Key Takeaways
- Emotional eating is defined as eating to cope with negative emotions and usually occurs when the person isn’t feeling physiologically hungry.
- An emotional eating therapist is a licensed mental health professional who specializes in disordered eating and can teach emotional regulation skills.
- Emotional eating dietitians can help you improve your eating habits, learn how to listen to your hunger and fullness cues, and heal your relationship with food.
If you experience emotional eating frequently, you may wonder if it’s time to seek professional help.
Emotional eating therapists and registered dietitians are qualified healthcare providers who can help you address this concern.
Continue reading to learn more about these healthcare professionals and the services they offer.
Find a list of the top ten emotional eating dietitians who can help you reach your health goals while improving your relationship with food.
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What Is an Emotional Eating Therapist?
Emotional eating is when a person consumes food or beverages to regulate negative emotions like stress, instead of eating because they’re physically hungry.
For some people, these behaviors may be a sign of disordered eating.
An emotional eating therapist is a licensed mental health provider who specializes in disordered eating.
Outpatient counseling sessions focus on learning alternative coping mechanisms and emotional regulation skills.
The goal is to develop a healthy relationship with food to reduce the frequency of emotional eating.
Common types of therapy used for managing emotional eating include:
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT).
- Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).
Frequent emotional eating episodes can sometimes be a sign of a mental health condition like depression or an eating disorder.
An emotional eating therapist can also screen for these conditions and help you manage them.
How Can I Find an Emotional Eating Therapist that Accepts My Insurance?
Most insurance companies have an online database where you can search for covered providers.
When looking for an emotional eating therapist, filter your search with keywords like “eating disorder” and “disordered eating.”
Even though emotional eating is not considered an eating disorder, it can often present with other disordered eating behaviors, all of which an eating disorder therapist is well-equipped to help you manage.
How Much Does an Emotional Eating Therapist Cost?
The cost of an emotional eating therapy session varies depending on several factors, including whether:
- You see a clinical psychologist or a licensed therapist.
- Your insurance covers therapy for disordered eating.
- Your provider has a private practice.
You can expect the out-of-pocket cost for one therapy session with a clinical psychologist to range from $75-200.
Emotional Eating Therapist vs. Emotional Eating Dietitian
Therapists aren’t the only healthcare professionals who can help you manage emotional eating.
Many registered dietitians specialize in disordered eating and are qualified to address this concern.
The main differences between the two providers are their credentials and the focus of the counseling sessions.
Emotional eating therapists can be licensed therapists, licensed counselors, or clinical psychologists.
Appointments with these providers will focus on the mental health aspects of emotional eating, like tools for regulating your emotions.
Emotional eating dietitians have a registered dietitian (RD) credential and may also have a certification in eating disorders, known as a Certified Eating Disorder Registered Dietitian (CEDRD).
Visits with a dietitian will focus on how your eating habits, food choices, and your relationship with food may be contributing to emotional eating.
When Should You See a Therapist vs Dietitian?
If you’re experiencing an eating disorder or other mental health conditions in addition to emotional eating, a therapist can help you manage these concerns.
A therapist is also a good fit if you feel your emotional eating stems from difficulty regulating emotions.
Consulting with a registered dietitian can be valuable if your emotional eating feels related to your eating habits or your relationship with food.
In many cases (especially with eating disorders), it can be helpful to work with both a therapist and a dietitian on emotional eating.
What Can an Emotional Eating Dietitian Help Me With?
A dietitian will help you address emotional eating in several different ways.
They can teach you the principles of intuitive eating, which involve listening to your internal hunger and fullness cues.
Research shows that restrictive dieting is linked with emotional eating.
A dietitian can teach you how to enjoy all foods in moderation without feeling restricted. They will help you build sustainable habits to meet your health goals.
Your counseling sessions with a dietitian may also focus on exploring your past and current relationship with food and how to improve this.
10 Best Dietitians for Emotional Eating
Find the top emotional eating dietitians through Nourish, where you can receive virtual, insurance-covered nutrition counseling.
1. Analeis Masters
About
Analeis is a registered dietitian with over eight years of experience. She also has a Master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics.
She is knowledgeable about intuitive eating principles and uses a non-diet approach in her counseling.
Specialties
Analeis specializes in eating disorders and blood sugar management.
Analeis is an excellent fit for people with diabetes who experience emotional eating or an eating disorder.
2. Jessica Bennett
About
Jessica has been a registered dietitian for over 16 years and has a doctorate in clinical nutrition.
She uses principles of intuitive eating and helps her clients set realistic and creative goals during her sessions.
Specialties
Jessica specializes in emotional eating in addition to weight management and sports nutrition.
She is also knowledgeable about plant-based diets and can help manage cholesterol and blood pressure concerns.
3. Teresa Ramalho
About
Theresa is a registered dietitian with a Master’s degree in human nutrition. Her first career was in education.
She is a weight-inclusive dietitian who follows Health at Every Size principles in her counseling.
Specialties
Theresa primarily works with clients who have eating disorders, and she has experience in higher levels of eating disorder treatment as well.
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4. Amy Good
About
Amy is a registered dietitian with a bachelor's degree in dietetics. She believes that “all foods fit” and doesn’t prescribe restrictive diets.
Specialties
Amy has a wide range of specialties in addition to eating disorder recovery and emotional eating, including:
- Heart health.
- Weight management.
- Diabetes.
- Plant-based diets.
- Eating disorders.
- Gastrointestinal conditions.
5. Rachael Martin
About
Rachael has over 30 years of experience as a registered dietitian. She has a Master’s degree in dietetics and is a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist.
Rachael offers patient-centered nutrition counseling for a wide range of patients.
Specialties
Rachael primarily specializes in eating disorders, including topics like emotional eating, body image, and weight management.
She is also knowledgeable about diabetes, PCOS, and gut health.
6. Michelle Caravella
About
Michelle has been working as a registered dietitian for over seven years. She earned her Master’s degree in nutrition and human performance.
Michelle approaches nutrition through a holistic lens, with a focus on women’s health.
Specialties
Michelle helps her patients overcome emotional eating and binge eating. She also specializes in weight management, diabetes, and high cholesterol.
7. Taylor Doktycz
About
Taylor has a registered dietitian credential and Master’s degree. She incorporates intuitive eating and Health at Every Size philosophies in her counseling.
Taylor works with both adults and adolescents.
Specialties
Taylor specializes in eating disorder management, which includes emotional eating and a focus on mental health.
She also offers services relating to sports nutrition and general health.
8. Brianna Theus
About
Brianna is a registered dietitian who brings a holistic, weight-inclusive philosophy to her nutrition counseling sessions.
Specialties
Brianna specializes in eating disorders and disordered eating.
This includes conditions like binge eating, anorexia, bulimia, and avoidant restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).
She is well-equipped to help people overcome emotional eating as well.
9. Kendra Thoenes
About
Kendra is a registered dietitian with a Master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics.
She has a non-diet, Health at Every Size philosophy and helps people improve their relationship with food.
Specialties
Kendra specializes in eating disorder treatment and has experience in many levels of care, including hospital and residential settings.
She offers nutrition counseling for other specialty areas, including:
- Mental health nutrition.
- Pre and postnatal nutrition.
- Acid reflux.
- Weight management.
- IBS.
- Diabetes.
- Sports nutrition.
10. Aimee Merkle-Scotland
About
Aimee has been a registered dietitian for five years. Her approach is weight-inclusive, trauma-informed, and LGBTQ-friendly.
She incorporates cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and motivational interviewing techniques into her sessions.
Specialties
Aimee specializes in eating disorder recovery and emotional eating.
She is an expert in many other areas, including bariatric surgery, diabetes, weight management, and acid reflux.
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Takeaway
Both dietitians and therapists can help treat emotional eating, which is when a person frequently eats to regulate negative emotions.
These providers typically specialize in eating disorders or disordered eating.
Therapists can teach emotional regulation skills and address any mental health conditions, while dietitians will discuss intuitive eating principles and your relationship with food.
How To Choose the Right Emotional Eating Dietitian
Once you narrow down the emotional eating dietitians who accept your insurance, you can read about their qualifications and nutrition philosophy on their websites.
This will help you select the provider who will be the best fit for you.
Managing emotional eating doesn’t have to feel overwhelming.
Find an emotional eating registered dietitian who can guide you in healing your relationship with food.
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