Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Thornhill, ON.

In eating disorder counselling, I provide a compassionate and non-judgmental space to address the complex emotional, psychological, and relational factors that influence your relationship with food, body, and self-image. Together, we work toward developing healthier coping strategies, improving self-esteem, and fostering body acceptance. My approach integrates evidence-based practices with a deep respect for your unique story and pace of healing. The goal is to support both emotional well-being and a balanced, sustainable relationship with food and self.

My work with eating disorders is based on non-dieting, non-restricting, client-centered and Feminist philosophy. I believe eating disorders are influenced by many factors, including our ability to establish meaningful relationships with ourselves and others. Food restriction, dieting and/or over exercising is not a way to solve any problems, including problems with food and/or weight. Re-establishing relationship with ourselves and establishing meaningful connections with others is.

Dr. Van Blyderveen has over seven years of experience working with clients who have struggled with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and body dissatisfaction. Treatment typically integrates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) approaches. Family Based Therapy (FBT) is offered for youth struggling with an eating disorder.

While I do not offer support for eating disorders, at Psychotherapy Collective, we have other therapists who are well positioned to support you. Eating disorders are not really about food. They involve complex emotional issues that have significant impact on ones physical, emotional and social health. If you are preoccupied with your weight, focused on body image, size, or shape, compelled to perform specific rituals around food, obsessive about food, or deem foods as “safe” or “unsafe” to eat you may be engaging in disordered eating. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with a member of our team today https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/our-team

Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia, and binge eating disorder are all very complex. I provide a compassionate, safe space for individuals to explore the thoughts and feelings they have about their eating disorder and how it affects their everyday life. Models I use in this area include: Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Dialectical Behavioural Therapy, and Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

I am a Psychotherapist and Addictions Counsellor who has struggled through an Eating Disorder and now my passion is to give back and help others. I understand that having been there myself the feelings of shame, guilt and despair. I have first-hand experience and through my experience along the way I created a way through. I want to help as many people as I can with what I have been able to accomplish myself and share it with others so they no longer have to suffer. I understand that everyone’s journey is unique and no two journeys are alike. I have the patience, compassion, understanding and empathy it takes for you to feel safe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

While I do not offer support for eating disorders, at Psychotherapy Collective, we have other therapists who are well positioned to support you. Eating disorders are not really about food. They involve complex emotional issues that have significant impact on ones physical, emotional and social health. If you are preoccupied with your weight, focused on body image, size, or shape, compelled to perform specific rituals around food, obsessive about food, or deem foods as “safe” or “unsafe” to eat you may be engaging in disordered eating. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with a member of our team today https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/our-team

Eating disorders often feel like a quest for control in a chaotic world. It is like a voice that distorts our relationship with our bodies and our selves. You will not be defined by this struggle. Your eating disorder is not something needing eradication, but a part of your story that deserves to be understood. We will honor your experience in a non-judgmental space. Together we will rewrite the narrative about food, body, and self-worth.

Eating disorders are connected to the value that society puts on appearance. In North American and European cultures, the ideal is to be thin. Being overweight is obvious to the world and viewed by society as a shameful condition. This is a demoralizing position to be in. Eating disorders are predominantly an issue for women, who naturally go through changes in their weight. But this is also an issue for men, who can hurt just as deeply if they feel unworthy of love by virtue of their appearance. My approach is to help people feel good from the inside out. I recognize that weight issues can be the source of shame, bullying and marginalization. These are often the areas we work on in therapy.

I use a cognitive behavioural therapy approach to address disordered eating patterns. I work with clients to help them identify the thought patterns and behaviours that lead to disordered eating patterns. I encourage clients to monitor the habits that they have developed over time and once these habits have been identified we work together to challenge and change them.

My approach to eating disorder counselling focuses on helping clients build a healthy relationship with food and body image. Using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and mindfulness techniques, I guide clients to address distorted thoughts and behaviours related to food. Clients benefit by gaining insight into the root causes of their eating disorder, challenging harmful patterns, and developing healthier coping mechanisms. The goal is to empower clients to achieve emotional healing and lasting behavioural change.

While I do not offer support for eating disorders, at Psychotherapy Collective, we have other therapists who are well positioned to support you. Eating disorders are not really about food. They involve complex emotional issues that have significant impact on ones physical, emotional and social health. If you are preoccupied with your weight, focused on body image, size, or shape, compelled to perform specific rituals around food, obsessive about food, or deem foods as “safe” or “unsafe” to eat you may be engaging in disordered eating. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with a member of our team today https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/our-team

Our relationship with food is inescapable. Overeating/denial patterns reflect an effort to combat isolation and the absence of equilibrium in relational dynamics. We are biologically engineered for connection and resonance. When that basic need is not met, we strategize survival in unique ways. By addressing all levels of experience, you can track the sequences relating to choice and absence of choice, be more present to your own emotions, cultivating a deeper connection with your body and yourself which naturally progresses into empowered relationships. Family members can learn to connect and resonate effectively, reducing isolation and creating the longed for feeling of belonging.

If you are struggling with an eating disorder we want to focus on what has brought you to your current eating and nutritional patterns and behaviours. I want to initially focus less about the foods you eat and the current behaviours surrounding your food intake, and more about what you are wanting to accomplish in doing so. Do you feel a need to control your environment? Do you feel anxious or out of control in other areas of your life? Are you wanting to push away or ignore some other important concerns? Let's explore. My primary focus is to help you feel good about yourself and your environment, and empower you to continue to create the changes within yourself that you want to make.

While I do not offer support for eating disorders, at Psychotherapy Collective, we have other therapists who are well positioned to support you. Eating disorders are not really about food. They involve complex emotional issues that have significant impact on ones physical, emotional and social health. If you are preoccupied with your weight, focused on body image, size, or shape, compelled to perform specific rituals around food, obsessive about food, or deem foods as “safe” or “unsafe” to eat you may be engaging in disordered eating. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with a member of our team today https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/our-team

If you are reading this profile, you are probably concerned about yourself to the point that you want to seek help. You are likely to be "an emotional eater". You may have been battling with your weight and sense of self-image for a long period of time. You are constantly looking for a sense of control over the struggles on your feeling and your weight etc... With over 12 years of clinical experiences, I humbly and wholeheartedly want to support you in this battle. There are evident-based and effective therapeutic approaches to address your struggles. I offer integrative approaches to meet your needs. Please don't hesitate to reach out and start to get the help you need at this moment.

Eating disorders can have a profound impact on both physical and emotional health. I offer a compassionate and evidence-based approach to help you address and overcome these challenges. Using techniques such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mindfulness, we work on understanding the underlying causes of your eating disorder, developing healthier eating habits, and improving body image. My goal is to support you in finding balance and building a positive relationship with food and your body. Contact me to schedule a free 15-minute consultation to start working towards recovery and well-being.

While I do not offer support for eating disorders, at Psychotherapy Collective, we have other therapists who are well positioned to support you. Eating disorders are not really about food. They involve complex emotional issues that have significant impact on ones physical, emotional and social health. If you are preoccupied with your weight, focused on body image, size, or shape, compelled to perform specific rituals around food, obsessive about food, or deem foods as “safe” or “unsafe” to eat you may be engaging in disordered eating. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with a member of our team today https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/our-team

In my experience, self acceptance and self esteem lie at the core of almost every eating condition, even when anxiety feels like the primary motivation for your behavior. Having said that, I never make assumptions about why you do what you do and what is motivating the relationship you have with food. I work hard in our relationship to understand what it feels like to be you so that we can both learn what it will take to change your eating habits for the better and encourage natural and healthy associations with both food and your body.

Eating Disorders are never about food, they are about control. I treat those who are open to treatment and who have a strong support system in place. If this sounds like something that may interest you, feel free to reach out and start your healing journey today. You do not have to live your life suffering. It is possible to be healthy and to have positive self-image but it does take work.

Eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, binge eating, and compulsive eating as well preoccupation with weight and shape are quite common in our culture and can be devastating and complex. Often there are severe consequences in terms of productivity, relationships and health. The good news is that it is possible to find our way out of an eating disorder. Whether through individual, family or group therapy, counsellors can assist us in changing our perceptions and behaviours and develop healthy self-esteem, communication, coping skills and emotional well being. (If we could have done it on our own... we would have by now.)

Eating is a part of our daily lives, but for many people, it is an enormous stressor. I am a Health At Every Size advocate and support clients with eating disorders in finding ways of eating that support their lifestyle, goals, and well-being. Through gentle and compassionate care, we work to re-build your lifelong relationship with food, eating, and body image, allowing you to move forward with food freedom.

Eating disorders may be common, but they are dangerous if left untreated. They are complex emotional issues that can be influenced by our family environment, relationships, school, career, and by the media. Eating disorders binge eating, purging, using laxatives, over-exercising, feeling guilty about food, over-eating, and obsessing about weight. Our therapists have years of experience in helping people deal with eating disorders. We will develop a treatment plan for you that will empower you to take control and free yourself from the problems. Our aim is to develop tools and resources to not just change your way of thinking and eating but also promote healthier patterns and behavior.

Eating disorders are a complex mental health problem with many contributing factors. My approach focuses on understanding the context of the eating disorder development with each individual client, learning about triggers for related behaviours, and exploring and healing underlying issues. Clients will learn to cope without the eating disorder and will be able to minimize or eliminate unhealthy behaviours. In addition, clients will rediscover who they are away from the eating problem. Many clients have described feeling free or like they have "been lifted out of the fog" as they recover and are able to enjoy their life without the eating disorder thoughts and behaviours interfering.

Eating disorders such as bulimia, anorexia, binge eating, and compulsive eating as well preoccupation with weight and shape are quite common in our culture and can be devastating and complex. Often there are severe consequences in terms of productivity, relationships and health. The good news is that it is possible to find our way out of an eating disorder. Whether through individual, family or group therapy, counsellors can assist us in changing our perceptions and behaviours and develop healthy self-esteem, communication, coping skills and emotional well being. (If we could have done it on our own... we would have by now.)