While I love all aspects of working therapeutically, I am especially passionate about the work of helping individuals heal their relationship with their bodies. The presence of diet culture and weight stigma has been so oppressive for so many decades, it is now our cultural norm. This combined with our chronic detachment from our body signals has created an epidemic of disordered eating and body image.
When clients enter my office, often they have been suffering in despair of their bodies for years. It is far more common for someone to seek therapy early to help them heal from an unhealthy romantic relationship, than it is for assistance in their fractured relationship with their body.
Modalities I use in treating eating disorders/disordered eating/body hatred include:
Intuitive eating
Mindfulness
Yoga, light movement
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
DBT skills – especially acceptance and distress tolerance skills
Modalities I DO NOT use to treat eating disorders/disordered eating/body hatred include:
Dieting
Punishing/obligatory exercise
- Could I have an eating disorder?
- What is anxiety anyway? How about depression?
- Why is self-care important?
- I don't have body image issues, I just want to be thin.
What I'm reading...
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb
You're not going to run into a therapist who isn't reading this book right now. Lori Gottlieb's account of both sides of
therapy -- as therapist and client has everyone turning pages.
