A dark forest path leading toward a misty green glow

A steadier way back to eating

Verdant is a solo therapy practice in San Francisco for adults in recovery from binge eating. Dr. Wakefield works alongside a registered dietitian, so the feelings around food and the food itself are looked after together.

Write to us Meet Dr. Wakefield

How the work is shaped

Recovery from binge eating is rarely a straight line. This is how we make room for that.

Growth at its own pace
Change in how you eat comes in small, uneven steps. We go at the speed you can keep, and a hard week is part of the work, not a failure.
Warmth, not judgment
Shame keeps many people quiet about bingeing. Here every part of the story is welcome, and nobody grades your meals.
Mind and food together
Dr. Wakefield works with the thoughts and feelings around eating while the dietitian works with the food itself.

50 min
Individual sessions
2
A therapist and a dietitian, working together
Video
Or in the office
Adults
Aged 18 and over

Does this sound familiar?

These are patterns many adults bring in. You do not need a diagnosis to ask for support.

Eating past full, then feeling ashamed
The meal ends and the shame arrives. You tell no one, and promise yourself that tomorrow will be different.
Food rules that keep breaking
Cutting out foods, starting over on Monday, and the cycle that follows when the rules give way.
Eating alone or hiding what you ate
Wrappers in the bin, plates cleared before anyone sees, a quiet worry about being found out.
Feeling at war with your body
Getting dressed or being seen feels like a verdict, and it is hard to think about much else.

A coffee cup and a notebook on a table by a window

How we can help

Individual therapy for adults, with a dietitian beside it for the food itself.

Core
Individual therapy
One-on-one sessions about food, mood and shame, using CBT-E, a cognitive behavioral treatment developed for eating problems, at the pace you set.
With a dietitian
Working with a dietitian
Regular meals, hunger and fullness, and ways of eating that do not depend on rules. The registered dietitian partner has her own practice, and she and Dr. Wakefield talk only with your written permission.
Skills
Skills for hard moments
DBT-informed skills for the time before a binge: noticing the urge, a pause, and something to do with the feeling.
Body image
Body image and self-trust
Work on the thoughts about shape and weight that sit under the eating, with no goal of changing your body.
Care team
Coordinating your care
Where it helps, we work with your doctor. If you may need more than weekly therapy, Dr. Wakefield says so plainly and helps you look.

Meet Dr. Kelly Wakefield

I'm a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice. I see adults who binge eat and are tired of the loop of rules, bingeing and shame.

Sessions are about what happens before, during and after eating, and the feelings underneath. I use CBT-E and DBT-informed skills, and I work beside a registered dietitian so the food side has its own expert.

Ph.D. in clinical psychology
Licensed clinical psychologist in California
Works beside a registered dietitian partner
Adults 18 and over

Dr. Kelly Wakefield

Licensed Clinical Psychologist

A smiling woman in a grey blazer sits on a windowsill holding a laptop beside an orange wall

What it feels like to be here

A few words from people who sat in the room.

“Dr. Wakefield never made me explain myself twice. Nobody weighed anything or graded how my week had gone.”

Lucy W.Individual client

“I could talk about a hard meal without watching a face change. It felt like a conversation, not a check-in.”

Yui S.Individual client

“The pace was mine. Some weeks we talked about almost nothing to do with food, and that was allowed.”

Jackson H.Individual client

“I liked that the dietitian and Dr. Wakefield knew about each other, so I only told the story once.”

Kaitlyn B.Individual client

“I expected to feel judged. I felt listened to, and the office was quiet and easy to walk into.”

Wyatt N.Individual client

Sample reviews.

Getting started

A clear way in, with no packet to fill in before you have said hello.

Overhead view of a cup of black coffee on a green notebook with a pen on a wooden table

A short note
Write to us. Dr. Wakefield replies on weekdays, and you get the fee in writing before you book.
First session
Fifty minutes to say what you want from the work. Nothing is weighed or measured.
Regular sessions
A rhythm you and Dr. Wakefield agree on. The dietitian joins in when you both want her to.
Spacing out
As things steady, sessions can space out. The door stays open.

The office

A quiet, light room on Green Street, and a few green things to look at.

A narrow path through a green forest of tall trees

A corduroy sofa in warm lamplight seen at an angle

A stone lantern on a rock by a pond in a Japanese garden

Common questions

Short answers. The FAQ page has the rest.

What does insurance cover when a dietitian is involved?

Less than it covers for therapy. Many plans pay for nutrition counseling only with certain diagnoses or a referral, some not at all, and Medicare only for a few conditions, such as diabetes and some kidney disease. The dietitian partner has her own practice and bills on her own, so ask her office and your plan before a first visit. Dr. Wakefield's sessions are billed separately.

Do you take my insurance?

Verdant is out of network with insurance plans, so you pay the practice directly and can ask your plan to reimburse you. Dr. Wakefield does not bill Medicare or Medicaid. How fees work explains the rest, including a written estimate before you start.

What happens in a first session?

Fifty minutes to say what you want from the work and to hear how Dr. Wakefield works. You choose what to share. Nothing is weighed, measured or counted, and you leave knowing what the next step would be if you want one.

Will I be weighed or asked to count anything?

No. Nothing is weighed in session, and you are not asked to count calories or keep a food log you did not choose. If your doctor asks for measurements, they are your doctor's to take.

Do you offer sessions by video?

Yes, in states where we are licensed. Dr. Wakefield is licensed in California, so video sessions are for clients who are in California at the time of the session. Sessions in the office are on Green Street in San Francisco.

How do I know if outpatient therapy is enough?

Sessions here are outpatient. If you are fainting, have chest pain, or cannot keep food or fluids down, you need medical care first. Dr. Wakefield will tell you plainly if you may need more than weekly therapy, and help you look for it.