Bulimia Nervosa Treatment: Get Help
Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that can disrupt a person’s life. The cycle of eating compulsively and then purging afterwards leads to emotional instability, distress, secretive behaviour and negative health consequences.
I’m Lori, an occupational therapist also practicing psychotherapy, who specializes in bulimia. I work virtually with individuals to teach them how to stop binge eating and purging.
What is Bulimia?
Bulimia is classified as recurring episodes of food restriction followed by binge eating. Binging feels out of control, without being able to stop during the binge, and consuming an unusually large amount of food in a short time. It is related to negative body image, which reinforces the behaviour.
To compensate for a binge, the person will vomit; misuse laxatives, diuretics or enemas; exercise excessively; and/or severely restrict their food intake (to try to prevent themselves from gaining weight).
Once the binging and purging has stabilized and you have a set of strategies that work, we develop a relapse plan. This is important so that you feel confident as we decrease session frequency and when moving through life transitions, when the urge to binge is likely to surface again.
My Rates
Initial session (first appointment - 1 hour): $200 CAD
Initial Parent(s)’ session (50 minutes): $150 CAD
Follow up sessions (50 minutes): $150 CAD
Follow up parent(s)’ sessions (25 minutes): $85 CAD
Follow up parent(s)’ sessions (50 minutes): $150 CAD
Consultations for parents/families (50 minutes): $150 CAD
More information about extended health benefits can be found on my Rates page.
Please contact me if you’d like to speak further. I offer a free, 15-minute phone call to go over logistics and answer any questions you may have. Otherwise, you can always email me to book your first appointment.
Therapy for Bulimia Nervosa
The cycle of binging and purging is devastating and very difficult to manage without getting support. Although a person will try their hardest to stop binging, they feel like more of a failure every time it happens, reinforcing the destructive cycle.
Our first priority in therapy is to disrupt the binge/purge cycle, creating a regular eating pattern to reduce the amount of times you binge. From there, we explore why you’re binging, what triggers the behaviour, and then build other coping strategies.
The work can be as deep as you need it to be, depending on your life history, or focus more on practical strategies for coping, managing emotions and tolerating distress. If appropriate, I can use a sensory approach to help you calm your nervous system, help with sensory differences and complement your new coping strategies.