Hope and Healing with Mary Elizabeth Burns, MS, NCC, LPC

Struggles with eating and body image are often deeply personal and rarely visible from the outside. Many individuals appear composed and high-functioning while privately managing cycles of restriction, overeating, preoccupation with food, or persistent dissatisfaction with their body.

I provide therapy for teens and adults seeking support with eating disorders and body image concerns. The work focuses on developing a more stable and compassionate relationship with food, the body, and oneself.

Eating disorders and body image concerns vary widely and do not always fit a single diagnosis. Common experiences include:

• cycles of restriction, bingeing, or compensatory behaviors
• constant preoccupation with food, weight, or appearance
• rigid rules around eating or exercise
• guilt, shame, or anxiety after eating
• difficulty trusting internal hunger and fullness cues
• self-worth tied to appearance, discipline, or perceived control
• intense internal pressure to meet unrealistic standards

Even mild or subclinical patterns can carry a significant emotional and cognitive burden, affecting daily functioning and overall well-being.

For many clients, disordered eating is closely tied to patterns of perfectionism, anxiety, or a need for control. Food and body behaviors often become coping strategies to:

• manage difficult or overwhelming emotions
• create predictability or order in daily life
• alleviate self-criticism or internal pressure
• feel a sense of accomplishment or mastery

While these strategies may offer temporary relief, they typically reinforce the cycle of stress, shame, and dissatisfaction over time.

Recovery is not about rigid rules or quick fixes. Therapy focuses on addressing the specific challenges of eating disorders while supporting sustainable change. This includes:

• Breaking cycles of restriction, bingeing, or compensatory behaviors
• Restoring trust in internal cues such as hunger, fullness, and satiety
• Challenging rigid rules, all-or-nothing thinking, and food-related anxiety
• Addressing underlying perfectionism, shame, and self-criticism
• Developing flexible, sustainable eating and self-care patterns
• Supporting emotional regulation and coping without relying on disordered behaviors

The work integrates somatic therapy, breathwork, and evidence-based approaches such as CBT and DBT, providing both practical tools and deeper nervous system regulation. The goal is to create lasting, internalized change, so clients feel more at ease with food, their body, and themselves.

With the right support, clients often experience:

• reduced preoccupation and anxiety around food
• improved consistency and flexibility in eating patterns
• less self-criticism and shame related to body and appearance
• a more grounded, stable sense of self-worth
• greater ease in daily functioning and decision-making

Therapy provides a safe, structured space to untangle emotional patterns and rebuild a sense of autonomy and self-trust.