Our clinicians provide evidence-based outpatient therapy for adults and adolescents, drawing on cognitive behavioral therapy, DBT skills, family involvement, and direct body image work. We coordinate closely with dietitians and medical providers as part of a multidisciplinary team, and we're clear about when a higher level of care is the safer choice.
This may be a good fit if you experience…
- ✓Anorexia nervosa (restricting or binge-purge type)
- ✓Bulimia nervosa
- ✓Binge eating disorder (BED)
- ✓OSFED, atypical anorexia, and orthorexic patterns
- ✓Disordered eating that hasn't reached a formal diagnosis
- ✓Body image distress without a formal diagnosis
Key benefits
Evidence-Based Care
Cognitive behavioral and dialectical behavioral approaches are the most-researched outpatient psychotherapies for eating disorders, and they anchor our work.
Multidisciplinary Coordination
We work closely with your dietitian, primary care, and (when needed) psychiatrist so everyone is on the same page.
Body Image Repair
Recovery is more than weight restoration. We work on the body image distress that often outlasts the behavior change.
Family Involvement
For adolescents, parents are part of the treatment team, supporting regular eating, noticing warning signs early, and reinforcing recovery at home.
Long-Term Recovery
We aim for full remission and relapse prevention, not just 'good enough' symptom reduction.
Relapse Prevention
Recovery includes a plan for the hard weeks (early warning signs, what to do, and who to call) so progress holds after therapy ends.
Approaches we use
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
The most-researched outpatient psychotherapy for eating disorders. CBT addresses the over-evaluation of weight and shape that drives most eating disorder behavior, working through regular eating, behavioral experiments, and body image work.
Family Involvement for Adolescents
For teens, parents are brought into treatment as allies, supporting regular eating at home, noticing warning signs early, and learning to respond without the power struggles eating disorders thrive on.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
For clients whose eating disorder is intertwined with emotion regulation, self-harm, or impulsivity. DBT skills address the function the behavior is serving.
Body Image & Exposure Work
Direct, gradual work on mirror exposure, clothing, photos, and other body-image triggers. Recovery isn't complete without this.
How we work
- 1
Focused, Not Generalist
Eating disorders need clinicians who understand them. Our clinicians who treat eating disorders focus on this work rather than fitting it in around everything else.
- 2
Medical Safety First
We require coordination with a medical provider for vital sign and lab monitoring. We refer to higher levels of care (PHP/residential) when outpatient isn't enough.
- 3
Recovery, Not Compromise
Our goal is full remission. 'Better' isn't the finish line; true recovery is.
Our approach at Crown Counseling
Eating disorders carry some of the highest medical risks of any mental health condition, but they're also among the most treatable when caught early and treated with evidence-based approaches [2]. Crown provides outpatient care for adults and adolescents, and we coordinate closely with dietitians, primary care, and (when needed) psychiatrists as part of a multidisciplinary team.
For adults, our work is anchored in cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders, which targets the core maintaining mechanism of most eating disorders, the over-evaluation of shape and weight in determining self-worth, and works through regular eating, behavioral experiments, and body image work. Meta-analyses of CBT for eating disorders show meaningful, durable improvements in both behavior and the underlying concerns about weight and shape [1].
For adolescents, we involve parents as part of the treatment team. Families learn how to support regular eating at home, recognize warning signs early, and respond without the power struggles that eating disorders thrive on. Where an adolescent needs medical stabilization or a structured refeeding program, we refer to a specialized higher level of care and continue working with the family alongside it.
When clients present with eating disorder symptoms alongside emotion regulation difficulties, self-harm, or borderline traits, we add DBT skills work. Body image distress almost always outlasts behavioral recovery, so we incorporate direct body image exposure work (mirror, clothing, photos) as a standard part of treatment, not an optional add-on.
We require coordination with a medical provider for ongoing vital sign and lab monitoring; this is non-negotiable for safety. If outpatient care isn't enough, based on weight, labs, vital signs, or severity of behavior, we refer to a higher level of care (intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, or residential) and resume working with you when you step back down.
What to expect
- 1
Intake: assessment, medical clearance, multidisciplinary plan
- 2
Weekly 50-min sessions: CBT, DBT, or family-involved as indicated
- 3
Coordination with your dietitian and medical provider
- 4
Family sessions (for adolescents and as indicated)
- 5
Step-up or step-down referrals as clinically needed
References
- Linardon, J., Wade, T. D., de la Piedad Garcia, X., & Brennan, L. (2017). The efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(11), 1080–1094
- Hay, P. (2013). A systematic review of evidence for psychological treatments in eating disorders: 2005–2012 International Journal of Eating Disorders, 46(5), 462–469
