Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Bowen Island, BC.

I use the Internal Family Systems approach to eating disorders, which views disordered eating as the result of inner conflict among different "parts" of the self. Often, a "Critic" part drives restrictive behaviors, while "Exiled" parts carry painful emotions or past trauma that the eating disorder tries to suppress. I'll help you identify and understand these parts, fostering compassion and healing. The goal is to unburden the parts, heal the underlying trauma, and restore balance so that you can develop healthier coping strategies and a more loving relationship with food and body.

Recovery from eating disorders (ED) is possible regardless of how long and intensley you may have struggled with it. ED works to rob you of your life, but you can have your life back from an eating disorder. Though it rarely seems so, ED's are not about food and body image, but about the underlying emotional issues and challenges one is experiencing. I would be pleased to assist you in recovering and understanding these issues and aid you in resolving them. Each woman longs for a beauty to unfold, and I believe each woman has this. You are not an exception.

I work with children and youth experiencing eating disorders. I also work with adults who suffer from disordered thinking related to eating and body image. Counselling with me includes building relationships, exploring past feelings and addressing present life stressors. My main goal is to work alongside you as we process together to help you heal and live the life you deserve.

Making the first appointment to treat an eating disorder takes courage. It can feel overwhelming to talk about the problem and discover ways to change. I create a safe environment to talk about the fears and worries connected to eating disorders. Some common eating challenges include anorexia, bulimia, over eating, emotional eating, binge eating and over exercising. My practical approach will help you discover new ways of coping and promote long term change.

Eating disorders affect all ages, all walks of life and both men and women. They can become both a burden and a block to living a healthy, happy life. I work carefully with an informed treatment approach that is holistic and tailored to you. We will work together to reduce the power the eating disorder has in your life, improve you overall health and self-perception and strategize a healthy way out of the difficult maze you are trapped in. Contact me to start making changes today.

In helping the clients who struggle with Eating disorder, I benefit from concepts and tasks from internal Family Systems approach . I assist clients explore the different parts of themselves, including those parts that may be driving disordered eating behaviors (e.g., a part that uses food to soothe emotional pain). Through IFS, clients learn to identify and understand these parts, rather than being controlled by them. In addition , Clients with eating disorders often experience internal conflicts, such as feeling simultaneously driven to restrict food and to binge. Clients encouraged to access these conflicting parts, engage with them compassionately.

Eating disorders are complicated and complex. Having lived with an experience of a distorted body image, I have an understanding of some of the challenges of an eating disorder. To get the outcome clients want, I utilize the approaches of EMDR, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Neurofeedback (NFB). EMDR takes the charge out of rooted disturbances, allowing an individual to overcome challenging behaviours without needing to reason. With CBT, I am able to offer support while challenging distorted thoughts and dysfunctional behaviours. NFB trains the brain to self regulate, allowing optimal performance, effecting the thoughts, emotions and actions that keep an eating disorder alive.

Eating disorders include anorexia, bulimia and even over-eating. Discovering the underlying emotions and beliefs is a key part of this therapy. Issues of control, self-esteem, self image and aloneness are often a part of what is behind this disorder. My goal is to help you uncover these, and then help you accurately define who you are, find new and healthy ways of coping and interacting in your world.

Emotional eating: Eating is not just about the food we put in our mouth, if it was then no one would have eating disorders. There are many types of eating disorders including bulimic, anorexia and over-eaters. Treatments is based on your own individual needs. Together we will work on the underlying issues and coping strategies. Food often represents love, nurturing, comfort. Before changing our eating habits, we need to find new and better ways to find comfort. Body image and issues around control are also common themes behind eating disorders. My approach is based on cognitive therapy as well as compassion and empathy.

As an experienced therapist in the area of eating disorders, I have found that often the greatest healing occurs through re-connectiong with the body, developing a trusting and loving relationship with it, and discovering its wisdom. When one begins to trust that that far from being one's enemy, the body is one's constant friend and guide, one's whole experience of self can be transformed. One lives from one's own core rather than focusing on food, body image, and others' evaluations, and therefore one becomes more confident and life becomes richer and freer.

Eating Disorders can impact someone as negatively as any type of serious addiction. However, unlike addiction treatment plans, food must continue to play a role in your life. My basic goal is to stop further development of any eating problem you may have, and assist you in returning to a healthy lifestyle. The most successful focus is on harm reduction as an overall principle in addressing eating disorders, with the end goal of moving towards complete recovery. I also typically want to establish effective coping skills to reduce the possibility of relapse and sustain the progress you make in therapy.

Eating Disorders develop as a way of navigating deep unresolved emotional pain and trauma. All our emotions and trauma are stored in our bodies. Working with eating disorders involves not only navigating the behavioural symptoms of disordered eating but more importantly developing a compassionate relationship to the body by connecting in, to where the emotional pain is stored. Together, with compassion and understanding we work on lifting the shame connected to body image and the external ways that has been created, then facing the deeper internal emotional issues at the root. It is possible to fully heal from disordered eating.

When it comes to working with clients who are experiencing disordered eating, the first thing to understand is that rarely is it about food itself, and it can affect anyone from all genders, ages, classes, and abilities. I personally understand the amount of stress and anxiety that can arise around eating and body image and want to work with you to pinpoint what is triggering for you about eating. My goal is to help you create and maintain a healthy relationship with food, not a fearful one. By using open, supportive, and non-judgemental dialogue, we can break down the shame and stigma of eating disorders together.

Olivia has a passion for helping individuals struggling with eating disorders, providing support through a behavioral and trauma-informed approach. She helps clients uncover and address the underlying emotional and psychological factors contributing to their disorder while equipping them with practical strategies for recovery. Olivia’s compassionate and holistic approach focuses on creating a safe space for clients to explore their relationship with food and their bodies, empowering them to build healthier habits and a positive self-image. By integrating trauma-informed care with actionable tools, Olivia walks alongside her clients as they work toward healing, resilience, and lasting change.

Issues related to food and body-image, eating or not eating, perfectionism, or overall fixation on appearance can flood your reality to the point where they consume you. These kinds of issues often arise to serve a function, or fulfill a purpose, in your inner, psychological world. They can be a way to cope, to try to heal hurt parts of yourself, to maintain control in uncontrollable situations. Sometimes, they can be related to adverse childhood experiences and developmental trauma—though all the jargon may not apply or do justice to your individual context. Together, we can find a way to manage your thoughts and behaviors and take steps to address anything that may be underlying them.

Having an eating disorder often leads to different emotions such as sadness, anger, shame and confusion. Having an eating disorder means you are probably also struggling with other mental health issues such as anxiety and depression. That is why it is really important to work with a therapist who can not only help you with symptoms of your eating disorder, but also help you with traumas and emotional difficulties that have led to your symptoms. When working with eating disorders, my goal is to help my clients understand their eating disorder from a compassionate perspective and also heal the deeper wounds that might lie underneath their eating patterns.

While most eating disorder issues are treated by cognitive behavioral methodologies or specialized outpatient/inpatient programs, Grey Matters International and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, PhD provide relief first and foremost for the brain of one suffering from an eating disorder----without giving them medication. We believe that the neural circuitries responsible for the compulsive behaviors with eating are not necessarily only a neurotransmitter issue but of overused neural networks that affect the harmonization, balance, and decisions of the whole brain. Contact kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161 to learn more about this safe and effective alternative.

Eating disorders are often an expression of emotional distress and an unclear or negative sense of self. We explore the emotions and family patterns and relationships that might be contributing. Then we move from emotional understanding to action - we explore what is within the client's control and what is outside of their control - from there we determine in a concrete way the nature of the next steps.

Our highly trained therapists utilize evidence-based techniques, including Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), to address the underlying emotional and psychological factors associated with eating disorders. With CBT, clients are guided to identify and challenge their distorted thoughts and beliefs about food, body image, and self-worth. By replacing these negative patterns with healthier perspectives, individuals can cultivate a more positive relationship with themselves and their bodies. DBT offers a comprehensive toolkit for clients to manage their emotions, develop healthier coping strategies, and enhance interpersonal skills.

If you’ve struggled with disordered eating, you are all too familiar with compulsive behavior, obsessive thoughts and a disconnect from the body. You may also have a constant need for control while at the same time feeling a frightening and exhausting loss of all control. Please know that none of this is your choice, but rather is a state of stress and overwhelm while you do your best to feel better. I have nothing but compassion for the distress that comes with food-related challenges, and you have my commitment to help you care for the difficult underlying emotions involved. Together, we will create a safe space to move towards healing and a safe relationship with food and the body.