Counseling for Eating Disorders
in Atlanta and surrounding Georgia
Take back what your eating disorder has taken from you.
Maybe you’re tired of obsessing about food and weight, or evaluating yourself solely by the number on the scale,
avoiding family, friends, or social events because of issues surrounding food or body image,
or how the secrecy of it all is impacting your relationships.
Most importantly, you are tired of feeling so alone with your struggles.
You may need:
ongoing support after completing a treatment program to maintain the recovery you worked so hard for,
to return to therapy after a stressful period,
or to work on specific goals you would like to achieve.
Recovery from an eating disorder is not a quick fix, and there are many phases of recovery.
While eating disorders can look different for each person, the common ground is that living with an eating disorder leads to a limited life. Working toward recovery is a slow process, but it can be a chance to recover yourself. Are you ready for support?
It is possible to recover who you truly are.
You turn toward your eating disorder when:
you are stressed, instead of leaning on the important relationships in your life
you have conflict, instead of talking it out with a trusted person
you need comfort to get through your day, instead of managing distress
you want to avoid your feelings, instead of feeling them
you are tired or overwhelmed, instead of consistently caring for yourself
What does recovery look like?
Imagine if you woke up one morning and all your problems were gone.
First, how would you first realize they were gone? And then: how would you spend your day?
These questions help you recognize what you value, and what has gotten in the way.
If you value friends, you might accept an invitation to go out to lunch (and actually enjoy the conversation) because you are not lost in eating disorder thoughts.
If you value being active, you might go for a walk, paying attention to the beauty around you instead of avoiding the outing because of dissatisfaction with your body.
If you value family, you might be more present at a family member’s birthday party rather than consumed with worry about the food being served.
If you value work, you might ask for support from a trusted colleague about a work related problem without using eating disorder behaviors to relieve the stress later.
If you value fun, you might enjoy hitting tennis balls with a friend instead of basing your self-worth on the intensity of your exercise.
If you value time with children, you might play with them in the pool instead of sitting on the sidelines due to low energy.
Expectations of Care
As a trained eating disorder therapist, I expect you to feel ambivalent about recovering.
You would like to keep your behaviors because they help you cope AND you would like to get rid of them because they have a negative impact on your life. I understand that ambivalence is part of the recovery process. I meet you where you are, no matter how you feel about recovery, and whether it is the beginning of your journey or an ongoing one.
It is my job to ensure that you are in the right level of care, and that you have a team of professionals, such as a registered dietician and a medical provider. Eating disorders can have serious medical complications that are not visible or obvious. I work with medically stable individuals and can refer you to a higher level of care if needed.
Some of the work we will do together includes asking you to “think about your thinking,” and how it impacts the way you feel and act. We will also take a look at how well your rules and assumptions are serving you, and learn skills that will help you to be more effective and present in your life.
We will work on behavior change, which includes compassionate and ongoing accountability. You will learn skills to improve relationships and work toward stronger relationships. Along with this work, you will identify your top values and make goals that lead you toward creating a life of meaning.
Counseling for your eating disorder can help you:
Evaluate yourself in new ways based on your values
Improve your ability to identify and express emotion
Increase your ability to tolerate stress in healthy ways
Improve your ability to communicate effectively
Prioritize and improve your important relationships
Trust the natural cues of your body and have more energy
Become more present in your life
Eating disorder counseling that includes …
Consulting with family members (parents, spouses, or significant others) who are concerned about a loved one with disordered eating and need guidance about treatment options
Dual diagnoses of Binge Eating and ADHD
Providing psychoeducation about eating disorders to school nurses, counselors, staff, or parents
Using methods that work:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
CBT has been shown to be extremely beneficial treatment with eating disorders. CBT is based on the idea that it is our thoughts that cause our feelings and then our behavior.
Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)
Interpersonal therapy looks at the context in which the eating disorder occurs. IPT focuses more on the interpersonal factors that contribute to the eating disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Anorexia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Bulimia Nervosa, Avoidant/ Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder
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Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder. Around 4.2 million women and 2.3 million men in the United States suffer from BED. It affects all genders no matter age, income level, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity.
BED is treatable and the goal is to find the combination of therapies and medication that work best for the individual.
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There are several levels of care depending on the severity of the symptoms: Residential, PHP and IOP treatment programs, or, if an individual is medically stable, an outpatient care team consisting of a therapist, registered dietician and medical provider.
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Contact me via the button below and we can set up a free phone consultation.