Eating Disorder Treatment for Teens and Adults in Los Altos, CA

Struggling with food and your body can feel incredibly isolating. Maybe you are constantly thinking about what you ate, what you will eat next, or how to “make up for” it. Maybe you go back and forth between rigid rules and feeling out of control. You might feel like your worth is tied to a number on a scale, how your clothes fit, or how disciplined you were that day.

And it can feel exhausting, shameful, and hard to talk about.

You are not alone. Eating disorders and disordered eating are complex, and they are often a way your mind and body have learned to cope with pain, stress, or feeling not enough.

Therapy can help you understand what is driving these patterns and support you in building a safer, kinder relationship with food and your body.

Understanding Eating Disorders

Eating disorders and disordered eating do not all look the same. You do not have to fit a specific label to deserve support.

Here are some things you may notice (about yourself or your teen):

Strict rules about what, when, or how much you are allowed to eat
Skipping meals, restricting, or cutting out entire food groups
Periods of feeling out of control with food, followed by shame or attempts to “fix” it
Constant body checking, weighing yourself, or comparing your body to others
Exercise that feels like punishment instead of care
Feeling anxious or guilty around social situations that involve food
Constant tracking (calories, steps, miles, etc) and feeling like you 'failed' the day if you didn't meet or surpass your goal

For teens, this might show up as:

Big changes in eating patterns or weight
Pulling away from friends, meals, or activities
Strong reactions to comments about food, weight, or appearance

For adults, it might be more hidden:

Managing stress or emotions through food rules or bingeing
Constant pressure to look a certain way for work, relationships, or social media
Feeling like you “should be over this by now,” but it is still there in the background

Wherever you are on this spectrum, your experience is valid and worthy of support and help. There's no such thing as 'too sick' or 'not sick enough'.

My Approach to Treating Eating Disorders

My approach to treating eating disorders is similar to treating other mental health conditions, with some importance differences. You do not have to be ready to change everything all at once. We will start where you are.

In our work together, we will:

Create a space where you can talk honestly about food, your body, and your feelings
Look at how your eating patterns developed and what they are trying to protect you from
Explore the beliefs you carry about worth, control, and appearance
Build skills to manage emotions and stress without relying only on food rules or disordered behaviors
Move toward more flexibility, self compassion, and safety in your relationship with your body

In order for us to be able to work together on your eating disorder, you do need to be medically stable, with the ability and willingness to eat regularly and maintain medical stability. I often collaborate with other providers, such as dietitians or physicians, when that is helpful and appropriate, so you have a team supporting you.

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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Eating Disorders

Together, we might:

Identify common eating disorder thoughts like “I am only okay if I am thin,” “I have no control,” or “I ruined everything by eating that”
Gently question where these beliefs came from and whether they are actually true or helpful
Practice more flexible and compassionate ways of thinking about food, your body, and your worth
Notice the patterns between certain situations, thoughts, and behaviors, and experiment with new responses
Create small, realistic steps that move you toward more freedom with food and less obsession

CBT gives us a shared language and clear tools, while still leaving plenty of room for emotion, history, and nuance.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy can be a very helpful part of treatment for eating disorders and disordered eating. CBT helps us look closely at the thoughts, assumptions, and rules that are driving your behaviors.

Family and Relational Support

For teens and some young adults, it can be very important to involve family or significant others in some part of the process. While I don't provide formal Family Based Treatment (FBT), we can bring in caregivers in a way that fits your situation.

This can look like:

Helping parents understand what eating disorders are and are not
Offering guidance on how to respond to mealtimes, school, sports, or medical concerns
Supporting families in shifting away from criticism, pressure, or diet talk
Building a team around the teen so they do not feel like they are battling this alone

For adults, relational support might mean:

Talking about how your relationship with food and your body shows up in dating, marriages, friendships, or work
Exploring boundaries around comments about appearance, diets, or weight
Practicing more honest communication about what you need and how others can support you

You get to decide who, if anyone, you want involved and how much. Please note that for younger adolescents and most teens, I do require some level of parent participation in the therapy.

Body Image, Mindfulness, and Self-Compassion

Because eating disorders live so much in both the body and the mind, we will also work gently with mindfulness and body image.

This does not mean forcing yourself to love your body right away. Instead, we focus on:

Building moments of neutral or soft attention toward your body, instead of constant criticism
Noticing how certain situations, thoughts, or images affect how you feel about yourself
Practicing tools to ground yourself when body image distress spikes
Making small (or big) shifts in how you talk to and about your body
Exploring values that are bigger than appearance, such as connection, creativity, rest, or meaning

The goal is less obsession, so your life is not entirely centered around food and your body.

Holistic Wellness Support

Recovery is not just about changing behaviors. It is about helping your whole system feel safer and more supported.

We may also:

Look at stress, anxiety, perfectionism, and people pleasing
Explore sleep, movement, and rest in gentle, non rigid ways
Talk about identity, culture, and social pressures around beauty and health
Connect you with other resources when needed, such as medical care or nutrition support

Getting Started

Reaching out for help with eating disorder concerns can feel especially vulnerable. You might worry that you are “not sick enough” or that if you talk about it, things will feel more real.

It is completely okay to start with a simple conversation.

In our first sessions, we will:

Talk about what your relationship with food and your body looks like right now
Explore what you hope might feel different, even if you are not sure yet
Go over what working together could look like and make sure it feels like a good fit
Decide on a pace and focus that feels safe and respectful

If you are curious about next steps, you can book a free consultation. We will take some time to get to know each other, answer your questions, and see if this feels like the right space for you or your teen.

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