At their core, Eating Disorders (ED) are not about food and body, although this is certainly how they manifest. They often originate from factors such as childhood wounds, difficulty understanding and expressing one’s emotions, difficulty identifying and assessing one’s needs, feeling devalued and disempowered, and struggling with perfectionism and a comparative mind. They often express a desire to disappear physically and psychologically, a desire to numb oneself (one of the side effects of starvation and sometimes, the binge/purge cycle), indirect expressions of anger and so much more. They can be linked to depression, anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

I have experience working with acute Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa in a hospital setting. In private practice, I work with the following:

• individuals who are medically stable and committed to ongoing recovery but who are encountering risks to relapse in the form of increased ED thoughts or triggering life stressors

• individuals who feel they are stable in recovery but would simply like to work with a therapist who has awareness of eating disorders since it is part of their story

• parents who are concerned about their child and are needing some guidance and support

• clients who are actively in their disorder and need a one-time assessment of the level of care they need and associated community resources

My approach to working with eating disorders is both insight based and skills based. I believe one needs the emotion regulation and interpersonal skills to manage ED behaviors on a daily basis but I also believe that someone needs to gain a nuanced understanding of the roots of the disorder as well as the factors that might be sustaining disordered thoughts in order to maintain recovery long term. I work with an interdisciplinary team of the client’s choice that typically includes a medical doctor and a dietitian at a minimum, and sometimes a psychiatrist as well.