Eating Disorder Therapy

in Tampa and throughout FL

Heal your relationship with food, body, and self

Your relationship with food and your body is at an all time low.

You feel like you have lost your way. Every day feels the same - more struggle and just getting through the best you can.  There is a part of you that wants to just feel “normal” around food and feels jealous that others don’t seem to be struggling it the way that you are. There may even be another part of you that doesn’t want to recover because staying in your eating disorder feels safe and you can’t imagine living life without it. Feeling all of these things at the same time feels overwhelming and leaves you stuck, not knowing where you are even supposed to start.

You don’t understand why your family and friends are concerned about you - aren’t they the ones that talk all the time about hating their bodies?  You watch them diet and have their own rules about food, but all of the sudden you are the one that they are worried about. It feels like there is talk around you all the time about how you should be “working on your body,” leaving you to think “is what I’m doing really so bad?”

You’ve noticed that your relationship with food and the way that you feel about your body has spread to other areas of your life

Does this sound like you?

It’s hard to go out with friends when there is food involved

You feel uncomfortable in social situations

You feel self conscious and like others are constantly judging you

You have stopped doing things that previously brought you joy

You spend an immense amount of energy each day  counting calories/carbs/macros, etc

You let the number on the scale dictate your mood for the day

You spend countless hours in the gym, yet it never feels like long enough

Your anxiety is through the roof and nothing you do makes it feel any better

You sometimes think you would be better off if you weren’t here

How therapy for eating disorders works

Imagine a life where:

  • You are able to reconnect with the things you love to do

  • You feel confident in making food choices that are right for you

  • You engage in joyful movement that has nothing to do with changing your body size

  • You have deep understanding of why your eating disorder came about and what to do if you start to have negative thoughts

  • You respect and trust your body to support you

  • You feel confident advocating for your own needs with family and friends

  • Your anxiety doesn’t stop you from doing things that are meaningful to you

  • Your mental space is freed up from constant thoughts about food and your body

My approach to treating eating disorders:

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to treating eating disorders. Each individual is unique and we need to figure out what will resonate for you and help you make the progress that you would like to see. What we will do is address this from the root causes - you don’t need another bandaid or unhelpful advice like “just eat more.”

I believe that your coping has been rooted in wisdom, and that it probably makes a whole lot of sense why your eating disorder developed. Again, this is different for everyone and no one’s story is exactly like the person next to them (even if you have the same diagnosis). My approach to eating disorder treatment is non-judgmental and gentle. We will work together to understand what has brought you to this point and what you want for your life moving forward. I don’t think that you having an eating disorder is your fault, nor do I think it is a “choice” you are making. I believe that we might need to accommodate your individual needs so that you can truly find the relief that you are longing for. I believe that all of your life experiences (gender, race, culture, trauma, etc) have played a part in your relationship with both food and your body. Together we can help you put the pieces back together in a supportive and nurturing environment with someone who believes your lived experience.

Eating Disorder Therapy Can Help You:

  • Finally make peace with food and your body

  • Get you connected with what you truly value in life

  • See diet culture and weight-stigma for what it is

  • Identify the parts of yourself that are activated around food and body image

  • Feel supported as you navigate the version of recovery that works for YOU

It’s possible to find relief from your eating disorder.

You don’t have to do this alone.

Frequently Asked Questions about Disordered Eating & Diet Recovery

  • Eating disorders range in the ways that they present themselves. It’s also important to know that even if you don’t meet “official” (I for one am not a huge fan in some of the ways in which EDs are diagnosed) criteria for an eating disorder, you may still be experiencing symptoms that are affecting your life. If you are experiencing any kind of distress around food – whether it be restricting, binging, purging, or finding yourself hopping from diet to diet, you deserve to get help.

  • Although there are multiple ways to treat eating disorders, I do not believe in a one size fits all approach. Each person comes to treatment with a variety of experiences, likes and dislikes, motivation for recovery, and more. Although this is flexible,

    My approach to treating Eating Disorders is influenced by:

    Internal Family Systems (IFS)

    Health at Every Size and weight neutral care

    Anti-Diet framework (which includes Social Justice)

    Intuitive Eating principles

    Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

  • A team approach to eating disorders can be super beneficial when it comes to treatment. You may have had a doctor who was concerned and thought you might need to explore seeing a therapist or dietitian – this team can work together to pinpoint a diagnosis (if needed/necessary!). You do not need to have a specific or official diagnosis to get treatment – if you are experiencing any kind of discomfort around food or your body, you deserve to get help.

Anorexia

Bulimia

Binge Eating

ARFID

OSFED

Orthorexia 

Ones without a clear diagnosis

Eating Disorders that I Treat

HAES-aligned

Fat-positive/Weight-Neutral

LQBTQIA+ Aligned

Anti-Diet

Neurodivergent Affirming

Social justice informed

Trauma informed

Guiding Principles for Treatment

Special note for those in larger bodies

Living with an eating disorder for those in larger/fat bodies often needs specialized attention and support. Because of weight-stigma and anti-fat bias, folks in larger bodies are often not believed, have had treatment withheld, and/or find that there is a lack of access to care. As a clinician with lived experience who also is in a larger body, I have a special interest in helping support those who are trying to recover from an eating disorder or disordered eating who also live in a larger body. I believe that we can help you move forward and that your lived experience in a larger body (or recovering into a larger body) is valid and important.

Modalities that Inform my treatment for eating disorders

  • IFS is a therapeutic approach that can help you to understand your internal world (ie the things that go on in your head). Each part of you has different feelings, thoughts, and perspectives. We can help you understand all of your parts, especially the ones connected to eating, body, and movement, and create greater harmony for your entire system. This can help bring relief and a greater feeling of emotional well-being.

  • Brainspotting is based on the premise that where we look impacts how we feel. This can help us to mindfully process deeper trauma and core beliefs in a gentle way through a deeper understanding of how the brain works. We can harness the power of Brainspotting to gain deeper understanding into why you feel the way you do, and to give you space to process what needs to be focused on without the pressure to talk.

  • Experimenting with different ways to interact with negative thoughts and feelings is an important in- the-moment skill that you can use right away. In ACT we learn how to connect with our values and make choices that feel aligned and meaningful. Healing from an eating disorder can be facilitated by connecting to our values, so that when things feel hard we always have our core values and beliefs to lean on.

  • Intuitive Eating is a self-care eating framework that can help you to become more in tune with your body and its needs. IE is not another rigid plan, and should be adapted to your unique wants and needs. It’s important to note that Intuitive Eating might not be the place to start when recovering from an eating disorder, depending on where you are at. Before we dive into Intuitive Eating, we need to make sure you are eating adequately. We can always incorporate certain principles, but need to assess your readiness to jump in, which varies for everyone.