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Health at Every Size® Healthcare Provider Listing

Charis Stiles LCSW

(she/her)

Mental Health Therapist

Stiles Therapy Collective
virtual,
California,
United States

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Sliding Scale Available
Specialties & Areas of Focus:
- neurodivergence
- codependency
- chronic illness
- relationship concerns
- queer
- gender identity
- anti-racist
- disordered eating
Modalities & Theoretical Lenses:
- fat liberation
- intersectional feminism
- neurodiverse affirming
- queer affirming
- self compassion
- somatic
- body acceptance
Age Groups Served:
- Adults (18 years old and up)
Additional Populations Served & Allied Groups:
- LGBTQIA+
- people pleasers
- perfectionists
- people with religious trauma
- people with medical trauma
- people with family of origin trauma
- exploring gender identity
- white people wanting to unlearn white supremacy
- people wanting to unlearn fatmisia
- people in helping professions
- folks in the beginning of their careers
- folks wanting to make changes in their career
- folks dealing with grief and caring for aging parents
- folks dealing with menopause
- activists
Languages Services Offered In:
- English

My Philosophy of Care

Fat liberation is a core part of my existence, inside or outside of the therapy office.

I believe therapy is part of the scope of political work. I do this work because I believe intrapersonal healing leads to interpersonal healing, because the personal is political, because what happens on the small scale is reflected on the large scale. I believe therapy is a vital part of remaking the world into one that actively supports and cares for us and our bodies.

When I work with clients in larger bodies, I try to balance understanding what it means to live in this world in a larger body while trying to grow into body acceptance and fat liberation. How can I help a client balance their real life needs in oppressive systems with self compassion and community care? My work includes unlearning anti-fatness, exploring underlying anxiety or executive functioning issues that perpetuate disordered eating, and building a kind inner parent.

I also focus on helping people pleasers, perfectionists, and folks with neurodivergence build more self acceptance. This typically includes reckoning with living under intersecting oppressive systems. It involves reconnecting with the body, exploring shame, and learning how to identity unmet needs/wants. I typically try to balance deep, inner exploration with practical, tangible interventions.

Additionally, I do offer trainings for organizations and practices on the topics of weight bias and how to bring fat liberation into their clinical work.

About Me & My Practice

I’m a LCSW living in northern CA. When I’m not working, I’m reading silly romance novels, watching lots of cat Tik Toks, and trying my hand at ceramics. I have two elderly animals- my tuxedo cat Lenore and golden retriever Blue.

I’m a fat, queer, white cisgender millennial. I grew up in a religious home in the South, and I maintain a deep spiritual practice outside of any religious doctrine. Disability justice is close to my heart as I manage daily life with an autoimmune disorder.

I’m a gemini sun/Capricorn moon/gemini rising.

My fat liberation training has been primarily through my personal and activist work. Living in a larger body for most of my life, I grew up with disordered eating and exercise habits, always with the goal of making my body smaller. When I was in my late 20s, I started learning about HAES® and the intersection of fat liberation and anti-racism specifically. I joined HAES® consult groups and fat activist circles. I joined ASDAH and NAFAA.

Accessibility Considerations

I provide only virtual therapy for folks in the state of California. Virtual therapy is often done by HIPPA-compliant video platform but can also be done by phone. This does require clients to have a phone or computer with either internet or data available. It’s best to have sessions in a private space and not when you’re driving or otherwise occupied. I only provide sessions in English and do not have ASL interpretation capabilities.

I am only private pay, meaning clients must pay with a credit/debit card or HSA card at the time of the appointment. For clients that want to seek insurance reimbursement, I do have to put a diagnostic code in the chart. This is something I often talk with clients about openly during sessions, but it is a diagnosis your insurance will become aware of. Diagnosis will be listed on superbills each month and the Good Faith Estimate, which is a federally required form that only the therapist and client are able to view.

I do provide sliding scale fees, but cap the number of sliding scale spots I offer. Most clients see me weekly; however, I do offer every other week spots or ad hoc spots for more flexible scheduling.

My intake paperwork asks for gender identity and pronouns, and allows clients to designate the name they use. If seeking reimbursement from insurance, a client will have to use their legal names and will have to chose “male, female, or prefer not to say” for sex. Legal names are also used on the Good Faith Estimate.

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