Eating Disorders

I work with eating disorders from a HAES perspective, incorporating body neutrality and intuitive if this framework works for clients. I have been working with eating disorders on an outpatient basis since 2019. I love to collaborate with a care team and also to help people get connected to higher levels of care when appropriate. I am also passionate about working with individuals who have been in recovery for some time and want to continue to work on their relationships with food.

Getting help for an eating disorder or disordered eating can feel daunting. I believe that eating disorders are developed as a coping skill to help people get through difficult times in their lives. While they're effective, they're often harmful, and treatment sometimes looks like replacing them with more adaptive techniques and skills. I will work to go at a pace you're comfortable with, and we can slowly work to find stability with food, your body, and your sense of self.

Struggles with food and body are much more complex than thoughts of vanity. Many of my clients discuss feeling pressure to conform, being overwhelmed with stress, negative self-talk, confusion about what health looks like, and feeling out of control around food. We will address your concerns at the root and help you discover self-acceptance and food freedom.

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 disorder behaviors.

Eating disorders are often misunderstood and can be difficult to recognize, especially for those unfamiliar with them. Through my professional experience, I have worked with individuals facing a wide range of disordered eating challenges, including extreme restriction, binge eating, and ARFID. In supporting clients with these symptoms, we work together to uncover the root causes of these negative behaviors and develop practical skills and coping strategies.

I have worked extensively with those struggling with eating disorders for over three years now as a Recovery Coach and Program Therapist. I have a working knowledge of the cultural, societal, and familial issues that go into the treatment of an eating disorder and how this impacts the individual client.

It may feel like the eating disorder is taking over your life. Maybe you’re stuck in shame and patterns you know aren’t serving you. You want to reclaim your life and work through the underlying issues that impact your relationship to food & body. I approach issues around food & body from a trauma-informed, intersectional, and HAES (Health at Every Size) lens. I'm passionate about helping you reconnect with joy around food & cooking, finding neutrality & joy in your body.

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.

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

I've been actively working with eating disorders since 2018. I have experience helping people with symptoms of food restriction, bulimia, and binge eating. I work from a Health At Every Size framework so that no matter where your ED is coming from, we'll start by meeting you where you are today. Whether you're brand new to the possibility of having an ED, or you need a hand in continuing the next step in your recovery, I'm here to help.

I treat all eating disorders through a Health at Every size lens. This includes anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, avoidant and restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), orthorexia, and other feeding and eating disorders. I also work with weight and body image issues for cis and trans individuals.

Eating disorders stem from a complex mix of genetic factors, societal pressures, and individual experiences. Once established, these disorders can lead to physiological and psychological complications that perpetuate harmful behaviors, making change difficult despite their severe consequences. They can significantly hinder health and overall quality of life. I use holistic, evidence-based embodiment and expressive interventions and practices to support recovery.

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).

Eating Disorders, Chronic Dieting, & Body Image Issues Struggles with body image, relationships, control, self-esteem and many other issues are wrapped up in eating disorders. Through counseling, you will be able to stay motivated to recover and regain the joy you once had in your life. We will find ways to free yourself from the constant obsession on weight, size, and the struggles you have feeling like you don't fit in with what you want for your life.

At The Couch Therapy, we are a therapy practice that offers health at every size (HAES) therapy for eating disorders or disordered eating. We believe in a gentle approach to helping those struggling with disordered eating. When working with a HAES aligned therapist, you can expect to sit in a safe space to process the timeline of your relationship with food, process significant moments in life that influenced your beliefs, and remind you to release the petri dish of shame you’ve been holding.

Most of my clients experience some degree of distress and dissatisfaction with their relationship to food, which is often connected to broader patterns of self-criticism and shame. Therapy may be for you if you find yourself frequently thinking about food, yet find mealtimes stressful or overwhelming, you judge yourself for how you look and fear everyone else does too, and feel like no one really 'gets' how you feel inside.

I have focused on learning to provide care for those who struggle with eating disorders/disordered eating over the span of 4 years specifically. My particular areas of interest include Binge eating disorder, bulimia and generalized difficulty with food relationships.

Disordered Eating? I've been there and done it all. I've been to the dark side of both under and over eating and learned so much in my 15 years of recovery. My training and experience has taught me that intuitive eating can be an eventual reality for everyone. I take a Health at Every Size approach to recovery and wholeheartedly believe in your ability to find freedom with food. Note that health at every size and intuitive eating does not mean chaos and endless weight gain (I promise!)