Therapy for Disordered Eating:
Reclaim Your Relationship With Food and Your Body
Eating Disorder Treatment in Menlo Park, CA
When Control Over Food Becomes Loss of Control Over Your Life
From the outside, you look like you have it together. The successful career, the disciplined routine, the carefully curated image. But your relationship with food? That's a different story.
Maybe you're the high-achiever who skips meals during back-to-back meetings, then finds yourself binge eating alone at night. The executive who counts every calorie while managing million-dollar budgets. The teen who's excelling academically but struggling silently with food rules that are taking over your life.
Perhaps you don't think you fit the "eating disorder" stereotype. You may not even be severely underweight. You're not purging. But something isn't right:
You're obsessing over every bite, planning meals hours in advance, or feeling intense guilt after eating
You're exercising compulsively - not for joy, but to "earn" food or "undo" what you ate
You're avoiding social situations because food will be there and you can't control what's served
You're using food to cope with stress, anxiety, or emotions you don't know how to handle
You're caught in cycles of restriction and overeating that leave you feeling ashamed and out of control
You're constantly thinking about your body, weighing yourself multiple times a day, or avoiding mirrors entirely
The Hidden Cost of Disordered Eating
Here's what's really happening: Whether you meet the criteria for a clinical eating disorder or you're struggling with disordered eating patterns, the impact on your life is real and significant.
The Professional Toll:
You're distracted during meetings, mentally calculating calories instead of focusing on the discussion
You're declining lunch meetings or team dinners, creating distance from colleagues and missing networking opportunities
You're exhausted from under-eating and/or overexercising, making it harder to concentrate and perform at your best
You're spending work time researching diets, planning meals, or thinking about your next eating episode
You're turning down promotions or travel opportunities because they disrupt your food routines
The Personal Impact:
Your relationships are suffering because eating together - one of life's most basic social activities - has become a source of anxiety
You're missing out on celebrations, dinners with friends, or family gatherings because you can't handle the food component
You're lying to loved ones about what you've eaten or hiding food behaviors you're ashamed of
Your physical health is being affected - fatigue, digestive issues, disrupted sleep, weakened immune system
You feel disconnected from your body, seeing it as something to control rather than care for
For Teens and Young Adults:
You're missing school activities, sports, or time with friends because of food rules or body image concerns
Your grades are slipping because you can't concentrate when you're not eating enough
You're withdrawing from activities you used to love
Your family is worried, asking questions, trying to help - but you're not sure how to let them in
You feel like you're the only one struggling while everyone else seems fine
The truth is, disordered eating and eating disorders aren't really about food or weight. They're about control, emotions, perfectionism, identity, and often - especially for high-achievers - the need to excel at something measurable when other aspects of life feel uncertain.
You're using food and body control as a way to manage feelings you don't have other tools to handle. And it's become a prison that's getting smaller every day.
There's a Path Forward - And It Starts With Understanding
What if the solution wasn't another diet plan or meal strategy? What if healing your relationship with food meant addressing what's driving the disordered eating in the first place?
At Choice Point Counseling, treatment for disordered eating and eating disorders isn't about meal plans or "fixing" your eating. It's about understanding the emotions underneath, developing healthier coping strategies, and rebuilding trust with yourself and with food.
This is possible. And you don't have to do it alone.
Evidence-Based Treatment That Actually Works
I'm Dr. Lorraine Wong, and I specialize in treating eating disorders and disordered eating using evidence-based approaches tailored to your unique situation - whether you're an adult professional, a college student, or a teen navigating these challenges.
With over 16 years of experience as a board-certified clinical psychologist, I understand how eating disorders develop and, more importantly, how to help you recover. Before becoming a psychologist, I worked in the corporate world, so I understand the unique pressures high-achievers face - the performance expectations, the stress, the use of control as a coping mechanism.
This isn't generic therapy. This specialized eating disorder treatment in Menlo Park is designed for people like you who need practical, compassionate approaches that address both the behaviors and what's underneath them.
Individual Therapy for Adults: Personalized Treatment for Your Recovery
For adults struggling with disordered eating or eating disorders, individual therapy provides a safe, non-judgmental space to explore your relationship with food, your body, and the emotions driving your behaviors.
What We'll Work On Together:
Understanding the function of food behaviors: What are you really trying to control? What emotions are you avoiding? What needs aren't being met?
Developing emotional regulation skills: Learning to sit with uncomfortable feelings without turning to food restriction, binging, purging, or excessive exercise
Challenging distorted thoughts: Identifying and shifting the thinking patterns that maintain eating disorder behaviors
Building a healthier relationship with food and exercise: Moving from rigid rules to flexibility, from fear to neutrality, from control to trust
Addressing body image: Developing compassion for your body and separating your worth from your appearance
Creating sustainable change: Building skills that support long-term recovery, not just short-term compliance
Treatment Approaches I Use:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Helping you accept difficult emotions rather than using food to avoid them, and taking action aligned with your values instead of your eating disorder's demands.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Identifying and changing the thought patterns and behaviors that maintain disordered eating.
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Strategies: Teaching skills for emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and managing the intense feelings that often trigger eating disorder behaviors.
Individual therapy sessions are personalized to your specific needs, whether you're dealing with:
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
Binge eating disorder
Emotional eating patterns
Orthorexia or "clean eating" obsessions
Disordered eating that doesn't meet full diagnostic criteria but is still significantly impacting your life
Family-Based Therapy (FBT) for Adolescents: Empowering Families as Part of Recovery
For teens and young adults with eating disorders, Family-Based Therapy (FBT) is one of the most effective evidence-based treatments available. FBT recognizes that you can't expect a teenager struggling with an eating disorder to fight it alone - and you shouldn't have to.
How FBT Works:
FBT actively involves parents and caregivers as essential partners in recovery. Rather than blaming the family or removing the teen from the home environment, FBT empowers parents to take an active, supportive role in helping their child overcome the eating disorder.
The Three Phases of FBT:
Phase 1: Weight Restoration
Parents take charge of meal planning and supervision, helping their teen restore weight and normalize eating patterns. This isn't about control - it's about external support when the eating disorder has made it impossible for the teen to nourish themselves adequately.
Phase 2: Returning Control to the Adolescent
As eating improves and weight stabilizes, we gradually transition control back to the teen, helping them take ownership of their eating in a developmentally appropriate way.
Phase 3: Establishing Healthy Identity
Focus shifts to broader adolescent development - building identity beyond the eating disorder, improving self-esteem, and ensuring the teen has tools for long-term wellness.
What Makes FBT Effective:
Treats the family as a resource, not the problem
Provides parents with concrete strategies to support recovery at home
Addresses the eating disorder behaviors directly while the teen is still living at home
Improves family communication around food, emotions, and support
Creates a structured framework for long-term recovery
For Teens:
You're not fighting this alone. FBT gives you the support you need while you rebuild your strength - physically, emotionally, and mentally. Your family becomes your ally, not your adversary.
For Parents:
You get clear guidance on how to help your child, reducing the confusion and fear that often comes with watching your teen struggle. You'll learn specific strategies for meal support, how to respond to eating disorder behaviors, and how to create an environment that supports recovery.
Treatment for Both Clinical Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating Patterns
You don't need to have a formal diagnosis to get help. If your relationship with food is causing distress, taking up mental space, or interfering with your life, that's enough of a reason to seek support.
I work with:
Clinical Eating Disorders:
Anorexia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa
Binge eating disorder
Other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED)
Disordered Eating Patterns:
Chronic dieting and food restriction
Emotional eating or stress eating
Compulsive or binge eating episodes
Excessive exercise driven by body image or food guilt
Orthorexia or obsessive "clean eating"
Body checking, weighing, or measurement rituals
Whether you're struggling with a diagnosed eating disorder or patterns that don't fit neatly into a category, the treatment approach is the same: compassionate, evidence-based care that addresses both the behaviors and the underlying issues. You do not have to face this alone and eating disorder treatment in the Bay Area can support you in finding relief and healing.
What Recovery Can Look Like
Imagine what your life could be like when food no longer controls your every thought:
Professionally:
Focusing fully in meetings instead of calculating calories
Accepting lunch invitations without anxiety
Having energy to perform at your best because you're properly nourished
Traveling for work without food routines derailing your trip
Reclaiming the mental space eating thoughts have been occupying
Personally:
Eating with family and friends without fear or guilt
Enjoying social events instead of avoiding them
Stopping the exhausting cycle of restriction and overeating
Sleeping better because you're not physically hungry or emotionally distressed about food
Feeling connected to your body instead of at war with it
For Teens:
Participating in activities without food anxiety getting in the way
Focusing on school and friendships instead of calories and body image
Having family meals without tension
Feeling like yourself again—not defined by the eating disorder
Building confidence in who you are beyond appearance
The goal isn't perfection. It's peace. A calm, flexible relationship with food where eating is nourishing, not stressful. Where your body is something you inhabit and care for, not something you battle.
You Don't Have to Keep Living Like This
Eating disorders and disordered eating patterns want you to believe you're stuck. That you can't trust yourself around food. That you'll never be able to eat "normally" again. That recovery means giving up control completely.
None of that is true.
You're not broken. You're not weak for struggling. And you don't have to figure this out alone - in fact, trying to recover alone often makes it harder.
With specialized treatment - whether individual therapy, Family-Based Therapy, or a combination - you can break free from the patterns that have been stealing your life.
If you're exhausted from the mental gymnastics around food, tired of missing out on life because of eating disorder behaviors, or ready to reclaim the energy and peace you deserve, let's talk.
Contact Choice Point Counseling today to schedule your free 15-minute consultation.
Your path to recovery and food freedom starts with a single choice.
Dr. Lorraine Wong, PhD, ABPP is a board-certified clinical psychologist with over 16 years of experience specializing in eating disorders, disordered eating, anxiety, and related concerns for both adults and adolescents. She is certified in Family-Based Therapy (FBT), has advanced training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). Former Clinical Director of The Feeling Good Institute and Certified Level 5 TEAM-CBT Master Trainer and Therapist.
Frequently Asked Questions About Eating Disorder Treatment in Menlo Park
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If your relationship with food is causing distress, taking up significant mental energy, or interfering with your daily life, that's a sign you could benefit from support. You don't need to be severely underweight or meet all the criteria for a clinical diagnosis. Disordered eating patterns - even if they don't fit a specific diagnosis - deserve attention and treatment.
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Absolutely not. Early intervention leads to better outcomes and prevents eating patterns from becoming more entrenched. If you're struggling, you deserve help now - not when things reach a crisis point. Waiting only makes recovery harder.
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Yes. Comprehensive eating disorder treatment often involves a team approach. I collaborate with medical doctors, psychiatrists, dietitians, and other providers when appropriate to ensure you receive coordinated, complete care. If you don't already have a treatment team, I can help connect you with trusted professionals.
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Individual therapy works directly with you one-on-one to address eating disorder behaviors and underlying issues. FBT involves the whole family and is specifically designed for adolescents, empowering parents to actively support recovery. For teens, we'll discuss which approach (or combination) is right for your situation during the consultation.
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Recovery timelines vary based on eating disorder severity, how long you've been struggling, and your engagement with treatment. Some clients see significant improvement in several months, while others benefit from longer-term support. The skills you learn in treatment provide lasting tools for maintaining recovery beyond our work together.
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Treatment focuses on health, not a number on the scale. If weight restoration is medically necessary, we approach it collaboratively and compassionately, always with your overall well-being as the priority. For disordered eating patterns, weight may not be a focus at all - instead, we work on your relationship with food and your body.
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This is one of the most common fears - and it makes sense. The eating disorder has convinced you that control over food is keeping you safe. Part of treatment is learning that true freedom comes not from rigid control, but from flexibility and trust. We work on this gradually, at a pace that feels manageable.