Find An Eating Disorder Therapist in Pickering, ON.

At Orchid Psychotherapy Clinic, we offer specialized therapy for individuals struggling with eating disorders and related issues. Some of the concerns you may seek help for include: emotional eating, anorexia and bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, compulsive eating body image difficulties, body dysmorphia, and compulsive exercising. We believe that anyone can recover from an eating disorder no matter how long they've struggled. We work alongside you at your pace to find strategies that benefit you; to normalize your eating and eliminate symptoms, and to help you identify issues that might be driving the eating disorder so that you maintain your recovery after therapy is over.

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.

I help clients overcome addictive relationships with food. Like all addictions, the behavior is the tip of the iceberg, used to cope with underlying thoughts and emotions. Through collaborative conversations, clients gain insight into underlying concerns, gaining coping skills to more effectively navigate these issues. I draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and Motivational Interviewing (MI), helping clients achieve a sense of freedom and control over their lives, leading to long-term change.

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!

Disordered eating has served a purpose in your life. Together we will not only restore your healthy eating practices, we will determine the root cause of your eating disorder. This is essential to ensure we respect your emotional needs and enable you to maintain healthy eating patterns lifelong. I will provide us with the compassionate and supportive dynamic essential to your journey of creating the life experience you desire.

Countless individuals conceal their eating disorders, enduring their symptoms silently for extended periods before reaching out for support. If you suspect that you may be grappling with an eating disorder, we encourage you to schedule a consultation with one of our mental health experts. Our team of specialists is committed to helping you find relief from this challenging condition. As the premier counseling service provider serving Vaughan and Toronto, we take pride in our extensive team of therapists. Their primary focus is to aid you in attaining a more profound insight into your current challenges and providing you with effective strategies to conquer them. Don't hesitate to reach out

The benefits of receiving therapy for eating disorder(s) with us begins with the supportive and non-judgmental space we provide that explores the underlying causes and triggers of the disorder. There is help for individuals to develop a healthier relationship with food and their bodies. We can implement new strategies to challenge negative thoughts and beliefs related to body image and self-worth. Additionally, therapy can address the co-occurring mental health issues such as anxiety or depression, that may contribute to the eating disorder. We provide tools and coping mechanisms to manage triggers and develop a sustainable recovery plan.

If you are struggling with body image, compulsive and/or disordered eating, or a distorted sense of self, I can help you restore a healthy relationship with your body. My approach works on building acceptance and increasing love, care, and enjoyment in your unique body. I utilize evidence-based interventions which help to increase sense of sense and self-worth, address distorted thought patterns, improve coping, and assist in establishing healthier lifestyle factors to support whole body wellbeing.

I use a cognitive behavioural therapy approach to address disordered eating patterns. I work with clients to help them identify the thought patterns and behaviours that lead to disordered eating patterns. I encourage clients to monitor the habits that they have developed over time and once these habits have been identified we work together to challenge and change them.

For many Christians it can be beneficial to their success in therapy to have a therapist that holds an understanding and respect for their religious and spiritual beliefs. While I do not offer Christian counseling services, at our clinic Psychotherapy Collective, one of our therapists Sarah works with Christian clients to combine evidence based psychotherapeutic techniques with piety, humility, forgiveness, faith development, spiritual development, and community. Schedule a free 15-minute consultation with Sarah to see if she is a good fit for your journey https://www.psychotherapycollective.ca/our-team/therapist/sarah-glinski

Clients who seek eating disorder counseling and treatment can benefit in a variety of ways. Firstly, counseling can help clients to understand the underlying causes of their eating disorder, such as past trauma or negative self-talk. By addressing these underlying issues, clients can begin to develop healthier coping mechanisms and strategies for managing their symptoms. In addition, counseling can help clients to develop a healthier relationship with food and their body image. Clients can learn to identify and challenge negative thoughts and beliefs that may be contributing to their eating disorder, and they can develop more positive and self-affirming self-talk.

I offer individual counselling to support your efforts to lose weight based on the diet of your choice. Stress, depression, or anxiety due to hormonal changes, cravings or emotional difficulties may lead some individuals to overeat. Being overweight alters the functioning of the whole body plus may hurt emotionally as well. The psychological component of a successful weight loss is just as important as nutrition and exercise. Counselling supports you by identifying the emotional factors that affect your weight by rebalancing your lifestyle in a holistic way. We also work on improving your relationship with food, with your body and to learn to respond in a different and compassionate way.

Eating Disorders can be some of the most disheartening and frustrating mental health diagnoses to experience. ED's at their core aren't about food, but instead avoidance, anxiety, control, and trauma. Successful treatment relies on examining what you are trying to avoid and providing skills that allow for tolerance and emotional regulation. Recovery from your eating disorder IS possible!

We are a trauma specialized clinic that treats eating disorders as part of a possible trauma response. When we have a trauma history we often use various means to emotionally regulate, this can include using food or food restriction. We can help you emotionally regulate in healthier ways and heal trauma, possibly changing your relationship with food. The goal is to enjoy food and feel it nourishes our body.

Clients come to see me for psychotherapy in my practice in downtown Toronto. I work with women and men who are experiencing difficulties with eating-related disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, and over-eating. Sometimes there are associated conflicts within the family, as well as interpersonal problems including depression, anxiety-related problems, and difficulties coping with early traumas.

“There are various ways that individuals with eating disorders describe “dealing with” painful feelings: They may numb them through starving, soothe or push them down with bingeing, or get rid of them through purging. This vicious cycle of fearing, avoiding, and feeling overwhelmed and incapacitated by feelings, to the point of having to stay ill or inflict self-harm to escape, makes Emotion-Focused Therapy a compelling approach to treating eating disorders. Emotion-Focused Therapy works directly with painful emotions, and views them as a source of information and meaning. Emotion, if paid attention to, can be like a beacon or a flashlight, leading us to what is important.

Eating disorders appear to result from multiple factors including cultural, social, family and emotional pressures; personality disorders; genetics and biological factors. Some research has shown a connection between child sexual abuse and subsequent development of eating disorders. Eating disorders typically begin during adolescence. Moreover, up to 90 per cent of eating disorders occur in women, though men are being diagnosed more. Helping have a healthy relationship with oneself, gaining tools for coping, healing past issues is some of the therapy focussed on.

Our relationship with food is inescapable. Overeating/denial patterns reflect an effort to combat isolation and the absence of equilibrium in relational dynamics. We are biologically engineered for connection and resonance. When that basic need is not met, we strategize survival in unique ways. By addressing all levels of experience, you can track the sequences relating to choice and absence of choice, be more present to your own emotions, cultivating a deeper connection with your body and yourself which naturally progresses into empowered relationships. Family members can learn to connect and resonate effectively, reducing isolation and creating the longed for feeling of belonging.

Shyamala's approach to working with eating disorders is to address the underlying issues that often perpetuate disordered eating: anxiety, perfectionism and a need for control. In helping clients build confidence and explore alternative ways of managing the underlying issues, clients are able to move towards a life that is no longer controlled by food and body image.

Have you ever thought about what you were eating and why? Do you know what you were thinking and feeling at the time you were choosing which food to eat? Were you sad, anxious, or stressed about something? Or, had you just finished a stressful experience and felt the need for ‘comfort food’? Have you ever heard the term, ‘emotional eating’? Firstly, let me tell you, you are NOT alone! Many people with psychological problems turn to food for comfort and relief from stress. I can help you design an action plan to manage these challenging thoughts, feelings, and behavioural choices, towards your goals and sustainable change.

Disordered eating patterns are common in north America and, of course, they are still more prevalent among teen females and women than among teen males and men. Numerous factors contribute to the development and reoccurance of disordered eating patterns, including, negative body image, low self-esteem, stress and relationship struggles, intellectual and cognitive reasoning and media and social learning. Combining narrative, cognitive-behavioural individual and family therapy (in a collaborative teamwork approach among family, therapist and other healthcare providers) is the most effective strategy to reduce health risks through healthier relationship, exercise and eating thoughts and habits

I am a Psychotherapist and Addictions Counsellor who has struggled through an Eating Disorder and now my passion is to give back and help others. I understand that having been there myself the feelings of shame, guilt and despair. I have first-hand experience and through my experience along the way I created a way through. I want to help as many people as I can with what I have been able to accomplish myself and share it with others so they no longer have to suffer. I understand that everyone’s journey is unique and no two journeys are alike. I have the patience, compassion, understanding and empathy it takes for you to feel safe that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

My approach to Eating Disorder Counseling and Treatment is based on a compassionate and holistic perspective that acknowledges the complex emotional, psychological, and physical factors that contribute to disordered eating. My aim is to create a safe and non-judgmental space where clients can explore their relationship with food, body image, and underlying emotions. Through a combination of evidence-based therapies and a collaborative approach, I assist clients in developing practical tools to manage triggers, regulate emotions, and foster healthy coping mechanisms. I strive to empower my clients to develop a positive sense of self and a healthier relationship with food and their bodies.

A sense of self is easily interrupted by stress, change, and trauma. Maybe you feel like you have never really known yourself and have always been focused on others. Or, maybe, you feel like you have lost a sense of self due to big changes in your life. This could all be tied in with how you feel about your body, especially if it has gone through a change as well. We can offer support for this, including help for: • Body image concerns • Low self-esteem or self-worth • Questioning self-purpose and plan • People pleasing, rescuing and fixing • Chronic guilt, regret and shame

Eating disorders can cause intense conflict within the couple and family system. There is so much stress, pain and helplessness that comes along with the impact it can have on relationships. Specialized treatment is needed, and often times couple or family therapy can offer tremendous benefit to focus on the connection piece between partners/parents/family members. Finding your way back to each other and establishing safety and trust in relationships is key in this context.