Are you concerned that your teen may be struggling with an eating disorder?

Here are some signs that your teen could be experiencing an eating disorder or disordered eating:

 

  • Preoccupation with food, weight, or body image; often talking about dieting or appearance

  • Avoiding foods, skipping meals, or restricting eating, especially in social situations

  • Engaging in excessive exercise, or using exercise as a way to compensate for eating

  • Increased anxiety or guilt around food choices or eating habits

  • Changes in mood, such as irritability or withdrawal, particularly around mealtime

  • Secretive behaviors regarding food, sneaking food, or hoarding food; preferring to eat alone

  • Rigidity and rules around food; beliefs around one “right” way to eat

  • Physical changes like weight fluctuations, fatigue, or changes in skin, hair, or nails

  • Frequently going to the bathroom during or after meals

  • Excessive focus on "healthy" eating to the point of obsession, avoiding entire food groups, or becoming rigid about eating habits

  • And more!

Eating disorder symptoms can present in many different ways outside of what we traditionally think of as stereotypical eating disorder behaviors.

 
 

We’re Here to Help:

At Conason Psychological Services, we specialize in supporting teens and adolescents who are struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, body image issues, and other emotional challenges related to food. At Conason Psychological Services, Shannon Marhan, LMSW, specializes in working with adolescents and young adults with eating disorders. She is dedicated to helping young people navigate these difficult struggles and build healthier relationships with food and themselves. Shannon takes a holistic, client-centered approach to therapy, working closely with teens and their families to understand the root causes of disordered eating and explore feelings around food, body image, and self-worth. She combines evidence-based therapeutic techniques, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), to help teens develop coping strategies, manage anxiety, and improve their self-esteem.

Services for Parents of Teens with Eating Disorders

When your child is diagnosed with an eating disorder, the road ahead can feel daunting and overwhelming. Will my child be okay? How can I best support my child in recovery? How can I manage my child’s eating disorder treatment while also struggling with eating issues or being in eating disorder recovery myself? Some parents may struggle with feelings of guilt and self-blame, wondering if they did something to cause their child to have an eating disorder. Some parents feel responsible for curing their child without any tangible resources or tools to do so.

At Conason Psychological Services, we support parents of children with eating disorders. We offer individual, couples, and group therapy for parents of children, teens, and young adults with eating disorders to help you navigate this difficult experience. We can collaborate closely with your child’s treatment team to understand the treatment modalities being used to treat your child and give you the tools to best support their care. Caregivers need support too! Individual therapy can help you process and cope with your child’s eating disorder, explore and heal your own relationship with food and body image, and learn strategies to support your child without losing yourself. Couples therapy can help you and your partner and/or co-parent communicate better, get on the same page, learn new strategies to support your child, and work together during this stressful time. Group therapy brings you together with other parents of children, teens, and young adults with eating disorders. Connect with others going through a similar situation to build community, connections, and support one another in a therapeutic setting.

 
 

If you are concerned about your child’s eating, relationship with food, body image, and/or need support as a parent of a child with an eating disorder, please contact us today for a free consultation call to see if therapy at Conason Psychological Services could be the right fit for you.