Taking the Worth Out of Weight and Embodying the Health at Every Size® (HAES®) Mindset: A Q&A With Thrive Wellness Waco Lead Dietitian Jen Fletcher, M.S., RD, LD, CNSC

Thrive • July 19, 2022

An innovative concept, the Health at Every Size® (HAES®) movement challenges existing public health narratives regarding the relationship between body size and health. Offering an alternative perspective, the HAES® approach debunks the widely-held belief that weight determines one’s well-being. Learn more about how the HAES® perspective can promote whole-body health in this thought-provoking Q&A with Thrive Wellness Waco Lead Dietitian Jen Fletcher, M.S., RD, LD, CNSC.

What is the HAES® approach?

The HAES® approach is a movement gaining in popularity that promotes all health behaviors, rather than weight management, as ways to support well-being. By asserting that body size doesn’t categorically indicate or affect health status, the HAES® perspective encourages society to focus on well-being as an attribute that people in all bodies possess.

How does the HAES® approach relate to nutrition and movement?

In regards to nutrition , the HAES® movement supports principles of Intuitive Eating , such as:

Flexible and individualized eating choices based on personal hunger and fullness cues
Rejecting the diet mentality as diets can disrupt one’s connection with the body while also harming physical and mental health
Making peace with food by not creating, accepting, or endorsing any moral judgments around different types of foods

The HAES® perspective encourages movement for all bodies . Society is flooded with harmful narratives about diet culture , weight bias (involving prejudice based on body size), weight stigma (involving stereotypes and misconceptions), and unrealistic expectations for how bodies “should” look. These misleading cultural messages can make movement seem less accessible to some individuals. Alternatively, HAES® promotes acceptance of all bodies and empowers individuals to move in ways they enjoy. Meeting every individual where they are, the HAES® approach endorses personal choice in movement, respect for ability levels, and self-kindness as they explore what movement means to them.

What does it mean to be a HAES®-informed eating disorder recovery provider?

While diet culture , weight bias, and weight stigma can contribute to the development of eating disorders , incorporating the HAES® ideals can help counteract these harmful societal narratives. HAES®-informed eating disorder recovery providers are weight inclusive and uphold the truth that all bodies are deserving of respect and compassionate care . HAES®-informed eating disorder recovery providers also guide clients in creating health goals that aren’t focused on weight which helps foster sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes for lasting recovery. By integrating HAES® principles into practice, providers are able to create mentally and physically supportive environments that are conducive to healing for all bodies.

How does a HAES® perspective benefit well-being?

A harmonious relationship with one’s body can nurture a peaceful relationship with food and eating . By empowering a person to accept their body as it is, HAES® promotes a deeper mind-body connection and creates a natural pathway to practicing intuitive eating. Overall, HAES® allows for a shift in mindset that inspires individuals to ditch diets, enjoy true satisfaction during everyday eating experiences, and free themselves from societal pressure to achieve unrealistic body ideals.

What are some common misconceptions about HAES®?

The HAES® movement encourages individuals to disregard any societal or medical meaning given to the measurement of weight. Even still, many individuals falsely assume that if weight goals aren’t present, health will suffer. This isn’t the case. Research shows that a HAES® approach is associated with improvements in health, metabolic risk factors, and eating disorder behaviors.

Additionally, individuals often misunderstand the HAES® movement to mean that the entire range of the size spectrum is considered “healthy.” In reality, body size doesn’t determine well-being. It’s important to shift the focus away from weight and related goals and instead concentrate on healthy behaviors . By its very nature, weight isn’t a behavior, and thus can’t be implemented to promote well-being.

How can people adopt a HAES® mindset?

By appreciating your body exactly how it is right now, you can begin embracing the HAES® mindset. This may feel like a classic “easier said than done” situation, but the truth is that all bodies are deserving of love, compassion, respect, and care . We are all created to be unique in so many ways, including the inherent diversity of body shape and size. By wholeheartedly accepting your body, you can begin your journey to having a peaceful, healthy relationship with your entire self.

LEARN TO LOVE YOUR BODY

At Thrive Wellness, we want everyone to feel comfortable and connected with their bodies, but we also understand the many complex factors that can interfere with this. Approaching treatment from the perspective that physical, mental, and behavioral health are intertwined, we offer comprehensive, compassionate care for all. Our HAES®-informed, interdisciplinary team includes mental and behavioral health specialists, registered dietitians, psychiatric professionals, and additional clinical support staff.* They collaborate on each individual’s care to help them lead happy, healthy, body-positive lives. Reach out to learn more about our healthcare services .

*Additional services and providers may be available depending on location.

About the Contributor

Thrive Wellness Waco Lead Dietitian Jen Fletcher, M.S., RD, LD, CNSC

Jen Fletcher earned a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from Texas A&M University and a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics from Texas Tech University. She also completed a dietetic internship at Texas A&M and is a certified nutrition support clinician (CNSC). With several years of experience as a clinical dietician, Jen specializes in medical nutrition therapy with a focus on critical care. Her career spans working in intensive care, newborn intensive care, oncology, renal, and progressive care units.

Jen is passionate about promoting healing through nutrition and believes that proper nourishment is fundamental to living life to the fullest. Through her practice, she is committed to helping others enhance their relationships with food and their bodies on their journey to recovery. At Thrive Wellness Waco, Jen works alongside a multidisciplinary team to treat those who are struggling with eating disorders to do just that. She aspires to make a positive impact in the lives of others and takes pride in being part of a team and organization dedicated to quality, community-driven care.

Jen savors spending her spare time in the company of friends and family, including her husband and cat. She enjoys reading, running, indoor cycling, watching TV with her husband, and taking “way too many” pictures of her feline fur baby.

The post Taking the Worth Out of Weight and Embodying the Health at Every Size® (HAES®) Mindset: A Q&A With Thrive Wellness Waco Lead Dietitian Jen Fletcher, M.S., RD, LD, CNSC first appeared on Thrive Wellness.

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Your Guide to Higher Levels of Care: How to Decide Which Treatment Level is Right for Your Mental Health

By Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, CPC, LPC-S, CEDS-C • December 18, 2025

Sometimes, people need more support, structure, and monitoring than the typical outpatient setting can provide. When this happens, the treatment team will usually recommend that someone be "stepped up" to a different level of care, or program, that can better meet their needs. I like to think of it as being similar to medication dosages; people need different strengths of medications, or dosages, to get better when they're sick. Stepping someone up to a higher level of care is like increasing the dosage of a medication to match the severity of their symptoms. How Are Higher Levels of Care Different from Standard Outpatient Care? At the core of differentiating higher levels of care from standard outpatient care is the intensity and structure of the treatment. Higher level of care programs tend to offer more days of treatment each week and more hours of treatment per day than in the outpatient setting. Those in higher level of care programs may also meet with their treatment team members more frequently each week. There are more staff present to support someone at or after meals and snacks, or to help those who are having urges to engage in compulsions or other harmful behaviors. Clients in our HLOC programs get access to an assortment of treatment modalities tailored to their individual needs, including personalized therapy sessions, group support, medication management, medical nutrition therapy with a dietitian, and check-ins with our primary care providers. We support clients with personalized treatment plans and regular assessments to monitor and tweak interventions as needed. Higher levels of care also offer increased peer interaction and support. Intensive programs incorporate additional group therapy sessions, which can help those in treatment feel less alone as well as create a greater sense of community. For some people, it can be difficult to devote the time and energy needed to recover while also balancing other responsibilities like school or work. Stepping up to more intensive levels of care allows people to fully dedicate themselves to recovery. As they get better and make progress, a person may be stepped back down to a less intensive level of care to start practicing their recovery in their usual home, school, or work settings while also receiving professional support from their treatment team. What Levels of Care are Available? At Thrive Wellness, we offer four different levels of care to help clients step up (or down) in their treatment when needed: - Outpatient Treatment - weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings with a therapist, psychiatrist, primary care provider, and/or dietitian. - Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) - A minimum of three hours per day, three days per week. - Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) - A minimum of six hours per day, five days per week. - Residential Treatment - Coming soon in 2026, The Greenhouse at Thrive will offer residential treatment for eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This level of care offers 24-hour support for those aged 12-24 living in our residential treatment center. How To Decide Which Level of Care is Right for You If you're unsure which option is right for you or your loved one, we offer a free assessment that can be completed with our admissions team. In this initial assessment, we'll gather information from you about what you're struggling with, speak with our team of providers, and then make a recommendation for what level of care we feel is the best fit for you and your needs. If you’re experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder, anxiety disorder, or other behavioral or mental health challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out. To get started with our intake process, give us a call at 775-525-8103 or fill out this form . We can’t wait to help you Thrive.

Family Inclusive Recovery: Healing Together in Eating Disorder and OCD Treatment

December 2, 2025

Like the fir tree, a symbol of endurance rooted in hope, our Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR) approach reflects the strength that grows when families face challenges together. At our new residential center “The Greenhouse”, FIR is more than a treatment model, it’s a philosophy of healing that places families at the heart of recovery for adolescents and young adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We believe lasting healing doesn’t happen in isolation; it’s built with the support of families through perseverance, hope, and compassionate care. What Is Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR)? Family Intensive Recovery (FIR) is a specialized and immersive approach that actively engages caregivers as central agents in their child’s healing process. Rather than seeing families as contributors to a problem, we view them as essential partners in recovery. Drawing from two evidence-based frameworks, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) and Family-Based Treatment (FBT), FIR helps families cultivate resilience, confidence, and connection throughout the journey to recovery. Grounded in SPACE and FBT Through the SPACE model, parents learn how to recognize and reduce well-intentioned but unhelpful behaviors known as accommodations that can reinforce anxiety and OCD symptoms. By shifting from rescuing to supporting and challenging, parents develop the confidence to guide their child through discomfort, helping them build distress tolerance and self-trust. Simultaneously, Family-Based Treatment (FBT) empowers families to take an active, compassionate role in their child’s nutritional and emotional recovery. Parents learn how to support weight and nutritional restoration, disrupt the eating disorder’s patterns, and reestablish boundaries that promote health and growing autonomy. Together, these approaches strengthen both the individual and family system, allowing recovery to take root within an environment of empathy and optimism. From Blame to Collaboration A cornerstone of the FIR model is removing blame. At Thrive, parents are not viewed as the cause of their child’s struggles, but rather as key partners in recovery. Treatment focuses on joining forces to create a safe, supportive environment where: Families learn to sit with their child's discomfort alongside them without rushing to fix or control it. Parents practice compassionate firmness, setting boundaries grounded in care and safety. Teens and caregivers rebuild trust through open, honest communication. This collaborative framework helps families reestablish a sense of connection and confidence, fostering long-term resilience and open communication that extends beyond the treatment setting. Why Family Matters in Recovery Recovery from eating disorders, OCD, or anxiety isn’t a one-person job, it requires integrated care including the family. When families learn to navigate challenges together, they can model emotional regulation, reinforce healthy boundaries, and create conditions for sustained recovery. Through FIR, we aim to strengthen attachment bonds, reshape family interactions, and empower every member of the family to grow. The result is not only symptom reduction but also a deeper sense of unity, hope, and shared endurance, just like the steadfast fir tree that stands resilient through every season. Moving Toward Hope Family Inclusive Recovery invites caregivers and loved ones to become active participants in change. It’s a journey of learning, letting go, and leaning into love and acceptance. Together, families and clinicians can cultivate the courage in clients to face uncertainty, and in doing so, help them discover that recovery is not just possible, but enduring. If you’d like to learn more about Family Intensive Recovery at The Greenhouse or how we support families in eating disorder and OCD treatment, reach out to our team today.

Introducing Thrive's Greenhouse - Opening 2026

November 14, 2025

The Greenhouse at Thrive Wellness A New Chapter of Hope and Healing in Nevada On Friday, November 14 , we gathered with our partners at Molina Healthcare to share an important moment for our community. Together, we celebrated Molina’s generous $50,000 grant , an investment that is helping bring The Greenhouse to life. Their support is not only a financial contribution—it’s a statement of belief in the young people and families of Nevada who deserve access to compassionate, evidence-based mental healthcare close to home. This gathering marked the beginning of something we’ve dreamed about for years: a place designed specifically for adolescents and emerging adults to receive the care, connection, and support they need during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Something New Is Growing In early 2026 , Thrive Wellness will open The Greenhouse , Nevada’s first residential treatment center devoted to adolescents and emerging adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety, and OCD . For too long, families have faced a heartbreaking dilemma—send their child far from home for treatment or go without the specialized care they need. The Greenhouse is our answer to that gap. It will be a place where young people can settle into an environment built for healing, where they are understood, supported, and surrounded by a team that believes in their capacity to recover. The Greenhouse represents a natural extension of our mission. It’s a living expression of our belief that recovery is possible—and that with the right support, families can find their footing again.