Taking the first step can be the hardest, but remember that you don’t have to face these challenges alone. Our team is dedicated to supporting individuals like you in finding their path to recovery and a more fulfilling life. We’re here to listen, understand, and provide the guidance you need to navigate your struggles and build a foundation for lasting emotional health.
It's possible you're constantly battling thoughts about eating, your appearance, and your intake. This often results in restrictive eating, bingeing, or other chaotic eating behaviors that seem unbreakable. An intense fear of putting on weight might dominate your decisions, leading you down paths of harmful eating routines
You might find yourself skipping social events or hobbies you once loved. Worry about public eating or criticism of your appearance can lead to seclusion. This isolation can strain your connections and divert your attention from life beyond diet and physique.
Regardless of your struggles, you may be considering that it’s time to talk to a therapist.
Eating disorders affect individuals from all walks of life, transcending age, weight, race, ethnicity, culture, sexuality, gender, and socioeconomic status. It’s crucial to understand that a person’s struggle with an eating disorder cannot be determined by their body shape, size, or outward appearance. National surveys in America estimate that 20 million women and 10 million men will experience an eating disorder at some point in their lives.
Living with an eating disorder often brings feelings of shame, anxiety, and hopelessness, making it difficult to discuss these experiences and leading to a sense of isolation. However, if you are among the many individuals grappling with an eating disorder or body image issues, effective evidence-based methods are available to help you find a more peaceful relationship with food and your body. By leveraging your strengths and teaching you valuable techniques and skills, therapists specializing in eating disorders can help you manage and overcome these challenges.
Therapists can provide insights into what might be sustaining your eating disorder and equip you with tools for more effective coping. Eating disorders often serve as coping mechanisms for underlying issues such as anxiety, depression, perfectionism, the impact of trauma, and relationship difficulties. These foundational issues can also be addressed in therapy, helping you move towards a life where you no longer need the eating disorder to cope with other challenges.
We’ll work with you to craft a goal-driven plan, considering your background, current difficulties, and what you hope to achieve. An important aspect of this is pinpointing the strengths and abilities you already possess and weaving them into your therapy. For example, you might already have encouraging phrases or a relaxing routine that you find helpful. By utilizing these personal assets, in conjunction with new insights gained through therapy, we can assist you in making solid strides toward a better relationship with food, your body, and yourself.
In our sessions, we’ll work together to help you recognize the patterns of your eating disorder and pinpoint the situations that trigger specific feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. Then, we’ll identify what might be sustaining the eating disorder so we can address it effectively. We might also explore past obstacles to progress, such as a fear of weight gain, and begin removing those barriers. We’ll assist you in evaluating your eating disorder-related thoughts and beliefs to determine their helpfulness and accuracy, and discover what thoughts might serve you better now. Given the often persistent nature of these thought and behavior patterns, it can be challenging to identify and change them alone. We’re here to support you.
If you’re seeking help for an eating disorder, it’s natural to wonder what therapy will be like. Rest assured, your treatment will be a team effort between you and your therapist. We typically begin by slowly building your ability to handle challenging situations. You’ll start by learning to manage less anxiety-inducing difficulties. As you progress, we’ll equip you with new skills and techniques, such as distress tolerance and relaxation methods, to help you navigate more demanding challenges. Your therapy plan will always be tailored to your personal goals and what you hope to achieve from your sessions.
