Leah Beckmann, MSW, LCSW

Clinical Therapist

 

Leah Beckmann, MSW, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at AIM in Chapel Hill. She specializes in supporting tweens, teens, and emerging and young adults with eating disorders, disordered eating, and body image distress, as well as depression, anxiety, life stressors, LGBTQ+ issues, and chronic illness. Additionally, Leah helps caregivers navigate parenting their children and young adults with confidence. 

 

Leah tailors therapy to individual needs, using various approaches like Internal Family Systems, motivational interviewing, and dialectical behavior therapy. She enhances these methods with mindfulness-based strategies when appropriate. Leah is trained to use Family-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders when needed. Although her practice isn’t trauma-focused, it follows trauma-aware principles. Leah embraces a strengths-based orientation, believing in each person’s inherent worth. 

 

She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Macalester College and a Master of Social Work from the University of North Carolina Wilmington. Leah’s professional background includes LGBTQ+ issues, reproductive healthcare, disaster response, suicide prevention, and sexual assault victim advocacy. She has worked with teens and adults with eating disorders in residential and day treatment programs.

 

Leah challenges systemic oppression, recognizing its impact on mental and physical health. She seeks to prioritize client autonomy in the treatment of eating disorders. She advocates for a holistic approach to healing. Leah is LGBTQ+ affirming and weight-inclusive, practicing from a Health at Every Size (HAES) lens. Her therapy is collaborative and shame-free, encouraging clients to be authentic and progress at their own pace. Leah values being a resource and guide, honoring client challenges while facilitating positive change.