Going Deeper, Not Wider: How Vanessa Scaringi Built a Mental Health Practice Through Consistency, Specialty, and Impact

When Consistency Becomes the Foundation for Real Change

Most entrepreneurs are told the same thing: grow fast, scale wide, be everywhere.

But in the mental health space, especially when treating something as nuanced as eating disorders, Vanessa Scaringi learned that long-term consistency, not quick expansion, is what truly drives impact.

As a licensed psychologist and co-founder of CALM Counseling in Austin, Texas, Vanessa has spent the last decade slowly and steadily building a practice that prioritizes clinical integrity over flash. With her business partner Kathryn Garland, she has created a space where both therapists and clients can heal deeply without sacrificing authenticity.

“Our philosophy is simple,” she explained. “We want to go deeper, not wider.”

That’s not just branding; it’s how CALM grew from a solo venture to a thriving team of nine clinicians, earned a book deal, and began training professionals internationally. And in an era of overstimulation and undernourishment, that message couldn’t be more timely.

The Spark: A Swimmer’s View on Body Image and Disordered Eating

Vanessa’s journey into psychology wasn’t rooted in personal illness.
It was built on lived proximity and cultural observation.

“I was a swimmer growing up in Miami,” she said. “I had friends on my team who struggled with eating disorders; some had to go to treatment. Watching that really stayed with me.”

Though she didn’t experience an eating disorder herself, she understood the pressure. “Just being a woman in our culture makes you susceptible to the messaging around body image,” she said. “I was lucky. But I could see how bad it could get.”

While volunteering at a research lab focused on eating disorders during her undergrad at Florida State, Vanessa started connecting the dots.

She didn’t want to stay in academia, but she knew she wanted to help.

“I realized early on that clinical work was what I loved. And I feel really lucky I found something that felt right when I was 22.”

Building CALM Counseling: A Practice Rooted in Specialization and Integrity

Vanessa never set out to become a business owner. Like many purpose-led practitioners, she wanted to focus on healing.

But when her associate therapist, Kathryn Garland, suggested a formal partnership and Vanessa was preparing for maternity leave, the business began to take shape.

“It started with just the two of us,” she shared. “We hired two more clinicians, and it grew from there.”

The secret? Clear values, slow growth, and a refusal to chase expansion for its own sake.

“I didn’t go to business school,” Vanessa admitted. “It’s been a lot of learning on the job. But I’ve always loved the clinical side, and working with therapists to help them grow has been really gratifying.”

Today, CALM Counseling remains intentionally small, with nine therapists, a close-knit team, and a sharp focus on treating eating disorders through an attachment-informed, integrative lens.

Attachment, Family, and the Deeper Roots of Disordered Eating

What makes Vanessa’s approach stand out is her belief that food behaviors don’t exist in isolation; they are deeply intertwined with our emotional, relational, and developmental experiences.

“We take an integrative approach,” she explained. “And we look at how someone’s attachment style and family of origin may be influencing their relationship with food.”

That means looking beyond symptoms to understand the root:

➤ “I avoid relationships, and I also avoid food.”
➤ “I over-exercise because I don’t know how to feel emotions.”

Because her practice works on an outpatient, long-term basis, Vanessa and her team have the privilege of building deep therapeutic alliances. And over time, those relationships help patients untangle years of emotional wiring.

“It’s surprising how often eating behaviors mirror relationship dynamics,” she said.

Inside the Work: An Integrative Approach to Eating Disorders

At CALM Counseling, eating disorder treatment isn’t a one-size-fits-all protocol. It’s an evolving process—one built on science, psychology, and trust.

Vanessa and her team use an integrative approach grounded in evidence-based practices but customized for each individual. They blend traditional therapy models with deeper insight into what drives disordered eating beneath the surface.

“We meet patients at the outpatient level, and that gives us a huge advantage,” Vanessa explained. “It allows us to work with people long-term. That’s how we uncover the patterns—how food behaviors reflect emotional patterns, attachment wounds, or family dynamics.”

Central to their work is exploring attachment styles and family of origin relationships.

➛ Is a client avoiding food the way they avoid intimacy?
➛ Is perfectionism about macros really about earning love or approval?
➛ Is rigid control over eating compensating for emotional chaos at home?

These are the kinds of questions the team explores, patient by patient.

And the goal?

“We help people build a flexible relationship with food,” Vanessa shared. “That means intuitive eating, listening to hunger cues, and letting go of rigid beliefs around what they ‘should’ be doing.”

This kind of deep, individualized therapy has become even more essential as eating disorders begin presenting at younger and younger ages.

“We’re seeing kids as young as five or six,” Vanessa noted. “Especially with ARFID—avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. It often starts with sensory aversions, but underneath, it can be about control, anxiety, or unmet emotional needs.”

The team works closely with parents and dietitians in these cases, focusing on early intervention to prevent years of struggle.

Whether it's a teen navigating cultural body pressures or a child with extreme picky eating, the team at CALM uses every session to build not just behavioral change but also emotional resilience and relational safety.

Social Media’s Impact and the Rise of Younger Diagnoses

Vanessa has worked in the eating disorder field since long before Instagram or TikTok were around.

“The pressure used to come from magazines,” she said. “Now, it’s constant. Social media is louder, more intense, and harder to escape.”

She’s also seeing eating disorders show up earlier.

“We’re seeing kids come in with avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) as young as five or six,” she shared. “Sometimes it’s sensory. Sometimes it’s about control. But it’s getting younger every year.”

Parental influence is another key factor. “A lot of it is unintentional,” she noted. “Parents project their own food fears or body image issues without realizing it. That’s why we always involve them in the healing process.”

The Power of Persistence: Why Consistency is a Business Strategy

CALM Counseling didn’t grow overnight.

It took 10 years of showing up, saying no to overextension, and staying deeply aligned with their mission.

“When you’re not doing work that excites you—or doesn’t feel congruent—it wears on you,” Vanessa said. “That’s where burnout comes in.”

Instead of trying to serve everyone, she and Kathryn chose clarity.

“This is what we do. This is how we do it. And we want to keep getting better at it.”

That mindset led to unexpected wins:

 ➤ A book deal set to publish in 2026
➤ National and international speaking engagements
➤ Trainings for clinicians via Therapy Wisdom Academy

Each milestone deepens their impact, not just expands it.

Advice for Wellness Entrepreneurs: Go Deeper, Be Authentic

When asked what advice she’d give to other practitioners or entrepreneurs, Vanessa offered this:

“Authenticity gets thrown around a lot. But if your work doesn’t align with who you are, it will burn you out. Especially in this field.”

She also encouraged others to find their niche early and honor it.

“Trying to be everything to everyone doesn’t work. Find your lane. Build your message. Stay in it.”

It’s a refreshing message in a world obsessed with scale.

What’s Next for CALM Counseling?

While others chase clinic franchises and influencer status, Vanessa and Kathryn are choosing a different path.

➤ Deepen their work with their current team
➤ Publish their book in 2026
➤ Expand training and public education around eating disorders and attachment

Their message to the industry?

Go deeper. Not wider.

When Your Business Becomes Your Message

Vanessa didn’t just build a practice, she and Kathryn built a message.

One that says healing doesn’t have to be fast, flashy, or everywhere to be effective.

It just has to be consistent.

Because when you show up with clarity, authenticity, and clinical depth, people find you. And they heal.

Want to Connect with Vanessa Scaringi?

📍 Based in Austin, TX
🧠 Specializing in Eating Disorders + Attachment-Informed Therapy
📖 Book coming in 2026
🌐 Visit: www.keepcalmatx.com
📧 Contact: [email protected]

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