Eating Disorder Therapy
Do You Have An Unhealthy Relationship With Food?
Are you preoccupied with weight, calories, and food?
Is your sense of control tied to the calories you consume and burn?
When life becomes too overwhelming, do you use food restriction, bingeing, or purging to cope with your emotions?
No matter what diet or exercise regimes you implement, perhaps you struggle to feel comfortable in your body. Thoughts related to food may pervade your mind, negatively impacting your identity and self-worth. You may wake up exhausted, your first thoughts consumed by your weight and how you’ll control your intake for the day.
You May Struggle With Shame
Perfectionism and self-doubt may drain you, leaving you little energy to enjoy activities or fulfilling relationships. Or maybe shame creeps in after bingeing, restricting, or purging. Sleep could be restless, body discomfort constant, and emotions overwhelming or numb, making daily life a cycle of anxiety and self-judgment.
Navigating social events involving food might be stressful because you either want to avoid food altogether or obsess over what’s “acceptable” to eat. Although following these rules makes you feel isolated and anxious, maybe you’re afraid to change your ingrained habits for fear of losing control.
If you’ve been holding off on seeking therapy because your symptoms don’t fit into the textbook definition of an eating disorder, you still deserve support. Working with a therapist who understands the nuances and complexities of eating disorders can help you break free from harmful patterns and build self-trust, emotional regulation, and a healthier relationship with food.
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Our Long-Standing Diet Culture Exacerbates Disordered Eating
According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), “An estimated 9 percent of the U.S. population, or 28.8 million Americans, will have an eating disorder in their lifetime.” [1] Further, although “15 percent of women will suffer from an eating disorder by their 40s or 50s, only 27 percent receive any treatment for it.” [1]
Even though diet culture and unrealistic beauty standards have been around for decades, they’ve flourished more recently on social media, fueling body obsession and disordered eating. This constant exposure to photo-enhanced content leads many of us to make unhealthy comparisons about our own bodies. Oftentimes, we tie body image to self-worth and conclude that anything short of physical perfection represents failure on our part.
We Commonly Normalize Our Issues Related To Food And Body Image
Disordered eating is layered and complicated. When symptoms are more subtle and internalized, we often normalize what’s going on and downplay the negative impact it’s having on our overall well-being. We might believe that seeking therapy for an eating disorder is reserved for those with severe bulimia or anorexia nervosa, but that’s not true.
If you have an unhealthy relationship with food, eating disorder counseling is a safe space to explore the root causes of your challenges. With curiosity and patience, we will uncover the anxiety, self-doubt, and trauma that often fuel these behaviors and help you gain new insight into the factors that keep them in place.
Eating Disorder Therapy Can Lead To Recovery And Healing
If you're struggling with an eating disorder, you might feel trapped in a cycle of food rules, guilt, or shame. Maybe you’ve tried to control, rationalize, or even ignore these behaviors, but they linger no matter what you do—impacting your daily life, relationships, and self-worth. Emotionally, avoiding deeper wounds—like perfectionism, self-worth, and trauma—keeps these patterns alive.
But you are not alone, and you are not beyond help. Healing is possible.
Whether you are navigating binge eating, restriction, purging, food addiction, obsessive food thoughts, or body image distress, in therapy we will approach your healing in a way that is compassionate, holistic, and effective—not just about food, but about helping you reclaim control, confidence, and peace in your life.
What To Expect In Sessions
In sessions, we will uncover the emotional, psychological, and relational factors driving disordered eating. We explore patterns of control, perfectionism, and self-worth, identifying how early experiences and societal pressures may contribute to your anxiety surrounding food. We also explore relational dynamics, self-trust, and boundary-setting to reduce people-pleasing behaviors.
The long-term goals we determine for eating disorder treatment will be tailored to your specific needs. We help in ways that often include developing a balanced, intuitive relationship with food, cultivating emotional resilience, and learning to experience self-worth beyond body image. You will also learn assertive communication and how to navigate social situations without guilt. Together, we will redefine what confidence means to you, allowing you to reclaim your life free from the cycle of guilt, restriction, and compulsive behaviors.
The Modalities We Incorporate Into Eating Disorder Counseling
In therapy, we can help you gain practical skills to cope with adverse emotions, reduce compulsive behaviors, build self-trust, and form a healthier relationship with food. Using evidence-based approaches to treat eating disorders, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and somatic therapy, we address shame, anxiety, and avoidance, helping you feel safe in your body.
Using CBT, we will challenge distorted thoughts, shift negative self-talk, and reframe food-related anxieties. DBT techniques, like distress tolerance and emotional regulation, help manage urges without restriction or bingeing.
Somatic therapy connects you to body cues through grounding, breathwork, and regulating the nervous system. Mindfulness enhances awareness of emotional triggers, while self-compassion practices replace self-criticism. We also practice exposure techniques to reduce fear around certain foods.
Imagine a future where you feel understood, supported, and empowered. Understanding the complexities of an eating disorder, our counselors aim to provide therapy that’s customized to your needs and meets you exactly where you are.
With expert guidance, you can reclaim control, nurture self-acceptance, and build emotional resilience. We tailor your journey to healing step by step, helping you discover hope, strength, and a renewed sense of self.
But Maybe You’re Not Sure If Eating Disorder Therapy Is Right For You…
I worry that nothing will change after going to an eating disorder therapist.
Understandably, there's a part of you who wants help and another part who’s afraid it won’t work. That makes sense, especially if you've struggled for a long time.
Fortunately, healing isn’t about “controlling” your urges or “fixing” yourself; it’s about finding freedom. In eating disorder treatment, we can explore fear of failure, change, or losing something familiar. We’ll go at your pace, using approaches that feel right for you.
Will attending eating disorder therapy mean I have to give up control?
As therapists who specialize in eating disorders, we get that control feels important—it may have helped you cope when things felt overwhelming. Therapy isn’t about taking control away from you; it’s about helping you feel safe enough that you don’t need to rely on rigid behaviors.
Whether you seek treatment for food addiction, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge eating disorder, you always have a say in your healing process. We’ll work together to find a healthy balance so you feel empowered rather than forced into change. You don’t have to let go of everything at once—just take things in stride, one step at a time.
What if I’m not sick enough to warrant eating disorder counseling?
You deserve support no matter where you are in your journey. Eating disorders aren’t just about weight or severity—they’re about how you feel and the impact on your life. If food, body image, or control feels overwhelming, that’s enough reason to seek help.
You don’t have to “hit rock bottom” to deserve healing. The earlier you address these patterns, the more freedom you can find. Your pain is valid, and you’re worthy of support, no matter what it looks like.
[1] https://anad.org/eating-disorder-statistic/
Seeking Therapy For Your Eating Disorder
Is A Decision You Won’t Regret
When you permit yourself to seek help, solutions will follow. To find out more about eating disorder therapy with the Union Therapy Group, please call or text 914-274-4811 or visit our contact page.
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