My experience with treating eating disorders started when I was an undergraduate student in the dietetics and human nutrition program at McGill University. While learning how to implement re-feeding programs for individuals with anorexia, I was fascinated by the psychological aspects of eating disorders, particularly how to motivate people to make long-term changes. This interest motivated me to learn psychology and eventually become a psychologist who specializes in treating eating disorders.

Thoughts, Feelings, and Food

Eating disorders (e.g., anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder) are multifaceted psychological conditions, encompassing cognitive (e.g., “feeling fat”), emotional (e.g., heightened negative emotions, emotion variability), and interpersonal components. Additionally, food choices, such as nutrient deficiencies (e.g., low iron), contribute to psychological distress (e.g., depressed mood, irritability). Psychological treatment, such as CBT, DBT, and EFT, is efficacious at addressing the underlying psychological mechanisms associated with eating disorders and mitigating eating disorder symptoms.

Autonomous Motivation

Autonomous motivation is defined as internalizing non-intrinsically motivated goals (e.g., maladaptive eating cessation) into meaningful self-development. With my knowledge and experience in nutrition, psychological treatment, and motivation, I will help clients develop a personalized treatment plan that builds on personal strengths and elicits autonomous motivation to support long-term, meaningful change beyond cessation of eating disorder symptoms.