Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Eating Disorders in Seattle

I have been using ACT for eating disorder treatment (and other struggles like anxiety and depression!) for years now- because it’s so clarifying and motivating. People that are struggling with an eating disorder often struggle more because of their own knowledge that they are not acting in line with their own values. I have never met an eating disorder patient who said “I like having an eating disorder because it allows me to engage in the things I value most.” No! Quite the opposite. People often come in frustrated with themselves, and confused as to why they don’t want to change when there’s really a part of them that wants to be more aligned with their true values.

What is Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)?

Acceptance and commitment therapy was developed by a psychologist in the 80’s, and incorporates two key components: Identification of personal values, acceptance and mindfulness. It’s got origins in cognitive behavioral therapy, but I feel it goes deeper because it gets in touch with who a person is, and teaches us how to work with challenging thoughts and feelings.

How Does ACT Work for Eating Disorders?

ACT helps people with eating disorders to identify where their eating disorder is keeping them from their values and their authentic life. It then gives them straight forward tools to cope with the challenge of actually changing unhelpful eating disorder behaviors. As I often tell my clients, getting better from an eating disorder doesn’t mean you feel better immediately- getting better at first often means having to sit with an increase in anxiety, challenging feelings about their body- etc. ACT provides excellent coping skills (based in mindfulness) that allow clients to actually engage in the recovery process.

ACT also helps us find a new definition of “acceptance” which can be hugely supportive for eating disorders; the shift from “I need to look like xyz,” to “I accept (not necessarily like!) that I look like xyz.”

Pros and Cons of ACT

The pros of ACT are:

  • Clarifying and living into values

  • Providing coping skills

  • Increasing self compassion and acceptance vs “fighting”

The cons of ACT are:

  • It’s still very cognitive behavioral, so I believe it can be helpful to utilize other modalities as well such as trauma therapy, nutrition therapy, or psychodynamics

  • Like all therapy, it can be expensive

Finding Help for Eating Disorders with ACT in Seattle

Basics of acceptance and commitment therapy are fairly well known, so just ask if a provider incorporates it. You can also filter for ACT using sites like psychology today or therapy den, and you can inquire with my practice here if you are interested in incorporating ACT into your treatment.

If you are interested in gathering the basic skills, you’ll get handouts and several ACT coping skills in my $25 bundle here. Please reach out if you are in need of a scholarship.