Monika Ostroff, LICSW, CEDS-S
Therapist • DID System • Speaker • Mental Health Leader • Advocate
“I think it’s important for you to know that I was diagnosed with multiple personality disorder—what is now called DID—in 1993.
It has never once impeded my ability to lead treatment centers, care for patients, or grow organizations. I’ve done it all while living with DID. This is what DID looks like.”
—Monika Ostroff​
About Monika
Monika Ostroff, LICSW, CEDS-S (she/they), is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Certified Eating Disorder Specialist & Supervisor, and nationally recognized leader in the field of eating disorders and trauma. She is licensed to practice in five states and brings more than 25 years of experience designing, directing, and elevating treatment programs across all levels of care. As Executive Director of MEDA (the Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association), Monika has doubled the organization’s budget, dramatically expanded access to services, and helped build a nationally recognized hub for compassionate, inclusive care.
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Monika is also a dissociative system. Diagnosed with what was then called Multiple Personality Disorder in 1993, she spent decades building a thriving professional life while quietly managing her condition in a field that often stigmatized the very people it served.
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In 2024, Monika came out publicly during a national presentation. The response was immediate and deeply moving. “You’ve changed the way I view DID,” attendees told her. What had once required secrecy now became a driving force. The fear of being found out gave way to something far more powerful: purpose.
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A mission driven by lived experience.
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Monika knows firsthand what it’s like to survive the intersection of severe and enduring eating disorders (SEED), complex trauma, and untreated dissociation. She also knows the pain of finding no adequate treatment, of feeling unseen in a system that too often prioritizes control over compassion.
Her work is now dedicated to changing that narrative. Through Healing My Parts, her writing, podcast, and national speaking, she offers system-affirming education, trauma-informed tools, and a space where dissociative folks—and the professionals who support them—can feel seen, empowered, and equipped.
Monika believes in laughing when you can, grieving when you need to, and building a life where all parts can thrive.
I Believe...
I believe that healing is possible—and it’s messy.
I believe that every part of us deserves compassion—even the complicated ones.
I believe that clinicians can struggle and excel at what they do.
I believe that systems can be leaders.
That humor can coexist with deep pain and sacred work.
That you don’t need to be “integrated” to still be whole.
And I believe that when we stop hiding, we help others find the courage to be seen too.
“Monika brings both clinical wisdom and fierce compassion. She changed the way I think about complex dissociation and parts work.”
— Training Attendee, 2024
Free resources, podcast episodes, and system-affirming support—crafted for survivors and the therapists who walk beside them.