SPECIALTY · BINGE EATING DISORDER
Binge eating disorder therapy for teens, families, and adults
For the person who has tried every plan and ended up in the same place, and for the parent who is worried and does not want to make it worse.
Common, misunderstood, and treatable.
YOU MIGHT RECOGNIZE THIS
What binge eating disorder feels like from the inside
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Food feels like the one reliable source of comfort, but it is also the thing you most want to escape.
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You feel out of control during a binge, and deeply ashamed after. Neither feeling is easy to sit with.
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The shame has started to affect how you see yourself. It is not just around food, but in general.
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You wonder if you just lack discipline. You don't. This is not about discipline.
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You have tried restriction, rules, and programs. They work for a while and then they don't.
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Your teen eats in secret, and you find the evidence afterward, and you do not know whether to say something.​​
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You are frightened that anything you say about food will land as criticism, so you say nothing and worry.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIAGNOSIS
What is binge eating disorder?
Binge eating disorder involves recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, accompanied by a sense of loss of control and significant distress afterward. Unlike bulimia, there are no compensatory behaviors such as purging or restriction.
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BED is the most common eating disorder in the United States, affecting people of all genders, ages, and body sizes. It is not about a lack of self-control. It is a complex psychological condition rooted in emotion, experience, and biology.
SYMPTOMS
Some Common Signs of Binge Eating Disorder include:
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​Eating large amounts of food rapidly
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Eating when not physically hungry
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Significant distress after eating​​
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Ongoing attempts to diet or restrict​​​
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Feeling out of control while eating​​​
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Eating alone due to shame
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No compensatory behaviors (no purging)
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Food preoccupation throughout the day
TREATMENT
How I treat binge eating disorder
Binge eating is almost always fed by restriction, whether that is a diet, skipped meals, or rules about what is allowed. So the first thing we change is not the bingeing but the restriction around it, because a body that is fed regularly binges far less. This is the part most people have never been told, and it is why the plans they tried made things worse.
Alongside that we work on what the binges have been doing for you: the comfort, the numbing, the release. Most people with binge eating disorder have been managing something large with food for a long time. Learning to sit with that something, without food and without shame, is where the lasting change happens.
Treatment does not focus on weight loss. I do not use weight as a measure of progress, and I will not put you on a diet. The focus is your relationship with food, your emotional life, and the space this has been taking up in your day.
For teens, parents are part of the work from the start. The most useful thing a parent can do is take diet talk and weight comments out of the house entirely, and I will help you with what to say instead. There are many factors behind an eating disorder, and your support is what will do the most to move things forward.
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Related: Bulimia nervosa, Body image distress, Support for families and loved ones.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Frequently
asked questions
01
Will treatment focus on weight loss?
No. My practice is rooted in Health at Every Size principles. The focus of treatment is your relationship with food, your emotional wellbeing, and your quality of life, not your weight.
02
I am not sure if what I do counts as binge eating. Should I still reach out?
Yes. You do not need to meet the full clinical criteria to deserve support. If your relationship with food is causing you distress, that is enough.
03
I have tried everything. Can therapy actually help?
Yes. Most people with BED have tried diets and programs, which don't address the emotional roots of the behavior. Therapy works at a different level, and the research on CBT-E and DBT for BED is strong.
SESSION LENGTH
SESSION FEE
PAYMENT
INSURANCE
45
minutes
Out-of-Network
Credit & debit​​
$250
per session
cards accepted
Superbill provided
READY TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP?
The first step is just a conversation.
A free 15-minute consultation is confidential and completely pressure-free. You will have a chance to ask questions and see if we are a good fit before committing to anything.