Eating disorders are complicated disorders which can impact a person’s physical, social/emotional and psychological health. There are many misconceptions about eating disorders which can be confusing, and make it difficult to know when to get help. People can have eating disorder thoughts (such as a strong drive for thinness, fear of fat/weight gain) but do not show any physical signs of engaging in the behaviors; or, they can have disordered eating behavior without endorsing the beliefs.

Untreated eating disorders can cause serious damage and pose the highest risk of death than any other mental health disorder.

Child/adolescent development can be full of frustrating contradictions for everyone. Their behavior and emotional reactions often seem confusing (to parents and kids). Children and adolescents are not just “small adults.”
As kids mature, they will experience shifts in their thinking, mood and behavioral patterns. Many young people need help dealing with school stress, social relationships, family problems, communication and managing their emotions. This often happens when people become “stuck” in a pattern of thinking and/or behavior.

Therapy can help children/adolescents and their parents better understand these patterns and learn behavioral and emotional skills and strategies to improve their ability to successfully navigate these areas of their lives.

On airplanes, flight attendants always instruct you to secure your own oxygen mask before assisting others. This is good advice. You can’t save someone else if you can’t breathe.

The same is true when you are caring for a family member with physical and/or mental health concerns. You should take care of yourself first so you have the energy, patience, bandwidth to do everything you need to do for your family member.

We are expertly designed as human beings to turn off our own needs in order to effectively manage and survive the crisis. The problem is, we are not expertly designed to function for very long in crisis. The initial adrenaline wears off and we need to find ways to replenish ourselves for sustained energy to heal and prevent more crises.

When you are feeling disconnected, having difficulty communicating with your loved ones, it is normal to feel lonely, scared, and insecure. It’s completely normal to occasionally become irritated, have disagreements, and face challenges with people who are close to you.

Your relationship satisfaction likely depends on what you need in the relationship, and whether your partner is pursuing similar or different goals and whether he/she is attuned to your needs. Relationship therapy/family therapy provides the opportunity for you to closely examine your communication skills and family history in order to discover underlying causes of your tension and distress and facilitate connection while healing.

As kids mature, they will experience shifts in their thinking, mood and behavioral patterns. Many young people need help dealing with school stress, social relationships, family problems, communication and managing their emotions. This often happens when people become “stuck” in a pattern of thinking and/or behavior.

There are predictable ranges of cognitive, emotional and social growth that occur within the context of normal development. During these periods of growth, it can be difficult to know which changes reflect normal development (i.e. a “phase”) or if they might be signs and symptoms of a mental health disorder.

Therapy can help children/adolescents and their parents better understand these patterns and learn behavioral and emotional skills and strategies to improve their ability to successfully navigate these areas of their lives.

MHMH is able to provide consultation to clinicians who might be feeling “stuck” with complicated cases, seeking to learn new approaches, or cultivating a deeper application of existing skills.

We are also available for consultation with individuals, agencies/organizations wishing to integrate evidence-based approaches into existing and/or developing eating disorder treatment programs.

Individual and/or group clinical supervision is available for people pursuing clinical license (psychologist or LPC). We are also available for supervision of those who wish to enhance their understanding and skill in working with children/adolescents, eating disorders and family therapy including Emotion Focused Family Therapy.