Binge Eating Group Therapy in Lynnwood, WA
Break Free from the Cycle of Binge Eating with Compassionate Group Support
If you're tired of feeling out of control around food, you're not alone. As a mental health professional who understands what it's like to feel dysregulated and disconnected from yourself, I offer specialized group therapy for women struggling with binge eating disorder in Lynnwood, WA. My approach isn't about another diet or willpower – it's about healing the deeper patterns that keep you stuck.
You deserve to feel at peace in your own body and trust your relationship with food. Through my binge eating group therapy sessions, you'll find community with other women who truly understand your struggles while learning effective tools for lasting recovery.
Understanding Binge Eating Disorder and Why Group Therapy Works
Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder, characterized by episodes of eating large amounts of food while feeling completely out of control. According to the National Eating Disorders Association and research from mental health professionals, eating disorder symptoms often include intense shame about eating habits, negative body image, and emotional distress that creates a vicious cycle.
Unlike bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder doesn't involve self-induced vomiting, but the psychological impact can be equally devastating. For many women, disordered eating develops as a way to cope with overwhelming emotions, trauma, or feeling like their true selves aren't acceptable in the world.
Group therapy for eating disorders offers unique benefits that individual treatment alone cannot provide. When you're surrounded by group members who understand your struggles without judgment, the recovery process becomes less isolating and more hopeful. Research consistently shows that group therapy can be as effective as individual therapy for binge eating disorder, often with better long-term outcomes due to the community support element.
My Approach to Binge Eating Group Therapy
As a licensed therapist, I'm fully engaged every minute of our group sessions, offering real, honest support that addresses both the symptoms and underlying causes of your eating disorder. I also try to bring some fun to each session because let’s be honest, being human is hard and weird! And there’s nothing like being in a group of other women who will laugh at the same things because we’re the same kind of weird. :)
My treatment approach integrates several evidence-based modalities:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Learn to be present with difficult emotions instead of using food to cope. We work on accepting uncomfortable feelings as part of being human rather than problems to immediately solve.
Feminist Theory: It’s impossible to talk about diet culture, intuitive eating, and the like without talking about the role that being a woman plays in our eating and body challenges. This component helps us step back from the “this is a me problem” to this is a cultural problem.
Intuitive Eating Principles: Rebuild trust with your body and develop healthier eating habits that honor your hunger and fullness cues. This isn't about rules – it's about reconnecting with your body's wisdom.
Person-Centered Therapy: I meet you where you are, not where I think you should be. Your experience is valid, and you're the expert on your own life. The group offers a lot of fun hands on exercises that focus on supporting you learn more about what matters to you, what your body story is and how it affects you today, art therapy and even a 30 minute massage to help connect with your body.
Who Benefits from Binge Eating Group Therapy
My ideal clients are sensitive women who always put others first, over-functioning, and disconnected from their own needs. You might recognize yourself in these descriptions:
The successful woman who falls apart at home, using food as her only source of comfort
The exhausted mom who binges late at night because it's the only time that feels like hers
The highly sensitive woman who learned her emotions were "too much" and uses food to numb overwhelming feelings
The woman escaping toxic relationships who doesn't know how to be in relationship with herself
What these women share is intelligence, sensitivity, and souls who learned to disconnect from themselves as survival. The binge eating isn't the real problem – it's a symptom of deeper disconnection that group therapy can help heal.
My Binge Eating Group Therapy Approach
I offer one specialized binge eating group that runs four times per year, with each cycle lasting three months. This mixed-approach group combines both process work and skills development – which I've found to be the most effective method for eating disorder recovery.
What Each Group Includes:
Discussion-based sessions where we explore emotional and relational patterns contributing to binge eating
Concrete tools for managing urges and emotional regulation
Greater understanding of your needs and wants with plans to better meet them
Ways to interrupt the binge cycle in real-time
Body image work, as this is closely connected to disordered eating patterns
My groups are designed for women who want to understand the "why" behind their behaviors while also building practical tools for daily life. We address mental health concerns holistically, understanding that recovery involves healing your entire relationship with yourself, not just changing eating behaviors.
The Benefits of Group Support for Eating Disorder Recovery
Group therapy works because it addresses the relational wounds often underlying binge eating disorder. If you learned early that your emotions were too much or your needs didn't matter, those patterns need healing in relationship with others who offer support without judgment.
Key Benefits Include:
Community Connection: Find women who truly understand your struggles
Reduced Isolation: Break free from the shame that keeps you stuck
Diverse Perspectives: Learn from other group members' experiences and coping strategies
Accountability: Loving support that helps you stay committed to recovery
Practice Space: Learn to be real and vulnerable in a safe environment
Emotional Validation: Experience acceptance and understanding from peers
Participants often report that joining a group was the first time they felt truly seen and understood. It's where they realized their sensitivity wasn't weakness, their emotions weren't too much, and their needs weren't unreasonable.
What Recovery Looks Like
Eating disorder recovery isn't about perfect control over food or never experiencing difficult emotions. Real recovery means learning to be present with yourself, developing emotional regulation skills that don't require food, and trusting your body's signals.
Recovery also involves setting boundaries, asking for what you need without apologizing, and recognizing when you're falling into old patterns. For many participants, recovery means finally understanding what they want their life to look like rather than what they think it should look like.
Most people find their eating habits naturally regulate when they address underlying emotional and psychological factors driving binge eating disorder. They develop healthy coping strategies, build supportive relationships, and create lives that truly fit who they are.
Getting Started with Group Therapy
Ready to explore whether group therapy is right for your eating disorder recovery? I offer free consultations where we discuss your specific situation and determine if group treatment fits your needs. There's no pressure – just an honest conversation about what healing might look like for you.
During consultation, I'll explain:
How group therapy sessions work
What to expect from other group members
How my approach differs from other mental health professionals
If group therapy feels right, we'll schedule an individual intake session to get comfortable with each other, understand your patterns and triggers, and set initial recovery goals.
Group Logistics:
Small groups ( 4-5 women maximum)
Intensive weekend format over 3 days
Friday 4:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
All sessions held in-person in Lynnwood
Homework assignments to support recovery between sessions
Why Choose Specialized Eating Disorder Treatment
Working with a mental health professional who specializes in eating disorders makes a significant difference in your recovery process. I understand that binge eating isn't about willpower or "just eating less" – it's about complex emotional, psychological, and sometimes traumatic patterns that require specialized treatment approaches.
My experience facilitating support groups for women with eating disorders has shown me how powerful community healing can be. When you're ready to stop handling everything alone and start receiving the support you deserve, group therapy can be transformative.
The research shows that eating disorders are highly treatable, and many people go on to live full, meaningful lives after treatment. Group therapy offers unique benefits that can accelerate your recovery while providing the community support essential for lasting change.
Take the First Step Toward Healing
You don't have to stay stuck in cycles of binge eating and shame. Recovery is possible, and you don't have to figure it out alone. My binge eating group therapy provides the specialized support, practical tools, and community connection you need to heal your relationship with food and yourself.
Whether you're just beginning to recognize patterns of disordered eating or you've been struggling for years, it's never too late to get help. The women in my groups often say that reaching out was the hardest part – and the most important step in their recovery journey.
You deserve to feel at home in your own body, trust your instincts around food, and live authentically. Group therapy can help you reclaim not just your relationship with eating, but your entire sense of self.