Therapy & Counseling For Eating Disorders

Unlike mood altering substances, with food you cannot eliminate the drug of choice.  A goal for eating disorder therapy is to change the relationship the client has with food. We know that many people have been affected by eating disorders through family, friends and loved ones. The most common eating disorders are anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. Manipulating food, by not eating, binge eating, or purging can be soothing to adolescents and teens and help distract them from the problems in their lives. Individuals struggling with eating disorders often use food and the manipulation of food to deal with fear and emotions that feel overwhelming to them. Symptoms are often similar from person to person, however the underlying factors that contributed to the development of the eating disorder are unique to each client. Understanding that the contributing factors are unique is critical as many adolescents, teens, and adults are dealing with other problems in addition to the eating disorder. 

Therapist Betsy Michelena's approach to Eating Disorder Treatment is multi-faceted, multi-disciplinary, and attacks the problem from all sides: emotional, nutritional, cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal. Betsy emphasizes resolving core self-identity issues. While in treatment with Betsy, most clients receive help with longstanding or underlying issues that may have contributed to the development of an eating disorder. Betsy will work with you to develop a program to meet your specific needs.