Therapy
What brings people to therapy.
By the time many people reach out, their relationship with food, eating, and their body has begun to feel like it’s taking over in ways they never intended. What may have once felt manageable can gradually become more rigid, more consuming, and harder to step outside of. In some cases, it may begin to feel like the most dominant force in daily life—even taking precedence over the people and parts of life that matter most.
Over time, patterns often develop that are difficult to interrupt—cycles of restriction, loss of control, self-criticism, and diminished self-worth, followed by renewed attempts to regain control through further restriction. These patterns are not random. They often reflect understandable, albeit ultimately unhelpful, responses to both internal experiences and external pressures, even when they are no longer serving you.
This didn’t start with you.
We live in a culture that places relentless and often conflicting judgments on bodies, weight, appearance, and what we should or shouldn’t eat. It’s easy to become caught in a story that you never consciously chose.
Change often begins when we start to recognize that pattern—and when we begin to feel the cost of it: the exhaustion, the hunger, the strain of trying to keep up with something that isn’t sustainable, and, at times, the very real medical consequences that can emerge, sometimes quietly, over time. From there, it becomes possible to begin loosening that story and reconnecting with a more grounded sense of yourself.
Let's work with what’s true.
There is incredible power in turning toward truth—especially when it feels difficult or uncertain. Avoidance often brings short-term relief, but tends to keep patterns in place over time. Much of the suffering lives there—not in what’s actually happening, but in the exhausting work of trying not to see it.
In therapy, we gently but consistently orient toward what’s real, at a pace that feels manageable. As we begin to notice patterns more clearly—including the pain, or the pull to move away from discomfort—we work with those moments directly, with care and attention.
When something feels painful or uncertain, we don’t have to rush past it—but we also don’t have to face it alone. I will be there with you, and staying connected to what’s true will never lead us astray.
Treatment looks different for each person.
My work is grounded in evidence-based treatments and I draw from them flexibly—adapting them to fit the person in front of me. That means taking time to understand your life, your story, your culture, your experience, and allowing that understanding to guide the work. Effective treatment isn’t just about applying the right model—it’s about how that model is used.
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CBT is one of the most well-established and widely recommended treatments for eating disorders and is considered a first-line approach. It focuses on identifying the patterns of thinking and behavior that keep the eating disorder in place, and gradually helping you shift those patterns in a more supportive direction.
CBT is an area of particular depth in my training and experience, and forms an important foundation of my work. At the same time, I don’t apply it rigidly. The model is most effective when it’s adapted thoughtfully—so that it fits you, your life, and what’s unfolding in the process.
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ACT focuses on changing your relationship to thoughts, emotions, and internal experiences—rather than trying to eliminate or control them. Instead of getting pulled into the stories the mind generates, we begin to notice them for what they are: thoughts, not facts.
Much of this work involves learning how to step back from those patterns—to create more space between you and the eating disorder voice—so that it has less power to dictate your actions. From there, we can begin to make choices guided less by fear or urgency, and more by what matters to you. This often creates a shift—from feeling caught inside the eating disorder to being able to observe it and respond with more choice.
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It can be helpful to understand the eating disorder not as the whole of who you are, but as just one part of your experience—one that developed for a reason, and was likely trying to protect you in some way, even if it no longer feels helpful.
At the same time, there is often a deeper, more steady aspect of you that remains intact. It isn’t caught up in the same urgency, self-criticism, or fear. Even in the midst of distress, that steadiness is still there—sometimes just beneath the surface.
You may feel like you’ve lost access to this steadier part of yourself. Part of our work is helping you reconnect with it. It doesn’t yell, judge, or react from fear—it has been quietly there all along.
As we begin to notice and relate differently to these different aspects of your experience, the eating disorder tends to have less influence, and you can begin to move with a greater sense of stability and choice.
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I take a weight-neutral approach to treatment. This means that the focus of our work is not on weight loss, but on your overall well-being—how you’re functioning, how you’re feeling, and how your body is responding over time.
Bodies naturally come in a range of shapes and sizes, and much of the suffering we experience is rooted in the pressure to override or control that variability. Rather than relying on weight or appearance as the primary indicators of health, we pay closer attention to patterns of behavior, physical stability, and your lived experience—in other words, what your body is actually telling you.
This approach helps shift the focus away from judgment and toward a more accurate and sustainable understanding of health. It does not mean ignoring health—it means approaching it more thoughtfully and comprehensively.
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At its core, intuitive eating is about learning to trust your body again—learning to recognize and respond to signals like hunger, fullness, and satisfaction in a way that feels steady and sustainable over time.
For many people, these signals have been disrupted through cycles of restriction, overeating, purging, or attempts to follow external rules about what or how to eat—but they haven’t been erased. Part of our work is helping you re-establish that connection—learning to let go of eating disorder rules and listen again, and to respond in ways that support your body rather than override it.
This approach has been central to my work for many years, including my early research on appetite awareness and the treatment of binge eating. While the process can take time, many clients experience a meaningful shift as their body begins to receive what it needs—often accompanied by a natural reduction in patterns that once felt so difficult to control.
It sounds simple, and in some ways it is. Much of this work is less about learning something new, and more about remembering how to listen.
Recovery isn’t about fighting yourself—it’s about learning how to listen differently.
How It Works
All therapy is conducted virtually via secure video. I work with adult clients located in Oregon and Washington.
Step 1: Consultation
I offer a free 15–20 minute consultation so we can get a sense of what you're looking for and whether my approach feels like a good fit. There’s no pressure to move forward—just an opportunity to ask questions and see if this feels right for you.
If it seems like another provider or clinic might be a better fit, I’m always happy to help point you in that direction.
Step 2: Intake Evaluation
If it feels like we’re a good fit, we’ll schedule a 90-minute intake session. This gives us time for me to understand the broader picture, conduct a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, and begin shaping a treatment plan tailored to you.
For many clients, this may also include coordinating care with other providers—such as an eating disorder-informed dietitian and a medical provider—to support your work in a more comprehensive way.
Step 3: Ongoing Treatment
We meet weekly or every other week for 50-minute sessions, depending on your needs. How long treatment lasts varies—some people begin to notice meaningful changes within weeks, while others benefit from longer-term work. Recovery is an honorable journey, and we’ll work together to find a pace and duration that feel right for you.
