Today we’d like to introduce you to Imagine Musaraj.
Hi Imagine, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’m a licensed social worker and therapist in Michigan, and I’m the founder of Rare Mind and Body, a private practice focused on eating disorders, trauma, body image, and relational healing.
My path into this work really started with being drawn to people’s inner worlds—how lived experience, relationships, and environment shape the way we see ourselves and cope. Early on in my clinical work, I kept noticing how many clients struggling with eating disorders or body image concerns felt misunderstood or reduced to symptoms within more traditional systems of care.
Over time, I felt a strong pull to build something different—space that felt more relational, more human, and more grounded in the belief that healing doesn’t come from shame or control, but from understanding and connection.
That’s what led me to start Rare Mind and Body. It began as a small practice and has grown into a team-based space where we support adolescents and adults through trauma-informed, weight-inclusive, and integrative care. Along the way, I’ve also grown personally—navigating motherhood, leadership, and the reality of building something from the ground up while still staying very close to the work itself.
Today, I feel really grounded in what we’re building: a practice that meets people with warmth and clinical depth, and helps them reconnect with themselves in a way that feels sustainable and human.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t been a completely smooth road, although I think that’s true of building anything meaningful.
One of the biggest challenges has been learning how to hold multiple roles at once—clinician, business owner, leader, marketer, and, more recently, mother. There have been seasons of moving slowly, figuring things out as I go, and learning to tolerate uncertainty while continuing to show up consistently.
Building a practice also comes with a lot that people don’t always see: creating systems, developing referral relationships, hiring thoughtfully, and trusting that growth doesn’t always happen overnight. There have been moments where I questioned myself or wondered whether things would come together in the way I hoped.
At the same time, those challenges have shaped the way I lead and the kind of practice I want Rare Mind and Body to be. They’ve reinforced my belief that meaningful, sustainable growth is usually quieter and slower than we expect—and that staying connected to your values matters more than growing quickly.
Looking back, I’m grateful the road wasn’t perfectly smooth because it pushed me to build something intentional instead of something fast.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Rare Mind and Body?
Rare Mind and Body is a Michigan-based outpatient therapy practice specializing in eating disorders, trauma, body image concerns, and relational healing for adolescents and adults.
Our work is rooted in the belief that symptoms make sense in context. Rather than focusing only on changing behaviors, we help clients understand the underlying experiences, relationships, emotions, and protective patterns that shaped them in the first place. We integrate approaches including psychodynamic theory, insight-oriented + relational therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization & reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, somatic experiencing, and parts-work to create care that feels both thoughtful and individualized.
One of the things that sets us apart is our HAES-aligned, weight-inclusive, and trauma-informed approach. We recognize that many people seeking support around food, body image, or mental health have spent years receiving messages that they need to change themselves in order to be worthy, healthy, or enough. Our goal isn’t to help clients control themselves better—it’s to help them better understand themselves and build a more trusting relationship with their body, emotions, and internal experiences.
As we’ve grown, something I’m especially proud of is protecting the heart of the practice. Growth has never been about becoming the biggest—it’s been about creating a place where clients feel safe enough to be honest and where clinicians feel supported to do meaningful, sustainable work.
More than anything, I want people to know that healing doesn’t have to come through shame, perfection, or pushing harder. We believe healing can happen through curiosity, insight, connection, and learning to trust yourself again.
Can you share something surprising about yourself?
Something people might be surprised to know is that I actually never set out with the goal of becoming a business owner.
At my core, I’ve always been someone who loves the clinical work—the depth, the relationships, the process of helping people better understand themselves. Starting Rare Mind and Body came less from wanting to build a company and more from wanting to create the kind of space I wished more people could access.
Ironically, building a practice has stretched me in ways I never expected. It’s challenged me to become more visible, trust myself more, tolerate uncertainty, and step into leadership in a way that still feels authentic to who I am.
I also think people sometimes assume that because I specialize in eating disorders and body image, I always have everything figured out personally—but my work has actually made me more humble. It’s taught me that being human and being healed aren’t the same thing, and that growth is usually less about perfection and more about curiosity, flexibility, and self-trust.
At the end of the day, I’m probably much less interested in having all the answers than people expect—and much more interested in helping people ask better questions.
Pricing:
- • We are in-network with several major insurance plans and encourage prospective clients to reach out to verify benefits and discuss coverage options.
- • We also offer private pay services for clients seeking out-of-network care.
- • Limited sliding scale options may be available depending on clinician availability and need.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.raremindandbody.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raremindandbody/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/raremindandbody/
