Eating Disorder Therapy
Eating Disorder Therapy in Los Angeles
Specialized, compassionate care for eating disorders and disordered eating. In person in West Los Angeles and virtually across California.
Eating disorders are serious, complex mental health conditions, not lifestyle choices, phases, or failures of willpower. They affect people of every age, gender, body size, and background. At Sol Shine Wellness Group, we provide evidence-based, weight-inclusive therapy that addresses the full picture: the thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and relationships that keep eating disorders in place.
Conditions We Treat
Eating Disorders & Disordered Eating
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia involves persistent restriction of food intake, an intense fear of weight gain, and a distorted relationship with body image. It can look like rigid food rules, compulsive exercise, or an overwhelming preoccupation with eating and weight, even when the body is struggling. Treatment focuses on restoring a sustainable relationship with food and the body, addressing the underlying anxiety and perfectionism that often drive restriction, and rebuilding a life that isn't organized around food.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia involves cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging, fasting, or excessive exercise. Many people with bulimia feel deep shame about these cycles and work hard to hide them. Therapy helps interrupt the restrict-binge-purge cycle, reduce the shame that sustains it, and build a more flexible and compassionate relationship with food and the body.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder. It involves recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short period, often accompanied by a sense of loss of control and significant distress afterward. Unlike bulimia, there are no regular compensatory behaviors. Treatment addresses the emotional triggers behind binge episodes, the role of restriction in the cycle, and the shame and self-criticism that often follow.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
ARFID is characterized by highly selective or restricted eating that is not driven by body image concerns. It may involve fear of choking or vomiting, extreme sensitivity to food textures or smells, or a general lack of interest in eating. ARFID can significantly limit daily life and social participation. We work with children, teens, and adults to gradually expand food flexibility and reduce the anxiety that keeps eating patterns narrow.
Disordered Eating & Body Image
Not every difficult relationship with food meets the threshold for a clinical diagnosis, but that doesn't mean it isn't causing real suffering. Chronic dieting, food guilt, preoccupation with "clean" eating, compulsive calorie tracking, and persistent body dissatisfaction all take a toll. We work with clients who want to stop fighting their bodies and find a way of eating that feels sustainable, flexible, and free.
Who We Work With
Specialized Support For Every Situation
Teens & Adolescents
Eating disorders often emerge during adolescence, a period of significant physical, emotional, and social change. We offer individual therapy for teens and work closely with families to provide coordinated support. Early intervention matters; the sooner a teen receives appropriate care, the better the long-term outcomes.
Family Support & Family-Based Treatment
Families are often the most important resource in eating disorder recovery, especially for younger clients. We offer family therapy and parent coaching to help families understand eating disorders, reduce conflict around meals, and support their loved one's recovery without inadvertently reinforcing eating disorder behaviors. For adolescents, we draw on Family-Based Treatment (FBT) principles.
Eating Disorders & OCD
Eating disorders and OCD frequently co-occur. Rigid food rules, contamination fears, rituals around eating, and intrusive thoughts about food or the body can reflect both conditions at once. Our therapists are trained in both eating disorder treatment and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD, allowing us to address both without inadvertently reinforcing either.
Eating Disorders & Trauma
Many people with eating disorders have a history of trauma, including childhood abuse, sexual assault, medical trauma, or chronic invalidation. The eating disorder often develops as a way of coping with overwhelming feelings or reclaiming a sense of control. We integrate trauma-informed care and EMDR into eating disorder treatment for clients where trauma is part of the picture.
How We Work
Our Treatment Approach
We draw on evidence-based approaches that are adapted to each client's needs, history, and goals. Treatment is weight-inclusive and non-diet — we do not pursue weight loss as a treatment goal.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E)
Enhanced CBT for eating disorders targets the thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors that maintain the eating disorder across diagnoses.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT helps clients build psychological flexibility — learning to hold difficult thoughts and feelings without letting them dictate behavior.
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)
For clients with eating disorder and OCD overlap, ERP directly addresses the avoidance and rituals that keep anxiety in place.
EMDR
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing is used when trauma underlies or intersects with the eating disorder.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT)
For adolescents, FBT empowers parents to take an active role in nutritional rehabilitation and recovery.
Intuitive Eating Principles
We support clients in rebuilding trust with hunger, fullness, and satisfaction cues, moving away from external food rules.
Levels of Care
Higher Level of Care & Step-Down Support
Some clients need a level of care beyond weekly outpatient therapy, including Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), Partial Hospitalization Programs (PHP), or residential treatment. We help clients and families understand when a higher level of care is appropriate, provide referrals to trusted programs, and offer step-down support when clients transition back to outpatient care after completing a program. Continuity matters in eating disorder recovery, and we work to make transitions as smooth as possible.
Coverage
Insurance & Fees
We are in-network with Anthem Blue Cross, United Healthcare, Optum, and Aetna. Many clients are able to use their insurance benefits for eating disorder therapy. We are happy to help you understand your coverage before your first appointment. For clients whose insurance we do not accept, we offer a limited number of sliding-scale spots and can provide superbills for out-of-network reimbursement.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a formal diagnosis to start therapy?
No. You do not need a diagnosis to begin. Many clients come in describing a difficult relationship with food, chronic dieting, or body image concerns that don't fit neatly into a diagnostic category. We will work with you wherever you are.
Do you work with clients of all body sizes?
Yes. Our approach is weight-inclusive. We do not pursue weight loss as a treatment goal, and we work with clients across the full spectrum of body sizes. Eating disorders affect people in all bodies.
Can I see a therapist virtually if I'm not in Los Angeles?
Yes. We offer telehealth therapy to clients anywhere in California. Many clients find virtual sessions just as effective as in-person, and the flexibility makes it easier to maintain consistency in treatment.
Do you work with teens?
Yes. We work with adolescents and their families. For younger clients, we often involve parents in treatment and may draw on Family-Based Treatment principles.
What if I also have OCD or trauma?
Our therapists are trained in both eating disorder treatment and OCD/trauma therapies. We can address co-occurring conditions within the same treatment rather than asking you to see multiple providers for different parts of the same struggle.
How do I know if I need a higher level of care?
We will assess this together. If your medical stability, weight, or the severity of eating disorder behaviors suggests that weekly outpatient therapy isn't sufficient, we will talk openly about that and help you find the right level of care. We also provide step-down support after residential or PHP/IOP programs.
How do I get started?
You can request a free consultation through our contact page. A consultation is a low-pressure conversation; a chance to share what's been difficult and ask questions before committing to anything.
You don't have to keep managing this alone.
We are accepting new clients for eating disorder therapy in West Los Angeles and via telehealth across California. Reach out to request a free consultation.
