How I Approach Eating Disorder Treatment by Dr. Deborah Simpson, Ph.D.

If you're reading this, welcome. You may be wondering if your relationship with food and your body is unhealthy, or you may be worried about someone you love. Taking the first step toward understanding an eating disorder can be incredibly difficult. And starting treatment can feel daunting. But here’s what I want you to know: you can do hard things.

Eating disorders can impact every area of life, physical health, emotional well-being, relationships, work, and school. Even when someone recognizes the harm an eating disorder is causing, it can be hard to imagine how to move forward. You’re not alone, and you don’t have to have it all figured out. The good news is that eating disorders are treatable, and the earlier treatment begins, the better the outcomes.

A Personalized, Evidence-Based Approach

When I meet with someone struggling with an eating disorder, I understand that part of them may want to get better, while another part may be terrified of letting the eating disorder go. This internal conflict is common, and it deserves a safe space for exploration. My role is to help you work through that ambivalence, with compassion and curiosity, so we can begin to loosen the eating disorder’s hold and create space for a fuller, more vibrant life.

Treatment is not one-size-fits-all. We’re all individuals, and your recovery journey will be shaped around what’s best for you. That said, I often draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Eating Disorders (CBT-E), a highly effective, evidence-based approach for treating anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. CBT-E focuses on re-establishing regular eating patterns while addressing the beliefs and behaviors that maintain the disorder.

Supporting Families and Adolescents

When working with adolescents, I often incorporate Family-Based Treatment (FBT), another research-supported approach. FBT involves parents in the recovery process, putting them in charge of meals and guiding them in reducing disordered behaviors like bingeing, purging, or over-exercising. As the adolescent makes progress, control is gradually and thoughtfully returned to them.

Walking the Path Together

Recovery is not easy, and it’s not supposed to be. But it is possible, and you don’t have to go through it alone. Whether you’re just beginning to explore whether something is wrong or you're ready to take the next step in treatment, I’m here to support you with honesty, empathy, and evidence-based care.

It’s okay to feel scared. You can take things one step at a time.

All Bodies Are Beach Bodies by Dr. Deborah Simpson, Ph.D.

Summer has arrived here in Michigan. With the sunshine, lake days, and outdoor gatherings comes something else too: the pressure from diet culture to look a certain way. How many times have you heard someone talk about “getting a beach body”? Or felt the conversation shift toward not looking “good enough” for summer events? How often have you felt guilty for eating a so-called “bad” food?

Diet culture is everywhere, and it affects all of us. It promotes restrictive eating, over-exercising, and the false idea that thinness equals success, worthiness, and beauty. It tells us we have to change our bodies to earn a place at the pool, on the beach, or in a swimsuit. These messages aren’t just frustrating; they’re harmful. And for anyone recovering from or struggling with an eating disorder, they can be especially triggering.

So how do we resist these messages? How do we begin to believe that our bodies are already good enough, just as they are?

These aren’t easy questions, and the answers aren’t always simple. But one powerful place to start is by noticing and challenging the assumptions we’ve absorbed. We are so much more than a size, a shape, or a number on the scale. Below are a few gentle reminders that may help you reconnect with your body in a more compassionate, grounded way.

Tips for Reclaiming Body Confidence This Summer

• Notice the messages around you. Social media, advertisements, and even casual conversations can reinforce harmful ideas about food and bodies. Unfollow or mute accounts that promote dieting, over-exercising, or label foods as “good” or “bad.”

• Remember that diet culture is trying to sell you something. Often, the promise of a “better” body is tied to a product or plan. If you’re made to feel like you’re not enough, someone profits from that insecurity.

• Challenge the myth that thinness equals health. True well-being looks different for everyone. Restrictive dieting or compulsive exercise can actually harm your physical and mental health.

• Recognize your body for what it does, not just how it looks. Your body lets you laugh, connect, create, explore, and move through the world. Its worth is not defined by appearance, and it certainly isn’t defined by a swimsuit.

• Set boundaries around food and body talk. It’s okay to change the subject, leave a conversation, or gently redirect when diet culture sneaks in. You are allowed to protect your peace.
  

Reframing how we see our bodies takes time, especially in a culture that constantly tells us to change them. But it is possible to build a relationship with your body that isn’t ruled by shame, comparison, or pressure.

All bodies are beach bodies. No need to change, shrink, suck in, or cover up. You don’t have to earn your place in the sun. You already belong. at a time.

Dr. Arthur Robin’s Book List: Expert Recommendations for Families, Teens, and Therapists

In addition to providing clinical services, Dr. Arthur Robin is one of our senior staff members whose decades of research, teaching, and clinical experience have shaped his authorship of several highly respected books. These titles offer practical guidance for parents, teens, couples, and clinicians — all designed to support healthier relationships and better mental health outcomes.

Here’s a closer look at Dr. Robin’s published work and how each book can help improve your family’s life:

1. Your Defiant Teen (2nd Ed., 2014)

By Russell Barkley, Arthur Robin, & Christine Benton | Guilford Press
If your home has become a battleground with your teen, this book offers a lifeline. Dr. Robin and his coauthors present a practical ten-step program to help parents move from constant conflict to constructive connection. You'll learn effective tools for setting boundaries, resolving disputes, and rebuilding trust — all grounded in research and real-life application. Translated into multiple languages, this book is helping parents around the globe.
👉 Find it on Amazon

2. Defiant Teens: A Clinician’s Manual for Assessment and Family Intervention (2nd Ed., 2014)

By Russell Barkley & Arthur Robin | Guilford Press
This companion manual to Your Defiant Teen is designed for mental health professionals. It provides a comprehensive, evidence-based framework for assessing and treating adolescents with defiant behavior, along with reproducible handouts for clinical use. Parents may want to share this resource with their teen’s therapist.
👉 Find it on Amazon

3. Adult ADHD-Focused Couple Therapy: Clinical Interventions (2016)

Edited by Gina Pera & Arthur Robin | Routledge Press
When ADHD is present in one or both partners, relationships can suffer — but they don’t have to. This edited volume brings together experts in the field to provide therapists with practical strategies for helping couples manage everything from communication and co-parenting to finances and intimacy. While it’s written for clinicians, many couples will benefit from the insights within.
👉 Find it on Amazon

4. ADHD in Adolescents: Diagnosis and Treatment (1998)

By Arthur Robin | Guilford Press
Want a deep dive into understanding ADHD in teenagers? This book is a trusted resource for clinicians and informed parents alike. Dr. Robin explores how ADHD is diagnosed and treated in adolescents, covering medication, school interventions, family therapy, and more — all supported by current research and case examples.
👉 Find it on Amazon

5. Negotiating Parent-Adolescent Conflict: A Behavioral Family Systems Approach (1989)

By Arthur Robin & Susan Foster | Guilford Press
This classic text outlines how therapists can help families improve communication and conflict resolutio,— regardless of diagnosis. Whether dealing with ADHD, anxiety, depression, or chronic illness, this structured, skill-based therapy model helps families navigate disagreements, strengthen connections, and support their teens more effectively.
👉 Find it on Amazon

Whether you're a parent, therapist, or someone navigating these challenges firsthand, Dr. Robin’s books offer valuable guidance, practical tools, and hope. These titles continue to shape the way families and clinicians approach adolescent and adult mental health, with empathy, structure, and clarity.

Have questions about which book is right for your situation? We’re here to help.