Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Ottawa, ON.

Having an eating disorder can rob you of so many joys in life. The disorder takes over and it becomes very difficult to focus on anything else. I can help you to discover what lies beneath the compulsion to restrict or to binge, and to regulate your food intake. I will refer you to more appropriate services if I feel that you need more of a multi-disciplinary approach, for instance if I feel that your disorder has affected your physical health in ways that I can not help you with.

My approach to eating disorders is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I believe that in order to change attitudes about food and health that it starts with awareness and developing mindfulness skills. I will work with individuals to accept their thoughts as just thoughts and not who they are as a person. This will allow us to be able to develop a more healthy perspective that will allow you to be less impacted your eating disorder and to focus on what really matters to you in life.

Eating disorders are a serious illness that cause destruction to a person’s food intake behaviors. They are characterized by emaciation, restricted eating, unhealthy body weight, fear of weight gain, and distorted body image. They may be defined as food addiction, anorexia, binge eating or bulimia. At Valiant Recovery, we recognize that eating disorders and addiction can occur simultaneously. We address eating disorders by providing adequate nutrition, promoting a healthy lifestyle, offering group and individual psychotherapy, and connecting clients to medical care and nutritional counseling.

Individuals and families experiencing disordered eating often feel isolated, stigmatized, and may feel apprehensive of seeking out the support they deserve, to help regain control of this aspect of life. I provide skilled and compassionate help with practical guidance and emotional support, as well as respectfully assisting to explore concerns and access each person’s unique strengths to help in moving towards goals. Together we will consider what needs to happen to regain a sense of control in living. My practice includes supporting all members of families and working in conjunction with programs such as Hopewell, hospitals, and the Maudsley method. Serving Ottawa with easy highway access.

Clients struggling with disordered eating will benefit from a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach to work on developing a healthy relationship with food and their bodies. Clients will work on developing a high self-esteem and sense of self-control. Clients will set realistic goals and develop healthy tools to cope with daily stressors that might trigger unhealthy eating/exercise patterns.

When I see a client with an eating disorder, I do not focus on the disordered behaviour as such. Rather, together we explore the client's family or origin and attachment history--from which our belief system about ourselves and the world are derived. I see this disordered behaviour as most often the result of the debilitating effect of an attachment wound.

In a supportive and empathic environment I help people who are suffering from an eating disorder to develop trust, build motivation for change, implement and maintain strategies to change as well as monitor their recovery process and journey of self-discovery. I work with both cognitive and behavioral strategies as well as an insight-oriented focus on the client's awareness of self and body. My work with an eating disorder often includes family of origin issues.

I will provide a safe space for personal expression and growth and building a therapeutic relationship with you based on trust. We will explore your most distressing thoughts, emotional reactions, behaviours, and relationship patterns associated with your eating, weight concerns, or body image. After we collaboratively set your treatment goals, we will work to understand and manage unhealthy eating habits. We will work on developing healthy coping strategies to deal with strong emotions and stress. I will help you access and express emotions and needs at the root of your concerns. We will also work to broaden your sense of yourself beyond physical appearance and weight, and build vitality

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@kevinfleminphd.com or 877-606-6161 to learn more about this safe and effective alternative.