Standing Up to My Eating Disorder Through Advocacy

In 2014, I was in the early days of my recovery from an eating disorder, and although it is a very personal experience, I wanted to share my story to help provide hope to others that recovery from an eating disorder is possible. I chose to work with the National Eating Disorders Association’s advocacy program […]

6 Ways to Cope with Being Motherless on Mother’s Day

On the Friday that I was officially diagnosed with an eating disorder, my mother had her first seizure. That weekend, she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, the following Monday she had brain surgery, and that night we were told that her cancer was terminal. As my mother’s illness progressed, so did mine. As she […]

5 Ways Moms Can Self-Care This Mother’s Day

With Mother’s Day approaching, I began to think of the moms in my life as well as the moms I treat in my practice. A running theme for many of them is the struggle with balance, happiness, and the demands of motherhood. More often than not, self-care is the one area that moms tend to […]

5 Ways to De-center Weight in Your Prenatal Care

In our current healthcare model, it’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing weight and BMI as the most important measure of health. Prenatal care is no different and the focus on weight, weight gain, and the weight of the baby too often take center stage. This often has more to do with cultural […]

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy in the Treatment of Binge Eating Disorder

How many of us who struggle with binge eating and/or weight management have been given the guidance to simply eat less and exercise more? Well, if you’re anything like me and my clients, this is not the solution; rather, it is a setup for a cycle of deprivation and demoralization. A diet and exercise plan […]

Thanks, Mom, for Never Giving Up On Me

My mom has always been one to rescue those in need. One time, in second grade, I got a D on an oral math test. I’ve always been a math whiz, but doing what is now known as “mental math”—you know, doing math in your head instead of on paper— has never been my thing. […]

There’s No “Right” Timeframe for Recovery

I used to become so depressed that I would hate myself for every little thing I perceived as a flaw. I’d spend hours daily making lists of the things I needed to work on and the things that just weren’t right about me. This constant battle in my head left me never feeling good enough. […]

“If This Were My Daughter”: An Adolescent Psychiatrist’s Perspective

This blog post was sponsored by Monte Nido (Clementine). I can recall first wanting to become a physician when my mother would take me to the pediatrician’s office when I was feeling sick as a child. Oftentimes, my doctor would sit next to me and calmly explain what he felt was going on and all […]

“I Felt Like I Had to Be Perfect in Every Way”

Despite recent progress, many autistic people’s unique issues around mental health and eating disorders continue to be misunderstood or dismissed outright. As the number of people being identified and diagnosed with autism increases, it is vital that both professionals and recovery advocates include autistic voices in the conversation about body image and eating disorders. I […]

7 Steps for a Body-Positive Pregnancy

Our bodies, and our relationships with our bodies, are complicated. We bring our whole body history to birth—our stories of pleasure, pain, strength, weakness, successes, failures, belonging, and outsiderness. These histories are also shaped by lifelong and shifting relationships with food, weight, culture, and identity. As labor doulas, we support pregnant people navigate their pregnancy, […]