Therapy for Eating Disorders and Food and Body Concerns - For Teens and Adults

Therapy for Eating Disorders

Living with an eating disorder can feel isolating and exhausting. They can be difficult to talk about, in part because they look different from person to person, and the people around you don't always recognize them. They occur across culture, race, socioeconomic level, gender, sexuality, and body size, and can cause serious medical complications and a lot of distress, often taking up an enormous amount of time and mental energy.

I work with eating disorders from a depth-oriented perspective, which means I help you explore how they relate to your whole self and your wider life. I strive to build trust through compassion, collaboration, and respect, and also find the right amount of challenge to help you move forward. Together, we gain insight into root causes and the patterns that maintain eating and/or body image distress. My approach integrates the latest neurobiological research and behavioral interventions to help you develop coping strategies. Often, there are overlapping struggles that may contribute to driving the eating disorder, such as anxiety, perfectionism, or trauma. I'm well equipped to address these factors as well.

Including Parents and Caregivers

For teens, I work closely with parents and caregivers since you're often your kid's biggest advocate. I'll help you understand what's happening, where change is possible, and how to support recovery at home. No one is born knowing how to navigate this, and I'll be with you at every step, answering the questions that come up along the way.

A subset of the people who see me may not fully meet criteria for an eating disorder, but still experience real distress, anxiety, or preoccupation around food, eating, or their body. Some feel they overeat and wish they had more control. Others restrict, feel deprived, or think constantly about changing their weight or shape. Many want to break free of the diet mentality that's so widespread in our culture.

It's not always easy to find a good place to talk about these experiences. They're often dismissed as normal, met with diet advice, or judged harshly. I'll meet you with a nonjudgmental, anti-diet approach, and I'll be genuinely curious with you — helping you explore your relationship with food and body, and whether there are changes you want to make. If there are, we'll identify practical tools, perspectives, and resources to help.

If you're a person who's experienced body shaming or gotten the message that you should lose weight or eat less, you will not get that message from me. I don't focus on weight, numbers, or diets. My focus is on helping you develop an awareness of and attunement to your own body's experience and needs.

Specialized Experience

Eating disorder treatment often benefits from a full team, and I regularly collaborate with medical providers, dietitians, and coaches as needed. I'm a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP), with over five years of clinical work focused on eating disorders, alongside ongoing consultation and continuing education. I previously worked at the Healthy Teen Project in San Francisco, a PHP/IOP for teens with eating disorders and co-occurring mental health struggles, and at Evolve Wellness, an eating disorder treatment practice for adults. I was also a study therapist on UCSF's Mindful Motivation study for binge eating disorder.