Are you sick and tired of your relationship with food and eating? Do you want to learn how to manage your emotions without overeating or restricting?
At Destination Therapy in Houston, our Eating Disorder Specialists are here to empower you in recovery – mind, body, and spirit.
Love Hate Relationship with Food?
Often, we’re driven to eating disorders (EDs) as a way to cope with strong negative emotions. And eating disorders can express themselves in many ways. Do any of the following fit your experience?
- You’re preoccupied with your eating habits, weight, and body image.
- Yo-yo dieting has made you feel exhausted and apathetic about health.
- Restricting your food intake has been challenging or has led to health issues.
- Your relationship with food is challenging and you may feel alone or misunderstood.
- You experience a roller coaster of emotions that lead you to binge, purge, or avoid food.
If you can relate, please know that help is available and you’re not alone.
Many people with EDs experience shame, feeling out of control, and other negative symptoms. With help and consistent effort, you can recover and live free from the harmful effects of EDs.
Don’t try to fight eating disorders on your own. Because it’s not just about food or eating habits. It’s not just about calories or fat or protein. And it’s not just about how much you can exercise each day.
EDs very often stem from a variety of tough emotional challenges and you’ll need support to recover.
By being on this page, we want you to know that you’re in the right place. We’re trained to help and will walk alongside you with compassion throughout your recovery.
Whatever the cause of your eating disorder, we’re here to support and guide you safely to the other side.
Holistic Therapy + Support to Break Free from Eating Disorders
It’s very possible to overcome Eating Disorders… with the right help.
At Destination Therapy, we partner with doctors and registered nutritionists to provide a united front to overcome EDs. Mind. Body. Soul.
Support from our team opens the door for you to:
- Understand, accept, and feel better about yourself (and your eating habits)
- Let go of self-criticism and comparing yourself (usually unfavorably) to other people
- Learn new coping skills to handle tough situations and strong emotions (in and out of therapy)
- Get to the cause of your Eating Disorder (so you can make lasting changes that improve your health and self-esteem)
By the time you leave therapy with us, you can feel empowered, relieved, and strengthened through your journey to ED recovery.
Types of Eating Disorders We Treat Include:
✔ Anorexia Nervosa (characterized by abnormally low body weight and more)
✔ Bulimia Nervosa (characterized by binging and purging, or misuse of laxatives)
✔ Binge Eating Disorder (characterized by inability to stop oneself from eating large amounts of food)
✔ Rumination Disorder (characterized by voluntary vomiting and re-swallowing of food)
✔ Orthorexia (characterized by obsession with “pure” foods)
✔ ARFID (characterized by avoiding certain foods or amounts of foods)
✔ OSFED (characterized by eating difficulties that don’t fit another diagnosis)
Full recovery is our #1 goal with every client.
If you’re ready to take the first step, click the button below.
How We Help You Take Your Life Back from An Eating Disorder
When you come to us for Eating Disorder Therapy in Houston (or via telehealth anywhere in Texas, California or Florida), we hope you get the sense that we’re here for you. We care about you. And we have your back.
It’s hard to overcome something like an Eating Disorder. So we make it simple (though not easy) with our 6 part process:
Consultation
We start off with a 15-minute video consultation to see if we’re a good therapeutic fit. This is our chance to meet and talk about helping you with your particular Eating Disorder. If it feels like we’re a good fit to support you, we’ll schedule our first therapy session. In case we don’t have availability, we’ll refer you to a trusted partner in your area.
Starting Therapy + Making a Plan
Next, you’ll begin therapy with one of our eating disorder therapists in Houston. The first session is where we’ll do a full assessment of your history. We’ll also begin creating a plan and roadmap for your healing journey. Our therapists will create a customized treatment plan depending on your unique strengths and struggles and will ensure our care is trauma informed and culturally responsive. Our main goal is to help you recover and we’ll choose an approach that we feel may work best for you and your needs.
Meeting Your Team
No therapy for Eating Disorders is complete without a team. In most cases, we’ll collaborate with your dietician (or connect you with a great one) to gently guide your food intake to healthy levels and rhythms. Eating disorder nutrition therapy is essential for recovery.
If needed, we’ll also help you schedule an appointment with a physician to assess your overall health and provide extra care and support. With us, you get more than therapy. You get a united team of professionals who care and work to help you recover.
Learning Healthy Habits
Throughout your therapy journey we’ll support you in building healthy habits. These habits are essential for your recovery and may include habits around sleep, exercise, eating, self-care, and community support. These will all be tailored to your needs for successful ED recovery.
Making Progress and Facing Ups and Downs
Any journey worth taking is full of ups and downs. And your ED recovery will be no different. The good news is that you’ll be encouraged, supported, seen and heard through every up and down. We’ve got your back!
Adjusting and Moving Forward
As we work through the things that may be causing your eating disorder, we’ll make adjustments together. You’ll learn healthy coping mechanisms and eventually may reach a point where your sessions decrease in frequency or you feel confident closing out treatment with us. Just know that we are here for the long run, so if you hit a rough patch, relapse or decide to return to care, past clients are always a priority for us.
Meet our Eating Disorder Specialist, Tabitha
Want to Experience Genuine Recovery from Disordered Eating?
Our lead ED specialist is Tabitha Durr. Tabitha is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with several years experience treating eating disorders. She understands the harm that diet culture inflicts on people and is your partner in undoing these messages.
Tabitha has helped dozens of people recover from EDs of all types. She’s worked in eating disorder outpatient therapy, as well as the partial hospitalization setting. So, feel confident that she can help you too.
For those versed in therapy modalities, trauma informed approaches for eating disorders work well. Tabitha uses a trauma informed, person-centered approach with her clients. In fact, she uses a few therapy techniques for eating disorders.
These include Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). DBT for eating disorders is proven to be one of the most effective approaches. It involves working with your thoughts directly to improve thinking. ACT involves learning to accept your eating disorder and yourself, thereby opening the door for change.
Having as many people on your team to help with every aspect of an eating disorder is invaluable. That’s why you’ll receive all necessary support, including that of a registered dietician and a medical provider if needed. Our holistic approach to EDs supports your mental health, physical health and nutrition.
Sessions with our Eating Disorder therapists are 50-minutes long and happen weekly or bi-weekly, per your need. Sessions are $170 each. Eating Disorder therapy online is available using our secure video telehealth platform.
Offering specialized care is difficult with insurance, so at this time we aren’t in any insurance networks. If you want to use insurance for your sessions with us, you may be able to be reimbursed using your “out of network” benefits. Let us know if you’ll need help with reimbursement and we’ll gladly assist you.
What makes Destination Therapy different?
At Destination Therapy in Houston, we keep our caseloads small so you get the attention and support you need (and deserve). Additionally, we keep your confidentiality intact.
Our ED therapists are highly trained to support your eating disorder recovery. Plus, we’re partnered with nutritionists and physicians in Texas, California and Florida. That means you have a team of professionals working to help you recover.
You’re never fighting alone when you choose Destination Therapy for Eating Disorder Therapy.
EATING DISORDER FAQ
How to help a loved one with an eating disorder?
If your loved one has an eating disorder, the best thing you can do is seek professional help. People with EDs can often experience intense denial about their ED. A trained professional can help break through this denial. Don’t stage an intervention without professional guidance. This applies if you’re asking “how to help my girlfriend with an eating disorder?” as well.
Look for resources in the area of your loved one, whether they’re family, a friend, or your partner. Seek out community centers or even a hospital. Above all, act fast and contact help. This is because when it comes to mental health disorders, EDs have one of the highest rates of hospitalizations and mortality. If you’re concerned for a loved one, please fill out the contact form above or call us at (346) 266-2912. You can also email us with the subject line “eating disorder help” at hello@thedestinationtherapy.com We’ll do our best to help in a timely fashion.
How to tell someone you have an eating disorder?
Are you ready to tell someone you have an eating disorder? Our advice is to seek support where you think it will be given. The last thing you want is for someone to not believe you. However, if your relationship is otherwise good with this person, take a chance and let them know you’ve been struggling. How to tell your parents you have an eating disorder? This also takes some tact. If you’re confident your parent or caregiver can accept the news well without shaming you, go ahead. And if you suspect that you’ll need support or help from a professional, please ask. If you’re in Texas, California or Florida, our eating disorder therapists would love to help you start the path to recovery.
If you’re in need of immediate assistance, call 988
What are signs that someone has an eating disorder?
There are a number of signs that someone may have an eating disorder:
Physically, the person’s appearance may change noticeably or rapidly. Their teeth enamel may be eroding due to repeated, intentional vomiting. Their hair or nails may be brittle or break easily (this is a sign that they aren’t getting enough nutrition).
Behaviorally, you may notice that they run to the restroom immediately after meals. They may express body image issues, fret over what they ate, or exercise excessively. Changing diets often, preoccupation with food, and avoiding meals are common signs to be aware of.
Emotionally, they may be very driven to lose weight. They can also have intense aversions to certain foods and get upset over calories and “fat”. Mood swings, low self-esteem, and anxiety around food are common signs.
Additionally, if you’re asking the following questions about yourself or a loved one, consider it a sign and seek professional help:
- “Why do I have no appetite even when hungry?”
This is a sign that you may be experiencing trouble with food, appetite, and eating. To be safe, consult an eating disorder therapist. - “What is it called when you don’t like eating?”
Lack of enjoyment from eating may or may not be a sign of an eating disorder. If this is troubling you or causing you significant stress, or if people have commented on this, please consider contacting an eating disorder therapist near you. - “Is it normal for people to not eat?”
If you are avoiding eating due to stress or other reasons related to your mental health, please contact an eating disorder therapist near you for assessment. - “Is it OK to not have an appetite?”
Your appetite may fluctuate if you’re facing a mental health challenge, such as an eating disorder. Other causes may include anxiety, depression, grief, or sadness. Boredom and stress are also known to affect appetite. If changes in your appetite levels are causing you worry or stress, please contact an eating disorder therapist in your area. - “How do you fix loss of appetite?”
If you’re experiencing loss of appetite, engage in therapy. You’ll receive support as you get in touch with your hunger cues (appetite). Trying to fix eating disorders can be dangerous so we don’t recommend trying this alone. If you need more support, contact an eating disorder therapist in your area today.
For help with eating disorder Therapy in Houston, please fill out the contact form above or call us at (346) 266-2912. You can also email us with the subject line “eating disorder help” at hello@thedestinationtherapy.com We’ll do our best to help in a timely fashion.
Why are girls most likely to have an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are serious issues where people have a hard time with food and how they see their bodies. Often, eating disorders begin in adolescence. And women face these problems more than men. A big reason for this is the way society and media show very thin women and girls, making others feel they should look the same to be liked. This can cause a lot of worry about weight and eating.
When girls turn into teenagers, their bodies change, which can also cause stress or unhappiness about how they look and lead to an eating disorder. Sometimes, controlling what they eat feels like a way to deal with hard times. It’s important to talk about this kindly, knowing that eating disorders are not a choice but a serious issue. Having supportive people, good information, and getting help early can prevent or treat eating disorders. This helps everyone have a healthy view of food and their bodies, regardless of gender.
And what about men? Eating disorders are rising among men as well. It often goes unaddressed because most people don’t consider it as a possibility. Regardless of your gender identity, if you have an eating disorder, we’re here to help you recover. Destination Therapy is an inclusive space for all to come as they are and get help. Please fill out the contact form above or call us at (346) 266-2912 for support. You can also email us with the subject line “eating disorder help” at hello@thedestinationtherapy.com