You Are More Than Your Relationship With Food
"Recovery is not linear — and you don't have to be 'sick enough' to deserve help." — Mindful Willow Wellness
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions — not choices, phases, or failures of willpower. They affect people of every body size, gender, age, and background. With over a decade of specialized experience at every level of eating disorder care, I provide compassionate, evidence-based treatment tailored to where you are right now.
Whether you're struggling with food, your body, or both, this is a space where you can begin to untangle the complicated relationship between nourishment, control, and identity — and find freedom on the other side.
Understanding Eating Disorders
Each eating disorder is unique. Click to learn more about each condition and how therapy can help.
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Anorexia involves severely limiting food intake, often paired with an intense fear of weight gain and a distorted perception of body size or shape. It carries serious medical consequences and one of the highest mortality rates of any mental health condition.
Common Signs
Severe restriction of food intake or food groups
Intense fear of eating or gaining weight
Distorted body image — feeling "fat" at any size
Excessive exercise, layering clothes, or food rituals
Fatigue, dizziness, difficulty concentrating
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Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder involves avoiding foods based on their sensory qualities, fear of adverse reactions (choking, vomiting), or a general lack of interest in eating — not driven by body image concerns. It's often misunderstood as "picky eating."
Common Signs
Extremely limited range of acceptable foods
Avoidance based on texture, smell, color, or temperature
Fear of choking, gagging, or becoming ill
Significant nutritional deficiencies or weight loss
Social avoidance around eating (restaurants, family meals)
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Bulimia involves cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors (purging, laxative use, fasting, over-exercising) driven by intense feelings of shame, guilt, or a need to "undo" eating.
Common Signs
Episodes of eating large amounts in a short period
Feeling out of control during eating episodes
Compensating through purging, fasting, or exercise
Shame, secrecy, and guilt around eating
Dental erosion, sore throat, digestive issues
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Not every difficult relationship with food meets full criteria for a diagnosable eating disorder — but that doesn't mean it isn't causing real harm. Disordered eating includes a wide range of problematic patterns that interfere with your quality of life, health, and wellbeing.
Common Signs
Chronic dieting, food rules, or "good/bad" thinking
Skipping meals regularly or eating in secrecy
Food guilt, anxiety around eating, or compensating
Orthorexia (obsession with "clean" or "healthy" eating)
Emotional eating as a primary coping strategy
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BED is the most common eating disorder, characterized by recurrent episodes of eating large quantities of food quickly, often to the point of discomfort, and followed by significant shame — but without compensatory behaviors. It is not about lack of willpower.
Common Signs
Eating rapidly or secretly, beyond fullness
Feeling distressed, ashamed, or disgusted afterward
Eating in response to emotions, not hunger
Feeling disconnected or in a "trance" during episodes
Frequent dieting cycles that don't address the root
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Eating disorders exist on a spectrum. You don't have to hit rock bottom or reach a certain weight to deserve support. If food and your body are taking up significant mental space — that's enough
I work with all eating disorder presentations, from subclinical concerns to complex, longstanding struggles.
Our Approach to Eating Disorder Treatment
Evidence-based. Weight-inclusive. Trauma-informed. Collaborative.
01
Thorough Assessment
We start by understanding your full picture — history, behaviors, emotions, and goals — with compassion, not judgment.
02
Safety & Stabilization
We address any immediate medical, nutritional, or behavioral concerns to create a foundation for deeper healing work.
03
Explore the Root
Together, we uncover the thoughts, feelings, and experiences underneath the eating disorder behaviors.
04
Build New Skills
You'll develop practical tools for managing emotions, tolerating distress, and relating to your body differently.
05
Sustainable Recovery
Recovery is defined by you. We work toward a life where food is nourishment — not a source of fear or control.