Eating disorder and body image psychotherapy with Sarah Cushing, RP (CRPO #15706). CBT-E-informed treatment alongside EMDR, somatic, and depth-oriented work. In person at 100 Centrepointe in Nepean/Ottawa, or virtually anywhere in Ontario.
You may have been managing this quietly for years, or you may be at the point where it is hard to think about much else. Either way, you do not need to be at any particular level of unwell to begin.
These patterns are adaptations, not character flaws. Much of this work overlaps with trauma therapy, since what shows up around food is often carrying something older.
Enhanced cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT-E) gives this work a spine: regular eating, tracking the patterns that keep the cycle going, and gradually widening what feels possible around food.
It is practical and collaborative. We set the pace together, and we adjust when life or the body asks for something different.
Food and body concerns rarely live in the mind alone. Somatic work pays attention to hunger, fullness, tension, and numbness as information rather than as problems to argue with.
Where earlier experiences still carry a charge, EMDR can be part of the plan. I completed my basic training through an EMDRIA-approved program and work as an EMDR-trained clinician. We begin with stabilization, not the hardest memory.
Symptoms usually make sense once you understand what they have been protecting: control in an unpredictable household, belonging in a sport, safety in a body that felt unsafe to inhabit.
We explore that together, honestly and without shame, so change does not depend on willpower alone. My background in anthropology and sociology means we also name the cultural and family systems in the room.
When it is clinically appropriate, sessions can include meal support: eating together, with attention to what comes up before, during, and after.
Caregiver consultation is also available, guided by your consent and clinical needs, so the people around you can offer support that actually helps.
Eating disorder care is team care. With your written consent, I collaborate with dietitians, family physicians, psychiatrists, and other treatment providers so everyone is working from the same picture.
Psychotherapy supports medical and nutritional care; it does not replace it.
You can read more about how sessions are structured on the what to expect page, or see all fees on the services page.
Outcomes vary from person to person, and no particular result can be guaranteed. Psychotherapy is not a substitute for medical or nutritional care, and this is not a crisis service. If you are in crisis, call 911, go to your nearest emergency department, or contact the 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline.
A free 15-minute consultation is the simplest way to find out whether this approach fits what you are carrying.
