Catherine S. Tilford, MA, NCC, LPC, CEDS (she/her)
I am passionate about helping people heal their relationships with food, exercise, and their bodies which is why I became a counselor and founded Embrace Strength Counseling in 2011. I’ve always been curious about people’s stories and how we make meaning out of our experiences. As a Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, I specialize in treating the full spectrum of eating disorders from a non diet and weight inclusive lens. I also specialize in working with anxiety, fertility and postpartum concerns, trauma, and perfectionism/self-worth. My goldendoodle, Willow, is a certified therapy dog and loves providing comfort and support to the clients I see in office. I’m a Colorado native who loves getting outside, reading, cooking, and spending time with my family.
Learn More about Catherine
Growing up, I loved school and sports. I was perfectionistic and high achieving in both arenas and felt like no matter how hard I tried, it was never good enough. Eventually, I felt like I wasn’t good enough which contributed to my own struggle with an eating disorder, depression, and anxiety for many years. I am also a trauma survivor. My recovery journey began when I decided I couldn’t live the way I was living anymore because I was going to lose everything important to me. I sought out treatment and over time discovered an inner strength I didn’t realize I possessed. As a recovered professional, I strive to support others in finding their own recovery so they can get back to living their lives and doing what they enjoy.
I earned my master’s degree in counseling from the University of Colorado Denver. I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist. My approach to counseling is strengths-based and integrative. I utilize Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Motivational Interviewing. I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy. I served on the Board of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp), volunteered as President of the iaedp Denver Metro Chapter for four years, and taught master’s level counseling courses at the University of Colorado Denver. I’ve completed over 45 hours of advanced training in clinical supervision and provide clinical supervision and professional consultation services, in addition to counseling services.
Reagan Rockholm, MA, LPCC (she/her)
Hi, my name is Reagan; my goal is to give you the space to heal and grow. I earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Denver in 2021. I started at Embrace Strength Counseling in 2020, joining as an intern during my final year of my Master’s program. Upon graduating from DU, I have continued my work full-time with ESC as a Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate in Colorado. I have specific interests in working with disordered eating patterns and other issues that often accompany anxiety, depression, self-worth, guilt, and the pressure of everyday life. In addition, I strive to examine with clients how our society, culture, and expectations impact mental health. I have extensive experience working with adolescents and young adults. Through this work, I saw how issues with a negative self-image and comparisons to others start early in life and can impact mental health long after.
Learn More about Reagan
I believe that treatment is a team effort and successful through trust and collaboration; for this reason, I gain additional insight through weekly supervision. Furthermore, I utilize Acceptance and Commitment techniques that emphasize the importance of values-guided living. Matching with ESC, I also believe in using the Health at Every Size philosophy to treat disordered eating. In my free time, I enjoy exploring Colorado, visiting with friends and family, painting, and baking. Most of all, I have a passion for learning and expanding my worldview.
Kaitlyn Valdez, MA, LPC, CCTP (she/her)
I am passionate about helping people create a life in which they feel heard, validated, and safe. I have always been curious about anxiety and depression, but it was not until graduate school that I discovered my love for working with victims of trauma, chronic illness, and eating disorders. Since joining Embrace Strength Counseling in 2020, I have also begun to specialize in the treatment of self-harm, generational trauma, tension myositis syndrome (TMS), and infertility/postpartum concerns.
Learn More about Kaitlyn
As a kid, I was always playing a sport or involved with the performing arts despite facing numerous health problems. Everything became an ongoing attempt at perfection: graduating high school with a 4.0 GPA, joining a sorority in college, being the only female equipment manager in the SEC-East for a Division I Football team, going straight from undergraduate to grad school, and achieving licensure as soon as I could. When I stopped trying to hide behind my achievements, I started to create a life that gives me the flexibility to be imperfect. Achievements are wonderful and have brought me far, but they primarily served to hide the shame and trauma I was experiencing as a result of some of these accomplishments. My goal is to help my clients leave behind a life led by shame to build a life full of resilience, hope, and safety.
I graduated with a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from New Mexico State University and am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Colorado and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. I work from a relational and strengths-based perspective, with Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (MB-CBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) integrated into my practice. When working with eating disorders/disordered eating, I use a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach as we work together to find new coping skills.
In my off hours, I am the proud dogmom to Maverick and Riley. You will find me cooking, baking, or crafting if I’m not out walking the pups. Thanks to my partner’s job in the Army, we get to explore new places in between whatever military life stressors pop up.
Eada Gendelman, MA, LPCC (she/her)
Hi, I’m Eada! My approach to therapy is honest, warm, and collaborative. I offer treatment for anxiety, depression, and trauma, but I specialize in working with body image and disordered eating. As a child of immigrants, I feel passionately about the intersections between eating disorders and marginalized identities. One of my greatest goals is to change the course of the eating disorder field and make treatment accessible to all. For this reason, I embrace Health at Every Size and anti-diet ideologies both personally and professionally.
Learn More about Eada
I graduated with my Master’s in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver after working in the mental health field for almost five years. I have experience working in a range of mental health settings including hospitals, schools, private practice, and all levels of eating disorder care. In working together, my goal is to provide you with a space where you can heal and feel connected. My work is rooted in humanistic psychology and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Outside of counseling, I love to bake, write, watch reality TV, and spend as much time outside as possible.
Kate Kastens-Moylan, MA, LPCC (she/her)
I believe my curiosity about therapy began to blossom around the age of nine. I was often told by adults how “mature” I was for my age and described as “overly sensitive” by peers. Little did I know that this was actually my natural intuition and helper’s heart, something that I would later come to understand is a particular strength and benefit in my therapeutic work. Empathy, compassion, and curiosity are particular hallmarks in my therapeutic approach. I work with clients struggling with many different burdens- ranging from Trauma and PTSD to Anxiety and Depression.
Learn More about Kate
I earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the University of Denver in 2021. I have over five years of clinical experience and have worked in a variety of different settings- ranging from hospitals and more integrated care to school environments, before eventually opening my own private practice in the Denver area. After a few years of owning and operating my private practice, I decided to pursue a different direction and joined Embrace Strength Counseling to be better accessible to clients and devote more time to working on my craft, rather than the business side of therapy. Not only would ESC offer the supportive and loving environment that I was yearning for in my work, it also allows me the space to grow and further expand upon my clinical knowledge in a way that felt much more stifled before.
The frame of our therapeutic work is client-centered and collaborative. I don’t silently scratch notes on a notepad as you lay on a couch talking to yourself, like the traditional therapy portrayal has most of us believing. I offer a therapeutic space that is both warm and welcoming, in which meaningful work can happen. I believe every client needs something different, so I use a blend of different treatment modalities ranging from Acceptance Committment Therapy (ACT) and Humanistic/Existential approaches to more behavioral/(CBT) approaches, depending on the client’s needs.
Aside from my role as a therapist, I enjoy reading, writing, and the Colorado mountains. I also have a particular knack for organization and cleanliness and enjoying using this in my work with clients, often exploring the impact our environment and surroundings can have on us.
Kenzie Taff, MA, NCC, LPCC (she/her)
Hi there! I’m Kenzie. I specialize in and enjoy working with clients who struggle with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image along with depression, anxiety, trauma, and self-injury. My passion and dedication to helping others find healing through therapy grew from my own battle with and recovery from an eating disorder, anxiety, and depression. Growing up, I struggled with perfectionism and people-pleasing, which contributed to the development of my eating disorder. I believed that I was never enough and was unworthy of acceptance, being heard, or taking up space. It wasn’t until I personally experienced therapy and had someone show me that I was worthy of them taking time to listen to my story that I was able to find the courage to be vulnerable, give voice to my pain, and begin the process of healing. I strive to create a sense of safety in my relationships with clients in order for them to feel seen, heard, and known, giving them a safe space to be vulnerable and share their emotions, thoughts, and experiences without fear.
Learn More about Kenzie
I received my Masters of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adler University in Chicago, IL and am a Nationally Certified Counselor and Licensed Professional Counselor Candidate in Colorado. I have experience working with adolescent and adult clients suffering from eating disorders anxiety, depression, trauma, and self-injury across several levels of care, including residential, intensive outpatient, and outpatient settings. My approach to therapy is relational, integrative, and based on my belief that therapy should be a collaboration between the therapist and client. My goal is to work with each client to identify their individual treatment goals and determine which therapeutic interventions are most effective for them. I strive to meet each client where they are at while gently challenging them to examine how their beliefs, thoughts, and behaviors impact their ability to live their lives according to their values. I often utilize principles and techniques from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. When treating eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image concerns, I practice from a Health at Every Size (HAES), non-diet, intuitive eating, and body neutrality perspective. My hope for each client is for them to break free from the shame that so often accompanies eating disorders, heal their relationships with food, exercise, and their bodies, and discover a life outside of their eating disorder that is full of hope, meaning, and purpose. I am honored to walk alongside my clients in our work together, hold hope for them when they are unable to do so for themselves, and support them in finding freedom from their eating disorders.
In my free time, I love curling up with a good book, spending time with family or friends, taking my Golden Retriever, Kaylee, for walks, and watercoloring.
Isabella Oremus, BA (she/her)
Does life leave you feeling weighed down by daily stressors and fears? Are you struggling with insecurities, feeling low levels of self-confidence? Do you feel socially disconnected from the world around you? I understand that starting therapy with a new counselor can be daunting, and I recognize the significance of an ongoing relationship between a client and counselor. Clients can expect and open-minded, compassionate, and nonjudgement environment in session with me. I intend to create an environment within each session that mindfully sets you in the direction of your goals. Everyone deserves a space in which they feel heard and understood. It is my priority to help you achieve whole-person awareness and wellness. I believe in cultivating an empowering space in which one may discover their intrinsic worth and value as a human being.
I am in my final year as a master’s level candidate in the University of Denver clinical mental health counseling program. At Embrace Strength, I am supervised by Catherine S. Tilford, MA, NCC, LPC, CEDS. I understand that therapy can look different for each client and utilize multiple therapeutic approaches based on what would best suit your needs. I am trained in applying exposure and response prevention (ERP), person-centered and strengths-based approaches, motivational interviewing, and relational psychotherapy. I implement a humanistic approach in all therapy sessions.
Learn More about Isabella
Additionally, I have received clinical training in cognitive processing therapy and maintaining spiritual and religious competencies within the scope of the multicultural orientation framework. After completing graduate school, I plan on working towards obtaining licensure to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. My clinical background consists of working at an addiction treatment center in Colorado and a treatment program in Illinois. Through these experiences, I have facilitated individual and group counseling and have conducted biopsychosocial assessments to assist in treatment planning. In my spare time, I enjoy traveling, reading, watching movies and television shows, and trivia nights with my friends!
Willow, Certified Therapy Dog (she/her)
Willow is a standard goldendoodle who’s been a part of Catherine’s family since she was a pup and earned her therapy dog certification in 2022. Willow loves coming to the office and providing comfort and love to anyone who wants her to! She loves hugs and can be very grounding and soothing for clients in session. She can also lay quietly on her bed if you do not want to interact with her. It’s totally up to you! When she’s not at the office, she loves being outside, sleeping on her parent’s bed, playing with her sisters (Catherine’s 2 daughters), and going for walks and runs. She knows the following commands so feel free to use them with her (e.g. “Willow, sit”):
- “Come”
- “Sit”
- “Down”
- “Shake”
- “Make A Friend”
- “Off”
- “No Lick”
- “Place”