Eating disorder treatment is one of Dr. Clarke’s interests. After working at the UCSD Center for Healthy Eating and Activity Research (CHEAR), part of the world-renowned UCSD Eating Disorder Center, Dr. Clarke continued treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating in private practice and at college counseling centers. Eating disorders are serious but treatable conditions. There are many evidence-based treatments (i.e. treatments backed by repeated research studies) that can help you reduce your disordered eating symptoms and improve your life.

What are the symptoms of eating disorders?

Eating disorders can feel different for each person, and a person may experience a range of physical and psychological symptoms.

Common symptoms may include:

• Preoccupation with food and body weight

• Dietary restriction (skipping meals, reducing the size of meals)

• Binge eating (consuming large amounts rapidly with a sense of loss of control)

• Purging behaviors (vomiting, excessive exercise, laxatives)

• Distorted body image

What are some types of eating disorders?

Some examples of eating disorders include Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder. Anorexia Nervosa is marked by extreme weight loss due to severe food restriction. People with anorexia often have an intense fear of gaining weight and have a distorted body image. Bulimia Nervosa involves cycles of binge eating followed by purging behaviors to prevent weight gain. Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by frequent episodes of eating large quantities of food often followed by feelings of shame and emotional distress. Other eating disorders include Avoidant and Restrictive Feeding and Intake Disorder and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED).

What are the benefits of therapy for eating disorders or disordered eating? 

Seeking treatment for an eating disorder or disordered eating can be life-changing. Early intervention helps reduce the physical and emotional toll these disorders take, allowing you to regain your health and well-being. Through therapy, people can develop healthier relationships with food and their bodies, improve self-esteem, and reduce obsessive thoughts about weight or appearance. Treatment also addresses the underlying emotional and psychological issues that contribute to the disorder, such as anxiety or depression. Ultimately, the goal of treatment is to foster lasting recovery and provide tools for maintaining a balanced, fulfilling life.

What is therapy for eating disorders like?

Therapy with Dr. Clarke is integrative and customized for your unique set of symptoms and experiences. Treatment may include tracking unhelpful behaviors (ex: binge eating or skipping meals). Learning new skills like mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, distress tolerance, and emotion regulation are all helpful tools to increase your coping skills.

Sessions will likely include collaborative problem solving, processing thoughts and feelings about food and your body, and mindfulness exercises. Specific evidenced based treatments that are used by Dr. Clarke include CBT-E (Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for eating disorders), DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy), ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy), and self-compassion interventions.

What if I don’t have a formal eating disorder but I have some unhealthy habits or have negative thoughts about my body?

Dr. Clarke can help you with this too! Often we call this disordered eating when someone doesn’t have a full fledged eating disorder but is still eating or thinking in ways that are not helpful or healthy. We are all living in a “diet culture” and the thin body-type ideal is still prominent in social media, movies, and TV. It can be helpful to talk to someone about how you feel about your body and food, and together we can find new ways of thinking and acting.