Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in St Catharines, ON.

Although each eating disorder has different symptoms, they are rooted in the need to control in the self. In my approach we will spend time exploring the root cause of the eating disorder, recognizing unhealthy behaviours and patterns and work towards making small and measurable changes to work towards healing. In addition, we will make a plan to help prevent relapse and cope with the emotional challenges of an eating disorder.

I work with your negative body image, from the inside out. "The negative image is understood as a dissociated and shame-based “part” of the personality in need of understanding and compassion, achieved via mindful awareness, “parts” dialogue and trauma processing. Our first step will be to create a healthy separation between the "observing" or aware Self and the part(s) absorbed in the eating disorder via mindful awareness. Once this separation between the "whole" self and part of self is established, the Gestalt polarity tradition (empty chairs) is utilized to develop understanding of the shame-based part. This leads to developing more love and compassion for yourself. You are enough!

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.

For many Christians it can be beneficial to their success in therapy to have a therapist that holds an understanding and respect for their religious and spiritual beliefs. While I do not offer Christian counseling services, at our clinic Psychotherapy Collective, one of our therapists Sarah works with Christian clients to combine evidence based psychotherapeutic techniques with piety, humility, forgiveness, faith development, spiritual development, and community. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with Sarah to see if she is a good fit for your journey https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/our-team/therapist/sarah-glinski

Disordered eating has served a purpose in your life. Together we will not only restore your healthy eating practices, we will determine the root cause of your eating disorder. This is essential to ensure we respect your emotional needs and enable you to maintain healthy eating patterns lifelong. I will provide us with the compassionate and supportive dynamic essential to your journey of creating the life experience you desire.

Emotional eating can stem from social expectations, family of origin rituals and gatherings, and negative self-talk. Emotional eating can lead to weight gain and health concerns. I use CBT, DBT and ACT to help clients learn to recognize emotional triggers that lead to eating behaviors when not physically hungry. I also help clients develop techniques to mindfully eat, resist temptation and learn to recognize when emotions are pulling at your puppet strings.

I can support you when dealing with emotional and disordered eating and help you with behavioural changes towards healthy eating patterns, including shifting from shame to empowerment, calming the nervous system, regulating emotions without turning to food, and assisting you in reestablishing physical cues for fullness and hunger and replacing the inner critic with self-compassion. Trauma-informed clinical tools will help you improve your relationship with food and your body.

Eating disorders can effect a person’s physical and mental health. My role as Therapist is to help you get to the root cause of the disorder, eliminate triggers, become more confident, learn ways to cope with difficult situations as well as help you manage other mental health problems that may be associated with eating disorders (such as anxiety, depression).