Body Image, Disordered Eating, & Eating Disorders
We’re bombarded by messages telling us that our worth and value is tied up with the size of our bodies and our health status. These messages affect us all, regardless of body shape or size.
These messages make it nearly impossible to have peaceful relationships with our bodies and with food. But creating more peace is possible and it would be my privilege to join you on that journey.
How’s Your Relationship With:
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Your Body?
Do you avoid looking at yourself in the mirror and say mean things to yourself when you do look? Or do you look frequently to check for perceived flaws or body changes?
Are parts of your life on hold until you’re a smaller size? Perhaps you tell yourself you’ll buy clothes that fit, take that vacation, start dating, or try that new activity when you’ve “earned it”.
Does your mood and sense of self-worth change depending on how that pair of jeans fits, what the scale says, or whether you “feel fat”?
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Food?
Do you feel guilty for eating certain foods, or maybe even for eating at all?
Are efforts towards “clean eating”, wellness or lifestyle challenges, or cleanses causing you more anxiety and stress?
Are you constantly thinking about food, looking up recipes, and watching cooking videos?
Have you avoided social activities because food will be served? Maybe you get anxious about eating in front of others or about not knowing if “safe” foods will be served?
Do you eat as little as you can until you can’t stand it? Then when you do it, does it feel out of control?
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Movement?
Are you compelled to exercise to make up for what you’ve eaten? Or do you have to exercise to earn food?
Do you feel guilty or anxious for missing planned exercise?
Is movement associated with having to “fix” the size or shape of your body?
Do you avoid physical activity because you’re afraid of people judging the size or shape of your body?
Is the amount of exercise you’re engaging in causing injuries or interfering with other areas of your life?
Dieting and wellness plans are often encouraged by friends, families, and even doctors. However, chronic dieting - including lifestyle and wellness plans that don’t call themselves diets - can steal so much of our time and energy that it harms our emotional wellbeing. Chronic dieting, disordered eating, and eating disorders often involve the same kinds of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. What separates them is whether the ways someone is eating or engaging with physical activity is (1) considered socially acceptable or (2) causing medical issues in someone with low body weight.
If you are seeking treatment for an eating disorder, we will start with an assessment to make sure that outpatient therapy is the right level of care for you. After that assessment, I may recommend that you seek a higher level of care than what I can offer through outpatient therapy. And, because eating disorder treatment is best provided through a multidisciplinary approach, I ask that clients also work with their primary care providers to monitor medical stability and with a registered dietician nutritionist who can make sure you are getting the nutritional support you need.
Therapy Can Help
Having a more peaceful relationship with food and your body is possible. As you consider working together, here are some important things to know about me:
While I fully acknowledge the damaging impact of diet culture and weight stigma, there are other factors that contribute to disordered eating and eating disorders. Therapy can also provide support for processing trauma and being able to work with difficult emotions in new ways. Note: I have so much appreciation for how not connecting with your feelings or with your body may have protected you - or may still be protecting you - if you have experienced trauma or identify as trans or gender non-conforming. We’ll work at a pace that’s right for you towards the goals you set for yourself.
I cannot tell anything about how you eat, if or how you exercise, or anything about your health status by the size or shape of your body.
I support the reclamation of the word fat as a neutral description rather than an insult. While I describe myself as fat and will talk about anti-fat bias and fat liberation, I will not refer to anyone else’s body as fat unless they use that descriptor themselves.
Fat liberation, Health At Every Size, Intuitive Eating, and Body Trust all inform my practice.
You may also find it helpful to read more about me and my approach to therapy.
“When people say they want to lose weight they often mean ‘I want to be respected. I want to be loved. I want to be seen. I want liberation from fear and self-loathing.’ Weight loss culture will NEVER give us those things because it is founded on fear/hate-based systems like sexism, racism, classism and ableism. ”