Mackenzie Nester MSW, LSW

She/her

Mackenzie believes therapists are not a blank slate and acknowledges her worldview is influenced by her identities as a white, straight-size, heterosexual, cisgender, able-bodied woman. Her work is also informed by her identity as a mother and her own lived experience of recovery from an eating disorder. 

Mackenzie has worked in the eating disorder field for several years in peer support as well as group, individual and intake therapist roles. Her approach to therapy is relational, client-led, strengths-based and rooted in principles of self-compassion and body liberation. She often draws from parts work, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Schema Therapy and Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT) and somatic and harm-reduction concepts. She is currently pursuing additional training in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and maternal mental health. As a social worker, she believes mental health exists within political systems of oppression (capitalism, patriarchy, white supremacy, colonialism, ableism, anti-fat bias, among others); therefore, true liberation and healing must occur on both individual and collective levels. 

We’re a good fit if...you experience disordered eating, body image concerns, anxiety, depression, perfectionism, obsessive thoughts, motherhood stress, burnout, past trauma, are navigating life transitions; or are struggling with general stress, overwhelm or feelings of disembodiment 

I especially enjoy working with…adult women who identify as emotionally sensitive, perfectionists, people-pleasers or overachievers; moms and moms-to-be

I support healing by...bearing compassionate witness to clients’ experiences of living in their bodies and acknowledging the systems that have shaped them. I believe my role is to foster a trauma-informed “brave space” vs. a “safe space” (credit: Arao and Clemens, 2013) for clients to courageously get to know all parts of themselves and define their own recovery in the way and at the pace they prefer. 

What brings me joy…my daughter’s laugh, walks with my golden retriever, reading nonfiction on the porch, baking, traveling and exploring new places on foot, journaling, yoga, photography, summertime and Graeter’s black raspberry chocolate chip ice cream.

Mackenzie sees adult clients virtually in the state of Ohio under the supervision of Jackie Garn, LISW-S.

Certifications: Behavioral Health Workforce and Education Training Program (BHWET)

Education: BA in Communication Studies, Saint Mary’s College; Masters in Social Work, The Ohio State University