Living with an eating disorder can feel isolating, overwhelming, and impossible to escape. At Friendly Recovery in Tustin, CA, we specialize in outpatient care for eating disorders designed to help you break free from harmful patterns, heal your relationship with food and your body, and rediscover who you are beyond the disorder.
Whether you’re struggling with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, or another eating-related condition, our team is here to support you with personalized care that fits your goals and your schedule.
Eating disorders are serious mental health conditions that affect a person’s relationship with food, eating, body image, and weight. They go far beyond simply “being picky” or wanting to lose weight. These disorders involve persistent, often severe disturbances in eating behaviors and distressing thoughts and emotions about food, weight, and appearance.
Many people with eating disorders experience intense fear of weight gain, distorted body image, or loss of control around food. Others may restrict food intake to dangerous levels, engage in binge eating episodes, or use compensatory behaviors like purging or excessive exercise.
Without support, eating disorders can lead to serious medical complications affecting the heart, bones, digestive system, and mental health. But with the right treatment, full recovery is possible.
"Before treatment, my eating disorder controlled every part of my life. The compassionate support I've received here helped me realize I'm more than my disorder and taught me how to nourish myself again."
While symptoms vary depending on the specific disorder, many individuals notice:
If these symptoms are affecting your physical health, emotional wellbeing, or ability to function, it may be time to seek care.
At Friendly Recovery, we treat a comprehensive range of eating disorders that can affect how you eat, think about food, and see your body. Whether you’re dealing with restriction, binge eating, purging behaviors, or a complex relationship with food, our team is here to help you understand what’s happening and guide you toward meaningful recovery.
Anorexia Nervosa: Severe restriction of food intake, intense fear of weight gain, and distorted body image leading to dangerously low body weight.
Bulimia Nervosa: Cycles of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as purging, excessive exercise, or fasting.
Binge Eating Disorder (BED): Recurrent episodes of eating large amounts of food with feelings of loss of control, often accompanied by shame or distress.
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID): Limited food intake not driven by body image concerns but by sensory sensitivities, lack of interest in eating, or fear of negative consequences.
Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder (OSFED): Eating disorder symptoms that cause significant distress but don’t meet full diagnostic criteria for other disorders. This includes atypical anorexia, purging disorder, and night eating syndrome.
Orthorexia: Obsessive focus on “healthy” or “clean” eating that becomes psychologically damaging and socially impairing.
Eating Disorders with Co-occurring Conditions: Many individuals experience eating disorders alongside anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, or substance use.
Our goal is to help you understand your symptoms, clarify your diagnosis, and create a personalized plan for healing your relationship with food and your body.
"At Friendly Recovery, we approach eating disorders with both clinical precision and deep compassion. Our goal is to help each individual restore their physical health, heal psychological wounds, and build a sustainable foundation for lifelong recovery."
Treating eating disorders takes more than addressing food and weight—it requires therapy approaches that help heal underlying emotional wounds, challenge distorted beliefs, and build healthy coping strategies. Our approach blends evidence-based and holistic therapies to help you restore physical health, process emotions, and develop a balanced relationship with food and your body.
Common therapies include:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Challenge distorted thoughts about food, weight, and body image
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): Build emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and impulse control
Trauma-Informed Care: Essential when trauma contributes to eating disorder behaviors
Individual & Group Therapy: Support through one-on-one sessions and peer connection
Family Group Therapy: Involve loved ones in the healing process
Holistic Therapies: Including mindfulness, movement therapy, and body image work
Nutritional Counseling: Meal planning, nutritional rehabilitation, and restoring a healthy relationship with food
Medication Management: When appropriate, coordinated with licensed psychiatric providers for co-occurring conditions
We deliver our therapy and support through structured programs that match your current needs, symptoms, and life responsibilities. Our outpatient programs offer flexibility without sacrificing the depth of care needed for eating disorder recovery. We tailor treatment to support people recovering from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and other food-related conditions.
We offer the following levels of care:
General Outpatient Services: Lower-frequency care and virtual options for those transitioning from higher levels of treatment or seeking long-term support for eating disorder recovery.
Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): Therapy several days per week in a flexible format, designed for individuals balancing treatment with work, school, or family life. IOP offers continued structure for challenging eating disorder thoughts and behaviors while building recovery skills.
Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP): A structured, full-day program offering intensive support for eating disorder stabilization while allowing you to return home at night. PHP is ideal for those who need more than weekly therapy but don’t require 24/7 residential care.
Each plan is customized to help you normalize eating patterns, address underlying emotional issues, and improve both physical and psychological functioning. You’ll have access to a full team of licensed professionals who understand the complexities of eating disorders and work with you to build lasting recovery.
If your relationship with food, exercise, or your body is causing distress or interfering with your life, treatment can help you break free. Many people living with eating disorders struggle in silence, unsure if their symptoms are “serious enough” to seek support, but you don’t need to wait until things get worse.
Treatment may be a good fit if you:
You deserve support that helps you restore your physical health, heal emotionally, and rediscover life beyond the eating disorder.
We know you have options for mental health care in Orange County. What makes Friendly Recovery different is our balance of clinical expertise in eating disorders and genuine compassion for each person’s journey. We don’t believe in one-size-fits-all treatment. Our team works closely with you to create a plan that is effective, realistic, and sustainable.
Licensed clinicians with extensive experience treating eating disorders in outpatient settings will lead your care. Meet our team to learn more about their credentials and approach to care. Our goal is to help you move beyond survival mode toward a life where food, exercise, and your body are no longer sources of fear or obsession.
It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers yet. Many people come to us unsure of what they’re experiencing, only knowing that something doesn’t feel right. That’s enough to start. Call or text Friendly Recovery today and let us help you figure out the next step toward healing.
Shahana Ham, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Southern California. She specializes in client-centered care for individuals facing mental health and substance use challenges, fostering a supportive environment for healing and growth.
If thoughts about food, weight, or your body consume significant mental energy or interfere with daily life, it's time to seek help. You don't need to be severely underweight or meet every diagnostic criterion. Key signs include: obsessive thoughts about calories, avoiding social eating situations, restrictive or binge eating patterns, purging or excessive exercise, and feeling controlled by food-related behaviors. Early intervention leads to better outcomes—if you're questioning whether you need help, reaching out is the right next step.
Residential treatment provides 24/7 supervised care in a live-in facility for medical instability or severe symptoms. Our PHP offers structured full-day treatment (5-6 hours daily) while you return home each night. IOP provides several hours of therapy 3-5 days per week, allowing you to maintain work or school. Outpatient involves weekly sessions for ongoing support. The right level depends on symptom severity, medical stability, and your ability to manage between sessions.
Yes, most major insurance plans cover eating disorder treatment, including Aetna, Cigna, and Health Net. The Mental Health Parity Act requires insurers to cover mental health conditions—including eating disorders—at the same level as physical health. Coverage details vary by plan, so we recommend verifying your benefits before starting. Our admissions team can help you understand your coverage and any out-of-pocket costs.
Yes, full recovery is absolutely possible. With appropriate treatment, many people achieve lasting recovery where they no longer struggle with disordered eating thoughts or behaviors. Recovery means developing a peaceful relationship with food and your body, not just stopping harmful behaviors. Key factors include seeking treatment early, addressing co-occurring conditions like anxiety or trauma, building support systems, and developing healthy coping skills. The path isn't always linear, but sustained recovery is achievable.
Treatment focuses on restoring physical health and developing a balanced relationship with food through collaboration, not coercion. If medical stabilization is needed, the approach is gradual and respectful of your pace. Our trauma-informed approach recognizes eating disorders as coping mechanisms. For conditions like bulimia or binge eating disorder where weight isn't the primary concern, treatment focuses on normalizing eating patterns and healing your relationship with food. We work with you to address the fears and emotions driving restrictive behaviors.
Treatment length varies based on symptom severity, disorder duration, co-occurring conditions, and individual progress. Many people benefit from 8-12 weeks in intensive programs before transitioning to lower levels of care, though some need several months. Recovery is a process—individuals often progress from PHP to IOP to outpatient care. Research shows longer engagement in treatment leads to better outcomes. Your team will help determine when you're ready to step down based on stability and coping skills.
Yes, our outpatient programs are designed for people maintaining responsibilities. Many clients continue working or attending school during IOP, with sessions scheduled around commitments. PHP requires full days but allows you to return home nightly. Students can often arrange medical leave or reduced course loads. We also offer telehealth services for additional flexibility. Our admissions team can help you explore options that balance treatment with other obligations.
Absolutely. Most people with eating disorders experience co-occurring mental health conditions. Anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD, and perfectionism frequently co-occur with and fuel eating disorders. Our dual diagnosis approach treats the whole person, addressing root causes like anxiety-driven restriction or trauma-related binge eating alongside eating disorder symptoms. Our psychiatric providers can manage medications for co-occurring conditions when appropriate.
Yes, we treat all eating disorders, not just anorexia and bulimia. We specialize in binge eating disorder, ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder), OSFED (including atypical anorexia and purging disorder), and orthorexia. We also support individuals with disordered eating patterns that don't meet full diagnostic criteria but cause significant distress. Your suffering is valid regardless of diagnosis. If your relationship with food, exercise, or your body is causing problems, you deserve support and comprehensive treatment.
Family involvement is encouraged but not required. For adolescents and young adults at home, family therapy is often beneficial, as eating disorders affect the entire family system. For independent adults, involvement is optional—some include partners or parents in certain sessions, others prefer private treatment. We respect your autonomy while offering guidance on when family support might help. If you've experienced family conflict, we can facilitate healing conversations in a safe environment. The level of family involvement is ultimately your decision.
Ready to start your journey towards recovery and stability? Contact Friendly Recovery Center today and let us help you improve your mental health and wellness.
Our experienced team provides expert IOP, PHP, and outpatient care for individuals in Orange County. We deliver personalized counseling, group therapy, and holistic treatments in a supportive environment designed to improve your life.
Our team is ready to help—call us now!
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