Eating disorders can show up at any stage of life.
They are hard to understand, easy to miss, and they are exhausting, both for the person living with one and for the people who love them. So much energy goes into food, worry, and getting through the day that there is little left for the things that bring joy and meaning.
If you are here, you may be noticing that something isn’t right, or you may be tired of handling this on your own. Coming here took courage, and I’m glad you did.
WHAT YOU MAY BE NOTICING
When your teen's relationship with food shifts
Eating disorders don’t always look the way parents expect, and they can be easy to miss early on.
What started as a new workout routine and “healthier” food choices has become rigid. Or it may look different: eating that seems to feel out of your teen’s control, and a growing quiet whenever food is mentioned.
Either way, your teen is more irritable, meals are tense, and nothing you try seems to help. It may have happened so quickly that you are still trying to make sense of it. And you may be carrying more than anyone sees: work, a household, perhaps your own aging parents, and now this.
You don’t have to hold this alone anymore. From the very first call, I work alongside you and your teen’s other providers, and you can set some of this weight down.
There are many factors behind an eating disorder, and your support is what will do the most to move things forward. Early on, you’ll have practical tools for home, so you know what comes next.
OR MAYBE
Somewhere along the way, food became complicated
Maybe you're in college or living on your own, and the food noise hasn't let up. You may be tired in every sense, and finding it harder to focus or feel like yourself. You don't need to be sure it's serious enough to reach out.
Part of you wants this to change, and part of you is afraid to let it go. Both can be true.
We’ll work at a pace that respects that, with practical tools you can use right away.
You decide whether your family is involved. We’ll also look underneath: what the eating disorder has been doing for you, and what feels true to who you are.
AND FOR SOME
This has been part of your life for years
Maybe it started in high school or college and never fully left. You've built a life around it: work, relationships, perhaps children of your own. From the outside, things look fine. Inside, food and your body still take up more room than you want them to.
We’ll use practical tools early on and, at the same time, look underneath, at what the eating disorder has been doing for you and what you want your life to hold instead.
You may have tried treatment before and found it didn't fit. Your body may have changed over the years, and the constant talk about weight-loss medication may have stirred things you thought were settled. None of that means it's too late.
HI, I'M ROBIN
I believe that eating disorders are never simply about food.
They are complex, layered responses to pain, attachment, identity, and the need to feel safe. My work begins with all of that, without judgment. For over 20 years, I have worked across all levels of care, from inpatient to IOP and PHP.
My approach addresses both the behaviors on the surface and what drives them underneath. I don't use weight as a measure of health or recovery, and I won't encourage dieting or restriction. The goal isn't a number on a scale. It's a life where food takes up less space in your mind, and you take up more.
HOW I CAN HELP
I specialize in:
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia often looks like discipline from the outside and feels like survival from the inside. Most people around you only see the discipline. This work starts with what they're missing. We look at what's underneath: what the anorexia is doing for you, and what it's costing you.
Bulimia Nervosa
The cycle can feel impossible to break, and the shame surrounding it often makes it harder to ask for help. Many people manage this alone for years. That isolation is part of what keeps the cycle going. The work is about understanding what the cycle is doing emotionally, and that's the part that shifts when you're not carrying it alone.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating develops for real reasons, often layered and long-standing. Understanding those reasons is far more useful than another attempt at managing it from the outside. That's where we start, without pressure to try harder. The work is about understanding what's driving it, not finding better ways to stop it.
Body Image Distress
How you relate to your body shapes how you move through the world, what you're willing to try, and how present you can be in your own life. The work is about shifting from managing your body to actually being in it. That means building something that isn't organized around what it looks like.
Disordered Eating
Your relationship with food exists on a spectrum, and struggling with it doesn't require a diagnosis to be worth taking seriously. If food takes up more mental space than you'd like, or if eating feels governed by rules you didn't consciously choose, that's worth exploring. The work is about loosening those rules and reducing the mental weight food carries.
Support for Families & Loved Ones
Watching someone you care about struggle with an eating disorder is painful and often confusing. Most family members come in having already tried everything they can think of, and still feel like nothing is working. The work is about finding a way to stay connected through it, and making sure you have support too, because this is hard on you in ways that often go unacknowledged.
WORKING AS A TEAM
Eating disorders affect the body as well as the mind, so treatment works best as a team. I work closely with dietitians, physicians, and psychiatrists, sharing what matters and keeping the plan consistent, so you are not the one carrying information between offices. If you do not have those people yet, I will help you find them.
STARTING THERAPY
How We Begin
01
Reach Out
Send a brief inquiry through the contact form. There is no pressure, no commitment. Simply let me know a bit about what brings you here or schedule a free consultation directly.
02
Free Consultation Call
We'll schedule a 15-minute call to talk about what's happening and whether I'm a good fit. No forms to fill out. If you're reaching out about your teen, this first call is with you.
03
Comprehensive Assessment
Our first full session is a chance for me to understand the history and what's needed now. For teens, parents join this session so we begin as a team.
04
Treatment Begins
Within the first few sessions, you'll receive a written treatment plan grounded in your history and goals, and we begin the work of recovery. Where a dietitian, physician, or psychiatrist is involved, I coordinate with them from the start.
INSURANCE
Out-of-Network
Superbill provided
PAYMENT
Credit & debit
cards accepted
SESSION FEE
$250
per session
SESSION LENGTH
45
minutes
GET STARTED
Ready to Reach Out?
Whether you're considering therapy for yourself, your teen, or someone you care about, you're welcome to get in touch. I also welcome inquiries from referring clinicians.
Share a bit about what brings you here, and I'll respond personally within one business day, Monday through Friday. Your information is kept confidential.
If in-person matters to you, mention it on our consultation call and we can look at what's available.
or
For more than 20 years I have worked with teens, young adults, adults, and families affected by eating disorders.
Sessions are by secure video anywhere in California, with a small number of in-person hours each week at my Valencia office.
I am a licensed clinical psychologist in California and a member of IAEDP, AED, VFED, NEDA, APA, and LACPA.
