![Health at Every Size and Eating Disorder [Image description: black larger bodied woman eating a donut]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/bodyliberationstock-82137_ccexpress-1024x683.jpeg)
Eating disorders are not only about body image. Nor have they only recently arisen in response to societal pressures to be thin. In fact, eating disorders date back to at least the 13th and 14th centuries, when it was documented that women were fasting to demonstrate religious devotion. However, today eating disorders do occur in …
As we have written elsewhere, we believe Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is a complete treatment for teens with eating disorders. Most teens will not need (or want) additional therapy. The one area where we think teens could use a little more support is in developing a strong anti-diet stance to stand up to weight stigma …
When I am working as the Family-Based Treatment (FBT) therapist for a teen in eating disorder recovery, their parents will often ask whether the teen should also see a therapist individually. Unlike other therapy situations, in FBT there is no expectation that there is both an individual therapist and a family therapist. It’s there in …
Externalizing an eating disorder is a therapeutic strategy that became more widely known through Jenni Schaefer’s book Life Without Ed, cowritten with her therapist Thom Rutledge. The book summarizes Jenni’s recovery from an eating disorder. Jenni describes how in her treatment she learned to personify the eating disorder as “Ed,” an abusive boyfriend. As explained in …
Parents doing Family-Based Treatment (FBT) often struggle with “normal parenting concerns” and setting limits while doing FBT. They’re refeeding their teens at home, doing the hard work often done by professional staff at treatment centers, but they still have to parent. It’s exhausting. Their teens who have eating disorders are often experiencing the psychological and …
We are excited to announce our low-cost eating disorder therapy program. Via our designation as a practicum site, we are now able to train advanced graduate students in psychology in evidence-based treatment for eating disorders. This allows us to further our mission of helping to disseminate evidence-based treatments and to bring them to people in …
![Supporting a Loved One with ARFID [woman looking disgusted at bowl of cereal]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/rsz_1tamas-pap-xo5qtnr0a50-unsplash-1024x900.jpg)
by Carolyn Comas, LCSW, CEDS-S There’s an eating disorder that often gets overlooked amongst the better-known eating disorders like Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder that can involve difficulty tolerating certain foods due to textures, tastes, or smells. It can also manifest as …
![Easing Grief Through Connection (Coping Strategy for the Holidays) [Image description: jar of dimes]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/dimes-smaller-1018x1024.jpg)
By Carolyn Comas, LCSW Grief can be complicated and a painful process. This holiday season many of us are experiencing the loss of the past year we were supposed to have. For those who have lost someone special this can compound the difficulty of this year’s holiday season. 2020 has not been easy for many …
![Recovery Weight [Image description: doctor scale] How we set recovery weights in eating disorder treatment](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/samuel-ramos-mz9koyBQd4Q-unsplash-1024x683.jpg)
If you have an eating disorder, or your child has one, there is a good chance that weight gain will be an essential part of the recovery process. This is true not just for people in objectively small bodies, but also for people in larger bodies who are diagnosed with Atypical Anorexia, a weight-biased diagnostic …
![Structuring Your Eating Disorder Recovery Environment [Image description: hand visible writing in planner]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/stil-flRm0z3MEoA-unsplash-768x1024.jpg)
Recovery is challenging! I am repeatedly moved and impressed by the courage of my patients as they work through recovery from an eating disorder. One strategy that can help support recovery is a careful structuring of one’s recovery environment. This applies to adults working individually in treatment as well as to families helping adolescents to recover. Most evidence-based …