Eating disorders are not just about food—they’re complex mental health conditions that often involve deep struggles with control, body image, and self-worth. Whether it’s restricting food, binge eating, purging, or obsessing over weight and appearance, these patterns can take a major toll on your physical and emotional well-being.
Eating disorders can affect anyone, regardless of gender, body type, or background. They are often linked to anxiety, trauma, low self-esteem, or perfectionism, and can be made worse by stress, social pressures, or major life transitions.
What are Common Types of Eating Disorders?
- Anorexia Nervosa: Restricting food and often over-exercising, leading to significant weight loss
- Bulimia Nervosa: Cycles of bingeing and purging (vomiting, excessive exercise, or laxatives)
- Binge Eating Disorder: Eating large amounts of food in a short time, often with shame or a feeling of loss of control
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): Extreme picky eating or food avoidance not related to body image
How Do We Treat Eating Disorders?
Our approach focuses on building a healthier, more compassionate relationship with food and your body. We use evidence-based therapy for eating disorders and disordered eating to help individuals better understand the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors connected to food, body image, and self-worth.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Eating Disorders
Using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), we help you recognize and change the patterns of thinking that fuel eating disorder behaviors. These patterns may include:
- rigid food rules
- harsh self-judgment
- fear of losing control around food
CBT for eating disorders helps individuals develop healthier thought patterns, improve emotional awareness, and build more balanced behaviors related to food and body image.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) for Disordered Eating
We also incorporate Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which helps you become less entangled with critical or obsessive thoughts and more focused on your deeper values—like connection, creativity, freedom, or health.
Instead of fighting with food or your body, ACT helps you learn how to care for yourself from a place of respect, balance, and self-compassion while continuing to move toward a meaningful life.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for Teens and Young People
For teens and young people struggling with eating disorders, Family-Based Treatment (FBT) can be especially effective. FBT involves the whole family in the recovery process, empowering parents to take an active role in helping their child regain healthy eating habits and rebuild their relationship with food.
In FBT, the focus is on supporting your loved one while gradually shifting control back to them as they improve. This approach helps families work together to create a safe, supportive environment that encourages healing.
Our therapists work closely with families using FBT alongside individual therapies like CBT and ACT to provide comprehensive care tailored to your adolescent’s needs.
Recovery From an Eating Disorder Is Possible
Eating disorder recovery takes time, but with support, healing is possible—and life beyond the eating disorder can be full, meaningful, and joyful.
At our Rye, NH therapy practice, we work with individuals across the Seacoast NH region — including Portsmouth, Exeter, Hampton, Dover, and surrounding communities — who are navigating challenges related to food and body image using specialized therapy for eating disorders and disordered eating.
FAQs About Eating Disorders
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