Glad you’re hereMichelle Krieger, LCPC
Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor | Certified Eating Disorder Specialist
I work with adolescents and adults who are struggling with eating disorders and the often complicated relationship between food, body image, and emotional well-being.
If you’ve found your way here, there’s a good chance that something about your relationship with food or your body doesn’t feel the way you wish it did. Maybe it feels consuming. Maybe it feels confusing. Maybe it’s something you’ve been quietly carrying for a long time.
Eating disorders are rarely just about food. They often develop alongside experiences like perfectionism, anxiety, shame, or a sense of disconnection from your own body. And over time, those patterns can become difficult to untangle on your own.
Therapy offers a place to begin that process—with support, curiosity, and care.
If you’re wanting a clearer sense of what working together might look like, you can explore more on the Eating Disorder Therapy page.
How I Came to This Work
Becoming a therapist was not my first career.
My path into this work came later in life, shaped by both personal and professional experiences. Over time, I found myself drawn to understanding emotional experiences more deeply—especially the ways people learn to cope, adapt, and survive in environments where it hasn’t always felt safe to be fully seen.
That path became more focused when eating disorders entered my life in a very real and personal way.
Through that experience, I came to understand not only how complex eating disorders are, but how difficult it can be to find specialized, coordinated care—especially in Central Illinois.
That realization became a turning point. It led me to shift careers, return to school, and begin building a practice centered on providing the kind of thoughtful, connected care that is often hard to find.
How I Think About Therapy
There isn’t a single “right way” to recover from an eating disorder. Some people come in ready for change, while others feel unsure or ambivalent. We start where you are.
In our work together, we look beyond behaviors to understand what they’ve been doing for you—often helping you cope, feel more in control, or manage difficult emotions. From there, we begin to build something more flexible and sustainable.
My approach is informed by trauma-focused therapies, including AEDP and EMDR. For many people, eating disorders are connected to deeper emotional and relational experiences, and therapy becomes a place to explore those layers with care.
When helpful, I collaborate with physicians, dietitians, and other providers so that care feels coordinated rather than fragmented. I also support parents, partners, and loved ones in understanding how to be part of the recovery process.
If you’d like to learn more about getting started, you can visit the New Clients page.
What It’s Like to Work Together
Clients often tell me that they feel a sense of steadiness and presence in our work—even in a virtual space.
That matters to me.
Whether we’re meeting in person or online, my intention is to create an environment that feels grounded, respectful, and attuned. A space where you don’t have to filter your experience or present yourself in a certain way in order to be understood.
We move at a pace that feels manageable, while still supporting meaningful growth over time.
My Credentials
LicensureIllinois — Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)
EducationM.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling — Lincoln Christian University (CACREP-accredited)
B.S. in Human and Educational Services — Illinois State University
Specialized TrainingAEDP Level 1 (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy)
Advanced AEDP training focused on trauma and attachment
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Eating Disorder SpecializationCandidate for Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) — International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (iaedp)
Active member, Heartland Chapter of iaedp
