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Eating Disorder Therapists

As eating disorder therapists, we use a rational, scientific approach to helping you develop peace with your body and with food. The end goal is for food to be enjoyed and to be a tool to nourish you, rather than be something that has so much power over you. We will initially focus on stabilizing eating behaviors while managing emotions and thoughts more effectively. We partner with community Registered Dietitian Nutritionists who will help you develop a personalized plan. Then, we will move on to addressing other issues that underlie or maintain the problem, making you vulnerable to relapse.

Eating Disorder Therapist

Therapeutic Approach

As therapists, our main objective is to helping clients live a value-congruent life, while accepting difficult realities. As stressors and problems seem to pile up, people often approach therapy feeling defeated or frustrated. Together, we will work on identifying and moving toward your goals. Based on Behavioral and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) principles, we develop an individualized approach for each client. Within a Health at Every Size (HAES) framework, we help you find your inner intuitive eater. Through this process, you can learn to accept your body, trust that your body knows what it needs, and nourish yourself in a loving and compassionate way.

We believe in being straightforward with you and demystifying the therapeutic process. We are active therapists and will likely provide you with direct feedback and things to work on outside of session.

Therapeutic Approach

Recovery Through Acceptance

So much of our struggles are rooted in trying to deny or escape who we are and what we feel. We work to help our clients accept themselves and their emotions, identify and challenge self-destructive thoughts and behavioral patterns, and develop more adaptive ways of coping. Research shows that working toward mindfulness to minimize these judgments and self-destructive behaviors leads to more regulated emotions and behaviors. It is only through mindfulness – true acceptance of where we are in this moment – that we are led toward change. We work with clients to help them re-frame their thinking about themselves and their lives.  Along with this, we help clients develop effective ways of managing difficult emotions.

As eating disorders therapists, we spend a lot of time thinking about people’s relationship with their bodies. Research demonstrates that working toward body acceptance is the key to happiness and good health. At Birch Tree Psychotherapy, we embrace HAES and Intuitive Eating as the most effective models for helping people repair their relationships with themselves and with food.

A Focus on Wellness

With Dr. Devlin’s background in health psychology, she understands the influence of our physical health on our psychological well-being. Therefore, our therapists incorporate wellness into each treatment plan. We will constantly think about your needs hierarchy and prioritize physical well-being before we can work on other goals. Through wellness, you can move toward breaking the cycle of self-loathing that keeps you in unhealthy patterns. We encourage clients to care for and nourish their bodies and minds in ways that promote healing and self-acceptance. We collaborate with other treatment providers including physicians, dietitians, psychiatrists, or alternative care providers to provide holistic treatment that emphasizes mind-body care and connection.

Family Work

Often times, emotional problems become family problems. For many clients, family involvement is essential to therapeutic success. Family connections can be instrumental in promoting or hindering recovery. We work to help the family provide a supportive environment for recovery We offer family therapy sessions for both adult and youth clients. We work together to decide what level of family involvement is appropriate for your situation.