Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Esquimalt, BC.

If you struggle with food addiction, emotional eating, eating disorders (including anorexia and/or bulimia), disordered eating, or have general concerns around your consumption of food, Andee Dale with Gravitate Counselling Inc. might be the right counsellor for you. She specializes in food-related concerns and is working towards certification as an Eating Disorders Specialist with the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals. You can expect sessions with Andee to be strengths-based and solution-focused, with each appointment focusing on what you would like to talk about.

I help clients overcome addictive relationships with food. Like all addictions, the behavior is the tip of the iceberg, used to cope with underlying thoughts and emotions. Through collaborative conversations, clients gain insight into underlying concerns, gaining coping skills to more effectively navigate these issues. I draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), helping clients achieve a sense of freedom and control over their lives, leading to long-term change.

Eating disorders benefit from the same or similar approach used for all addictive behaviours. One of the main therapeutic approaches I use is Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy. The relationship to food can be quite complex involving societal or cultural pressures, self-image, past traumas, addictive non-nutritious junk food, media images, social media pressures, bullying. Shame and guilt need to be addressed along with peer pressures. The most common eating disorders are: Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating, Pica, Rumination Disorder, Avoidance/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Orthorexia, Purging Disorder etc. The benefits of therapy are enhanced self-image, health and well-being.

At Seasons Family Centre, we provide support for youth and adults struggling with eating disorders, offering a warm, non-judgmental space for healing. Using evidence-based approaches like CBT, DBT, EFFT, IFS, and FBT, we tailor care to meet each individual’s needs while fostering trust and connection. Rooted in a Health at Every Size (HAES) philosophy, we emphasize respect for all bodies and focus on holistic well-being. With deep care and understanding, we guide clients and families toward healing relationships with food, their bodies, and themselves.

Eating disorders are common and help is available. Together, we can work to better understand your challenges and come up with practical and realistic solutions. There are many ways to work with eating disorders and I focus on strengths-based approaches and ones that help you get in touch with your emotions and goals. I work with men and women of all ages.

If you are eating in an unhealthy way quite possibly you have sought medical advice. Counseling will support you by looking for the reasons why you use food and eating in unhealthy ways. i will ask you to tell your story in lots of detail. Maybe you will uncover self esteem issues or issues about control and power. We may talk about feminism and societal trends and advertising which encourage you to try to look like models or entertainers. We will try to strengthen your pride and acceptance of yourself so you do not seek approval using behaviours not respectful of you health and individuality. We will look at effective eating management strategies and self honoring lifestyle choices.

Eating Disorders can become all-consuming, and extremely disruptive of every day life. Most who suffer with eating disorders think about their relationship with food all day long, weigh themselves excessively, and do (sometimes irreparable) damage to their bodies and psyches. Dr Sloat helps you to find the underlying causes and thinking patterns that perpetuate your disorder so you can find a sustainable solution and implement it. Are you ready to reclaim yourself?

In counselling, we will explore together the factors that drive your perceptions and behavior around food. Molly's goal is to help you develop a healthy sense of freedom in your relationship with food, rather than feeling controlled and distrustful within that dynamic. Molly might use CBT, EMDR, and Enneagram theory to help you as you recover and grow in self-acceptance.

Eating disorder counseling provides a compassionate space to address the underlying emotional and psychological factors contributing to disordered eating. My approach focuses on building trust, exploring the root causes of behaviors, and fostering a healthier relationship with food and body image. Together, we’ll develop personalized strategies to challenge harmful patterns, manage triggers, and support your recovery journey. Clients benefit from greater self-acceptance, improved coping skills, and a renewed sense of balance and control in their lives.

Issues related to food and body-image, eating or not eating, perfectionism, or overall fixation on appearance can flood your reality to the point where they consume you. These kinds of issues often arise to serve a function, or fulfill a purpose, in your inner, psychological world. They can be a way to cope, to try to heal hurt parts of yourself, to maintain control in uncontrollable situations. Sometimes, they can be related to adverse childhood experiences and developmental trauma—though all the jargon may not apply or do justice to your individual context. Together, we can find a way to manage your thoughts and behaviors and take steps to address anything that may be underlying them.

The category of ‘eating disorders’ includes anorexia-nervosa, bulimia-nervosa, binge-eating disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). The current most effective treatment model for eating disorders is Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Enhanced. CBT-E is highly individualized to each client, and involves exploring thoughts, feelings, and behaviours, psychoeducation, investigating patterns of belief that are maintaining the eating disorder, learning skills and coping strategies, and planning for the future. Clients can typically expect to feel more aware and in control of their thoughts, emotions, and behaviour, have more positive relationships, more energy, and self love.

EMDR therapy can be a useful tool in treating eating disorders by addressing the underlying emotional issues that may contribute to disordered eating behaviors. Trauma, negative self-image, and other emotional factors can contribute to the development of eating disorders. EMDR therapy works to reprocess these negative emotions and beliefs, helping individuals develop a more positive self-image and reduce the urge to engage in disordered eating behaviors. EMDR can also be used to address triggers that may lead to binging or purging, and to develop healthier coping mechanisms. By addressing the emotional factors that contribute to eating disorder, EMDR can be an effective tool in recovery.

I am flexible in approach with Eating Disorders, starting with what has worked or is working with you already. I offer Acceptance and Commitment Therapy as a new approach that will help you to target the thoughts and feelings that cause the problem behaviours in a whole new way. I will give you new skills for handling difficult thoughts and feelings that cause you to binge, purge, or over/under eat. I have formal training in the ACT model which is an evidence based treatment for EDs. Contact me to discuss further.

I am honoured that you are interested in my services and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I have been described as slightly non-conventional in the counselling world, which suits me perfectly, and also tends to suit youth who are trying to stand up to the force of the problems in their life. I am very comfortable working with this population, and I feel fortunate that I can connect with teens the way I do, conventionally or in a way that makes sense to them.