Mike Keaveny, Psy.D.
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Therapy for Disordered Eating
Mike Keaveny Psy.D.
Struggles with eating and body image can take over your entire day. Worries about food, weight, and appearance can spiral into constant self-criticism or pressure to be different. Those thoughts often drive exhausting patterns — stepping on the scale again and again, checking mirrors, comparing yourself to others, carefully planning or restricting meals, or exercising to “make up” for what you ate. Sometimes there’s a fleeting sense of relief or control, but it fades quickly, replaced by even more rules and more pressure.
What makes this even harder is that it’s rarely just about food. Eating and body image concerns often tie into deeper struggles — the need for control when life feels chaotic, a way to cope with painful emotions, a fear of rejection, or a desperate attempt to feel good enough. At the same time, these patterns often leave you feeling more isolated, anxious, and disconnected from the life you want. Over time, what began as something that seemed manageable starts to take more and more of your energy until it feels like the eating disorder is running the show.
An ACT Approach to Healing
My work is grounded in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which focuses on building flexibility with thoughts and emotions, clarifying your values, and taking steps toward a meaningful life. We’ll use ACT’s six core processes, each applied to the challenges of eating disorders:
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Values – Every moment spent obsessing over weight is a moment pulled away from what truly matters—relationships, passions, freedom. Together we’ll identify your deeper values and find ways to pursue them without needing to control how your body looks.
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Acceptance – The real challenge isn’t just body acceptance, but learning to sit with uncomfortable feelings without turning to destructive behaviors. We’ll practice small, manageable steps that help you build this capacity over time.
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Present Moment Awareness – Many clients describe living “in their heads,” endlessly planning meals or workouts. We’ll practice reconnecting with the present moment and with your body—so you can notice feelings and values instead of being stuck in cycles of avoidance.
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Cognitive Defusion (Thought Distancing) – Eating disorders flood you with critical thoughts. Instead of trying to eliminate them, we’ll use exercises to help you relate to these thoughts differently—so they lose their power over your actions.
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Self-as-Context – You are not your eating disorder. Over time, it can feel like the disorder is running the show, leaving little sense of who you really are. We’ll work on building a stronger sense of self that can observe thoughts and feelings without being defined by them.
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Committed Action – Recovery can feel overwhelming, but change happens in small, specific steps. Together we’ll break down big goals into manageable actions—whether that’s trying new foods, facing body image triggers, or building healthier routines—so momentum grows over time.
What to Expect in Session
Therapy with me is collaborative and conversational. We spend a lot of time exploring what’s driving your relationship with food and body image—your thoughts, emotions, values, and the parts of yourself that often get overlooked when the eating struggles take center stage. Much of the work is about helping you process these experiences in a way that feels safe, reflective, and meaningful, not about me handing down assignments or pushing you into things before you’re ready.
That said, change often means gently stepping outside of comfort zones. When it feels right, I may suggest specific challenges that help loosen the grip of rigid rules—like body image exercises, mirror work, or trying “fear foods.” These may happen in session or as experiments you try on your own, always with support and follow-up. My role is to walk alongside you, offering encouragement and guidance, while making sure you’re never pushed further than feels manageable.
The overall goal isn’t just to change behaviors, but to help you feel more free, flexible, and connected to the life you want. Together, we create a space that balances compassion with challenge, so you can face fears at your own pace and build confidence along the way.
Levels of Care
Because of my background in inpatient, partial hospitalization, and intensive outpatient programs, I understand the full spectrum of treatment options. If at any point we decide together that a higher level of care is needed, I can guide you through that process. At the same time, I also know how important it is not to bounce in and out of programs unnecessarily. My goal is to help you build a sustainable life beyond “being a patient” and to support you in staying grounded in the recovery path you choose.
Moving Toward Freedom
Ultimately, recovery is about more than food—it’s about reclaiming your life. I want to help you move away from rigid rules and toward eating intuitively, trusting your body, and living with more freedom. That means being able to enjoy meals without fear, move your body in ways that feel good, and focus on the people, passions, and experiences that matter most to you.