We will work with you to understand the beliefs you hold about yourself, so you can understand your relationship to food and your body.
Eating Disorder Treatment and Counseling for Teens and Adults in Milwaukee
You’re tired of hating your body and obsessing about food. You feel out of control, exhausted, out of touch and isolated. Thoughts of food and weight consume you and you find it difficult to focus on much else. You keep thinking that when you just reach your goal weight, you will be happy.
If you can relate to any of these statements and want help overcoming your struggles with food and weight, therapy can be a safe place to begin.
Lisa Hillary, LCSW, clinical director and owner of Hillary Counseling, has over 20 years of experience as an Eating Disorder Specialist. Lisa and her team of eating disorder experts will work with you to identify the beliefs you hold about yourself, so you can develop a deeper understanding of your relationship to food and your body.
We treat a range of eating disorder/body image struggles, including:
- Anorexia
- Bulimia
- Binge Eating Disorder
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)
- Compulsive Overeating
- Orthorexia
- Emotional Eating
- Poor Body Image
With your eating disorder therapist, you will work to uncover any unconsciously held beliefs that you have inside. These beliefs may have led to using control around eating as a way to try and stay safe on an emotional level. When appropriate we will recommend working with a nutritionist and incorporate tools to help you reduce your behaviors and heal your relationship with food.
Treatment Approaches for Eating Disorders
We help clients develop a deeper understanding of themselves and their behavior. We integrate a combination of evidenced-based practices, including:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Family-based therapy (FBT)
- Interpersonal Therapy
- Trauma Therapy
In addition to these treatments, we offer the following specialized treatment options for eating disorders. These sessions help you practice real life situations in a supportive environment. For those of you struggling during meals, whether it relates to challenging yourself on food variety and portion size or wanting to practice becoming more comfortable in public or social atmospheres, these sessions push the limits of your eating disorder and help you move forward in recovery.
Meal Session Outing
A 50-Minute therapy session, we go out for a meal together. During this session our goals include: addressing the social aspects of restaurant dining, challenging your meal selection, learning adequate portion size, challenging eating disorder behaviors/ thoughts, acknowledging hunger/satiety, and processing the experience.
Snack Session
A 50-Minute therapy session which can be done in or out of the office. You choose to either bring a snack in to eat or choose a local restaurant/café for a snack outing. Goals include: challenging food selection, eating disorder behaviors/thoughts, addressing hunger/satiety, and processing the experience.
What’s the real cause of eating disorders?
Eating disorders are influenced by a combination of biological, psychological, sociocultural, and environmental factors:
- Biological Factors: Genetic predispositions, neurobiology, and hormonal imbalances can increase the likelihood of disordered eating.
- Psychological Factors: Low self-esteem, negative body image, perfectionism, and difficulty managing emotions can contribute to disordered eating. Conditions like depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD often co-occur, and individuals may turn to eating behaviors to cope with negative emotions.
- Sociocultural Factors: Society’s focus on dieting, body image, and weight loss fuels unrealistic ideals, leading to body dissatisfaction. The culture of “fat shaming” and the “War on Obesity” often push individuals toward harmful eating patterns.
- Environmental Stressors: Traumatic events like bullying, discrimination, natural disasters, accidents, loss of loved ones, illness, and abuse, can contribute to disordered eating. For some, dieting may serve as a coping mechanism, offering a sense of control over their body during times of emotional distress.
What’s the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating?
When it comes to mental health, eating behaviors exist on a spectrum. While an eating disorder can significantly disrupt daily life, disordered eating may be more subtle — impacting habits and thoughts around food without necessarily interfering with social or daily activities.
Key differences between disordered eating and eating disorders include:
Diagnosis: Eating disorders meet the formal diagnostic criteria outlined in the DSM-5 TR, while disordered eating shares similar patterns but does not meet the required frequency, duration, or severity for a clinical diagnosis.
Severity & Persistence: Both involve body image concerns, dieting, and compensatory behaviors, but eating disorders present with more frequent, severe, and long-lasting symptoms.
Impact on Daily Life: While both can cause distress, eating disorders often lead to serious medical complications, occupational struggles, relationship difficulties, and co-occurring mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
How does eating disorder treatment work?
Eating Disorder Treatment typically consists of 50-minute one-on-one sessions designed to help you address your concerns and work through challenges. Our counselors combine active listening with insights from research to help you understand what’s happening and explore the thoughts, feelings, family history, and environmental factors contributing to your anxiety.
Here’s what you can expect:
- A Safe, Supportive Space: From the start, we create a welcoming, non-judgmental environment where you’ll feel comfortable sharing your struggles.
- Understanding Your Story: By hearing about your life history and experiences, we begin to gain a clear understanding of your unique challenges.
- Tackling Immediate Concerns: We’ll start by helping you manage difficult emotions and navigate challenging situations you may be facing right now.
- Identifying Your Goals: Together, we’ll explore what you want to achieve in therapy and in life, helping you set meaningful goals.
- Building a Roadmap for Progress: With your personal goals in mind, we’ll develop a plan to help you reach them, using proven therapeutic techniques.
- Ongoing Improvement: Over time, you’ll begin to notice positive changes in how you think, feel, and behave.
Research shows that eating disorder counseling can lead to lasting changes in your thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and behaviors, helping you overcome what’s holding you back from living a more fulfilling life.
How long does eating disorder treatment usually last?
We don’t have a requirement for a specific number of therapy sessions that you have to attend. The length of therapy varies based on individual needs, goals, and the issues being addressed.
We recommend that you plan to engage in weekly therapy sessions for about 12 to 16 weeks. This consistent approach helps build a strong foundation for exploring your history, understanding the origins of your eating disorder, gaining insight into yourself, and developing a personalized plan with effective coping strategies.
After that initial period, depending on your progress and the severity of your symptoms, the frequency of sessions may be adjusted.
Some clients may reduce to bi-weekly sessions, while others may continue with weekly sessions if needed. Your therapist will work with you to tailor the treatment plan based on your needs and goals.
What are the warning signs that someone is developing an eating disorder?
Emotional and Behavioral Signs:
- Obsession with weight loss, food, calories, and dieting
- Avoids certain foods or eliminates entire food groups (e.g., carbs, fats)
- Makes excuses to skip meals or social gatherings involving food
- Develops food rituals (e.g., excessive chewing, food rearranging)
- Withdraws from social activities and becomes secretive
- Excessive concern with body shape and size, often checking for flaws
- Extreme mood swings
Physical Signs:
- Noticeable weight fluctuations
- Stomach issues (e.g., cramps, constipation, acid reflux)
- Menstrual irregularities (e.g., missed periods or hormonal supplements to induce periods)
- Difficulty concentrating
- Abnormal lab results (e.g., low thyroid, potassium, red/white blood cell counts)
- Dizziness or fainting, especially when standing
- Constant coldness, poor circulation, and swelling
- Sleep disturbances
- Skin, hair, and nail issues (e.g., dry skin, brittle nails, lanugo hair)
- Muscle weakness and yellowing of skin (if eating excess carrots)
- Dental issues, cuts, or calluses on fingers from vomiting
- Poor immune function and slow wound healing
What’s the link between body image and eating disorders?
Body dissatisfaction is a significant factor in the development, maintenance, and relapse of eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Although it is not a diagnostic criterion for binge eating disorder (BED), studies show that body dissatisfaction is higher among those with BED.
In contrast, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) does not include negative body image concerns in its criteria, and not all individuals with eating disorders, especially those in larger bodies, may express a desire to lose weight. However, body dissatisfaction can increase the risk of disordered eating behaviors like restrictive dieting, excessive exercise, and the use of diet pills or steroids.
