We want you to get the care you deserve in the body you have now.
We envision a healthcare system where no one delays or avoids care because they fear judgment about their body. The Maryland Weight-Neutral Providers Directory was created to help patients find clinicians who actively work to reduce weight bias, challenge weight stigma, and provide affirming, evidence-informed care to people of all body sizes. By connecting individuals with providers who share these values, we hope to make compassionate, accessible healthcare easier to find while fostering a growing community of professionals committed to meaningful change.
While every provider listed in our directory completes a comprehensive screening questionnaire, we recognize that no vetting process can fully eliminate the possibility of conscious or unconscious weight bias. Weight stigma is deeply embedded within our healthcare system, and all of us have ongoing opportunities to learn, reflect, and grow.
Our goal is not to identify "perfect" providers, but to build a community of professionals who are committed to providing weight-neutral, compassionate care and who are willing to engage in continued learning and accountability.
As this project grows, we hope to offer educational resources, training opportunities, and professional development that support providers in expanding their competency and delivering more inclusive, affirming care to people of all body sizes and identities. We believe creating meaningful change in healthcare requires both accountability and a commitment to lifelong learning.
About the Founders
Dr. Noelle Benach, LCPC, CST, PhD
Noelle Benach (she/her) is a Baltimore-based psychotherapist, AASECT Certified Sex Therapist, and Clinical Sexologist who provides individual, couples, and relational therapy. Her work is rooted in the belief that all people deserve compassionate, affirming, and respectful care, regardless of their body size, gender identity, sexuality, ability, or relationship structure.
As a fat-identified clinician and passionate advocate for fat liberation, Noelle understands both personally and professionally the harm that weight stigma, anti-fat bias, and diet culture can have on an individual's physical, emotional, and relational well-being. She approaches therapy through a weight-neutral, Health at Every Size (HAES)-aligned lens, helping clients challenge internalized anti-fat beliefs, unpack harmful societal messaging, and cultivate more compassionate, neutral relationships with their bodies.
Noelle specializes in working with LGBTQIA+ individuals, fat-identified folks, people navigating chronic illness, and those experiencing concerns related to sexuality, intimacy, relationships, anxiety, and self-worth. Her therapeutic style is collaborative, authentic, and occasionally sprinkled with humor. She rejects one-size-fits-all approaches to therapy and believes that clients deserve to define health, healing, pleasure, and fulfillment on their own terms.
Beyond her clinical work, Noelle is deeply committed to advocacy, education, and building community connections. Her doctoral work, Curves Unbound: Sexual Pleasure as a Means of Liberation for Fat Women, explores the intersections of fat liberation, sexuality, pleasure, and bodily autonomy.
As a co-founder of the Maryland Weight-Neutral Providers Directory, Noelle hopes to help bridge the gap between individuals seeking compassionate, weight-inclusive care and professionals who are genuinely committed to challenging weight stigma. She believes that access to respectful healthcare should never be contingent upon someone's body size and that people deserve dignity, autonomy, and quality care in the bodies they have today.