Why Would I Consider Going to Therapy for My Eating Disorder?

If you are reading this page right now then you are probably wondering if counseling will help you to recover from your eating disorder. That’s a fair question. I want to convey to you that there is hope.

This is why I believe that counseling can help…

A therapist’s main role is to earn your trust and develop a good rapport, so that you will feel safe and comfortable in order to share about yourself. Receiving validation for your thoughts and feelings regarding your experience helps you to begin the healing process. Many of us don’t find that kind of support at home. Support comes through empathy and compassion for your difficulties. You have to acknowledge and grieve experiences that were difficult and painful in order to move on.

I believe that psychoeducation is an important part of counseling. Understanding societies misleading messages about beauty, thinness, or muscularity will help you to improve your negative body image. You will find that you don’t have to be “perfect” to feel good about yourself. Counseling can help you to see that you are of value, effective, and beautiful in your own unique way.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps you to become aware of the negative statements that you make to yourself and helps you to figure out where you first heard those things. You can begin to handle toxic situations and relationships and even learn to set boundaries by respectfully sharing with others how you “really” feel.

Counseling encourages you to take care of "you" and teaches you how to improve your self-esteem. You will learn how to regulate and tolerate emotions like anxiety and depression; feelings that may have been overwhelming for you. You can then begin to replace old harmful habits with new healthier behaviors.

At first this may seem out of reach for you but change and growth happens in small baby steps. I know this because I developed an eating disorder at age 15. I worked with an excellent therapist who helped me to beat my eating disorder and now I help others to do the same. There is life after an eating disorder and I am proof of it.

I facilitate and eating disorder and body image group because it is very effective when treating an eating disorder. I also work with clients individually or with their families as eating disorders is a family system issue. Often loved ones will come to counseling to learn how to best support the eating disordered person.

If you think I may be able to help you or a loved one recover from an eating disorder, please feel free to call me. I would be happy to talk with you about your situation and answer any questions you may have.

You don’t have to do this alone…

Sincerely,

Ilissa Banhazl,MFT