Today we’d like to introduce you to Chelsea Exton.
Hi Chelsea, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
16 yr old me would be pretty proud of my story. As a competitive dancer, it surprises no one that I struggled with body image and disordered eating. Two decades later, not only is it hard to remember those days, but I’m running a business helping girls and women heal from those same, tormenting struggles.
I became a therapist specifically to work with eating disorders, and for the first half of my career, that’s exactly what I did. Parallel to my budding professional life, an interesting shift was happening in my personal life. I started attending a church that was fully affirming of the LGBTQ+ population. Not just accepting, but 100% inclusive and celebrating – full stop. While this stance is something I’ve always aligned with as a Christian, I’d never seen it modeled in a church so unapologetically. It was this experience that gave me the courage to start expanding my professional practice into what it is today – one largely centered on providing affirming care to queer folks in a state actively trying to dismantle their rights.
I started my private practice as a solo venture in 2022. Today, True North Counseling has grown into a group practice of the most talented, value-driven therapists in Nashville. While eating disorder treatment and LGBTQ+ affirming care are still at the heart of what we do, we also love working with mental health struggles across the board, including depression, anxiety, grief, and relationship work. We primarily serve teens and adults in person at our office in East Nashville and virtually across the state of Tennessee.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of the most challenging things to navigate as a therapist and business owner is the field of managed care. The current reality is that insurance companies don’t make it easy to do really high-quality, thoughtful work while reimbursing clinicians at reasonable rates. This hurts patients and staff alike. Providing affordable care while also paying my team appropriate wages for their level of expertise is a tough balance to strike, and I hope that in years to come the landscape shifts and insurance companies place a higher value on the work that therapists tirelessly do day in and day out. Until then, we do the best we can to make cash pay therapy accessible by offering reduced rates whenever we can.
We’ve been impressed with True North Counseling, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We’re a small and intentional group practice, and that’s by design. Our therapists have significant clinical training and are experts in their fields. We primarily serve teens and adults, specializing in eating disorders and body image, anxiety and depression, relationships, and LGBTQ+ affirming care. One thing that often surprises clients is that even if they don’t come in talking about body image, it’s frequently part of the picture, and they’re relieved to have a therapist that already understands that without them having to explain it. But it’s not just that. A lot of our clients come in saying things like, “I just want to work on myself” or “I’m feeling anxious,” and then we uncover that there’s a lot more going on underneath that we can work through. Oftentimes it just takes a few sessions with a truly safe person for years of hurts to start unraveling and the healing to begin.
We also don’t believe in pathologizing people unnecessarily. You might be surprised how often clients come in thinking that what they are about to say is “weird” or shameful, and how often my response to them is that they’re totally, completely normal. Whatever you think is “too much,” I can almost guarantee we’ve heard it before. There’s something really powerful about realizing you’re not alone in the way you feel and that jumpstarts the healing process.
One more thing that might surprise you – we laugh. More often than you’d think. Therapy doesn’t have to feel sterile or intimidating to be meaningful. The quality of the relationship you have with your therapist is just as important as the techniques they use. We’re prepared to pass you the tissues when necessary and maybe print out some worksheets if you want. But you should also be prepared to laugh with a human being who is walking through this beautiful, sometimes crazy, life by your side.
I’m most proud of the space we’ve created for LGBTQ+ clients – especially here in Tennessee. A lot of the people we work with are trying to navigate really complex intersections of identity, family, and faith. I’ve worked with many clients who feel like they have to choose between being authentically themselves and staying connected to their community or beliefs. That’s a really painful place to be, and it doesn’t have to be that way.
We’ve built a practice where affirming care isn’t just something we say – it’s something we live out in a very real way. Clients don’t have to wonder where we stand or whether they’ll be understood. They know they can show up fully as themselves here. That feels especially meaningful in a state where that kind of care isn’t always easy to find.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
The biggest word that comes to mind is “intentionality.” I’m very intentional about the kind of practice I’ve built, the team I’ve hired, and the work we do. We aren’t trying to be everything to everyone – we know what we’re really good at and want the work to be meaningful and effective for the people who are a good fit. Our staff is a crew of really, really good people. They’re highly educated, driven, kind human beings who enjoy what they do, and I think clients can feel that. “Real recognizes real,” if you will. At the end of the day, we want our clients to know that they are not alone, that what they’re going through and however they are feeling makes sense, and that change is possible – even if they can’t quite see what that looks like yet.
Pricing:
- $150-$175/50 minute session
- Reduced fees offered based on financial need
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.truenorthnash.com/
- Instagram: true_north_nash
