Anorexia Treatment
Full recovery from anorexia is possible. You may or may not have had a diagnosis but if you’re struggling then the first step is to reach out.
Anorexia Nervosa is a serious mental health condition characterised by an intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted body image. It can affect anyone, regardless of gender or age. Those with anorexia typically engage in extreme efforts to restrict their food intake and may have an obsessive preoccupation with weight, calories, and food.
Some of these may sound like your experience:
Significantly restricting your food intake
Exercising excessively
Preoccupied with your body weight, shape, and size
Preoccupied with food and dieting
Socially withdrawn or isolating yourself
Having food rituals
Experiencing anxiety and depression
You are not alone. Recovery is possible.
Anorexia presents in a number of different ways. Counselling and Psychotherapy for anorexia needs to see the person, not just the symptoms, and tailor therapy to the individual’s needs.
Restricting type
Those with this form of anorexia will severely restrict their calorie intake and may engage in excessive exercise in order to maintain a low body weight
Bingeing/Purging type
This involves restriction of calories but episodes of binging, followed by compensatory behaviours to maintain a low weight (vomiting, taking laxatives, excessive exercise).
Atypical anorexia
Individuals with atypical anorexia usually present with all of the usual symptoms of anorexia nervosa but are not underweight.
Anorexia in males
Whilst not always the case, anorexia in males tends to emerge in men who are focused on physical fitness. Excessive exercise is very common in these cases and, coupled with restricting food intake, can result in becoming dangerously underweight.
Counselling/Psychotherapy form part of the interventions needed to recover, whilst other treatments (such as dietitian support) can play a pivotal role in recovery. Seeking help as early as possible plays a significant part in increasing the chances of successful recovery.
Eating disorder therapy typically involves three elements:
Counselling and psychotherapy
Nutritional education
Medical interventions
As an online eating disorder therapist, I provide personalised, integrative counselling and psychotherapy for anorexia, which may include drawing upon a range of therapy approaches including person-centred therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-E), and more.
As part of therapy, I will help to establish normal patterns of eating and address other issues that may also be present. This includes anxiety, depression, anger, low self-esteem, perfectionism, trauma, and interpersonal issues. Relapse prevention is also an important part of treatment so that you can move towards lasting changes and live a rich, meaningful life.
What does online therapy for anorexia with me involve?
I work with people with or without a diagnosis and don’t set any limits on weight/BMI (my style of therapy does not involve you being weighed).
Many of the people I work with have had previous therapy (including “evidence-based” approaches) and not found it helpful or long-lasting. Part of my unique approach is helping those who haven’t found traditional approaches useful and need something more tailored to their needs.
Recovery is about more than just getting rid of symptoms. It’s about helping you to thrive and live the full, meaningful life the eating disorder has been stealing from you.
There is hope.