Eating Disorder Therapy in Chicago, IL

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Eating Disorder Therapy

Helping you connect and heal your relationship with food and your body.

We understand the confusing messages about bodies and food, and our body image therapy helps you make sense of them.

At Centered Healing Therapy, we provide a supportive space to explore your body's story and the messages that have shaped your relationship with food and body image.

Every body is unique and each body’s story deserves to be honored. We help you to re-connect with your body and discover what your body needs to find healing.

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Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating

Food is nourishment. It is also cultural, enjoyable, and connecting. Food can also be scary, feel like an enemy, and is something to be controlled. Whether you have been told directly what you should or should not eat, or have observed body checking behavior in friends or family, you know what it is like to feel judged based on what you eat or how you look.

Food messages are tied to assumptions we make about how our bodies are “supposed to be” in the world. You may feel like a failure because you weren’t able to stick to the latest wellness trend. Maybe you feel out of control when you eat and feel “addicted” to certain foods. These are signs that you may have a disrupted relationship with food and your body.

We are here to help guide you through a gentler, more compassionate way of relating to yourself. There is no one "perfect" body or diet, and in body image therapy, we work with you to examine the messages you have internalized and move toward greater acceptance. If past experiences or anxiety have shaped how you see yourself and food, healing is possible, and you do not have to do it alone.

Eating Disorders We Treat

You do not need a diagnosis to deserve care, but knowing that your experience has a name can be its own form of relief. We work with a range of conditions and patterns, and wherever you are in your relationship with food and your body, you are welcome here.

  • Anorexia Nervosa: A condition characterized by severely restricted food intake, an intense fear of weight gain, and a distorted sense of body image that can take a serious toll on your physical and emotional health.

  • Bulimia Nervosa: A pattern of eating that cycles between episodes of binge eating and compensatory behaviors like purging, excessive exercise, or fasting, often driven by shame and a painful relationship with food.

  • Binge Eating Disorder: The most common eating disorder, marked by recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short period, often feeling out of control and followed by significant distress.

  • Orthorexia: An obsessive focus on eating "correctly" or "purely" that, despite appearing health-conscious, can erode your quality of life, social connection, and sense of safety around food.

  • ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder): A condition in which certain foods are avoided based on sensory qualities, fear of choking or vomiting, or a general lack of interest in eating, often causing significant nutritional and social challenges.

  • Disordered Eating: A broad range of irregular or harmful eating behaviors, including chronic dieting, emotional eating, and food rules, that may not meet diagnostic criteria but still cause real pain and deserve real support.

You deserve to heal

Contact Centered Healing Therapy Today

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We work with a range of eating disorders and disordered eating patterns, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and ARFID, as well as chronic dieting, emotional eating, and body image struggles that may not carry a formal diagnosis. You do not need a label to deserve support. If your relationship with food and your body is causing you pain, we are here to help.

  • Yes. Our work is grounded in Health at Every Size (HAES) principles and a non-diet approach, meaning we do not promote weight loss or assign moral value to food choices. Instead, we focus on helping you rebuild trust with your body, reconnect with your internal cues, and release the shame that diet culture often creates. Healing your relationship with food starts with compassion, not another set of rules.

  • Yes, we offer telehealth sessions for clients located in Illinois, so you can access support from wherever feels most comfortable and safe for you. Whether you prefer in-person or virtual sessions, our goal is to make the therapeutic space as accessible as possible. Reaching out is the first step, and we will work with you to find the right fit.

  • Eating disorder therapy goes beyond general conversation. It uses trauma-informed, evidence-based approaches like somatic-based therapy and EMDR to address the deeper emotional and physiological patterns that drive your relationship with food and your body. Many eating disorders are rooted in past experiences, anxiety, or trauma, and our work honors that connection between your history and your present. You are treated as a whole person, not just a set of symptoms.

  • Yes. Many people struggle with body dissatisfaction, negative self-talk, or anxiety around food without meeting the criteria for an eating disorder. Body image therapy can help you explore these challenges, develop self-compassion, and build a healthier relationship with your body.