.
Lorraine has experience working with all ages, from hosting nutrition and cooking classes for children to emphasizing competent eating to helping adults & seniors with disordered eating recovery, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease, cancer and renal failure. Lorraine is currently based in California and practices virtually at Liberating Jasper. She loves cooking, reading, learning new things and visiting national parks.