Disordered Eating & Body Image
Disordered eating usually has less to do with food than it looks. It tends to be tied up with self-esteem and identity, and with what food and your body have come to stand for: control, safety, comfort, sometimes punishment. Therapy helps you understand what's underneath the patterns, build a more honest relationship with your body, and find a way of eating that doesn't exhaust you.
What We Mean by Disordered Eating
Disordered eating exists on a broad spectrum and doesn't require a formal diagnosis. If your relationship with food or your body is causing you distress, that’s reason enough to get help.
Restriction and limitingOngoing limiting of intake driven by fear, guilt, or a need for control, often invisible to others
Binge eatingEpisodes of eating that feel out of control, frequently followed by shame, secrecy, or compensatory behavior
Food preoccupationSignificant mental energy spent on food, calories, weight, or body, leaving little room for anything else
Body image distressPersistent dissatisfaction, shame, or hypervigilance about your body's size, shape, or weight
Chronic dietingA long history of starting and stopping diets, and the identity and shame that cycle with them
Purging and compensatory behaviorsExercise used as punishment, laxatives, restriction after eating: any behavior aimed at 'undoing' food
Our Approach: Anti-Diet, Weight-Inclusive, Trauma-Informed
We take a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach, which means we never use weight loss as a treatment goal or measure progress by your body's size. In our experience, people take better care of themselves once shrinking stops being the point.
Our therapists also understand that disordered eating is frequently connected to trauma, anxiety, perfectionism, and the desire to have some area of life feel controllable. We work with all of that, along with the behaviors you can see.
Healing your relationship with food isn't about willpower. It's about understanding what you've been trying to accomplish, and finding better ways to get there.
Disordered Eating Therapy in Denver and Online
We offer disordered eating therapy in person in Denver and via telehealth throughout Colorado. We coordinate with dietitians and other providers when that would help.
Common Questions
No. We see people with clinical eating disorders, people who have dieted for decades, and people who are simply worn out by how much room food takes up in their head. You don't need a diagnosis to deserve support.
Health at Every Size means we don't make weight loss a goal of treatment, we don't weigh clients in session, and we don't use language that equates health with body size. We focus on behaviors, relationships, and wellbeing, not numbers.
We often collaborate with dietitians who share our HAES and non-diet values. If you're not already working with a dietitian and want to, we can help connect you with someone.
If your relationship with food or your body is causing you significant distress, that's enough. Many people we work with don't identify with traditional eating disorder diagnoses but still benefit enormously from this work.
A Different Relationship With Food Is Possible
You don't have to keep fighting your body. Reach out for a free consultation, and we'll talk about where you are and what might help.
Schedule a Free Consultation