Eating Disorders

• Are you terrified of being overweight?
• Do you skip meals to manage your weight?
• Does it seem that food or weight concerns control your life?
• Do you avoid doing things you enjoy because of how you feel about your weight?
• Do the numbers on the scale affect whether or not you will eat that day?
• Have you used laxatives or diuretics to control your weight?
• Have you felt ashamed for eating until you are uncomfortable full?
• Do you eat for reasons you can’t name?
• Have you lost and regained the same pounds over and over again?
• Have you made yourself throw-up after eating?
• Have you thought you’d rather die than gain more weight?

If you answer yes to 2 or more of these questions, it is possible that disordered eating is significantly affecting the quality of your life and your health.

We can help.  Please call.

Perhaps the least understood of all behavioral health problems center around our relationship with food, body image and perception. Our relationship with food is developed as a complex mix of our own physiology, life history and conflicting messages about “good” and “bad” foods, how much we should weigh and how we should look.

• Are you terrified of gaining weight?
• Does the scale determine how you feel about yourself as a person?
• Do thoughts and feelings about your weight control your life?
• Have you gained and lost the same pounds over and over again?

Millions of people – of every culture, gender and age – fight with themselves over food and weight every day. The Eating Disorder Specialists at BeWell Counseling and Wellness understand the love-hate relationship people have with food.

We know that an eating disorder can feel like a lifeline in times of turmoil and the thought of letting it go is terrifying.

The BeWell Counseling and Wellness team has extensive training and experience to help you untangle the thoughts, feelings and behaviors that keep you stuck and can provide guidance and support to reclaim the life you value.

Because eating disorders can cause long-term health problems, we believe in collaborating with our Registered Dietitian and your medical provider to ensure a comprehensive route to recovery. The therapists at BeWell Counseling and Wellness have specialized training in the field of eating disorders:

Lucy Lauer has experience with Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, Nocturnal Eating Disorder and a range of dysfunctional eating patterns that cause distress but may not have a diagnostic label.

She has presented workshops at the local, state, and national level on many aspects of disordered eating for psychologists and counselors, physicians, dietitians, parents and teachers. She established and facilitated the Space Coast Eating Disorders Professional Consortium from 2009 to 2011 and supervises Florida Tech Psychology students in a special practicum focused on Eating Disorder Treatment.

She participates regularly in continuing education programs and has had over 60 hours of specialty training in Eating Disorders treatment in the past three years. Specific topics have included ACT and other evidence-based interventions, medical complications, trauma impact, co-occurring disorders (substance abuse, self-injury, etc.), assessment for appropriate level of care, body image, and other expressive therapies, and using a team approach to treatment. She has also been invited to site visits at residential treatment centers in South Florida and Colorado.

Sarah B. Starr, RD, is a licensed Registered Dietitian. She loves sharing her passion for functional nutrition to help clients achieve optimal health through a real food diet and lifestyle approach Sarah has broad experience working with children, teens and adults for weight management, disordered eating and other needs.

Downloadable EAT 26 Assessment tool found here: http://www.eat-26.com/Docs/EAT-26Test-3-20-10.pdf

• Individual and family-based psychotherapy for adolescents (13+ years old) and adults, who struggle with anorexia, binge eating, bulimia, and body-image distortion;
• Group psychotherapy for adults with Anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eating disorder: This 8-week group employs the principles of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) to foster positive changes in participants’ relationship with food and their bodies.
• Individual screening and assessment for those concerned that they or a loved one may have an eating disorder. This service helps determine the extent and severity of symptoms to identify the appropriate level of care needed.
• “Surviving a Loved One’s Eating Disorder”: an evening seminar for family, friends and healthcare providers to learn how to recognize disordered eating and be part of the essential safety net for these individuals while maintaining your own health and sanity.
• Consultation for other clinicians on eating disorder treatment.
• Continuing Education workshops for Counselors, Psychologists, Nurse Practitioners, Social Workers, educators, and other professional caregivers who encounter eating disorders in their work.
• Nutrition Counseling, provided by Sarah B Starr, RDN, is an integral part of the coordinated, collaborative approach to eating disorders treatment. Sarah works with individuals and families to support nutritional healing of those with eating disorders and other chronic health conditions.

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric conditions.

Please call us immediately to arrange for a consultation if you or a loved one is struggling with this deadly illness.