Eating Disorders

Food is one of the earliest ways we humans experience nurturance and interaction with a caring adult. food takes on many meanings about relationships, needs, control, and the value of self. The development of an eating disorder signals a problem in one or several of these areas; it arises as an attempt to solve this problem, by drawing attention to the problem, by pulling the family together to address symptoms of the eating disorder; or expressing/repressing feelings related to current problem.

Helping people heal from eating disorders is my passion. I myself am recovered from an eating disorder, and my own recovered therapist was instrumental in my healing process. My hope is to be that safe and trusted person for others because of my lived experience. I am a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp).

I come from a Healthy at Every Size approach and encourage balanced eating vs any type of dieting or food restriction. I work with individuals to understand the role of the eating disorder in their life and help them work towards more sustainable coping methods.

For the past seven years, I have worked with clients struggling with eating disorders at the partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient level. After working as a milieu therapist, primary therapist, and group therapy facilitator at an eating disorder treatment center, I began working as an outpatient therapist in private practice specifically focusing on members of the LGBTQ+ community who struggle with body image and eating

I have worked in clinics specialized in ED treatment and recovery. I am aware of most of the complications that can result from being malnourished or other disordered behaviors. Some of my past clients have had specific trauma around food or other medical issues that have prevented them from feeling comfortable eating or being present in their bodies. I believe that it is possible to be healthy and any size and that eating disorders do not have one "look".

Disordered eating has a way of sneaking up on you, even years after you thought you'd conquered it. Maintaining recovery from an eating disorder is tough when life throws us challenges. You might be noticing restricting behaviors popping up when you're under a lot of stress. Maybe you still can't miss a day working out without extreme guilt and anxiety. Finding yourself bingeing again after a frustrating phone call with your mom? I get it. Together, we can take your recovery to the next level.

Eating Disorders and disordered eating can often be misunderstood or overlooked due to commonly held misconceptions. Whether it is messaging from society, media, family, friends, or other areas of your life, eating disorders can be dismissed which creates a great barrier to receiving treatment. No matter what stage of life you are in or what your relationship with food and your body looks like, your eating disorder is valid and you are worthy of recovery.

Many of our therapists have received advanced training in eating disorders and have years of experience helping clients overcome disruptive eating behaviors.

Food is one of the earliest ways we humans experience nurturance and interaction with a caring adult. food takes on many meanings about relationships, needs, control, and the value of self. The development of an eating disorder signals a problem in one or several of these areas; it arises as an attempt to solve this problem, by drawing attention to the problem, by pulling the family together to address symptoms of the eating disorder; or expressing/repressing feelings related to current problem.

I have over 10 years experience working with eating disorders and am a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist where I must be active in continuing education as the field grows and we learn more about the body and eating disorders. I work in a treatment team approach and often refer to trained dietitians and medical professionals to more fully support someone struggling with an eating disorder. I also provide support therapy via family therapy or parent sessions to support a loved on in recovery.

I completed a two-year training in the integrative treatment of eating disorders from the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy. I see eating disorders as multi-layered and use a holistic approach tailored to meet the unique needs of each person I work with.

An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's physical or mental health. Common types include binge eating disorder, where a person eats a large amount in a short period of time; anorexia nervosa, where the person has an intense fear of gaining weight and restricts food or overexercises to manage this fear; bulimia nervosa, where individuals eat a large quantity (binging) then try to rid themselves of the food (purging).

Many of us feel disconnected from our bodies and frustrated with our relationship to food. You may be trapped in a cycle of restrictive and binge eating that leaves you feeling out of control and mistrusting of your body's intuition. I use a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach to create a safe space to help people of all sizes heal from disordered eating and negative body image.

Are you wishing you had more peace with food, your body, yourself, and those people who are important in your life? We will work together collaboratively to help you discover who you are at your core, heal what hurts, and engage genuinely with your true self, your relationships and your life. Deep conversation, deep listening, and deep connection for your healing and transformation. Together we can work on lasting change.

I have experience working with people with eating disorders in the outpatient and residential levels of care.

An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's physical or mental health. Common types include binge eating disorder, where a person eats a large amount in a short period of time; anorexia nervosa, where the person has an intense fear of gaining weight and restricts food or overexercises to manage this fear, & bulimia nervosa, where individuals eat a large quantity (binging) then try to rid themselves of the food (purging).

My philosophy is that all foods fit. Societal pressures oftentimes reinforce the beliefs that for an individual to struggle with an eating disorder it must be physically apparent and symptoms must be "extreme." Whether it is restriction, bingeing, bingeing & purging, and/or heightened focus on eating specific foods, I believe that each person's recovery process is unique. My goal is to learn about your experience to tailor my therapeutic approach to meet your individual needs.

Do I have an unhealthy relationship with food? If you find yourself questioning this, then the answer is most likely yes. Tell me, what makes you wonder? Are you experiencing shame and guilt about your body? Do you find yourself skipping meals, dieting, fasting, calorie counting, overexercising, or struggling with knowing whether or not you are hungry or full? The truth is, you may be experiencing disordered eating. Before you begin shaming yourself, pause. Disordered eating is unfortunately

I have several years of experience in treating Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. I am trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for ARFID, Family Base Therapy for Anorexia and restrictive eating and a HAES aligned provider supporting binge eating disorder.

I pride myself in understanding the complexities of Eating Disorders, and recognize that they serve a unique function for each individual that I work with. I have extensive experience working with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Orthorexia, ARFID, OSFED, Body Dymorphia, Compulsive Exercise and general disordered eating. I take a body and weight inclusivity approach, and integrate both intuitive eating and body acceptance interventions.