White Picket Fence Counseling Center Newsletter Archives

Your Body is Your Friend

When you have distorted or unhealthy body image, it can cause you to want to harm yourself instead of love yourself. So before we move on to look at how to be a better friend to yourself and others, let’s talk about how to understand and start to heal your body image issues.

One of my favorite tools for self-awareness is journaling. When you put pen to paper, no one will see what you’ve written unless you choose to show them. This creates an atmosphere of safety and honesty that can lead to some powerful insights and discoveries about yourself.

You can find ready-made workbooks or journaling prompts about many different topics, or you can simply ask yourself a question at the top of the page and write down your answer.

If you really want to get to know yourself, join a 12-step program. It doesn’t need to be one related to food – choosing a group like Al-Anon or Clutterers Anonymous may be less intimidating, while still giving you access to the self-awareness and growth that come from working the 12 steps.

Therapy is another useful tool for understanding the body image issues that are affecting your relationships with yourself and others.

Gentle movement choices like we discussed recently on the blog are important forms of self-care that can create a self-nurturing relationship with your body. Things like yoga, relaxation and massage can all help you feel better in your body.

Choose your clothes carefully. Do the fabrics feels good against your skin, or is anything constricting or irritating you? Do your shoes support you in comfort as you move around, or are they too tight or worn down?

Do you make an effort to feel good about your appearance, choosing clothing and accessories in flattering colors and shapes? Do you practice good hygiene and take an extra few minutes to brush your hair?

In that same article about movement choices, I also mentioned my father’s advice about putting on my “tennis whites” – looking the part really did make me feel more confident and comfortable in my own skin – and as a tennis player!

When you can learn to treat yourself better at the most fundamental level of body care and awareness, you’re well on your to being your own best friend. We’ll talk more about that next week.

Getting Physical – What to Do and What Not to Do

Getting physical isn’t about making a resolution, it’s about making a plan that fits you and your lifestyle. If you’re ready to get into action with more physical activity in your life, start with a plan.

Unlike a resolution, this is something you can start any day of the week, any month of the year. Or at this very moment. Then commit to try it for a few weeks to see how it feels.

A lot of people don’t stick with their programs because they try to do too much, too soon because they have an all-or-nothing mentality. This is a recipe for discouragement at best, injury at worst.

We’ll be talking more next week about how healthy movement can heal body image issues. One of the ways it does this is by giving you ways to nurture the body and treat it kindly. When that is your focus, you’re less likely to do the things that harm your body, such as over-eating, under-eating or over-exercising.

Some of the most nurturing movement options include: 

• Gentle yoga
• Walking outdoors
• Moving to music (dancing)
• Swimming
• Relaxation
• Simple stretching

To choose the right activities for you, consider your health issues, how much time you have, how motivated you are and what appeals to you. Once I worked at an agency and a lot of my co-workers were running 5Ks. One of them said, “C’mon, you can do it with me!” I jogged, but I’d never done a 5K before. When she told me she had placed first for her age category in her first event so I figured, “Hey, I can do this. Maybe I’ll even win!”

Well, it was a humbling experience. Not only didn’t I win, I didn’t even place. And it was an agonizing effort – I was so sore it took a week to recover. Running – and winning – a 5K wasn’t an appropriate goal for me. So please, learn from my mistake and consider your activity goals carefully!

To find time for physical activity, start small. If you’re already doing something, add a little more. Or to start, find 15 minutes – take away some TV time, reading time or even a little sleep time. Some find early mornings are best, so it’s out of the way, but anytime is fine.

I remember when I got my dog. Soleil is a BIG dog who needs to be walked a lot. It was too hard to plan long walks, so we did a lot of 10-minute walks. It wasn’t long before I noticed that I felt much fitter.

Little things add up. You may think that spending time in the garden is nothing, but it’s something. Not all of your physical activities need to have measurable outcomes. If you’re up and moving around, it counts! And when you add a little walk here and a game of catch with the kids there, you’ve got some significant activity! You can call yourself the ultimate cross-trainer.

Don’t underestimate the importance of clothing. I played tennis as a kid, and I remember my father saying, “You’re halfway there if you’re wearing the right clothes.” Just by putting on those tennis whites, I felt empowered and more confident in my skills. I hated to admit it, but my father was right.

Here are some things we don’t typically endorse at White Picket Fence Counseling Center, and why:

• Intense activities such as running, ultra-long workouts, boot camps and hot yoga – we advocate for a more balance, nurturing approach to physical activity
• Exercising outdoors by yourself after dark – we want you to be safe and not put yourself at risk
• Improper footwear such as flip-flops or worn-out sneakers – these won’t provide the support you need and may lead to injury

As I said last week, doing something – anything – is something. Make sure it’s something that appeals to you and feels like you can keep up. Next week, we’ll look at the many benefits of physical activity.

How to Deal With Jealousy and Sorrow

As we see all the time in our sessions at the White Picket Fence Counseling Center, relationship problems are at the heart of most eating disorders. Often the underlying angst that’s causing people to act out with food can be traced back to an interpersonal situation.

I’ve been practicing yoga for much of my life, but I recently discovered just how much yoga can be a gift for those in recovery from food addiction and eating disorders. And this includes giving us a tool for how to handle difficult people.

Last week, I revealed the first two “locks” – two types of people that we deal with, and the corresponding “keys” that we can apply. Today, we’ll talk about the final two.

First are the virtuous people, who want to tell us about all of the good things they’ve done and everything that’s going well in their lives. For some of us, this could trigger feelings of jealousy or contempt, and even thoughts of revenge or sabotage so we can take away some of these good things (and maybe keep them for ourselves, as if that was possible!).

Instead, the key to dealing with virtuous people, according to this yoga philosophy, is with sheer and utter delight – celebrating with them and being glad for their success. As I suggested last week, you might need to use the 12-step slogan of “fake it until you make it,” but I guarantee you’ll feel better about yourself and have a more peaceful day.

The fourth and final lock – the type of person that might be difficult for you to deal with – is the wicked person. Just like with unhappy people, it can be uncomfortable or even painful to be with someone who seems downright evil. You may react and want to fix the person or situation, or get away from the person as soon as possible.

The key is to detach; approach this person with disregard or indifference. It’s the ultimate practice of non-attachment and setting boundaries. Letting someone be where they are without needing to take on the emotions or the problem.

12-steps programs such as Al-Anon and CODA help people who are dealing with co-dependency and boundary issues.

By responding with friendliness, compassion, delight and disregard, we can greatly improve our relationships with others. This simple system of locks and keys can bring the peace we find in yoga and mediation out into the real world of our day-to-day lives.

Maybe it can also help us deal more compassionately with ourselves, when it’s us having the negative thoughts or doing other things we’re not proud of. Maybe today we can detach from our suffering, delight in ourselves, feel proud of ourselves and be happy for ourselves.

Dealing With Difficult People

Much of what we deal with in counseling sessions with our clients is healing relationships. When you are recovering from food addiction or an eating disorder, difficult relationships can sometimes trigger the compulsion to relapse.

We can use food or exercise in unhealthy ways, or obsess about body image, as defense mechanisms that help us avoid dealing with people. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t given proper relationship skills growing up.

Maybe some of us learned some resiliency, but for the most part we have to constantly learn and re-learn how to navigate relationships, whether at work, in play, at home or in the community. Each lesson usually comes out of painful conflicts that are the underlying cause of our angst.

Whether you’re back in close quarters with family members over the holiday season, or dealing with difficult people at any time of year, the right tools can help you detach from the drama and stay committed to your recovery.

Though I’ve been practicing yoga for years, I’ve recently ramped up my study of yoga therapy and the principles of yoga. We’ve started a yoga therapy program at the White Picket Fence Foundation building, with more groups and classes planned for the future.

I’ve also discovered a fascinating, simple and effective concept for how to stay peaceful in all of the relationships and interactions in your daily life.

While it can seem as though we’re up against many different kinds of relationship problems, this yoga philosophy teaches that there are actually only four types of people we deal with – called “locks.” The beauty of this concept is that for every lock, there is a key!

Over the next two weeks, I’ll share about these four locks and their corresponding keys. With these four keys in your pocket, you’ll have what you need to navigate any interactions, even challenging ones, over the holidays and beyond.

The most important goal is to find peace, whether that’s through meditation, yoga, journaling, therapy, calling a friend or another tool. If we have a serene mind, we’re not in disorder or dis-ease and we don’t have to use or abuse food or our bodies because we don’t have to change the way we feel.

Open Your Mind to Meditation

I don't have a perfect meditation practice and you'll rarely find me sitting cross-legged or chanting. Yet I do have a regular spiritual practice that incorporates mindfulness and meditation. For example, I center myself each morning, and sometimes again in between clients or in between work and going home. Sometimes I take a moment for myself before making a phone call, to release whatever I might be thinking about and focus my attention on the present moment.

Meditation doesn't have to look like what you think it will. Open your mind to your own style and examine different resources and classes. At the White Picket Fence Counseling Center, we often hold free introductory classes where you can try things out before you commit.

A lot of people come to our Center to reconnect with themselves, and are surprised to realize that we incorporate so many physical modalities. As we discussed in a previous post, these physical activities can actually improve your brain chemistry, helping you to manage the stress of recovering from an eating disorder.  

You can practice mindfulness by sitting still, but you can also practice it when you're moving around, when you're having a conversation with someone. Imagine mindfully listening to another person! When is the last time you listened that way, concentrating on hearing their words and nuances, witnessing their body language, all without any inner dialogue going on about what you think or what you're going to say next?

There are different levels of mindfulness – you may need to work your up to the more traditional forms of meditation. Some stepping stones might include:

• Guided imagery
• Journaling
• Drawing
• Singing or playing music
• Stretching
• Making a collage
• Doing crafts
• Taking a walk
• Sitting quietly on a bench and watching people
• Experiencing something in beautiful in nature
• Taking a quiet moment
• Looking at art

For more suggestions, please see these previous articles:

Stillness Suggestions

How I Incorporate Spirituality into my Life

Some guided meditations instruct you to connect, mentally, with different parts of your body, for example to imagine your muscles clenching and then relaxing. For those with an eating disorder, it may feel too threatening or uncomfortable to connect with certain body parts. My advice? Start with your feet.

Most people find it safest to connect with the feet – though it's not always easy. At a recent training for MY Therapy (a combination of mindfulness and yoga therapy), when the instructor asked us to connect with our feet, we all laughed when we realized we had all looked down instead of just imagining our feet.

So open your mind to the idea of mindfulness, and find a gentle way to introduce this powerful practice into your life. You'll be amazed at the gifts you may find inside your mind.

A Few Mindful Moments Can Bring Powerful Healing

Whether you're someone who's not ready or interested to pursue a spiritual life, or someone who's looking for the way to strengthen a connection, mindfulness is an approach that is accessible to everyone.

At White Picket Fence Counseling Center, we hear a lot of people say things like, "I'm so bright in other areas of my life – why can't I get this?" or, "I've been so successful in my career, but I just can't get control of my eating or food issues."

The simple truth is that eating disorders don't make sense. We need to make sense of them. And the only way to do that is to tune in to what's going on inside. Not just in our minds (we're so used to living "from the neck up") but in our whole bodies.

Last month on the blog we talked about the mind-body disconnect of eating disorders, and how yoga is one very effective way to reconnect. A big part of yoga is an invitation to be still and look inwards, listening to your body (on and off the mat) and listening to your mind.

In yoga we call it meditation, but if that doesn't feel right for you, call it mindfulness. Being mindful of who you are, where you are, what you feel, what you know and what you want.

Some people have used the analogy of plugging yourself in, the way you would your cell phone. Whether you're re-charging, or even charging up for the first time, getting quiet and practicing mindfulness can help you achieve the feeling of being centered, or grounded.

When you're lost in the compulsion, obsession, discomfort and unease of an eating disorder, you can feel pretty out of control and out of reach. That's why virtually every recovery and treatment method recommends some form of mindfulness as a way of reconnecting the body and mind.

If you're still not convinced that mindfulness is worth the time or effort, consider this:

Imagine that you're driving along the road and all of a sudden someone pulls out in front of you and you're forced to slam on your brakes to avoid an accident. What's going on in your body at that point? Your muscles are probably clenched, as is your stomach (where digestion has actually stopped, so that the rest of your body's systems will be ready for whatever stressor you're facing). Your heart is probably racing from the urge of adrenalin.

In psychological terms that's called the fight or flight response, and it's a really good illustration of the mind-body connection. The good news is that just as anxious thoughts can cause stressful reactions in the body, so can relaxing thoughts cause healing reactions in the body.

And just as good news, relaxing bodywork can soothe the mind from anxious thinking to more positive and hopeful, actually altering your brain chemistry in the process. So we can see how mindfulness helps to heal both physical and emotional pain. Here is an article from Psychology Today about a research study that demonstrates how meditation positively alters the brain: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/choke/201110/meditation-small-dose-big-effect.

Over the next few weeks on the White Picket Fence Counseling Center blog, we'll explore the benefits of mindfulness, as well some methods and tools that you can start using right away – even just a few minutes per day could make a big difference to your mind, body and yes, your soul.

Yoga Therapy – A Personal Note from Sandee

Clients are often curious about what I do when I'm not working at the Center. Like most of you, there are many things that keep me busy – sometimes I joke that I have to go pay to relax. My favorite method of relaxation is yoga, and it's one of the main ways I incorporate spirituality into my life.

As part of a recent yoga teacher training, I wrote a paper called "Better Body Esteem," about how a yoga program I designed can address so many of the body image issues that accompany eating disorders and food addiction.

On the cover of my paper is a photo of my mother in a red one-piece leotard, upside down in a headstand. It was my mother who instilled my love of yoga, and now that she is no longer living, I dedicated the paper to her.

The teacher training was an amazing experience. I met wonderful people I wouldn't have met otherwise (here is a photo of me with some of my classmates), including some that you will be seeing around the White Picket Fence Counseling Center in the coming weeks and months, as we create new programs to bring you the benefits of yoga.

Some people object to the idea of yoga because they feel it conflicts with their religious practice. Our approach will be completely non-religious, and while we believe that spirituality is a key part of the recovery journey, it will be up to you to decide how deep you want to go.

With our limited space, we're going to focus on one-on-one yoga therapy and small yoga groups – including some classes that will be free for the community. So please stay tuned!

For the rest of this month, I'll be presenting more information about how yoga and yoga therapy are uniquely suited to assist people recovering from eating disorders and food addiction.

Tools for the Recovery Stage of Life

A major part of your recovery will be gaining comfort and acceptance of your body. Whether or not your body size has changed in recovery, you can learn to love and be grateful for who you see in the mirror.

A distorted body image can be deeply embedded in people who are recovering from an eating disorder, whether that's compulsive eating, anorexia or bulimia. The food behaviors they reach for are used to disconnect from the body.

Recovery brings the opportunity – and the challenge – to be present in the body, perhaps for the first time.

To begin, you can use the following tools to discover your personal image and your connection to your body. Then you can start to learn where this story has come from. That way you can release any hurtful or unhealthy perceptions, and move into compassion and full acceptance.

I teach a model called "The Five A's" to guide people through this process:

1. Awareness (includes acknowledgement and anticipation) – Build your awareness of your current body image beliefs by journaling, meditating and talking about what you discover. Acknowledge your positive, healthy perceptions and anticipate the benefits of moving more and more into this new perspective.
2. Appreciation (includes achievement and abundance) – Practice self-caring and self-loving rituals that celebrate your body and all of its gifts.
3. Action (includes attention, amends, aspiration and accountability) – Take the necessary steps to care for and heal your body. You may have spent many years making unhealthy choices, but you can repair that damage one day at a time. Build and use a support team for this process (e.g., therapist, dietician, exercise buddy, therapy group).
4. Acceptance – The sooner you can accept yourself and your body as you are right now, the sooner you will be able to evolve into the next stages of recovery.
5. Affirmations – Talk to yourself kindly and positively, always choosing the perspective that everything you want is already on its way.

How to Have More Compassion for Others

When you're struggling with your own body image and self-esteem issues, it's common to also be more judgmental of other people (especially people with food and weight issues). The reverse is also true – the more you can love and accept yourself, the more accepting you can be of others.

Stephen R. Covey wrote, "We judge ourselves by our intentions and others by their behavior."

A lot of times we judge people's physical appearance or outward actions, without any idea of what's going on underneath. We only see the tip of the iceberg. We don't know their family history or how they've been hurt by other people.

That's why it's really important to suspend judgment of others, and instead practice acceptance and neutrality and compassion. Understand that everybody has their own stuff going on. It's like we discussed in an earlier article, that "your first thought is a freebie." We may have judgmental thoughts about others, or ourselves, but we can revise those into more loving thoughts.

The more we can suspend judgment of others, the more we will learn to do the same for self – peace within extends to peace with-out, and vice versa.

Who can you practice being more compassionate towards today? 

Three Ways to Have More Compassion for Yourself

The world can be a harsh and confusing place for people who are dealing with an eating disorder. What might be a simple task for other people, such as a trip to the grocery store, can be daunting when you are surrounded by mixed messages.

Standing at the checkout counter, a quick glance at the magazine rack shows photos of celebrities caught in unflattering poses, details of the latest quick-fix diet, while on the same cover there is a photo of a decadent dessert with the promise of the recipe inside. Every aisle is adorned with displays meant to entice us into buying things we weren’t planning to buy or to eat. This type of temptation can lead to unhealthy behaviors, which then set into motion a cycle of self-blaming and self-loathing.

When it seems like everything in the grocery store is against you, it becomes even more important to cultivate an ongoing sense of compassion for yourself. When you can acknowledge what you’re going through and every small victory you accomplish, you can help yourself heal and grow.

While I disagree with how Dictionary.com defines compassion as "a feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering," I do appreciate these synonyms they offered: "tenderness" and "heart".

Compassion is more about validation than pity; "I see how challenging this is for you," rather than, "You poor thing." Feeling compassion is not about feeling sorry for oneself or someone else. It's about looking at self and others through a tender heart.

Here are three ways you can add compassion into your life: 

1. HALT – This powerful slogan stands for "Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired," which are feelings that can make people more vulnerable to act out in their addictions. When you become more aware of whether you are feeling one of those things, you can choose to act on that feeling, or address it using a healthier tool. It takes courage to look with integrity and truth at what’s really happening within yourself. This awareness gives you the compassion and perspective to see why you might be feeling or acting a certain way, and ask what you need to do to take care of yourself in that moment.
2. Think twice about giving in to your compulsive behavior – It's easy to feel sorry for yourself when you focus on the list of things that may not be going your way, "My friend isn't talking to me," "I had a struggle at work," "I'm not talking to anyone in my family," etc. The next thought might be to "treat" yourself or repeat a harmful behavior. Yet is it really a treat if it will damage your health and you'll feel bad about it later?
3. Question your self-talk – Notice the mixed messages and give yourself compassion for reacting to them. Release the self-criticism, shame and self-loathing that undermine your self-esteem and confidence and make you feel bad. This all just leads to wanting to eat more or restrict more.

Compassion is about being fully present with yourself, just as you are, without condemning or judging any part of your whole self. Compassion isn't a free pass or letting yourself off the hook; it's a way to focus on the solution and get yourself to the physical recovery that is so important.

The compassionate choice isn't always the easiest one. Another 12-step axiom is that "the first thought is a freebie." You don't have to act on that first thought, which will often take you back into old, unhealthy patterns and habits. You can let that first thought go and revise it into one that will lead you towards recovery.

For some, compassion can be love. For others it can be grace. What is compassion for you?

What Are You Not Saying?

Emotions play a role in all eating disorders - they are always about more than food. Eating disorders may also coincide with low self-esteem, psychological disorders, a history of abuse, or even a certain genetic makeup.

When people with anorexia and bulimia restrict food and/or purge, it's a symptom of an inner distress they are trying to calm, get rid of or express.

Expressing our feelings can be challenging. We may feel ashamed by what we think or feel, or we may feel alone because we don't realize other people feel the same way. We may be concerned about how someone else will feel if we say what's in our hearts, or we fear that we'll lose their love and support if they find out what we're really thinking.

Purging and restricting are shields that keep a person hidden in isolation so they don't need to have these difficult conversations. In order to heal from an eating disorder, though, it is vitally important that you speak up about what's bothering you, rather than continue to use behaviors that are hurting you.

Even though you may only be thinking about the body image issues that drive you to restrict or purge, if you dig deeper there are bound to be other issues going on. And these issues will only get more painful the longer you avoid them.

Therapy and support groups provide a safe place where people with eating disorders can express their innermost thoughts and feelings without fear. You can experience what it's like to communicate openly without being judged or criticized.

A therapist can help you sort out your feelings to determine what you may need to say to the important people in your life. That might be asking for a change if someone else's behavior is negatively impacting you, or it might be making an apology for your own behavior. You can even role play and rehearse these discussions so that you feel prepared beforehand.

At the White Picket Fence Counseling Center, we specialize in treating people with eating disorders, food addiction and emotional eating. Please contact us today if we can help you.

Upcoming Groups and Workshops - New Starts and Ideas

Upcoming Groups and Workshops will help you get a jump start in your personal growth process.  Click here to view and download your own printable copy! Tell us what you think of the new workshops - let us also know what interests YOU!

Personal Note from Sandee Nebel

In June we were invited to participate in the filming of a wonderful new program from HOPE Inc. (Helping Other People Eat). Here is an excerpt from their press release:

 

"Get R.E.A.L. – Realistic Expectations and Attitudes for Life - is an innovative video outreach and prevention program that will be distributed to over 4,000 schools in Florida as well as hospitals, legislative offices, Florida Department of Health offices and many community health organizations. The program is focused on enhancing self-esteem, promoting positive body image, self-acceptance, and preventing eating disorders."

 

photo by deb knoske

On the left is a photo of Sandee with HOPE Founder and Executive Director (and Miss Florida 2006) Allison Kreiger Walsh.

 

Today's article is about the wonderful freedom we experience as soon as we let go of trying to control everything. It's also a reminder of the power of writing, and how useful it is when you can't stop thinking about something.

 

This is the daily journaling tool I designed and use myself, and I've gotten so much out of it I've made it available to you as well:  Click Here

Upcoming Events

 

(May-June Events Flyer for Printing)

 

• Eating Disorder Recovery Group: Emphasis on Relapse Prevention from Anorexia and Bulimia:  Focusing on the following topics of discussion: Family relationships, body image, moods and anger, transitions and processing of current issues. Tuesdays 5:00pm to 6:30pm beginning May 4th for six (6) consecutive weeks. Facilitators:  Sandee Nebel, MS, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Liz Strong, MA, NCC, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern.  **Fee: $150. for 6 week session ($25. weekly)  (College and Grad student rate $120.)
• Monthly Dining Out Group:  This group will give clients an opportunity to practice the skills they have been working on in individual and group therapy. Meets once a month for lunch -- Call for upcoming dates...Facilitated by Liz Strong, Registered Mental Health counselor Intern and Meghan Moran, Registered Dietician at Nutritional Guidance.  Cost:  $25 (Lunch to be included) Register for this by calling Nutritional Guidance directly at 407-629-5504 
• Emotional (Over) Eating Recovery Group: Thursdays from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm- May 13th for 6 weeks.  Facilitated by Tara Harvill, MA, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern, Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern.  **Cost:  $180. for series of six 1.5 hour groups.  
•  Moving Through Recovery From Anorexia and Bulimia:  Join others who are in the action or maintenance stage of the recovery process.  Topics of discussion:  Maintaining recovery focus, sharing individual strength and experiences, adjusting to the “new you” and how to handle triggers.  Wednesdays, once every month.  Next group is May 26^th from 5:00pm to 6:30pm.  Facilitated by Liz Strong, Registered Mental Health counselor Intern and Meghan Moran, Registered Dietician at Nutritional Guidance.  **Cost:  $35  
• Relapse Prevention – Maintainers Group for Overeaters and Food Addicts:  Group meets monthly for support through “living life” without using or abusing food any longer.  Prior individual and group experience is required to join this ongoing group. Facilitated by Sandee Nebel,MS, Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Next meetings are Tuesday, May 4th and Tuesday, June 1st from 7-9 pm.  Cost is $40.
• Family and Friends Information and Support Workshop:  This workshop is led by a therapist and dietician for family members, spouses, friends to provide information on how and when to be helpful to the individual in their life with anorexia or bulimia.  Space is limited to facilitate discussion. Facilitated by: Sandee Nebel, MS, Licensed Mental Health Counselor and Alice Baker, Registered and Licensed Dietician. Next workshop is Tuesday, June 15th 6:00pm to 8:00pm.  Fee: $50. per person. 
• New!! Group for Young Adults - Overeating-Binge Eating-Overweight Group: will meet for four weeks beginning Tuesday, June 15th (3:00pm to 4:30pm). Ages 18-30ish. Facilitated by Sandee Nebel, MS, LMHC and Alice Baker, Registered and Licenced Dietician.  Cost for four week group session is $140.
•  Uncover Your Inner Artist- To Enhance Recovery from Anorexia and Bulimia:  We  explore creative self- expression through modalities such as music, drawing and more!  Saturday, May 8^th from 11:00am to 1:00pm.  Facilitated by Liz Strong, MA, NCC, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern and Tara Harvill, MA, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern and Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern.  Cost: $40. Includes supplies.
• Expressive Arts Workshop- To Enhance Recovery from Compulsive and Emotional Overeating: We will explore creative self- expression through modalities such as music, drawing and more!  Saturday, May 8^th from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.  Facilitated by Liz Strong, MA, NCC, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern and Tara Harvill, MA, Registered Mental Health Counselor Intern and Registered Marriage and Family Therapist Intern.  Cost: $40. Includes supplies. (this group may be full - please inquire)

 

Please note:  Seating is limited for all groups and workshops… Pre-registration required...Please call 407.622.0202 or email [email protected] to register. An intake ($40) is required for any new participants to groups (not required for workshops).

Recommended resources

Here are just three books that will be helpful to family members of someone with an eating disorder and body image issues:

Andrea's voice – Silenced by bulimia, by Doris Smeltzer with Andrea Lynn Smeltzer
why she feels fat - Understanding Your Loved One's Eating Doisorder and How You Can Help, by Johanna Marie McShane, PhD & Tony Paulson, PhD
Reflections of me: Girls and body image, by Kris Hirschmann

As always, we are glad to make other suggestions for books that may be helpful to your situation in our sessions.