Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Pico Rivera, CA.

Do you feel imprisoned by your eating disorder? Are you ready to challenge it so that you can feel more free in the world? I realize that addressing your eating disorder can be frightening. I provide a safe, empathic environment where trust can be built and your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors can be understood. If you feel like it is time to end the relationship you have with yourself that is characterized by rigidity, harshness, and even self-hatred and enter into a new relationship characterized by self-acceptance and freedom, I welcome your call.

With over 16 years of clinical experience, I provide a comprehensive assessment of eating disorder/body image issues in order to determine the best course of treatment. Initial interviews focus on gathering a full history of symptoms, including any/all preoccupations with weight and appearance. We will work with your physician to screen for any medical complications, as well as refer you to a dietician if you need more structure with your nutritional intake. The goal is to improve the relationship you have with food and your body, so that you can move forward with life and create lasting change.

If you have difficulties with your eating, there is always some emotional component. Together, we’ll examine what the psychological and emotional issues are that are involved in your particular problems with eating. This applies with compulsive overeating, anorexia, and bulimia. Even milder forms of overeating or undereating have emotional aspects, and we can deal with them. Bingeing or purging come in many forms, and we’ll examine how that may apply with you. It’s not about the diet, it’s about the dieter. It’s about the way you relate to your emotions, the people and situations in your life, and how you translate that to eating. You’re not damaged or a failure. Psychotherapy helps.

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.

I work with all eating disorders except Anorexia. First, it is vital to make certain of the client's health. Once it is clear that the client is ready for therapy, we explore the patterns and habits that are being acted out. We use cognitive behavior techniques to try at trouble shoot so that there are new resources when the client is in danger of acting out. Developing a supportive network and dietary research is important for their health. A log is frequently used to monitor change and growth. Once there is stabilization, we explore the family dynamics and control which most likelyexacerbated the eating disorder. The faulty thought processes need to be altered.