Two Therapists Helping Each Other and Their Clients Find Strength

Nicole MacIntyre, MA, LMFT, graduated with her Master’s Degree during the COVID-19 pandemic in summer 2020, and, to this day, she’s still only worked with clients remotely using telehealth video therapy. 

With her own personal eating disorder recovery history, she didn’t initially expect she would be able to work with clients who had eating disorders. 

During graduate school she noticed most clinicians she encountered didn’t have personal experiences with eating disorders. and she decided to pursue clinical training in treating clients with eating disorders, as she felt called to the work and began wondering whether her past experience might help her relate more deeply with clients experiencing these challenges. 

Working with the right mentor, Dr. Marcela Rondani, PsyD, CEDS-S, LMFT, founder of Orenda Family Therapy Services, Inc. led MacIntyre to see that her personal experience could actually be an asset in helping clients

Dr. Rondani assured MacIntyre that it’s possible for therapists in eating disorder recovery to be very successful in working with clients who have eating disorders. 

This reframe helped MacIntyre realize that her personal experience, paired with clinical training, could be a super power for helping her clients. “I’m someone who had an eating disorder,” she said. “And I’m a therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders.” 

Before crossing paths with MacIntyre, Dr. Rondani immigrated to the U.S. from Brazil where she had worked as a mental health professional. 

Upon arriving in the U.S., Dr. Rondani was devastated to learn that her Bachelor of Sciences in Clinical Psychology from the University of Sao Paulo didn’t transfer over to her new country of residence.. Consequently, she needed to start her education all over again. She also needed to teach herself English while in the process of pursuing her studies. 

Both MacIntyre and Dr. Rondani speak openly, with great vulnerability, about the obstacles they’ve faced. MacIntyre’s personal experience with an eating disorder can actually help her connect more deeply with her clients. While Dr. Rondani’s struggle with leaving her friends and family behind in Brazil and needing to complete her degree program again while learning English, resulted in her ability to speak three languages. Today this allows her to assist and provide support for a diverse group of clients. 
MacIntyre and Dr. Rondani are each authentic and open in talking about what they’ve been through because those experiences made them who they are today: two strong women who are ready to help each other and their clients find strength. 

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