Adolescent Eating Disorder Therapy
WESTCHESTER & NYC
Adolescence is a time of change, discovery and growth and for many teens, it's also when eating disorders begin. If you're here because something has shifted in how your child eats, moves or talks about their body, take that instinct seriously. Eating disorders in adolescents are treatable, and they are also serious. Early, specialized care changes outcomes.
At Body Liberation Collective, we specialize exclusively in eating disorders. We provide developmentally attuned, weight-inclusive care for adolescents and families, in person in Scarsdale, NY and virtually in NYC and across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Eating Disorders in Adolescents
Eating disorders are among the most serious mental health conditions a young person can face. They affect the entire body: brain, heart, growth, hormones, bone development, concentration, mood. A teen can be medically compromised at any body size, and adolescents often don't look as sick as they are.
Two things make this stage different from adult treatment:
Teens rarely ask for help. It is common, expected, even, for an adolescent with a restrictive eating disorder to insist they're fine, minimize what's happening or resist treatment entirely. That isn't defiance; it's part of the illness. We don't wait for a teen to want recovery before treatment begins.
Time matters. The evidence is consistent: the earlier an eating disorder is treated, the better the outcomes. Months of "waiting to see if it passes" are months the disorder uses to become more entrenched.
If you're seeing warning signs: weight loss, shrinking food rules, withdrawal from meals, compulsive movement, a growing preoccupation with body or “health," reach out now, not when things get worse.
What Parents Often Notice First
The warning signs rarely announce themselves as an eating disorder. Families who come to us usually describe smaller changes that were easy to explain away until they added up:
She won't eat dinner with us anymore, or eats alone in her room
Suddenly "became vegetarian," cut out sugar, or got intensely interested in "healthy eating"
Pushes food around the plate, says she already ate, fills up on water
Foods she always loved are now refused
Baggy clothes all the time; won't wear a bathing suit anymore
Cancels plans with friends when food is involved; skips lunch at school
Exercises even when exhausted, sick, or injured and gets anxious if she can't
Always cold, tired, or foggy; more hair in the shower drain
Any comment about food or body starts a fight
One of these alone can be ordinary adolescence. Several together, especially alongside weight change or growing rigidity, deserve a closer look. You don't have to figure out which it is on your own. And a note parents of boys need to hear: eating disorders affect teens of all genders. Boys are diagnosed later on average precisely because nobody's watching for it. That assessment is exactly what we do: a free 15-minute consultation is a low-stakes place to start - just you, no need to involve your teen yet.
How We Determine the Right Treatment Structure
When you come to us, we assess thoroughly and offer a clear recommendation.
Our assessment looks at your child's medical status and weight history, including the growth charts your pediatrician has tracked over the years, how long the eating disorder has been present, what the behaviors look like, your child's age and stage, and what's realistic for your family
Family-Based Treatment (FBT): When a child or teen is significantly restricting, losing weight, or unable to eat adequately, and especially when they aren't motivated for treatment, FBT is usually our recommended model. FBT puts parents in charge of nourishment, with close clinical guidance, because a malnourished brain cannot do the work of therapy and a teen in the grip of restriction cannot be asked to recover alone. Motivation is not a prerequisite for FBT. It's often a result of it.
Individual therapy with dietitian support: When a teen is medically stable, eating adequately, and engaged, even if their relationship with food and body is suffering, individual therapy paired with a specialized dietitian is often the right structure, with regular parent involvement.
Family involvement isn't all-or-nothing. For older adolescents, or when restriction is present but moderate, we often blend individual therapy with structured family sessions, scaling parents' role to what your child actually needs.
Whichever structure we recommend, we build in a defined reassessment point. If your child isn't progressing, we change the plan. We tell you that from the start, and we monitor it with you and your child's pediatrician along the way.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for Adolescents
FBT is the most researched, best-supported outpatient treatment for adolescents with anorexia and other restrictive eating disorders and it works best when started early. It is not about blame; families don't cause eating disorders, and in FBT, families are the treatment's greatest resource.
Our position is clear: when a child is severely restricting and not engaged in or motivated for treatment, FBT is the model we recommend. We offer FBT through trained clinicians and support parents through every phase, from taking charge of renourishment to gradually handing eating back to their teen.
Learn more about Family- Based Treatment →
Affirming and Inclusive Care
Serious treatment and compassionate treatment are not opposites. Our care is weight-inclusive, LGBTQ+ affirming, anti-diet and trauma-informed. We treat the eating disorder with the urgency it requires while treating your teen as a whole person, building trust, resilience, and a relationship with food and body that can last beyond recovery.
Getting Started with Adolescent Eating Disorder Therapy
Every adolescent inquiry begins with a parent consultation call. We'll ask about what you're seeing, gather medical information in collaboration with your pediatrician, and come back to you with a clear recommendation for treatment structure - FBT, individual therapy with dietitian support, or a blend of the two, and the reasoning behind it.
Sessions are 50 minutes, typically 1–2 times per week; FBT session structure varies by phase
In-person sessions in Scarsdale, NY, serving families throughout Westchester including Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Bronxville, White Plains, Rye, Harrison and surrounding communities
Virtual therapy in NYC and across NY, NJ, and CT
We coordinate with your child's pediatrician as a standard part of adolescent care and bring in specialized dietitians when the treatment structure calls for it
Frequently Asked Questions
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It starts with a thorough assessment: medical status and growth history, how long the eating disorder has been present, what the behaviors look like, and what's realistic for your family. From there we recommend clearly: for many restricting teens that's Family-Based Treatment, where parents take the lead on renourishment at home with our coaching; for others, individual therapy with active parent involvement. Either way, you'll never be guessing about the plan and we coordinate with your pediatrician throughout.
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We're out-of-network, and many families receive meaningful reimbursement through out-of-network benefits. We provide monthly superbills, and you can check exactly what your plan covers in about 30 seconds with our benefits checker. We'll gladly talk through what it shows on your consultation call.
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The honest answer: it depends on the pattern, and parents shouldn't have to make that call alone. Passing food phases are common in adolescence, but restriction that escalates, rigidity that grows, weight loss, or increasing distress around eating are not typical phases. Our consultation and assessment process exists precisely to answer this question: we'll tell you clearly whether what you're seeing warrants treatment, watchful waiting, or reassurance.
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This is one of the most common situations we see - denial is often part of the illness itself, not a sign you're wrong to worry. You don't need your teen's agreement to start: the first step is a parent consultation, just you. And for restricting teens, Family-Based Treatment was built for exactly this. It works through parents and doesn't require the teen to want recovery at the outset.
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Possibly, yes. Eating disorders can be medically serious at any weight. A teen who has fallen off her own growth curve, or is losing rapidly, can be significantly ill while still landing in the "normal" range. If your gut says something is wrong, that instinct deserves a real assessment, not just a number check.
Ready To Take The Next Step?
If your teen is struggling, don't wait for them to be ready. Reach out to schedule a free parent consultation. We'll help you understand what's happening and recommend the right level and structure of care, clearly, and without judgment.
Resources for Supporting your Teen
Signs Your Teen May Have an Eating Disorder: A Guide for Westchester Parents
Can My Teen Have an Eating Disorder at a "Normal” Weight?
How to Help A Teen with an Eating Disorder
How to Talk to Your Teen About Food Without Making Things Worse
Do I Need an Eating Disorder Therapist or a Higher Level of Care?
Picky Eating vs. ARFID: How To Tell The Difference
Where Are We Located?
We offer in-person therapy in Scarsdale, NY and virtual sessions across NYC, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
Westchester Office
1 Chase Road, Scarsdale, NY 10583
Scarsdale Village, accessible from Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Bronxville, White Plains, Rye, and surrounding Westchester communities