Counseling for Disordered Eating

A safe and collaborative place to explore and heal


You may be experiencing disordered eating if………

  • You restrict your food intake and may or may not have a low weight because of this

  • You have “good” and “bad” foods which you do or do not allow yourself to eat

  • You feel shame when you eat and/or try to eat less to compensate

  • You purge through exercise, laxatives, and/or vomiting

  • You restrict and then binge on foods that you do not allow yourself to eat

  • You have medical and/or dental problems associated with your eating patterns

  • You only eat alone and have strict rituals for food consumption

  • Your social life is limited due to your rigid eating and/or exercise patterns

  • You feel isolated, scared, and alone…but you don’t know how to stop

  • Your food patterns sometimes feel like a solution in an out-of-control world

 

Eating disorders may be scary for the people experiencing them and for their loved ones. Eating disorders can be lethal, and can wreck havoc on your short and long-term mental and physical health. As an eating disorder survivor, I know first hand how difficult it can be to work through these challenges. Eating disorders are complex internal systems that often involve trauma, shame, cultural influences, and genetic tendencies. If you’re experiencing disordered eating, you may be familiar with the feelings of ambivalence that often accompany this situation. You may feel terrified and out of control on one hand, but safe, untouchable, and in control on the other hand. Please know that this is not your fault. Your brain is complex and is doing what it thinks it needs to do to survive. Things can get better, and you can live a rich, multifaceted life. It might not be easy… but if you want to, it would be an honor to help you get there.

What if I have an eating disorder?

If you feel that you may be experiencing an eating disorder, the most important thing you can do is seek support, and know that you’re not alone. If you’re reading this right now, you’re already on the right path…and that’s wonderful! I’ll work with you from a place of care, respect, and non-judgement. While it often seems that eating disorders are about body image, they’re often about much more than that. Together we can work in a safe environment to explore your experiences and better understand how the parts of your eating disorder developed, how they serve and don’t serve you, and what might help you to move towards your desired change. You deserve a fulfilling life and you can get there, one step at a time. We’ll do it together.

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How will we work with disordered eating?

While there are many ways of working with disordered eating, and we’ll always use an integrative approach, IFS can be very useful in this area. IFS is a non-blaming and non-shaming therapeutic modality that is empirically supported and often used to help people understand and work through disordered eating. IFS posits that our minds are smart and adaptive, and that we have many different parts of ourselves that simultaneously play different roles. You may have had the sense that while one part of you feels one way, another part might feel another way. That’s the idea. Through IFS it is possible to work with the protective parts of yourself, often engaged in the eating habits, to find more internal security, self-compassion, and safety. In this manner, you may begin to feel an overall increased sense of liberation and personal choice when it comes to caring for your precious self. Let’s talk!

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 questions you may have

  • No. I work to support your emotional process, exploration, and growth. Your doctors and RD will work with you on the specifics of what your body needs physically and from a medical perspective.

  • Any changes you’d like to think about with me are your choice as long as you’re safe. I will support you without judgement and work with you in finding deeper self-connection, self-understanding, and self-acceptance…..which are often a big factor in personal change.

  • Therapy is your space for healing, and we will go at your pace and work in whatever manner feels comfortable to you. Please know that for many people sharing their inner world around food is an overwhelming and intimidating idea at first. As I have expereinced this myself first hand, I will never judge you.

If you have any further questions or would like to see if you think we’re a good fit, please reach out!