Long Island Counseling Services Offers Therapy for Anorexia and Other Eating Disorders – Offices in East Meadow and Melville, NY
Eating disorders often develop as a response to a negative body image and the desire for control over our appearance. Of the many eating disorders, anorexia nervosa is often the most dangerous. At Long Island Counseling Services, our eating disorder therapists on Long Island are here to help you treat anorexia and learn to have a better relationship with food and your body.
Working with adults and children of all ages, Long Island Counseling Services provides a safe, open space to talk about these body image and anorexia challenges, and use evidence based therapies and insight to help you or your loved one recover. Contact us at any time to learn more about our services, or to schedule your appointment.
What is Anorexia?
Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves extreme caloric restriction in order to lose weight. Typically, a person with anorexia will eat either very small meals or no meals at all. They may also exercise to lose calories even further, although over time their energy level for exercise may decrease as a response to their low body weight. People with anorexia tend to view “thin” as the ideal body shape.
Anorexia is also a body image condition. People with anorexia tend to view themselves as “larger” than they are. When looking in the mirror, a person with anorexia may not be able to see their low body weight. Because of their body image distortion, a person with anorexia often cannot feel satisfied with any specific weight, as they see themselves as overweight when viewing their bodies.
What Causes Anorexia?
Development of anorexia tends to occur gradually, and there is typically no one cause. Those with anorexia often develop an unhealthy obsession with body weight and food that can be caused by:
- Past trauma or bullying.
- Societal pressures.
- Genetic or hormonal issues.
- Parenting and development of a relationship with food.
- Perfectionism.
Sometimes, the cause of anorexia is not apparent. During therapy, we try to identify possible causes of body image and eating disorder related issues, but there are situations where its development may not easily be explained by any one specific problem.
Treatment for Anorexia on Long Island
Long Island Counseling Services has therapists for eating disorders, including anorexia, available for children, teens, and adults. Our counselors utilize many different approaches to treat anorexia, including:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Psychodynamic Theory
- Psychoanalytic Theory
- Behavior Modification Therapy, and More
At Long Island Counseling Services, our anorexia treatment is based on what we learn from our patients, and the interplay between different struggles and challenges that may contribute to the development of these disorders.
Why Choose Long Island Counseling Services?
Long Island Counseling Services has therapists that specialize in working with teens, young women, and those of all ages that may develop eating disorders. We are able to help people develop a healthier relationship with food and body weight, and address other conditions that may be caused by or contribute to further challenges, such as anxiety or depression.
We make a space for our patients where they feel comfortable expressing themselves. We also make sure to offer actionable changes that promote real progress, because we know the short and long term effects of anorexia, and other eating disorders, can be dangerous. Our goal is to help you and your loved one recover, and the work our therapists do is here to promote that recovery.
Contact Long Island Counseling Services Today
Long Island Counseling Services has two offices available for treating eating disorders, with one in East Meadow and one in Melville, NY. We are happy to accept new patients and have specialists for youth and adults. Please give us a call today, or use our online form to reach out to our counseling team.