Hello there! My name is Dr. Colleen Reichmann, and I am the founder of Wildflower Therapy LLC. I am a licensed clinical psychologist in Philadelphia, PA, and an eating disorders specialist. I also specialize in mental health specific to college students, maternal mental health, anxiety, and depression.
So a few things you probably want to know:
- What type of therapy do I do?
Well, like most things in psychology land, the answer to that question is not black and white. I was trained to utilize person-focused therapy. What does that mean? Basically, I recognize that you are essentially the world’s leading expert on…you! So I listen. I walk alongside of you. Essentially, my goal is not to save you. My goal is to work alongside of you and help you to save yourself.
Now when it comes to issues like eating disorders, postpartum depression, anxiety, and body image issues- talking is great. Talking is essential. But I want you to take action too. This is why I also implement dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), and family-based treatment with adolescents when appropriate. These types of therapy techniques will provide you with specific skills and change-mechanisms to implement between sessions. This way, you can focus on taking back your life even when you are not in sessions with me. (Cool hu?)
I am not a smile and nod therapist. Clients have described me as interactive, genuine, radically authentic and real. If you choose to work with me, I will ask you to bring your all. You will be asked to dig deep. I will guide you to sit with your emotions (versus running from them). We will laugh together (a lot). I believe that issues such as chronic dieting/ disordered eating are the tip of the iceberg- in our work together, we will be delving down under the water to deeper roots. And while it will not be easy, I promise that it will ultimately be rewarding.
2. Do I know what I’m doing?
Here’s the low-down on my training: I completed my predoctoral internship at the University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro Center for Eating Disorders. I then worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Sheppard Pratt Center for Eating Disorders. In both of these programs, I worked across the inpatient, partial hospitalization, and IOP levels of care. I then created eating disorder programming and worked with students at the College of William and Mary. So I have a strong foundation of training in treating disordered eating.
I am an advocate for the Health at Every Size and body-liberation movements, and was named one of the top eating disorder experts in the country by a leading treatment center.
I did not *ahem* thrive in college (to put it lightly). Because of my own rough history during those years, I have such a deep well of empathy for the specific struggles that college students face. And working at William and Mary solidified my love for working with college students. I cannot emphasize enough how much I enjoy helping people navigate this challenging period of life.
After going through years of infertility, and finally having my son and daughter through IVF, I became very interested in maternal mental health. I sought out specialized training in this area, and now proudly also help mamas navigate the spectrum of peri and postnatal mental health struggles, from infertility, to pregnancy loss, to postpartum depression and beyond.
3. Why do I do this work?
To explain this, I am going to enlist the help of a quote from The West Wing (yes the show):
“This guy’s walking down the street when he falls in a hole. The walls are so steep he can’t get out. A doctor passes by and the guy shouts up, ‘Hey you. Can you help me out?’ The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts up, ‘Father, I’m down in this hole can you help me out?’ The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on. Then another person walks by and the guy shouts, ‘Hey! I’m down here. Can you help me out?’ And the person jumps in the hole. Our guy says, ‘Are you stupid? Now we’re both down here.’ The other person says, ‘Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.'”
I do this work because I get it. I’ve been there. I’m the guy in the quote that knows the way out. Now, don’t get me wrong-Your way out is going to be unique and different from mine. But I remember *that* feeling. So my plan to is walk right alongside of you to help you discover your path to climbing out of the hole. You can do this.
I am a firm believer that:
1. Life in color is preferable to the bleak, grey life with disordered eating, depression, anxiety, or any other mental health struggle.
2. That life is color is possible for anyone.
I founded this practice because I believe in your ability to find freedom. My aim is to help you create the necessary changes while providing safety, and connection in a collaborative relationship.
You ready? Let’s do this.