A steadier relationship with food, body, and the voice in your head.
Most people who reach out aren’t sure they actually have an eating disorder. That uncertainty is a normal part of where this starts and you don’t need a diagnosis to deserve support. If food, your body, or the rules you’ve built around them are taking up more space than you want, that’s enough reason to begin.
If any of this
sounds familiar.
- Food takes up far more headspace than you'd like: planning, avoiding, counting, or replaying it after the fact.
- You've quietly built rules around eating: safe foods, fear foods, times you can or can't, places you do or don't.
- You're caught in cycles of restriction, bingeing, purging, over-exercising, or some combination that's shifted over the years.
- Eating feels uncomfortable, scary, or sensory-loaded or your range of foods has narrowed.
- Your body has become something to fix, hide, monitor, or push past, rather than live in.
- Friends or family have started to notice, or you're starting to wonder if what you've called 'just how I am' is actually something more.
The shapes this can take.
Labels help. They’re not the whole story.
Anorexia Nervosa
Restriction that has tightened over time, often paired with intense fear of weight gain and a sense of control that has stopped feeling like control.
Bulimia Nervosa
Cycles of eating and compensating, including purging, exercise, or fasting, that leave you exhausted and ashamed and become harder to step out of the longer they run.
Binge Eating Disorder
Episodes that feel out of your control, often followed by guilt, secrecy, and another round of promises to start over tomorrow.
ARFID
Avoidant or restrictive eating tied to sensory experience, fear of choking or illness, or low interest in food, rather than body image.
OSFED & Disordered Eating
Patterns that don't fit neatly into a diagnosis but still cost you energy, freedom, and peace. They count.
Body Image & Recovery Maintenance
For people who have done some of the work and want help holding the line through life transitions, stress, or the long middle of recovery.
The people who get here have usually been managing this longer than anyone around them knows.
Daniel Chavarria, LMHC
From first call to first session.
01 / Reach out
A short email or phone call. You don't need to have it all figured out. A sentence is enough to start.
02 / We find a time
I'll get back to you and we'll set up your first appointment.
03 / First session
We spend the time getting to know what's going on and where you want to go. No pressure to have all the answers yet.
FAQ
Do I need to have a diagnosed eating disorder to reach out?
No. You do not need a diagnosis to ask for help. Many people reach out because their relationship with food, exercise, body image, or control has started to feel overwhelming or difficult to manage. Some people know they have an eating disorder. Others are not sure yet. Either way, therapy can be a place to sort through what is happening and what kind of support makes sense.
What if I’m not sure whether what I’m experiencing “counts” as an eating disorder?
That uncertainty is common. You may be restricting, binge eating, over-exercising, feeling anxious around food, obsessing over your body, or noticing old patterns coming back. You may also have had someone close to you express concern. If food, body image, or control is taking up more space in your life than you want it to, that is enough of a reason to reach out.
Can GLP-1 medications affect eating disorder recovery?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer. Every situation is different, and decisions about GLP-1 medications should be made with your prescribing medical provider while also considering your mental health history. If you have a current or past eating disorder, it’s important that all members of your care team are aware of the medication so they can help monitor both your physical and emotional well-being.
If concerns about weight, food, body image, or medication use are becoming overwhelming, therapy can provide a safe space to explore those experiences without judgment. My goal is to help you build a healthy, sustainable relationship with food and your body while collaborating with your physician, dietitian, and other healthcare providers when appropriate.
Do you coordinate with dieticians or medical providers?
Yes. Eating disorder treatment is often most effective when it’s approached as a team effort. Depending on your needs, I may collaborate with your primary care provider, physician, registered dietitian, psychiatrist, or other healthcare professionals involved in your care.
With your written permission, I can coordinate with members of your treatment team to help ensure everyone is working toward the same goals. This collaboration can support medical monitoring, nutritional care, and therapy while providing a more comprehensive and consistent treatment experience.
If you don’t already have the right providers in place, I can also help connect you with trusted resources when appropriate.
Is telehealth as effective as in-person for this?
For many adults, yes. We’ll talk about what fits your situation, and you’re welcome to mix in-person sessions in Ankeny with telehealth as life requires.
Are your symptoms getting in the way of the life you want to live?
A short email or call is enough to start. We’ll figure out the rest together.