Emotional eating is not about a lack of willpower.
In fact, people who struggle with binge eating behavior often demonstrate significant willpower when it comes to work and family.
Self-medicating with food is a sign that additional tools are needed to cope with overwhelming stress.
You don't have to struggle alone.
Countless people who struggle with emotional eating feel isolated.
We are here to help you find freedom from shame and create a healthy relationship with food. If you use food to cope with stress or negative emotions, our counselors can provide practical steps tailored to the stresses you face on a daily basis.
Matt Lawson, MA, NCC, LPC on Intuitive Eating.
You can achieve a healthy relationship with food.
Our Chicago counselors are here to help. Here's how:
Break the cycle of shame.
Many people who battle with the urge to self-soothe with food feel overwhelmed by negative thoughts. This voice of perfectionism can be punishing. Your harsh inner critic creates shame and anxiety, which leads to emotional eating, which leads to more shame.
Counseling gives you tools to challenge and soothe the voice of your harsh inner critic. Through professionally supported, comprehensive counseling you can learn to change intrusive thought patterns resulting in behavior that better aligns with a healthy lifestyle.
Discover effective ways to cope with stress.
We are at our most vulnerable when our anxiety is at its highest making it easy to turn to unwanted eating patterns. Changing behavior for the better starts with really addressing the internal conversations that we have with ourselves and leveraging established therapeutic strategies.
Feel a sense of peace and calm.
Forge a new relationship with food through radical self-care. We offer strategies to help you achieve health of your body, mind, and spirit.
One of the benefits of our integrative approach is that your health and well-being will also improve, empowering you to feel comfortable in your life again. Sleep well at night and wake up to a feeling of ease.
Take steps towards your vision of lifelong wellness.
We help you create a healthy future by changing the present. Our guidance doesn't involve "banning bad foods" or harsh diet plans. Your vision of health begins with build inner resources to face the stresses of life.
Intuitive eating starts with collaboration.
There is no reason for you to make this journey alone. Together, with a caring emotional specialist, you will work toward improving how you relate to the food you eat.
You will be working with a skilled, experienced professional who can provide insights based on extensive past experience.
You get a plan tailored to you.
While similarities can be drawn across the wide spectrum of individuals that have struggled with binge eating, each person has a unique story that will serve as the foundation of the work that is done.
Find freedom to live the life you want.
Your relationship to food has held you back long enough.
When you are ready to embrace the change that is needed to improve your life, you will open the door to experiences that you may have missed out on in the past.
Not only do you get a chance to break free from a bad habit, but you also get the opportunity to create the life you've always wanted to have. We are here to help. Contact us to get started today.
Frequently asked questions about counseling for binge-eating and emotional overeating:
Q. What is binge-eating?
Binge-eating is the experience of eating too much and feeling like you can't stop - even if you are uncomfortably full. Afterwards, you feel overwhelmed by guilt. You may find that you eat quickly, even if you aren't hungry. People who struggle with binge eating and emotional overeating frequently struggle with feeling like they are out-of-control. This leads to feelings of low self-worth, anxiety, and shame.
Q. Can counseling help me?
Yes. There is a large body of research that spans over years of practice that supports the use of therapeutic intervention in treating a wide range of eating disorders. Through the utilization of established therapeutic strategies you will receive professional support toward making significant improvements in your life.
Q. Are you going to tell me what to eat and when?
The goal will be to develop healthy eating patterns that provide your body consistent nutritional intake to maintain a healthy weight. While there will be some initial guidelines that will be suggested around what and when to eat, you will become more intuitive about why you are eating.
Q. I think there is a relationship between my eating and alcohol use. Can you help me understand this?
Our counseling team specializes in the connection between eating behavior and alcohol use. We find that sometimes people who go into alcohol recovery engage in binge-eating and that some people only binge-eat when they are drinking. We will help you understand the sequence of triggers so that you can develop a path of wholeness.
Q. How do I get started?
You can schedule an appointment by calling (312) 715-8234. Our Client Services Coordinator will answer your questions and match you with the best counselor to meet your needs.