Our Philosophy and Commitment

We are committed to your journey to health

We recognize that nothing you do goes unaffected by your weight. We are touched by your life experiences, and we are committed to give you the most respectful, up to date and practical support to prepare you for weight-loss surgery and to deal with the impact of weight-loss surgery on your life.

Bariatric psychology is what we do. Your psychological care is important to us. Seeing your significant improvement in health, happiness and longevity, inspires us.

We see addressing your psychological needs as the center of our professional lives.

You are on a personal journey to health, and you deserve support and understanding. To help you find your path to health, we listen and respond to your unique life experiences.

We respect the adaptations you have made to live in a world prejudiced against obesity. We are sensitive to what makes you unique. We honor your life path before surgery. And we believe you have the strength and motivation for the life changes after surgery.

Gaining health is not an exercise in self denial, but rather a celebration of the deep wisdom in your body.

Weight-loss surgery is a marathon; not a sprint. It is not a quick fix.

Learning new WLS self care routines takes time. Fitting your WLS routines into your already full life takes practice. Your top priority is to give yourself time and support to learn how to take care of yourself in your real, day-to-day life.

And our top priority is creating time and space for you to learn how to effectively fit your new WLS routines into your existing life. We respect your need to find and sustain your personal WLS self care routines in your own way and at your own speed.

“Taking time for self-care was one of the gifts of WLS. Now I slow down to focus on what is important to me – health.” Susan, WLS patient.

Your life is changing. Good news.

But you need skills to effectively deal with your life changes after WLS. Before your surgery, you may not even know what new skills you will need to learn. But our patients tell us that after surgery you are much more certain what you need.

As you learn how to change your life, you will see new abilities grow, and you will build success upon success.

With an accepting, positive environment, we help you learn how to deal with the impact of your life changes. We help you develop:

• Effective life change skills based on research
• Practical life change skills to use in your everyday life
• Personal life change skills to fit your needs

Dealing with the changes in your life after WLS is not just hard work! It is a celebration!

You are entering one of the most exciting and transformative times of your life. Reclaiming your health is an opportunity to see your life in a new way. Personal growth energizes and draws you into fresh perspectives on self and others.

We want to help you enjoy your new health and vitality!

We want to help you flourish and thrive in your life!

We help you deal with the practical details of getting your surgery.

• Psychological evaluation reports will go to your surgeon within a week of your evaluation.

Healthy self-care begins with checking to see if you are meeting your basic needs and then working to fulfill them.
-Jennifer Louden

Bad habits are trying to call our attention to some part of our lives that is unlived or unexpressed.
-Sidra Stone

How poor are they who have not patience. What wound did ever heal but by degrees?
-William Shakespeare

Feelings of worth can flourish only in an atmosphere where individual differences are appreciated, mistakes are tolerated, communication is open, and rules are flexible - the kind of atmosphere that is found in a nurturing family.
-Virginia Satir

Adopting the right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one.
-Hans Selye

I cannot express or represent myself without the participation of my body.
-Karl Barth

Many of us have a strong and misguided tendency to believe that suffering and happiness come from things outside, rather than inside, ourselves.
-Ronna Kabatznick, PhD

I think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we only tune in.
-George Washington Carver

In the depth of winter, I finally learned there was in me an invincible summer.
-Albert Camus