Therapy for ARFID IN Hillcrest, SAn Diego

ARFID (Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) gets dismissed as "picky eating" or a phase to outgrow- this stereotype is ableist and beyond frustrating. You don't need to force yourself into a "normal" way of eating to get support. Ease with food is possible, in a way that honors and accommodates your neurodiversity.

Schedule a free 15 minute phone call to learn more

It's Time to Rethink How We See ARFID

You Might Be Living With ARFID If

You've been told you're "just a picky eater" your whole life, but it's never felt that simple.
Certain textures, smells or sensations make a food completely inaccessible, no matter how much you'd like to enjoy it.
You rely on a small rotation of safe foods and feel real panic at the thought of that list shrinking.
Eating in front of others, or in unfamiliar environments, feels like an entirely different task than eating alone.
You've had a frightening experience with a food (choking, illness, forced exposure) and your body has not forgotten it.
Mealtimes take an enormous amount of executive functioning, planning or energy that other people don't seem to need.
You've been shamed, coaxed or pressured to "just try it," and it never worked the way people expected it to.

ARFID isn't a refusal to ‘grow up’ around food. It's often your bodymind accurately communicating what it can and cannot tolerate.

You might also feel like you're constantly managing other people's discomfort with how you eat- making you doubt if you really are just making a big deal out of the distress that certain foods bring.

Looking for an ARFID Specialist in SAn Diego, CA?

Eating Disorder & OCD Therapy provides neurodivergent-affirming eating disorder therapy for ARFID from our in-person office in San Diego, CA.

We also offer virtual ARFID therapy for clients throughout California, Maryland, Tennessee, Utah, Florida and Washington.

If ARFID isn’t picky eating, then what is it?

Most food avoidance in ARFID isn't about fear of food itself. It's a sensory system, a nervous system and body responding to something that genuinely doesn't feel safe or tolerable, whether that's a texture, a smell, the risk of a medical reaction or the aftermath of an experience that taught your body to stay away from the specific food.

The problem was never that you're just picky or difficult. The problem is that most food environments offer almost no accommodation for sensory differences, disability or a bodymind that needs things to go a certain way in order to eat.

When someone can’t eat a certain food due to the sensory distress it causes the person- avoiding the food is actually a compassionate response to your body’s unique needs. You deserve to be believed and supported rather than forced to eat things you really cannot tolerate and don’t want to be exposed to.

ARFID can cause nutrient deficiency and malnutrition, but our approach is collaborative in that we help you find accommodations to make eating more accessible. If your goal is to expand food variety, we gradually support you in that while prioritizing your safety and readiness.

We Can Help You Find More Ease With Food

Most people can't undo years of pressure and shame around eating on their own, especially when the world keeps insisting there's one right way to do it.

Schedule a free 15 minute consultation call to become a client

Reach out to us if you want to…

Expand your relationship with food without abandoning what already feels safe
Stop bracing for judgment every time you eat around other people
Get practical support for the executive functioning demands of mealtimes
Feel less shame about your safe foods, your routines or your pace
Be believed when you say a food genuinely doesn't work for you

You deserve support with ARFID, on your own timeline, without judgement, doubt or shame about your relationship to food.

What ARFID Therapy IS like:

Therapy with us starts by setting aside food variety as the marker of progress. We work with you to understand what your bodymind is actually communicating, and how to support that while working towards getting your nutritional needs met, rather than forcing a neurotypical style of eating on you.

If your goal is to expand types of food you are eating, we can absolutely collaborate with you on making a plan with manageable steps to do so- and we also look at barriers to eating and strategies to accommodate those.

We’ll look at things like executive functioning barriers and interoceptive barriers- difficulty planning meals, sensing hunger, or simply remembering to eat are real challenges that we can work to accommodate in an affirming way.

Sometimes there's sensory trauma or a medical-related root underneath the avoidance. Whatever it is, we work from genuine curiosity, not an agenda to fix your eating.

We often work in tandem with ARFID affirming dietitians who help with the nutritional side of things, so that you are getting team of support to help you through the various ways ARFID impacts your life. For some folks, occupational therapy may be an appropriate referral we’d make as well.

ARFID-Affirming AccommodationS

Support for ARFID doesn't have to mean forcing new foods before you're ready. We help you build accommodations that honor the way your brain works, things like:

Having safe foods always available
Creating always/ maybe/ never food lists to share with loved ones and to keep on hand for yourself
Getting creative with preparing certain foods to make the textures more accessible
Using nutrition shakes or supplements when needed
Pairing eating with a special interests or distractions
Increasing co-regulation around mealtimes or setting boundaries for eating alone and prioritizing self-regulation
Creating a sensory soothing/ pleasurable environment
Treating underlying chronic illness/ medical issue
Reducing pressure around eating to reduce demand anxiety and increase autonomy.

There are so many ways to make nourishment more accessible. These are just a few accommodations we have seen be very useful for our clients!

Common Signs of ARFID

Low or no interest in food
Eating the same foods repetitively because they are safe and predictable
Nutritional deficiencies due to limited access to safe foods and restriction

Avoiding foods based on specific textures, smells, tastes, colors, or temperatures
Fear of what could happen after eating like vomiting, choking or an allergic or autoimmune reaction

Frequently Asked Questions About ARFID Therapy in SAn Diego

We primarily work with teens and adults with ARFID. We're happy to provide trusted referrals for anyone looking for a children's ARFID specialist.
No! People of all sizes have ARFID and there is no weight requirement to access care with us.
No. ARFID often involves sensory sensitivities, medical/ disability-related factors or past frightening experiences with food that go well beyond preference.
While body image distress is not a hallmark feature of the diagnostic criteria, many people with ARFID do also have body image struggles- it varies person to person!
There isn't a firm answer. It depends on co-occurring concerns, support systems and readiness. Some people work with us for a season, others for years because ARFID intersects with many other life struggles. It really varies!
We don't treat expanding your food variety as the ultimate goal of ARFID therapy (unless that is what you want of course). We start with what your body is communicating and build accommodations from there.
Our hope is to help you live well with ARFID and get your nutritional needs met within the parameters of what is safe and accessible to you.
Cost is dependent on the clinician you work with and the state you reside in (variability for cost of living in different areas). You can check out our rates and insurance page for more info!
You can reach out here to connect with us or you can email us at: info@eatingdisorderocdtherapy.com