Counselling for concerns about food, eating, weight, and body image, whether or not you feel sure your experience "counts.". Registered Psychologists regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Provisional Psychologists practising under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. In-person sessions in Edmonton and St. Albert. Virtual sessions available across Alberta.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Eating Disorder Counselling Is Right for You

You may not be sure your relationship with food is serious enough to talk about. Maybe you are still going to work or school, still sitting down to meals, and still getting through most days. Maybe you have told yourself it is just a phase, or that other people have it much worse. The words "eating disorder" might feel too big for what you are living with, or not quite right at all.

At the same time, some things may feel harder than they used to. Food might take up more space in your thoughts than you would like. A passing comment about your body can stay with you for days. Eating with other people may feel like something to manage rather than something to enjoy.

These experiences make sense given how much pressure many people carry around food, bodies, and appearance. They are not a personal failing, and they do not mean something is permanently wrong with you. You also do not need a diagnosis or a particular label to talk with someone about them.

If you are reading this for someone you care about, such as a teenager, a partner, or a friend, much of this page applies to you too. If you are wondering whether talking with someone could help, the sections below describe what counselling here involves, what it does not include, and how people usually get started. If anyone's physical safety is at risk right now, the crisis information below comes first.

Who We Help

Counselling for food, eating, and body image concerns may be a good fit if you:

• notice that thoughts about food, eating, weight, or your body are affecting your mood, relationships, work, or school
• are unsure whether your concerns are "serious enough" and want a place to sort through them
• are already working with a doctor, dietitian, or other health professional and want counselling as one part of broader support
• feel caught in self-criticism, perfectionism, or stress that keeps coming back to eating or body image
• are a parent, caregiver, or partner who wants guidance while supporting someone else
• are a young person, or the parent of one, looking for age-appropriate support
• would prefer virtual sessions from anywhere in Alberta

This service may not be the right fit, or may not be enough on its own, if:

• You need urgent medical or crisis support. Please use the crisis resources below.
• You need medical assessment, medical monitoring, or nutrition care. Counselling does not replace these. Where appropriate and with your agreement, a clinician may discuss coordination with other regulated health professionals.
• You are looking for a diagnosis or a formal assessment. This page and this counselling service cannot determine whether a diagnosis applies. Psychological assessments are a separate service and are not included here.
• You need forensic or legal services. Court-related reports and legal opinions are outside this therapy service.
• You are looking for meal plans, calorie targets, or weight-loss instructions. Counselling here focuses on thoughts, feelings, and patterns, and does not provide dieting or nutrition guidance.

Crisis Guidance

Routine counselling appointments cannot respond to emergencies or urgent medical needs. If you or someone else needs help right now, please contact one of the following:

• 911, or go to the nearest emergency department, for immediate danger or urgent medical concerns
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642 (24/7)
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service.

What This Service Is

Eating disorder counselling at Wholesome Psychology is a space to talk about concerns related to food, eating, body image, weight, routines, emotions, and relationships. Sessions focus on understanding what has been happening for you, in context, and what kind of support you want. Counselling is approached collaboratively, with room to discuss your priorities and goals. Depending on your needs and preferences, it may be one part of a broader care plan.

It also helps to know what this service is not:

• It is not medical assessment, medical treatment, or nutrition care, and it does not replace them.
• It does not include a psychological assessment or diagnosis. Psychological assessments are a separate service.
• It is not a legal service, an investigative process, or crisis intervention.

You set the pace. You decide what to talk about and when, and your clinician will check in with you rather than push toward topics you are not ready for. What you share is kept confidential within limits set by law, which your clinician will explain at the start. Each clinician works within the scope of their training and professional regulation, and may suggest involving another type of professional if part of what you need falls outside that scope.

If your concerns feel more general, you may also find our page on counselling for food and eating issues useful.

Signs Food, Eating, or Body Image Concerns May Be Affecting You

The experiences below are some of the things people may want to talk about in counselling. They are not a checklist, and they cannot tell you whether a diagnosis applies. You might recognize one or two, or none, and still find it useful to talk.

• Thinking about food, eating, or your body much more than you would like, even when you are trying to focus on something else
• Feeling guilt, shame, or anxiety connected to eating
• Your mood rising or falling with how you feel about your body on a given day
• Avoiding social plans, family meals, or events because food or your appearance will be part of them
• Keeping parts of your eating private, or worrying about what others would think if they knew
• Harsh self-criticism or perfectionism that seems to centre on food, weight, or appearance
• Tension or conflict with family or a partner around food or eating
• Feeling tired, foggy, or worn down by how much energy these concerns take up

Having experiences like these does not mean something is permanently wrong with you. They are understandable responses to pressure, stress, and the ways people learn to cope. Talking them through with a trained clinician, at your own pace, may make them easier to understand and respond to. If any of them involve your physical health, it may also help to speak with a doctor.

Eating concerns are also a public health topic in Canada. A 2025 publication from the Public Health Agency of Canada called for increased measurement of eating disorders and disordered eating in federal surveillance (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], 2025).

How Treatment Works Here

• Find your therapist. Use the Match Tool or browse therapist profiles to learn about clinicians and their availability. If you would rather talk it through, the admin team can help at 780-904-4880.
• Book your first session. Your first appointment includes a conversation about consent, confidentiality, and what you would like support with. You can ask questions about the process, privacy, or fees before sharing anything personal.
• Build your plan together. You and your clinician shape a plan around your priorities. If medical or nutrition care is part of your situation, you can discuss whether and how to coordinate with those providers.
• Ongoing sessions. Sessions are 50 minutes. Many people meet weekly or every other week, and the schedule can change as your needs do.
• Progress check-ins. Your clinician reviews how things are going with you regularly, and the plan can be adjusted at any point.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Therapy is collaborative, and your view of what is helping and what is not matters at every stage.

Evidence and Approaches

This section only describes approaches where the supporting sources have been reviewed for this page. That review does not yet cover the research on specific therapy methods for eating concerns, so this page does not make claims about which method works best. Your clinician can talk with you about the approaches they use and what current research says about them.

Collaborative Counselling

What it helps with: Making room to talk about food, eating, body image, and the feelings around them, at a pace you set.

Evidence summary: This describes how counselling is delivered at Wholesome Psychology rather than a specific research-tested protocol. Published clinical guidance on the recognition and treatment of eating disorders is available (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence [NICE], n.d.), and your clinician can discuss how current guidance relates to your situation.

Limitations: This page does not summarize the guideline's specific recommendations. How helpful counselling feels varies from person to person.

Coordinated Care With Other Health Professionals

What it helps with: Making sure counselling fits alongside medical or nutrition care when those are part of someone's needs.

Evidence summary: This reflects the scope of counselling rather than a research finding. Counselling does not replace medical assessment, medical treatment, or nutrition care. Where appropriate and agreed upon, a clinician may discuss coordination with other regulated health professionals so that counselling can be one part of a broader care plan.

Limitations: Coordination only happens with your consent, and how it works depends on which other providers are involved. This page cannot say what level of medical or nutrition support any one person needs.

Understanding Diagnostic Terms

What it helps with: Making sense of terms you may have come across while reading about eating concerns.

Evidence summary: The ICD-11 classification includes feeding or eating disorders as a recognized diagnostic grouping, with several named categories (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). Only an appropriate professional assessment can determine whether a diagnosis applies, and psychological assessment is a separate service from counselling.

Limitations: A classification system describes categories; it does not show which treatments are effective. Reading about diagnostic terms online cannot tell you whether any of them apply to you.

What Results to Expect

Change in counselling is rarely a straight line. Some weeks may feel lighter and others harder, and a difficult stretch does not erase earlier progress. Some people notice shifts over a period of months, while others find that longer-term work suits them better.

Several things can influence how counselling goes. These include the nature of your experiences, what else is happening in your life, any other care you are receiving, and how well you connect with your clinician. No therapy can guarantee a particular outcome.

Fit matters. If the connection with your clinician does not feel right, or a different approach would suit you better, changing therapist or approach is always an option.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Psychologists at Wholesome Psychology are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP) and follow the Canadian Code of Ethics for Psychologists, published by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA).

Alberta privacy law also applies. Private clinics in Alberta are generally governed by the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). The Health Information Act (HIA) applies to health information held by custodians as defined under that Act. These laws set rules for how personal and health information is collected, used, stored, and disclosed.

There are a few situations where a clinician may be required to share information without your consent:

• when there is a risk of serious harm to you or to someone else
• when there is reason to suspect a child is being abused or neglected, which Alberta law requires to be reported
• when a court orders the release of information

Your clinician will explain these limits clearly during your first session. You are welcome to ask questions about privacy, records, or virtual sessions before you share anything personal. For children and teens, this conversation also covers consent and what caregivers will and will not be told.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to talk about my eating or my body in detail?

No. You decide what to share and when. You can start by talking about how things feel day to day, what you would like to change, or what has been getting in the way, without going into specifics. Your clinician may ask some questions to understand your safety and what support fits, and you can always say you are not ready to answer.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within limits set by law. Exceptions include a risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and court orders. Your clinician will go through these in your first session, and the Confidentiality and Privacy section above explains how PIPA and the HIA apply.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer. Some people find a shorter period of counselling helpful, while others benefit from longer-term work. You and your clinician will review progress regularly and decide together what makes sense.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

It is okay if your first match is not the right one. If the connection does not feel right, let your clinician or the admin team know, and they can help you find a different clinician. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access counselling online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available anywhere in Alberta, and the same confidentiality standards apply as in person. Your clinician can talk with you about privacy at home during sessions, such as using a private room or headphones.

Can I reach out if I am worried about someone else?

Yes. Parents, caregivers, partners, and friends can book counselling for themselves to talk through how to support someone and how to look after their own wellbeing. Counselling for another adult depends on that person's own consent. For general reading, the Canadian Psychological Association has published a fact sheet on eating disorders (Canadian Psychological Association [CPA], 2025). The Lower Mainland branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association also has an informational page on the topic (Canadian Mental Health Association [CMHA], n.d.). If the person you are worried about may be in danger, the crisis resources above apply.

Will counselling include meal plans or weight goals?

No. Counselling focuses on the thoughts, feelings, relationships, and patterns around food and body image. It does not provide meal plans, calorie targets, or weight goals, and it does not replace medical or nutrition care. With your agreement, your clinician can discuss coordinating with a doctor, dietitian, or other regulated health professional you are working with.

Do I need a diagnosis or a referral to start?

You do not need a diagnosis or a particular label to book. Some insurance plans have their own requirements for reimbursement, so it can help to check your plan before your first session.

Meet Your Clinicians

Wholesome Psychology's team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Student Therapists. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists, and provisional psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist. Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Student Therapists are master's-level practicum students.

Training and experience vary from clinician to clinician. The Our Therapists page describes each clinician's background, and the Match Tool can help you find someone whose experience includes food, eating, and body image concerns. The admin team can also help you choose at 780-904-4880.

Children and Youth

Wholesome Psychology offers counselling for children and youth, including support for teens. Clinicians who work with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches and work with parents and caregivers to support the young person at home. The first conversation covers how consent, privacy, and caregiver involvement will work.

If you are a parent noticing changes in your child's eating, mood, or how they talk about their body, it may help to involve your child's doctor as well. Counselling can sit alongside that care.

Getting Started

If you would like to explore counselling, you can book a session online, use the Match Tool to find a clinician, or read more about what to expect on our Getting Started page. You can also call 780-904-4880 or email info@wholesomepsychology.ca with questions before booking.

Starting the conversation is enough.

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

References

• Canadian Mental Health Association, Lower Mainland. (n.d.). Eating disorders.
• Canadian Psychological Association. (2025). Eating disorders [Fact sheet].
• National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (n.d.). Eating disorders: Recognition and treatment.
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (2025). A call for increased measurement of eating disorders and disordered eating in federal surveillance in Canada.
• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics: Feeding or eating disorders.