When my clients first start therapy they admit that they are feeling nervous because they aren’t entirely sure what to talk about in a therapy session. They’re already embarrassed about their eating disorder behaviors and even just admitting they have them is a feat. What else are they supposed to talk about in eating disorder therapy? I can totally understand how difficult it is to even reach out for help and to talk to someone every week about what you struggle with. You’ll find it will get easier with time but I also know it can help to know what you’re going to focus on in the session.
What should I talk about in eating disorder therapy?
My clients are sometimes surprised that often times we aren’t talking about the details of their eating disorder in therapy every week. My focus as a therapist is to get to the deeper root of my eating disorder, and that often has nothing to do with food. The topics you could open up about in eating disorder therapy are endless. Here are some of the common topics to consider focusing on.
Your relationship with food
It seems like when my clients come to eating disorder counseling they worry that I’m going to judge them for how they eat and their eating disorder behaviors. To me, your eating disorder behaviors are symbolic of so much more. A topic to address is how you developed your relationship with food. How do you view food? Do you think there are good and bad foods? What unspoken rules have you adapted to about how and what you should eat? Where did your relationship with food start to become problematic? As a therapist, I want to explore the areas of your life that have influenced you to have a problematic relationship with food. Eating disorder therapy can help you heal your complicated relationship with food but first, we need to explore your history with it.
The negative beliefs about yourself
Having an eating disorder often means you struggle with your self-esteem and your beliefs about yourself and your abilities. Eating disorder therapy can help you focus on identifying what these beliefs are about yourself and where they started. Many of my clients feel that they aren’t good enough and are trying to compensate for this belief by trying to control their appearance. Processing these beliefs in therapy can help you challenge what you’ve learned to believe about yourself. It may seem impossible when you think about changing how you feel about yourself but this is a significant part of counseling.
Past traumatic experiences
Many of my clients don’t think they’ve experienced any level of trauma when they first come into therapy. They often share they have had a normal childhood, and don’t think there is anything that they could even consider as traumatic. Trauma doesn’t have to be a word that you believe describes your experiences but there are past experiences in your life that impact your brain in the same way trauma has. Therapy focuses on being able to find out what those are and to process them so they don’t impact your life. You might not think they are impacting your life now but through counseling will be able to see the connection and overcome them.
Eating disorder therapy can help you find freedom
It doesn’t matter if you have an eating disorder or not. If you have some disordered eating or a history of chronic dieting, eating disorder therapy can do the same thing for you. You deserve to be able to change how you feel about food, your body, and your self-esteem. You may not realize how you’ve been robbed of your freedom but the good news is you can get it back. Eating disorder therapy can help you achieve peace of mind.
Begin working with an eating disorder therapist in Utah
You can find relief from the constant thoughts about food and the fear of gaining weight. Eating disorder therapy can help. This Utah Counseling Center has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling follow the steps below:
Meet with an eating disorder therapist in Utah
Start eating disorder recovery
Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah
It’s hard to find a therapist who specializes in eating disorders, has the training to treat them, and is located in your town. I believe you deserve to work with someone that knows exactly how to help you. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Online eating disorder therapy is just as effective as in-person therapy without the hassle of traveling to a therapy appointment.
Online counseling also means that if you’re located in Salt Lake City, Provo, Logan, Cedar City, St. George, Heber City, and more, we can work together for eating disorder recovery.
Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy
Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only mental health service provided by this Utah Counseling Clinic. Other mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include anxiety therapy, EMDR therapy, birth trauma therapy, binge eating disorder treatment, and body image therapy. Schedule a free 15-minute phone consultation to see how I can help.
About the Author
Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee received a bachelor of science in psychology and a bachelor of science in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She obtained her master's degree in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has been working with eating disorders since 2013 and has worked at an inpatient psychiatric hospital for eating disorders providing therapy to clients at all levels of care. She enjoys continuing to learn the best practices for treating eating disorders and is inspired by the women she works with who focus on eating disorder recovery. When Ashlee isn’t doing therapy, she is exploring Utah and spending time with her husband and dogs.