Love yourself first!
Anorexia, Bulimia & Binge Eating Disorder Treatment in Naples, Florida
In-person therapy in Naples and virtual counseling for Florida residents
Whether you are feeling stuck in restriction, bingeing, purging, food rules, or the exhausting thoughts underneath them, you deserve support that meets you where you are. I offer gentle yet honest therapy shaped around your needs, drawing on more than 20 years of clinical experience in the field. When needed, I work collaboratively with other providers to support collaborative care.
Emily McDonagh + LCSW + CEDS-C
I truly believe the best work happens when people feel safe and trust is established. When you work with me, I will meet you where you are from the beginning. Whether you are ready to start your recovery journey or continue work you have already begun.
An eating disorder is not just about the food. Restriction, bingeing, purging, body checking, rigid food rules, or negative thoughts can each take up a great deal of space. Together, we can begin to dip into the why, explore what the eating disorder may be holding for you, and address the “ick” underneath the behaviors and negative thinking patterns.
My room is a container for that work. You may choose to leave what comes up there, like a library, or check it out and continue your work at home. There can be anxiousness, resistance, uncertainty, and even willfulness at the beginning. My role is to help peel some of that back so healing can begin.
Looking Beyond the Eating Disorder Behaviors
Specialized Counseling for Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating Disorder
Anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder can look different from person to person, but each can affect far more than eating. Anxiety, depression, trauma, low self-esteem, and other mental health concerns can also exist alongside an eating disorder and make the journey feel even more complicated. I provide individualized support and also treat co-occurring disorders along with eating disorders.
Anorexia Nervosa
Binge Eating
Bulimia Nervosa
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that can involve restricting food intake, intense fear around weight gain, and distress about body shape or size. It may also show up through fasting, rigid food rules, or exercise that begins to feel difficult to stop. For some people, the eating disorder becomes so loud that it starts making decisions about school, work, relationships, and daily life. Others may look “fine” from the outside while feeling exhausted by the thoughts and behaviors underneath.
I offer anorexia treatment in Naples that is gentle, honest, and individualized. I work with you to understand the role the eating disorder is playing in your life while creating room for more flexibility, support, and self-worth outside of appearance. My work is grounded in an anti-diet, Health at Every Size (HAES), intuitive-eating, and body-neutral/body-positive approach.
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that can involve recurring episodes of binge eating along with behaviors intended to compensate for eating or influence weight and shape. The cycle can feel private, exhausting, and difficult to stop. You may find yourself caught between binge eating, attempts to undo or compensate for eating, body-image distress, and the shame or secrecy that can keep the pattern going.
In bulimia treatment, I create a nonjudgmental space to explore what is happening beneath the cycle. We can look at the eating-disorder behaviors, the negative thought patterns, the pressures you are carrying, and the emotional experiences that may be hard to name. I am not here to force you into a one-size-fits-all plan. I tailor treatment to your individual needs, insight, motivation, and willingness.
Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder that can involve recurrent episodes of eating a large amount of food while feeling unable to stop or control what or how much you are eating. It may be followed by distress, guilt, sadness, self-criticism, or a strong urge to hide what happened. Binge eating disorder is not a lack of willpower. It can be connected to a much larger relationship with food, your body, emotions, stress, and the ways you have learned to cope.
As a binge eating disorder therapist in Naples, I help clients look beyond the behavior itself. Together, we can explore the “ick” underneath, including the thoughts, emotions, stressors, and patterns that may be keeping the cycle in place. My approach is individualized and does not rely on diet culture or shame. I work from an anti-diet and body-neutral/body-positive foundation.
Support for Individuals, Families, and Care Teams
Eating disorder treatment can involve individual therapy, family therapy, parent support, and communication with a wider care team. I work with people of all ages and genders who are struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, body-image distress, and an unhealthy relationship with food or their body. Families and loved ones may need support, too. I am trained in The Maudsley Method for Family Based Therapy.
ARFID Treatment
If food avoidance is connected to sensory sensitivities, fear of choking or vomiting, low interest in eating, or a very limited range of accepted foods, I also provide therapy for ARFID. ARFID is more than “picky eating,” and it may require an individualized approach that includes family support, anxiety management, gradual exposure work, and coordination with other providers when appropriate.
Learn More About ARFID Treatment
Teen Eating Disorder Treatment
If you are seeking support for a teen or young adult who is struggling with food, body image, exercise, or eating-disorder behaviors, I also offer specific treatment for adolescents along with family-focused support.
Frequently Asked Questions About Eating Disorders
Q. What is an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are complex medical and psychiatric disorders that can impact all areas of life—mind, body, and soul. Eating disorders involve thoughts, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding food, weight, and body. They have both biological and environmental influences.
They do not discriminate based on age, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, body size and shape, or socioeconomic status. They can impact the whole person medically, psychiatrically, psychologically, and socially.
Q. What are some risk factors for an eating disorder?
Some risk factors include:
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Genetic predisposition or a close relative with a history of an eating disorder
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Perfectionism
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Cognitive inflexibility
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Exposure to diet culture, a history of dieting, or weight stigma
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Impulsivity
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Emotional-regulation issues
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Body-image struggles
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Mental-health history
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Substance use
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Trauma
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Bullying
Q. Is an eating disorder a choice?
An eating disorder is not a choice. Eating disorders are serious medical and psychiatric disorders with biological and environmental influences.
Q. Do eating disorders only impact girls and women?
About 1 in 3 people struggling with an eating disorder is male. Subclinical eating disorders are almost as common among men compared to women. Sadly, because of cultural bias, mental-health stigma, and gender bias, men are much less likely to seek support and treatment for an eating disorder.