Specialist therapy for ARFID
If you or your child has recently been given an ARFID diagnosis (which means avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder), you might be confused or not know how to get help – or know what kind of help you need. Or you may be looking for a therapist to help you after having been through an eating disorders treatment program.
You have come to the right place.
I’m Lori, an occupational therapist also practicing psychotherapy, and who specializes in ARFID. I work virtually with individuals (depending on their age) and their families to navigate this tricky eating disorder.
What is avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID)?
According to the DSM-5 (the manual used by most Western health care institutions, written and updated by the American Psychiatric Association), ARFID is an eating disorder characterized by the person limiting their food intake by amount and/or variety of foods. This selective eating is based on three reasons (often combined):
A lack of interest in food, a low appetite and/or feeling full easily.
Sensory sensitivities to certain foods (e.g. aversion to a food’s smell, taste or texture).
A fear of aversive consequences of eating (e.g. choking, vomiting or becoming ill).
Those with ARFID typically don’t have body dissatisfaction or a desire to lose weight like those who have other eating disorders. They do, however, often have nutritional deficiencies and their growth can be stalled.
Therapy for ARFID
Unlike picky eating, where a child will typically be selective about food in phases and it can resolve as they mature, those with ARFID usually do not get better without specialist intervention.
Therapy is tailored to the person: depending on why they are experiencing aversion to food (see above), interventions will be based on exactly what they are struggling with. This may involve psychoeducation about ARFID and what parents/caregivers can do; learning strategies to manage anxiety, distress and discomfort around food; exploring sensory sensitivities; introducing foods in non-threatening ways; and slow and gradual exposure to new foods.
The format for sessions
For those under 12 years: For those under 12 years: I will meet with the parents/caregivers first for an assessment (1 hour). I then use a parent coaching model for sessions: this means I will meet with you to coach you through the interventions, which you will conduct yourselves at home. Sometimes this will be “live” with your child and me on video, or it might be an intervention I instruct you to do throughout the week and then we go over how it went afterwards.
For those 12 years and older:
I will meet with the parents/caregivers first for an assessment (1 hour). Sessions after that are usually a combination of child-only sessions, with parents joining sometimes or having their own sessions, depending on progress and need.
For adults: I will meet with you for an initial assessment (1 hour) to go over what you are struggling with, your past therapy (if any) and what your goals are. We agree on what we will work on together and then meet at an agreed on frequency, depending on need.
My rates for services
Initial assessment (first appointment - 1 hour): $200 CAD
Follow up sessions (50 minutes): $150 CAD
Follow up parents’s/caregivers session (20 minutes): $85 CAD
Follow up parents’s/caregivers session (50 minutes): $150 CAD
Consultation for parents/families (50 minutes): $150 CAD
Written report: $85 CAD
More information about extended health benefits, autism funding and hours of operation 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 email me to book your first appointment.