Binge Eating & ADHD Therapy in SC
Your relationship with food is basically an ancient spandex garment.
A gift cage passed from matriarch to maiden since the dawn of time.
You yanked it over your head so long ago, there are no memories of when food was just food, and your body was just the thing that helped you do cartwheels.
Now every time you go to the bathroom, you automatically assess your appearance.
You look at yourself in the mirror and think, “I know I’m better than this.”
But then another thought immediately whispers back,“…are you sure?”
Every calorie feels itchy. Uncomfortable. Like you can’t take a full breath in your own skin. The physical evidence of your twisted will-I-won’t-I with food is everywhere.
Let’s take your home for example:
Half-empty carton of ice cream in the freezer with spoon marks carved like shame spirals.
Granola bars and crackers in a torn-open box in the pantry (you swore you’d only have one).
Calorie tracker app buzzing like an air-traffic controller you can’t keep up with.
A drawer of leggings that tell you everything about your weight before you even pull them up.
A stash of wrappers hidden under your bed that you swore you’d throw away later. Evidence of the secret binges you swore would stop last time.
I know what you’re thinking…
“If I could just get my sh*t together, I’d feel better.”
You manage people at work for Christ’s sake, why can’t you manage a plate of pasta without spiraling? inanimate objects? A “real adult” would have this figured out by now.
It is technically possible that you’re lazy (we haven’t officially, so how could I know for sure?)—but I know for a damn fact you’re tired.
Tired of apps, meal plans, pep talks, and shame spirals. Tired of never knowing which version of you will show up: the disciplined high-flyer who tracks every calorie, or the secret snacker who spirals at midnight.
When you finally crawl into bed at night, you swear tomorrow will be different. But in the dark, food rules and calorie math roll across your brain. Sometimes you even get back up, standing in the refrigerator glow, swearing you’ll “start again” in the morning.
And every morning, the food noise is still there, shouting:
“Why can’t you do this SIMPLE thing? Aren’t you supposed to be good at stuff?
You’ve tried…
Tracking App
All dopamine-pings and streak counters. It worked for 13 days—until one late-night snack broke your “perfect record,” and suddenly it felt ruined. You deleted the app in quiet defeat, but not before it billed you $19.99 for another month of shame.
“Just Listen to Your Body”
That wellness influencer eats intuitively, so why can’t you? You strain your inner ear to listen for a whisper of “I’d like spinach” or “I’m full now”, you hear…nothing. Your brain goes into overdrive. A tightness spreads through your chest and the only thing you can think about is cheese. F*&k
Elimination Diets
Lightning bolts of pain spark in your abdomen, and you finally release a gas bubble. It smells like something died. Your partner asks gently, “are you okay?” And you don’t want to snap—but God, it’s just so embarrassing when someone puts words to the question that’s haunted you all day: what is wrong with me? It must be gluten, right?
This isn’t just about spoonfuls of peanut butter or skipped workouts.
This isn’t just about the laundry you’re rewashing (again). Or the lunch you forgot to pack. Or a to do list.
It’s the anger that strangles you every time you “fail.” The suffocating guilt when you’re figuring out how much and how silently you can eat so no one will notice your presence or the missing Oreos.
It’s the anxiety that puts you in a chokehold when you get the “on my way!” text. The suffocating guilt from not texting friends back at all. The way your partner tiptoes around your moods, which you hate but also kind of get because you know you can explode over toothpaste on the counter.
Really, you’re drowning in shame.
You keep telling yourself you’ll fix it when you have more time, more energy, more discipline. But the more you wait, the heavier it gets.
And the more it confirms your deepest fear: maybe I can’t handle it. Maybe I’m not better than this after all.
I’m going to tell you what I tell all of my clients - it makes sense.
I know, I know—how can I say that when I haven’t even met you yet?
Hear me out:
I’m not saying “don’t worry about it” or “just love yourself more.”
I’m saying you definitely aren’t a failure. Or weak.
The truth is, you’ve never been broken - just broken down. Squished and exfoliated by food rules, body standards, and productivity myths that were never made for your brain, body, or heart.
That relentless food noise? That’s not lack of discipline. That’s your nervous system in a chokehold, screaming for relief.
You don’t need another green powder or collagen supplement. You don’t need to double down on “discipline” or finally “find balance.”
You need a place to unravel what’s actually happening—and someone who gets why it feels so heavy.
Let’s start there.
Therapy with Emilea Is…
Naming the real weight you carry around & letting it move through your body, not just burying it under another fresh start.
Understanding the link between your ADHD, perfectionism, and food instead of fighting it with colorful habit trackers.
A nervous system–attuned approach to eating and self-trust so your choices support you, not suffocate you.
A space where your brilliance and burnout, your binges and breakthroughs all get to exist together.
A long game of freedom, worthiness, and learning how to live like you’re not a problem to solve.
Therapy with Emilea Isn’t…
A venting session without any change, or cry once and expect it all to get easier.
A quick fix for people looking for "more willpower" without exploring what’s underneath the desire for it. This is not “75 Hard: Therapy Edition.”
A top-down, head-only strategy that ignores your lived, messy, body-based experience.
A gold star chart for “doing it right” or hustle culture in a pastel filter.
A low-commitment dabble for when you “finally have time.” This work requires for your presence.
Your Healing Looks Like A Hobbit-Style What I Eat In A Day
-
You land on this page, heart racing a little. This feels spooky. The room around you hasn’t changed—but something clicks. You recognize yourself here. You start imagining what it might feel like to live without the constant internal scolding. This is the moment you stop searching for the perfect plan and start wondering if softness could be a strategy.
-
You book the consult call. To be honest, you almost cancel because you had a little breakdown but you’re fine now. But you don’t, because let’s face it you rarely cancel plans even if you wanted to. We book an intake, and in that first session, we lay out the tangled mess together and start making sense of the threads—what’s yours, what’s inherited, what no longer serves. It’s not neat, but it’s a beginning.
-
Session by session, we expand your emotional range. Instead of 0 to 100, you start to find some range at 30 and 60. You learn to hold your ADHD sparkles and natural hunger and fullness with compassion instead of control. We build structure—not to contain you, but to support you. A warm woven nest. You begin to move through hard days with less panic, more permission, and more nurturing.
-
You find yourself noticing how you yawn before your stomach sinches in hunger. You can catch a breath before erupting in irritation. Setting boundaries that create space and compassion, instead of isolation and exhaustion. Your home feels more of a sanctuary-in-progress than shame-trigger. We untangle the archetype of food and exercise and bodies with your actual food intake, movement, and meat suit.
-
There’s no big “before and after” photo - afterall, this isn’t gimmick wellness marketing. It's a steady, slow rhythm of learning your body’s language. You begin trusting your own pace. You don’t need to “start over” every time you miss the mark. You understand how to move in your life, with trust and gratitude. Discovering all the ways you can live fully. Take up the space that was always meant for you.
-
You’re not just surviving the week—you enjoy it. The food noise becomes light and quiet. You don’t notice it most days. Movement becomes a relief and empowering. Health becomes this 4D concept (yup, 4D friend) instead of this 2D rubric. You ask for help without shame. You’ve started making art again. Laundry is done more often than not. You feel, for the first time in a long time, like yourself—and it doesn’t just fit. It looks damn good on you.
*for any fellow LOTR fans, I know that after Dinner comes Supper. But I didn’t want to write something for the sake of an extended metaphor. But if not seeing Supper bothers you, I get it and it bothers me too.
If you are normal and this doesn’t bother you, then I’m excited to hear about your own hyper fixation and quirks :)
Before Therapy with Emilea
You wake up already negotiating breakfast: smoothie or nothing? Coffee first, then maybe an egg if you “for the protein.” You’re doing math before you’ve even brushed your teeth.
You replay the same four questions on loop after a work meeting. Did I say too much? Did I disappoint my client? Is my boss mad at me? Should it feel this hard? Exhausted by your own constant critique.
You keep an Instacart order full of “safe foods” but also a secret DoorDash history you’d delete if you could.
You describe yourself as a “fitness girly” & “wellness nerd.” You’ve got planners, apps, and perfectly color-coded trackers but abandon them the second you “mess up.”
You feel both too disciplined and too out of control. People think you’re healthy and put-together, but they don’t see the midnight wrappers stuffed in your bathroom trash.
You’re constantly trying to earn your own rest. Nothing ever feels finished enough to justify putting your feet up.
After Therapy with Emilea
You wake up and pause. No negotiations, no calorie math ticker tape. You breathe, put your feet on the floor, and start your day with actual hunger cues, not punishment plans.
You notice food thoughts pop up (“should I have this?” “Did I eat too much last night?”) but you know they’re just thoughts. Not truth. There’s room now to choose what feels nourishing without the spiral.
You can say yes to dessert, yes to salads, yes to being seen eating in public without the secret shame hangover.
You use tools that work with your brain, not against it. Instead of trackers and planners, you’ve got grounding practices and flexible rhythms. One off-day doesn’t erase your progress or your worth.
A craving doesn’t scare you. A big emotion doesn’t derail you. You actually trust your body to guide you. Sometimes with mac & cheese, sometimes with a nap.
You rest on purpose. Not because you “earned it,” but because your body deserves rest, always.
Meet Emilea
I’m Emilea - a therapist, a seriously playful heart, and a sharply intuitive spirit. I love a metaphor and a good rom com. And I’m fluent in Evangelical faux-authenticity (the life group I’m plugged into just wants to do life together, you know?) and fall in love with every fiber art I meet.
I grew up in rigid religion, combining my love of feeling alive with my deep need for external approval and rubrics. I was a Go-to irl, Mom Friend, Team Player of the Year. And then I became a Mom.
One day I went to Target with my 8 month old and left the front door open. Not unlocked - wide flippin open. When I came home and determined we had not been robbed, I knew something was wrong. This wasn’t like me.
And I couldn’t ever “get it back together” like I always could pre-motherhood. Obviously this is the moment I became diagnosed with ADHD as a new mother at the age of 30.
And then the penny really dropped.
My near compulsive love of all things sugar. Even if the brownie wasn’t a good brownie, I still needed to eat six of them. Without stopping. My endless love of creating new weight loss timelines, buying aspirational clothing, and committing to six month workout plans that evaporated within six hours. They’re. All. Connected.
It has taken me three therapists, countless workbooks, and all the Brene talks on the internet to make peace with my excitable and curious neurospice and my obsessive love of schedules and rules. I don’t want you to spend eight years figuring it out.
With everything you’re juggling, you need a therapist who sees the whole you.
Not like Worksheet Therapist. Sure homework and tools for your anxiety are nice. But you got bored with the worksheets and still felt kinda blah.
Or Hooey Dooey Therapist. Yes, you’re able to be truly emotional in front of someone. But after a few weeks, the phrase ‘feel your feelings’ gives you the hives. It feels less like healing and more like an expensive pity party.
You need someone who has a bachelors in international relations to create not just a truce, but a functioning relationship with your nature and nurture. Give you space to experience the appreciation AND accountability you need. So you can be all of who you are, and all of who you want to be.
Let's Get Started
Let's Get Started
If…
You want more than another food plan or self-help hack—you want real connection, with yourself and others.
You’re craving structure, but not the kind that feels like a drill sergeant barking orders.
You’re willing to face the squirmy stuff—the shame in the pantry, the perfectionism in your inbox—if it means you stop circling the same stuck places.
You know your perfectionism was armor helping you succeed and survive, but you’re also noticing how it also keeps you exhausted and hungry in ways no amount of protein can fix.
You want a guide who won’t flinch at your mess and who can help you name it, feel it, and build something truer from it.
FAQs
-
I specialize in Binge Eating Disorder specifically, and have helped dozens of women discover a drama free relationship with food, nutrition, and their bodies.
-
Heck yes I do! I specialize in providing tools and tenderness for emotionally exhausted overachievers. This is not a space for ADHD hacks - it’s a process of growing confidence, calm, and competency.
-
Totally! This is often what my people already know they struggle with. Racing thoughts, tight chest, rehearsing conversations, ‘are they mad at me???’ overthinking spirals. I provide the nervous system know how and trauma informed care to turn down the volume of the constant anxiety churn.
-
Wherever you have some privacy and an internet connection friend! I am a totally online practice, so I provide anxiety, perfectionism, and ADHD therapy for women all over South Carolina - from Greenville to Charleston, Rock Hill to Beaufort. All the goodness of therapy without the commute. Just remember to bring your own cozy drink and tissues!
-
Not at this time - I do work with Thriver to use your out of network benefits, so if you’re still interested in having insurance pick up the bill, let’s chat! I also accept all FSA or HSA cards.
-
Initial Appointments are $185, and all 50 minute follow ups are $165. I recommend meeting biweekly (as in 2x a month) to allow for nervous system resets and practice.
-
I think if you’re asking that question, that’s a pretty good sign. I imagine if you’ve gotten this far in this webpage, you’re already feeling overwhelmed, irritable, panicky, or stuck (maybe a bit of everything). You probably also have a tab open to a new amazing planning system that might things Perfect Forever. But if you’re ready to heal the root of the challenges, not just chop off the struggling edges, then therapy can be a really valuable step forward.
-
That’s totally okay! I’m cooking up a range of digital resources and workshops designed for individuals who are not yet ready for one-on-one therapy. Sign up for my email list to stay up to date on those offers!