Meet Your Therapist
Kelsey Esser, MSW, LCSW
About Kelsey
Hi, I’m Kelsey. I am a licensed clinical social worker who works with teens and adults who have been through painful experiences in their life, and who may be using a variety of ineffective coping mechanisms to deal. My areas of specialization are eating disorders and self injurious or suicidal behaviors.
I love applying behavioral strategies to help my clients connect their minds and bodies and find freedom from the behavior patterns that inhibit them from living their authentic life. Eating disorder symptoms and self injurious behaviors are often coping mechanisms for complex trauma. My goal is to help clients build their effective coping skills to replace unhelpful behaviors, allowing them to begin healing from past trauma.
Service Rate & Insurance
Kelsey’s rate is $150 per therapy hour. She is in-network with United Healthcare. Kelsey is not currently accepting new clients.
Focus Areas & Specialties
I work with adolescents and adults. I specialize in treating eating disorders, body image, suicidal and self injurious behaviors, personality disorders, trauma, anxiety and depression.
Therapeutic Training & Background
I have been in the field of social work since 2011. I earned both my Bachelor and Masters of Social Work from the University of Missouri - Columbia. I am trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Prolonged Exposure (PE). I also utilize Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, polyvagal theory and somatic experiencing.
In addition to my work treating eating disorders at all levels of care, I also have diverse experience working in child welfare, substance abuse, and acute psychiatric settings. I have served on a DBT consultation teams since 2014. I have also served as a clinical instructor with the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri and Columbia College. I currently serve as a HUB Team Member on the Missouri ECHO for Disordered Eating and Eating Disorders (DEED). I provide supervision for provisionally licensed master’s social workers. I also provide eating disorder training and consultation to colleagues.
My interest in and passion for working with eating disorders began about 12 years ago while working in a substance abuse treatment center. I noticed that many of my clients who were struggling with past trauma and substance abuse issues were also struggling with eating disorders. However, this particular issue had often been overlooked and untreated throughout their recovery journey. It became necessary for me, and vital to my clients’ full recovery, to become an expert in treating eating disorders. I continued my passion for working with individuals with eating disorders by going on to work at McCallum Place Eating Disorder Treatment Center and then into outpatient practice. I formed The Current Therapy Services in 2021, creating a group practiced that focused on the treatment of eating disorders and comprehensive DBT programs.
Professional Style
My clients appreciate my directness and sense of humor. They feel my compassion and understanding. I accept them as they are and show them the path to change. My clients leave therapy with me feeling more confident in their ability to regulate emotions and manage behaviors. They feel more in control, like themselves, and that they have a life that is worth living.
You are safe in my therapy space to be your unique self and to share your most painful parts. Our focus is first on the current moment, identifying solutions to your current struggles. I see the best of who you are and the strength within you. You can expect me to be real, honest, and to share my unwavering hope with you. You have everything you need already inside of you to heal, you just need me to show you how to access it.
Founder & Director
In addition to providing therapy, I am the founder and director of The Current Therapy Services. I facilitate the training and supervision of all of the therapists and students working at the clinic, as well as oversee all non-clinical operations of the clinic. I serve as the Team Lead for both the Eating Disorder and RO-DBT Consultation Teams. It is the mission of The Current Therapy Services to provide safe, quality and effective services to vulnerable and underserved populations, focusing on those struggling with eating disorders.
