Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Lakefield, ON.

I focus supporting those working with disordered eating which includes restrictive and compulsive eating and irregular or inflexible eating patterns. Eating disorders are an extreme form of disordered eating and are diagnosed. As a psychotherapist, I am unable to provide a diagnosis; however, I do use a team-based approach. We work together to build a care team that you trust and that will support you on this journey. If this leads to an assessment and diagnosis for an eating disorder that may become part of the journey. My approach includes walking alongside you as you learn skills, building safety, self-compassion, and trust, and connect to the value of a support system.

Struggles with food and body image often develop as ways to cope with pain, anxiety, or a need for control. I offer a compassionate, non-judgmental space to understand these patterns and begin healing your relationship with your body. Together we’ll work toward restoring trust, safety, and nourishment - physically, emotionally, and mentally. Using a trauma-informed, evidence-based approach, we’ll explore what your body is communicating and help you cultivate balance, freedom, and self-acceptance around eating and self-care.

I work with your negative body image, from the inside out. "The negative image is understood as a dissociated and shame-based “part” of the personality in need of understanding and compassion, achieved via mindful awareness, “parts” dialogue and trauma processing. Our first step will be to create a healthy separation between the "observing" or aware Self and the part(s) absorbed in the eating disorder via mindful awareness. Once this separation between the "whole" self and part of self is established, the Gestalt polarity tradition (empty chairs) is utilized to develop understanding of the shame-based part. This leads to developing more love and compassion for yourself. You are enough!

In working with eating disorders, I take a compassionate, non-judgmental approach that focuses on understanding the emotional and psychological functions of eating patterns. Clients are supported in rebuilding trust with their bodies, exploring underlying emotional needs, and developing healthier coping strategies. The focus is on safety, stabilization, and gradual change rather than shame-based approaches. Clients often benefit from improved self-awareness, reduced distress around food and body image, and a more balanced and connected relationship with themselves.

If your relationship with food has taken over, whether that is compulsive or emotional eating or a genuine struggle to lose weight, I can help you understand it and change it. One honest note so you can choose well. Because I am in private practice and am neither a physician nor part of a medical facility, I do not treat anorexia or bulimia, which need medical oversight. For food addiction and weight concerns, I have been a psychologist since 1986. I am based in Calgary and see clients across Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick by secure video. Book a session now: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=14249112

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

When I work with clients who are struggling with eating disorders, I focus on helping them understand the thoughts, emotions, and triggers that drive their behaviours. I use DBT to teach concrete tools such as urge management, grounding, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation, which help reduce bingeing, restricting, purging, or other harmful patterns. I also help clients identify the situations, emotions, and beliefs that lead to unhealthy eating behaviours, and together we create practical strategies to interrupt these cycles. We will look at body image, perfectionism, impulsivity, and control in a clear and straightforward way.

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 or uncomfortable participating in social activities involving food (such as getting dinner with friends) you may be engaging in disordered eating. I offer free consultations to answer your questions and help you determine if therapy will be beneficial for you. I look forward to hearing from you.