Therapy for Eating Disorders in NYC
If you're caught in a painful cycle of food obsession, body shame, and perfectionism, you're not alone—and you don’t have to keep doing this alone. I help high-achieving women in NYC break free from disordered eating and rebuild a peaceful, trusting relationship with food and their bodies.
Understanding the Signs, Symptoms, and Types
Eating disorders are serious but treatable mental health conditions that affect how a person relates to food, body image, and control. If you're constantly thinking about what, when, or how much you eat—and feel overwhelmed by shame, fear, or guilt—you may be dealing with an eating disorder, even if you don’t “look the part.”
There are several types of eating disorders, each with their own signs and symptoms:
Binge Eating Disorder (BED): Recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food in a short period of time, often in secret, followed by intense guilt or distress. Learn more about binge eating disorder therapy in NYC.
Anorexia Nervosa: Characterized by extreme restriction of food intake, an intense fear of gaining weight, and a distorted body image. Many people with anorexia look “fine” on the outside while suffering deeply.
Bulimia Nervosa: Involves cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors like purging, excessive exercise, or fasting.
Orthorexia: An obsession with “clean” or “healthy” eating that becomes rigid, fear-based, or socially isolating.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorders (OSFED): Disordered eating patterns that don’t fit into a specific diagnosis but still cause harm.
You don’t need to be underweight, diagnosed, or in crisis to deserve support. Disordered eating exists on a spectrum—and therapy can help you find peace, no matter where you land.
Maybe you don’t know what to call it—only that food feels like the one thing you should be able to control, but can’t. Or maybe your life looks successful on the outside, but privately, you feel consumed by guilt, shame, or confusion about your eating habits. You might be wondering: Do I even have an eating disorder? Is this bad enough to get help?
The truth is: if it’s interfering with your peace of mind, your time, or your self-worth—it matters. You matter.
What Is an Eating Disorder?
Not sure where you fall?
Take my Eating Disorder Self-Assessment Quiz to better understand your relationship with food and body image.
Therapy for Eating Disorders in NYC: How I Can Help
Healing from an eating disorder isn’t just about changing your behavior around food—it’s about changing your relationship to yourself. Whether you're dealing with binge eating, restriction, constant food anxiety, or relentless body shame, therapy can help you break the cycle and find peace.
I specialize in working with high-achieving, emotionally aware women in New York City who are struggling with disordered eating, perfectionism, and the exhausting need to stay in control. If you’ve tried intuitive eating, meal plans, or even other therapists—and still feel stuck—you’re not alone.
My approach to eating disorder therapy is personalized, trauma-informed, and deeply collaborative. I integrate modalities like:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help you respond to food urges with compassion rather than control
REBT and CBT to challenge black-and-white thinking around food, body image, and self-worth
Health at Every Size (HAES®) to guide you toward body trust and respect, at any size or shape
Neurodivergent-affirming care for those who experience food sensitivities, sensory overload, or emotional eating linked to ADHD or autism
Therapy sessions are a space where we get curious—not critical. Together, we’ll explore the emotional roots of your eating disorder, rebuild a sense of safety in your body, and develop sustainable coping strategies that don’t revolve around food.
You don’t have to keep doing this alone.
Whether you’re newly struggling or have been battling this for years, reaching out for help can be the first step toward freedom.
Who I Work With
My clients are often the ones who appear confident and accomplished—but inside, they feel like they’re failing.
You might be a high-performing woman in NYC: a lawyer, a creative, a therapist, a medical professional, a founder. You’re used to solving problems, thinking critically, and managing a million moving parts. But when it comes to food, control, and your body, it feels like nothing ever works—and that failure feels especially personal.
You’ve likely said things to yourself like:
“Why can’t I just stop eating at night?”
“I don’t look sick, so maybe I’m just being dramatic.”
“I know what I should do, but I can’t make myself do it.”
“If I could just get control over my body, I’d feel better.”
You may not even realize you're struggling with an eating disorder—especially if your behaviors don’t look “severe.” But perfectionism, obsession with wellness, emotional eating, and body checking are all signs of deeper distress. And they deserve attention, compassion, and care.
I specialize in working with:
High-achieving women dealing with binge eating, emotional eating, or restriction
Individuals struggling with body image despite “doing all the right things”
Neurodivergent adults (ADHD, autism, HSPs) whose food experiences don’t fit the norm
Women recovering from years of dieting, food guilt, and internalized body shame
“Alyson's empathy and attunement to my life issues has been hugely helpful over the last 6 months. I've grown a great deal more aware of my feelings, and my ability to show myself compassion has made strides in the right direction. Alyson's always on time, follows the practice policies fairly, and brings 110% to every visit.”
— Former Client
If any of this sounds familiar, know that it’s not a character flaw. You’re not broken. You’ve likely just developed coping mechanisms to survive a world that’s made you believe your worth is tied to your body, your willpower, or your performance.
Therapy with the right eating disorder therapist in NYC can help you rewrite that story.
What Therapy Looks Like
Starting therapy for an eating disorder can feel overwhelming—especially when food and body image have been sources of shame, secrecy, or stress for years. That’s why my approach is grounded in empathy, curiosity, and collaboration.
In our sessions, we don’t just talk about food. We explore the deeper emotional patterns that drive your eating behaviors—perfectionism, self-criticism, fear of failure, or the need to stay in control. These patterns often show up in other areas of life too, and therapy offers a space to understand and shift them with compassion.
Each session is personalized to your goals and needs. You might learn how to:
Navigate binge urges without spiraling into guilt
Reconnect with your body and hunger cues in ways that feel safe
Challenge all-or-nothing food rules and rigid thinking
Make peace with weight changes and body image triggers
Understand the link between neurodivergence and eating behaviors (if applicable)
Build coping tools for stress, overwhelm, and emotional dysregulation
“Healing isn’t about controlling your body—it’s about reclaiming your peace.”
I incorporate evidence-based modalities like:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – helps you build psychological flexibility and act from your values, not fear
Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) – identifies and reworks harmful core beliefs that fuel disordered eating
Health at Every Size (HAES®) – supports body respect and healing outside of weight stigma or diet culture
Neurodivergent-Affirming Practices – adapted for sensory sensitivities, executive function challenges, and emotional intensity
We move at your pace. There is no pressure to be “fixed.” The goal is healing—on your terms.
Why Work With Me
There are a lot of therapists in New York City. But here’s what sets me apart—especially if you’re someone who’s used to being the high achiever, the one who “figures it out,” or the one who keeps it all together until it all quietly breaks down.
You don’t need surface-level advice. You need someone who sees the depth of what you’re carrying, and knows how to help you untangle it at the root.
Clients who work with me often say they feel truly seen for the first time—not just as a set of symptoms, but as whole people. I bring a balance of clinical expertise and real-world attunement to our work, especially when it comes to food, perfectionism, identity, and control.
I practice from a Health at Every Size® and Body Trust® perspective—meaning your body is never the problem to be solved. Instead, we explore how to rebuild a relationship with food and body that’s rooted in safety, self-respect, and autonomy. If you’re curious about the philosophy behind this, you can read more about Body Trust® here.
Here’s what you can expect:
✔ Nearly a decade of experience supporting women with disordered eating, body image concerns, and trauma
✔ Specialization in binge eating, orthorexia, body dysmorphia, and food-related shame
✔ Neurodivergent-affirming care for ADHD, autism, sensory sensitivities, and emotional overwhelm
✔ LGBTQ+ affirming, sex-positive, and trauma-informed
✔ A therapy experience that blends empathy, depth, strategy, and real transformation—not just symptom management
