Eating disorder therapy in Johnson City, TN
Eating disorders involve a complicated relationship with food, body, and eating that has become a source of significant distress or impairment. They're not about vanity or willpower. They're often about control, anxiety, identity, trauma, or the way the body has become a place where other unbearable things get managed.
Willow & Arbor offers outpatient therapy for eating disorder concerns in Johnson City, TN for adults and teens across the Tri-Cities region, including Kingsport, Bristol, Jonesborough, and surrounding communities. Telehealth is available across Tennessee when clinically appropriate.
Outpatient therapy is one level of care, not the only one
Eating disorders exist on a spectrum of severity, and the right level of care depends on where someone is on that spectrum. Outpatient therapy at Willow & Arbor is appropriate for eating disorder concerns that don't require medical monitoring, intensive daily programming, or residential care. If what you're dealing with is at a level of severity that needs more than weekly outpatient therapy, the consultation will help clarify that and assist with a referral to a more appropriate level of care.
If you're not sure where you fall, that's fine. The consultation is a starting point for figuring that out, not a commitment to any particular treatment path. The consultation can help determine whether this is the right fit and which therapist is most appropriate.
If you or someone you know is in medical danger due to an eating disorder, please reach out to your physician or an emergency resource before scheduling a therapy consultation.
More than restriction
The stereotyped image of eating disorders focuses on restriction and thinness. The reality is much broader. Eating disorder therapy at Willow & Arbor may address:
Restrictive eating: rigid rules around food, severe limitation of intake, fear of certain foods or food groups, and the anxiety that arises when those rules are broken.
Binge eating: episodes of eating larger amounts of food than intended, often rapidly and to the point of discomfort, often followed by shame and distress. Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder and one of the most underrecognized.
Purging and compensatory behavior: behaviors used to compensate for eating, including self-induced vomiting, excessive exercise, laxative use, or fasting. These require careful clinical assessment to determine appropriate level of care.
Disordered eating that doesn't meet diagnostic criteria: a troubled relationship with food, body, or eating that causes significant distress or occupies significant mental space, even if it doesn't fit a specific diagnosis.
Body image distress: persistent preoccupation with body shape or weight, significant distress related to how the body looks or feels, and the way those concerns affect daily functioning and self-worth.
What eating disorder therapy may involve
Eating disorder therapy at Willow & Arbor begins with a consultation to understand what you're dealing with and whether outpatient therapy is the right starting point. The consultation will help clarify which therapist is most appropriate for eating disorder concerns at the practice.
The work may involve understanding the function the eating disorder behavior is serving: what it's managing, what it's providing, what it would cost to let it go. Eating disorders rarely exist in isolation. They're often connected to anxiety, trauma, shame, perfectionism, control, or identity. The therapy addresses those underlying connections rather than focusing narrowly on food and eating behaviors alone.
When appropriate, Willow & Arbor therapists work collaboratively with dietitians, physicians, and other providers involved in your care. Eating disorder recovery often requires a team approach, and outpatient therapy is one part of that.
You don't need a diagnosis: you don't need a formal eating disorder diagnosis to seek therapy for a troubled relationship with food or body. Distress is enough of a reason.
Therapist fit matters: not all therapists have experience with eating disorders. The consultation will clarify which therapist is most appropriate for what you're dealing with.
Level of care matters: if the consultation suggests you need more intensive support, we'll be honest about that and help with a referral rather than proceeding with a level of care that isn't appropriate.
In person and telehealth
Eating disorder therapy is available in person in Johnson City, TN and by telehealth across Tennessee when clinically appropriate. Clients from Kingsport, Bristol, Jonesborough, and surrounding communities are welcome.
Learn about telehealthFees and consultation
The initial consultation is free. Sessions are self-pay and vary by therapist and type of appointment. Willow & Arbor doesn't bill insurance directly. Therapy is provided by associate-licensed therapists under the clinical supervision of Dr. Katherine Barteck.
View feesCommon questions about eating disorder therapy
Does Willow & Arbor treat eating disorders?
Willow & Arbor provides outpatient therapy for eating disorder concerns at an appropriate level of care. Not every eating disorder presentation is appropriate for outpatient therapy alone. If medical monitoring, intensive outpatient, or residential care is needed, the consultation will help clarify that and assist with a referral.
What's the difference between disordered eating and an eating disorder?
Disordered eating refers to a range of irregular eating behaviors that may not meet the full criteria for a clinical eating disorder diagnosis but still cause significant distress or impairment. Eating disorders are diagnosed conditions with specific clinical criteria. Therapy can address both: you don't need a formal diagnosis to seek support for a troubled relationship with food or body.
Can therapy help with binge eating?
Yes. Binge eating disorder is the most common eating disorder and often goes unaddressed because it doesn't fit the stereotyped image of eating disorders as primarily involving restriction. Therapy can address the emotional and behavioral patterns driving binge eating, including the restriction-binge cycle, emotional eating, and shame around food and body.
This page is provided for educational purposes only. The information here is not clinical advice about your particular situation, and reading it does not establish a therapeutic relationship with any Willow & Arbor therapist. Guidance that applies to your specific circumstances can only come from a direct professional relationship with a qualified provider.
Other concerns that may be connected
Anxiety
When anxiety is a primary driver of the eating disorder behavior rather than the food and body concerns being primary.
Perfectionism
When rigid standards around food and body are part of a broader perfectionism pattern affecting other areas of life.
Shame and guilt
When shame around food, body, or eating is the most dominant experience alongside or underneath the eating disorder.
Eating disorder therapy at Willow & Arbor is provided through individual therapy at an outpatient level of care. Telehealth is available across Tennessee when clinically appropriate. See OCD and intrusive thoughts, the full therapy-by-concern list, or all services.
You don't have to be sure it's serious enough before reaching out.
A free 15-minute consultation can help clarify whether outpatient therapy at Willow & Arbor is an appropriate fit or whether a different level of care may be more helpful.
If you or someone you know is in medical danger due to an eating disorder, please contact a physician or call 911 before scheduling a therapy consultation. See our crisis resources.