A Common Fear In Eating Disorder Therapy in Salt Lake City
I work with women across Utah, including many women living in Salt Lake City, who struggle with a wide range of concerns related to food, eating, and body image. Some identify as emotional eaters, while others are navigating disordered eating or a diagnosed eating disorder. Regardless of where someone falls on that spectrum, their experience is valid and deserving of care.
When clients reach out, a common worry often emerges: the fear that their struggle somehow isn’t “serious enough” to warrant help. Over time, I’ve noticed that certain fears appear again and again in eating disorder therapy.
A common fear is present with my clients when it comes to eating disorder therapy. “My body can’t be trusted”, they tell me. They fear that if they start eating, they will never stop. They will never stop eating, and their body will never stop gaining weight. They are terrified to start this experience because they have learned to believe that their body has to be controlled. They can’t trust its hunger and fullness cues. I often hear these same fears from women seeking eating disorder therapy in Salt Lake City.
The truth about eating disorder therapy
Do you want to know the truth? Maybe for a while, your body will send you signals to eat more often than you’re used to. You might gain weight, and that might be scary. Neither you nor I get to decide what your body does to heal. You might not trust your body, and your body might struggle to trust you back. After not having access to the food it needs, and having repeated a diet and weight loss cycle more times than it wants to then it might rebel. Remember part of healing is learning to gain the trust back of your body that has kept you alive since your heart started beating when you were only a few weeks old.
Eating disorder therapy is worth it
What you learn about yourself in the process of eating disorder therapy will change your life. You deserve eating disorder treatment. You will learn to trust your body again. Your body will stop sending you the signals to keep eating when it knows you’re not going to withhold food again. Your body doesn’t know when it’s just a diet versus when you are actually starving. The fears you might be feeling now won’t always be fears. You’ll learn to be comfortable with your body and with food. This is not how it will always be.
Considering Eating Disorder Therapy in Salt Lake City?
Starting therapy can feel intimidating, especially if part of you wonders whether your relationship with food or your body is “bad enough” to deserve help. Many women delay reaching out because they believe they should be able to fix things on their own or fear what recovery might require. Eating disorder therapy provides a supportive, nonjudgmental space to understand your patterns, reduce shame, and begin rebuilding trust with your body. If you’re exploring eating disorder therapy in Salt Lake City, you don’t have to navigate these fears alone.
Start working with an Eating Disorder Therapist in Salt Lake City, Utah
You don’t have to keep struggling with your body and with food. You don’t have to feel anxious about what you eat and be terrified that you’ll gain weight. Eating disorder therapy can help. Maple Canyon Therapy has an eating disorder therapist specializing in eating disorder therapy. To begin counseling, follow the steps below:
Meet with a Utah therapist
Begin eating disorder recovery
Online Eating Disorder Therapy in Utah
It’s important for you to have access to eating disorder treatment, and unfortunately, many people living all throughout Utah, don’t have access to a therapist who specializes in treating eating disorders. This is why I offer online therapy in Utah. Online eating disorder therapy lets you meet with a therapist who knows exactly how to help you without you having to travel long distances. It’s convenient and just as effective as in-person therapy.
Online therapy allows me to work with clients all over the state of Utah. This means if you are located in St. George, Cedar City, Salt Lake City, Logan, Heber City, and more I can help you.
Eating Disorder Therapy in Salt Lake City: Frequently Asked Questions
If you’re considering eating disorder therapy in Salt Lake City, you may have questions about how therapy works and what to expect. Here are answers to some of the most common concerns women share before getting started.
Do you work with women in Salt Lake City?
Yes. I provide online eating disorder therapy for women living in Salt Lake City and throughout Utah. Sessions are held virtually through a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform.
Is online eating disorder therapy effective?
Yes. Research shows that online therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy for many mental health concerns, including eating disorders.
How do I know if I need eating disorder therapy?
If food, eating, or body image is causing distress, anxiety, guilt, or a sense of being out of control, therapy can help. You don’t need a formal diagnosis to seek support.
Do you have a physical office in Salt Lake City?
I work with clients in Salt Lake City and across Utah exclusively through online therapy.
Therapy Services for Women in Salt Lake City
Eating disorder therapy isn’t the only mental health service provided here. mental health services provided by Maple Canyon Therapy include binge eating disorder treatment, anxiety therapy, EMDR therapy, and birth trauma therapy.
About the Author
Ashlee Hunt is a licensed clinical social worker and founder of Maple Canyon Therapy in Utah. Ashlee has a bachelor of science in Psychology and a bachelor of science in family life and human development from Southern Utah University. She earned her masters in social work from Utah State University. Ashlee has been working with women with eating disorders since 2013 and knew right away that this is the population she wanted to work with. She loves helping women learn to use self-compassion and to be kind to their bodies. Ashlee believes there is much more to eating disorder recovery than just learning to eat without anxiety. Outside of therapy, Ashlee enjoys spending time outside with her husband and dogs.