Eating Disorders

Food is one of the earliest ways we humans experience nurturance and interaction with a caring adult. food takes on many meanings about relationships, needs, control, and the value of self. The development of an eating disorder signals a problem in one or several of these areas; it arises as an attempt to solve this problem, by drawing attention to the problem, by pulling the family together to address symptoms of the eating disorder; or expressing/repressing feelings related to current problem.

At The Couch Therapy, we are a therapy practice that offers health at every size (HAES) therapy for eating disorders or disordered eating. We believe in a gentle approach to helping those struggling with disordered eating. When working with a HAES aligned therapist, you can expect to sit in a safe space to process the timeline of your relationship with food, process significant moments in life that influenced your beliefs, and remind you to release the petri dish of shame you’ve been holding.

Many of us feel disconnected from our bodies and frustrated with our relationship to food. You may be trapped in a cycle of restrictive and binge eating that leaves you feeling out of control and mistrusting of your body's intuition. I use a Health at Every Size (HAES) approach to create a safe space to help people of all sizes heal from disordered eating and negative body image.

Over the past year I've worked with multiple clients struggling with anorexia. Together we've been able to find a balance between addressing symptoms such as calorie restriction, body-checking, and strict rules around food consumption, as well as understanding the purpose these behaviors serve in terms of control, distraction, and self-soothing.

We treat issues relating to ARFID, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and night eating syndrome. Dr. Sala is trained in Family Based Treatment for children/adolescents with eating disorders. We also treat eating disorders using Dr. Fairburn's Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Treatment.

I provide therapy for adolescents and young adults across the full spectrum of disordered eating, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and picky eating. My expertise is in individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), family-based treatment (FBT), and parent coaching. My therapeutic style is informed by dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and includes skill building for emotion regulation and distress tolerance.

I have worked extensively with those struggling with eating disorders for over three years now as a Recovery Coach and Program Therapist. I have a working knowledge of the cultural, societal, and familial issues that go into the treatment of an eating disorder and how this impacts the individual client.

I will help you heal your relationship with food & body size and help you explore the underlying messages that contributed to & maintain the eating disorder.

My philosophy is that all foods fit. Societal pressures oftentimes reinforce the beliefs that for an individual to struggle with an eating disorder it must be physically apparent and symptoms must be "extreme." Whether it is restriction, bingeing, bingeing & purging, and/or heightened focus on eating specific foods, I believe that each person's recovery process is unique. My goal is to learn about your experience to tailor my therapeutic approach to meet your individual needs.

For the past seven years, I have worked with clients struggling with eating disorders at the partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient level. After working as a milieu therapist, primary therapist, and group therapy facilitator at an eating disorder treatment center, I began working as an outpatient therapist in private practice specifically focusing on members of the LGBTQ+ community who struggle with body image and eating disorder behaviors.

An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's physical or mental health. Common types include binge eating disorder, where a person eats a large amount in a short period of time; anorexia nervosa, where the person has an intense fear of gaining weight and restricts food or overexercises to manage this fear; bulimia nervosa, where individuals eat a large quantity (binging) then try to rid themselves of the food (purging).

Food is one of the earliest ways we humans experience nurturance and interaction with a caring adult. food takes on many meanings about relationships, needs, control, and the value of self. The development of an eating disorder signals a problem in one or several of these areas; it arises as an attempt to solve this problem, by drawing attention to the problem, by pulling the family together to address symptoms of the eating disorder; or expressing/repressing feelings related to current problem.

I have worked with clients in treatment for eating disorders in an inpatient hospital, IOP, PHP and Group Residential home settings, in addition to years in private practice. I currently work with clients who are actively working towards recovery or are who maintaining recovery and diving deeper into the meaning of their journey. My clients come to me with histories of anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, & ongoing body image concerns (always from a HAES lens).

I make use of my training in intuitive eating and eating disorders to work with clients with disordered eating patterns and body image issues. Destigmatizing and deshaming the experience surrounding eating disorders and making more space for their individual experience is something I aim to do in my work.

I have been working with eating disorders for almost 4 years. I utilize various modalities when treating eating disorders, such as Internal Family Systems, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I look through the lens of Health at Every Size and Intuitive Eating when treating eating disorders.

I have personal and professional experience in the treatment of eating disorder recovery. I have experience as a therapist and a Body Image Specialist in an eating disorder treatment program. You do not need to have a full-blown eating disorder to seek help. If you feel that you have an unhealthy relationship with food, you are deserving of treatment. Reach out for more information.

Disordered eating has a way of sneaking up on you, even years after you thought you'd conquered it. Maintaining recovery from an eating disorder is tough when life throws us challenges. You might be noticing restricting behaviors popping up when you're under a lot of stress. Maybe you still can't miss a day working out without extreme guilt and anxiety. Finding yourself bingeing again after a frustrating phone call with your mom? I get it. Together, we can take your recovery to the next level.

Struggles with food and body are much more complex than thoughts of vanity. Many of my clients discuss feeling pressure to conform, being overwhelmed with stress, negative self-talk, confusion about what health looks like, and feeling out of control around food. We will address your concerns at the root and help you discover self-acceptance and food freedom.

Eating disorders stem from a complex mix of genetic factors, societal pressures, and individual experiences. Once established, these disorders can lead to physiological and psychological complications that perpetuate harmful behaviors, making change difficult despite their severe consequences. They can significantly hinder health and overall quality of life. I use holistic, evidence-based embodiment and expressive interventions and practices to support recovery.