ARFID THERAPY FOR
TEENS + ADULTS
SCARSDALE, NY + VIRTUAL ACROSS NYC, NJ & CT
If your child has eaten the same eight foods for years, gags at new textures, or stopped eating after a choking scare and never really started again, you've probably heard "they'll grow out of it" more times than you can count. If you're an adult who has quietly organized your whole life around what you can and can't eat, you've probably been called picky, or difficult, and never once heard anyone name what's actually going on.
It has a name. Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder that has nothing to do with weight or body image and everything to do with the food itself: how it feels, what might happen if you eat it, or whether you feel hungry at all. It's real, it's treatable, and it's one of the things we specialize in.
At Body Liberation Collective, we treat ARFID in teens (12 and up) and adults, in person in Scarsdale, NY and virtually across New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
What ARFID Looks Like
ARFID tends to show up in one of three ways, and many people have more than one:
Sensory. Certain textures, smells, temperatures, or the way foods look are unbearable, not just unpleasant. The list of safe foods is short and tends to shrink over time.
Fear. After choking, vomiting, an allergic reaction, or a bad stomach bug, eating itself starts to feel dangerous. Some people stop eating solid food; some stop eating almost entirely.
Low interest. Hunger is faint or absent, eating feels like a chore, and meals get skipped because nothing about them feels worth it.
Whichever it is, the cost shows up in daily life. You might plan your day around which foods will be available, dread restaurants, travel, and sleepovers, or have spent years being told to "just try it" by people who have never watched you gag.
What you won't find in ARFID is a fear of gaining weight or a wish to be smaller. That's what sets it apart from anorexia, and it's why treatments built for anorexia often miss the mark. It also isn't picky eating. Picky eaters usually have a reasonable range of foods, keep growing, and can manage a birthday party. ARFID gets in the way: of growth, of nutrition, of energy, of school lunch and sleepovers and dating and travel.
How We Treat ARFID
The core of ARFID treatment is exposure: approaching feared or avoided foods in small, planned steps, with support, until the fear and disgust lose their grip. That sounds simple and isn't, which is why doing it with a specialist matters. Our clinicians use exposure-based, evidence-based treatments for ARFID, including CBT-AR and Family-Based Treatment for ARFID (FBT-ARFID), adapted to the person in front of us. Nothing is forced and nothing is sprung on you; every step is planned together, and the pace is one you can actually do.
For teens, parents are part of the work. For a teen who has lost weight or whose nutrition is compromised, we often use a family-based approach, where parents take the lead on nourishment and we coach them, session by session, on how to run exposures at home without turning the table into a battlefield. For a teen who is medically stable and motivated, the work is more individual, with parents involved around meals and planning.
For adults, the work is yours, at a pace you set. Many adults with ARFID have never told anyone the full extent of it. We'll map what you can eat now, where you want to get to, and build a ladder between the two.
Always as a team. A pediatrician or physician monitors medical status. A dietitian who understands ARFID helps make sure nutrition is covered while the food list is still short. If an occupational or speech therapist is already involved for feeding or sensory work, we coordinate with them. And we never make anyone's body the problem: the goal is a wider, safer, more flexible relationship with food, not a number.
Getting Started
Every client begins with a free 15-minute consultation. We'll listen to what you're seeing, tell you honestly whether what you're describing sounds like ARFID and whether we're the right fit, and if we are, match you with the clinician on our team who's best for 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
Out-of-network, with monthly superbills
We'll connect you with a dietitian who knows ARFID and works the way we do
Frequently Asked Questions
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The short version: picky eating is a preference; ARFID is an impairment. If eating is affecting growth, nutrition, energy, or the ability to do normal things like eat at school or at a friend's house, it's worth a consult. We wrote more about the difference here.
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They'll approach foods they're afraid of, in steps they can manage, with support. Nobody is force-fed and nobody is tricked. Over time, most people find the list of what's possible gets much longer than they expected.
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Not always. It's what we recommend when a teen has lost weight or isn't eating enough to be safe, because parents are the fastest route to nourishment. For a stable teen, the work is more individual, with parents involved around meals.
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We currently see teens 12 and up. If your child is younger, reach out anyway; we'll tell you what we're seeing and help you find the right provider.
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No. Adults with ARFID respond to treatment, and many have never had the chance to try. Starting at thirty or forty is not unusual.
Ready To Take The Next Step?
If food has been running the show, for you or your child, reach out. The consult is free and you don't need to have it figured out first.