Andrea Schroeder, LPC/LPCC

About

  • Pronouns: she/her

  • Occupation and Specialty: Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor

  • Location (Clinic/hospital): Sentier Psychotherapy

  • Location (City): St. Paul

  • Offers Telehealth: Yes

  • Contact Information: https://sentiertherapy.com, 763-913-8261x700, aschroeder@sentiertherapy.com

  • Bio: I work across the lifespan with a focus on teens and emerging adult clients, because I enjoy helping people who are exploring and becoming their authentic selves.

    A specialty area for me is eating disorders and body image issues. I utilize a health at every size (HAES) lens as well as the principles of intuitive eating. I am passionate about helping clients identify unhealthy messages they have received about beauty ideals and reject these ideas. I'm also trained in the family-based treatment model for younger clients. I utilize eye movement desensitization reprocessing (EMDR) to treat trauma and daily life stressors. I'm also trained in dialectical behavior therapy and incorporate DBT skills into individual sessions with clients to help them improve emotion regulation, decrease acting on impulses, and improve relationships. Clients often see me for anxiety, depression, and life transitions as well.

Approach to care

  • What does it look like for you to provide care to patients in larger bodies? How is, or isn’t, your approach different from how you care for patients in smaller bodies? If you work with children, how is or isn’t your approach different when working with children?

    I work with clients 12 and older. Inclusive seating is available. Whether a client is in a thinner body or a larger body, they may struggle with disordered eating and negative thoughts about themselves and body image. I help clients no matter what size body they are in, reject body ideals that society pushes onto them and help them adopt a body neutrality/body positivity mindset.

  • What is your perspective on how weight is or is not related to health?

    I think that weight is not the same as health. There are thin people with health problems and people with bigger bodies with health problems. It is very upsetting that people in bigger bodies have their health problems dismissed and are told to lose weight. They are not getting the medical care they deserve when that happens.

  • Finish this sentence: “Fat people are…” 

    people

  • How do you, your clinic, and the healthcare system you work in use BMI (i.e BMI cutoffs for accessing certain services, BMI on charts and printouts, etc)? Is this flexible?

    BMI is not utilized at my clinic.

  • If a patient declines to be weighed, how do you and/or your staff proceed?

    That's okay, they don't have to be weighed, though weighing clients who are working on weight restoration for underweight clients is helpful to ensure weight is being restored.

  • If a patient declines to discuss weight loss, nutrition, and/or exercise, how do you proceed?

    That does not need to be part of their therapy with me.

  • What does the physical accessibility of your office space look like? What kinds of accommodations are present for people in larger bodies? Are there things you wish were in place that are currently not? 

    Accessible seating is available. I wish that there was an elevator available.

  • What do you do to allow fat people to feel comfortable and welcome in your office? 

    I always make sure to not comment on people's weight or appearance.

  • If you’d like to use this space to talk about any identities (gender, race, size, sexuality, etc.) you hold and how this relates to your care, please do so.