HI THERE!
Healing doesn’t have to be joyless.
We are Lauren (she/her) and Fern (she/her), therapists and co-founders of Candlemine Psychotherapy. We’re also kindred spirits and forever friends who share a genuine love of eating. When we aren’t working, we love spending time together - creating delicious meals, bathing in the shade of the trees or just existing.
It was in these shared moments that the idea for candlemine was born. Working together in a number of care settings, we saw what was missing and wanted to create something different. Something that brought curiosity to how people relate to their bodies and eating, and placed healing those relationships at the center of what we do.
We love creating spaces where people can explore, unlearn, and reconnect with themselves. Candlemine is where we bring all of that together: quality care, curiosity, joy, and the radical idea that you are allowed to feel good in your body and at the table.
We recognize how vulnerable it is to talk about who we are as eaters and how we feel about our bodies. We do this work alongside you. Our own body stories involve plenty of hurt (and healing!). This business of having a body is HARD. We also believe it can be magical.
It’s ok if you’re not there. You don’t have to be all in to start this work. You are welcome here as you are.
We are Lauren (she/her) and Fern (she/her), therapists and co-founders of Candlemine Psychotherapy. We’re also kindred spirits and forever friends who share a genuine love of eating. When we aren’t working, we love spending time together - creating delicious meals, bathing in the shade of the trees or just existing.
It was in these shared moments that the idea for candlemine was born. Working together in a number of care settings, we saw what was missing and wanted to create something different. Something that brought curiosity to how people relate to their bodies and eating, and placed healing those relationships at the center of what we do.
We love creating spaces where people can explore, unlearn, and reconnect with themselves. Candlemine is where we bring all of that together: quality care, curiosity, joy, and the radical idea that you are allowed to feel good in your body and at the table.
We recognize how vulnerable it is to talk about who we are as eaters and how we feel about our bodies. We do this work alongside you. Our own body stories involve plenty of hurt (and healing!). This business of having a body is HARD. We also believe it can be magical.
It’s ok if you’re not there. You don’t have to be all in to start this work. You are welcome here as you are.
I have always loved to eat. The lore is that I hummed the first time I tried solid food. I feel most at home near the sea and sun, and my most cherished values are authenticity, connection and creativity. I think that amazing things happen when we investigate ourselves without judging and that moving towards authenticity makes our lives better. One of my guiding principles as a professional is that trusting the process works in ways we can’t imagine. I draw deep inspiration from the work of adrienne marie brown, Ester Perrel and Galit Atlas. Outside of work I enjoy being in nature, expressing my creative self through cooking and making art, spending quality time with those closest to me and planning my next travel destination.
Fern DeMello is a licensed mental health counselor in Washington State (LH61008619) and Hawai'i (MHC-796). Fern is also licensed in Washington State as a Certified Nutritionist (NU60832965).
Fern DeMello is a licensed mental health counselor in Washington State (LH61008619) and Hawai'i (MHC-796). Fern is also licensed in Washington State as a Certified Nutritionist (NU60832965).
I found my love for eating while working in fine-dining restaurants after my college graduation. Up until that point, my relationship with food and my body was fairly fraught. Experiencing the way that food could be a source of pleasure and connection brought immense healing to my body and soul. Cozy environments, overcast days, the woods, time with my people, eating well and moving my body nurture my energy. I believe when we make space to listen to the experiences that resonate with our bodies, not just our minds, amazing things happen. One of my guiding principles as a therapist is that being compassionately witnessed can empower us to show up more bravely and authentically in our lives.
Lauren McKee is a licensed mental health counselor in Washington State (LH61008611). Lauren is also licensed in Washington State as a Certified Nutritionist (NU60809148).
Lauren McKee is a licensed mental health counselor in Washington State (LH61008611). Lauren is also licensed in Washington State as a Certified Nutritionist (NU60809148).
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candlemine (noun)
/ˈkandlmīn'/
1. A reference to a person’s own storehouse of fat, or belly, from a time when candles were made of tallow (rendered beef fat) rather than wax.
a. Used as an insult in Shakespeare’s Henry IV to refer to a person of a larger body size.
b. Where digestion and metabolism of food occurs in the body. A place of fire and transformation.
2. Our guidance. A field of light that exists inside each of us and represents our innate drive to return to the elemental self. A force that captures our intuition, wisdom and deep knowing.
Choosing candlemine as the name of our practice reflections our intention to reimagine the mislabeling of bodies as wrong or defective. We want to support the reclaiming of what the dominant culture has used to harm and disempower bodies by centering trust, curiosity and freedom.
/ˈkandlmīn'/
1. A reference to a person’s own storehouse of fat, or belly, from a time when candles were made of tallow (rendered beef fat) rather than wax.
a. Used as an insult in Shakespeare’s Henry IV to refer to a person of a larger body size.
b. Where digestion and metabolism of food occurs in the body. A place of fire and transformation.
2. Our guidance. A field of light that exists inside each of us and represents our innate drive to return to the elemental self. A force that captures our intuition, wisdom and deep knowing.
Choosing candlemine as the name of our practice reflections our intention to reimagine the mislabeling of bodies as wrong or defective. We want to support the reclaiming of what the dominant culture has used to harm and disempower bodies by centering trust, curiosity and freedom.
My life has changed entirely, I have reached a place in my recovery where I can engage in the experiences food has to offer, with enjoyment, after living with a serious eating disorder for over two decades.