Interview Series: Therapy for Eating Disorders and Disordered Eating with Laura Bumberry, Psy D.
Sometimes, anxiety and eating disorders go hand in hand.
Our anxiety leads to overwhelm, and many people try to deal with that overwhelm through their food. Eating disorders can range from bingeing to extreme restriction, and you want to be sure that you’re working with someone who truly understands the impact that the ED has on your brain, body, and behaviors.
When we work with anxiety, especially with our teens and college-aged students, we want to be sure that we are assessing for eating disorders - and if they are experiencing them, we want to connect them with a specialist who understands. That’s where Laura Bumberry at Partners in Wellness comes in.
We’re so excited to have interviewed Laura on today’s blog! Please read more about her expertise, and how she incorporates families into her work below.
As a Psychologist (PsyD) and Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS), what kind of treatment do you provide?
I provide outpatient treatment for eating disorders, anxiety and depression. I specialize in Family Based Treatment for childhood and adolescent eating disorders.
I utilize CBT, ERP, DBT-informed therapy for anxiety and depression.
What ages do you work with?
I work mostly adolescents and adults, sometimes middle school aged children
What can parents expect to leave with after working with you?
As a certified Family Based Treatment provider, embracing and empowering parents is at the heart of my practice. There is no one else on the planet who knows their child better or who will go to such great lengths to help their child heal. A combination of a parents’ expertise on their child and my expertise on eating disorder care sets the tone for a collaborative, effective treatment process.
Initially, I provide a lot of education so parents feel confident in whatever treatment approach they choose for their family. As parents learn and feel comfortable with their skills, the focus may shift more towards the child or adolescent to continue the recovery process. Research and experience show that timing is critical when it comes to eating disorder care. We must first work together to heal the child’s brain and body, allowing them to fully engage in the process during the next phase of therapy.
Who are your favorite types of clients to work with?
I love joining with families facing an eating disorder in the early stages of illness, as well as seeing individuals who have been struggling for decades. The energy and hope for those facing the illness for the first time, as well as the renewed energy that comes from a long fought battle are so inspiring!
What happens during a first appointment with you?
Often a parent-only consultation. This allows parents to candidly discuss a child’s struggles and briefly review pertinent medical and psychiatric history, and allows me a chance to provide initial education on eating disorders and best treatment practices. After this consultation, parents can consult their other team members and discuss amongst themselves which path they would like to pursue for their child. It is critical that parents understand they are in the best position to make this decision for their child, rather than rely on their suffering child to make such an important choice.
Could you talk a little about your approach and how it plays into your work with people recovering from anxiety?
When our body’s basic functions (i.e. eating, sleeping, pooping ) are interrupted, our brains have to work overtime to help our bodies function and maintain a stable mood. Most of my clients experience significant anxiety, which could have existed long before the disordered eating began or could be a direct result of disordered eating.
We know that starved brains are anxious brains!
There is no amount of therapy that will make up for this deficit, so it only makes sense that the first goal of therapy is to stabilize those basic bodily functions, including adequate nutrition and appropriate weight. Parents must take a very active role in the beginning because anxiety causes kids significant distress leading to food avoidance. As things progress, parents thoughtfully and gradually advance their child to more independence around food decisions.
Sometimes nutrition is all it takes for anxiety to dissipate. If not, then we can shift therapy to target that anxiety. This generally includes a combination of individual skill development and parent or child-led exposures. Depending on where we are in the process, the focus may be on food or weight-related anxiety. It could also expand to other areas like social anxiety. The overall goal is always to improve quality of life, so whatever that means for that person, that is where we will go!
What do you wish people knew about getting treatment for anxiety and eating disorders?
We have good treatments now. People used to believe that eating disorders were always chronic and had to be “managed.” This is completely false. When people get high quality, evidence-based treatment early on recovery rates are very high! And even if the struggle has been lifelong, there are still very effective treatment options.
People also used to believe parents were to blame if a child had an eating disorder, particularly mothers. While parents do pass on their genetics, they cannot “give” their child an eating disorder. Parents are the BEST resource for the child’s recovery, even with the missteps and learning along the way.
How can people learn more and contact you?
Call the office 314-736-5446 or email me at laura@partnersinwellnessstl.com
You can also find us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/PartnersinWellnessSTL/
Curious to learn more about anxiety treatment? Wondering if you need to connect with a eating disorder specialist? Contact Compassionate Counseling St. Louis to set up a free 15-minute phone consult. We’ll talk about what’s going on and best next steps - and if we’re not the right fit, we’ll connect you with other wonderful St. Louis-based therapists, like Laura!