The HealthShrink, Susan D’Addario, Eating Psychology Coach

Hi, I’m Susan D’Addario, LCSW and Certified Eating Psychology Coach. For the past 20+ years, I’ve worked with a wide variety of people in my private psychotherapy practice helping them with past and current hurts, conflicts, and challenges. Whether focusing on difficulties in self-esteem, dating, relationships, family issues, work/career life, health, addiction, depression, anger, anxiety, sexuality, and more, all was up for discussion and analysis. Such exploration frequently lead to a new understanding, eventual working through, and resolve.

Emotional blocks and unresolved hurt can absolutely interfere in our ability to truly reach and bring forward the person deep inside us, i.e., our real, authentic self. I firmly believe that we are beautiful exactly as we are right now and that forgiveness, (even self-forgiveness), is crucial to our healing and growth.

My great interest and focus has now turned to working with people who are larger-sized than they would like. They may have always been heavier than others from childhood or they may have put on increasing pounds in adulthood with the passing of years. That’s why I decided to study at the Institute for the Psychology of Eating. By becoming a Certified Eating Psychology Coach, I have been specially trained to work with all types of people having diverse challenges with food, eating, and body image.

Eating Psychology involves looking at one’s life issues that may in fact be underneath the surface and influencing our over-eating or binge eating. The vast majority of us have dieted at some point in our lives. Unfortunately, 97% of us gain all the weight back, and sometimes more. It’s simply not enough to tell someone what to eat. And, of course, anyone can read the latest fad diet book and have some short-term success. But, therein lies the problem. The success is short-lived which can then lead to frustration, anger, hopelessness and despair.

In order to lose weight and body re-shape for the long haul, it’s imperative to address our eating challenges from the inside out. Our relationship with food and eating is personal to us. It will never be enough to “just say no.” Eventually the issues that got us bogged down and turning to food in the first place will rise up again. So, support and compassionate exploration is needed to unveil and resolve the specific blockades we have that get in the way of a healthy relationship with food, eating, and our bodies.

Moreover, Mind-Body Nutrition, a big component in Eating Psychology Coaching, introduces the subject of how our emotional state greatly influences our body’s ability to digest and assimilate food. Of course, we will go over favorable foods to eat for your optimal health and body size. But, there’s far more to it than that. For example, did you know:

•   Even if we consume the highest quality food available, if we eat too quickly, or while distracted, and/or when stressed, our body will not benefit from that food

•   Our brain needs time to process that we’ve actually eaten, otherwise it will continue to send us hunger messages

•   If we eat while stressed, insulin will rise and cortisol will be released both of which add to fat gain and lean body tissue loss

•   By slowing down our eating and focusing on our food, we can get back in touch with our natural appetite and experience satiation versus deprivation

•   The time of day we eat can support or sabotage our efforts for sound health and a leaner body

•   Our gut brain (Enteric Nervous System) is intricately linked to our brain proper and will shut down digestion when under stress

In short, the integration of my extensive background and experience as a psychotherapist, along with my advanced training in Eating Psychology and Mind-Body Nutrition, all allow me to offer a very unique style of working with you on your food, eating, and/or body challenges. My approach is nurturing, professional, and informed.

I look forward to hearing from you so we may discuss how Eating Psychology Coaching may be helpful to your overall health and body re-shaping. I offer a FREE 20-minute phone or virtual consult to determine if your needs and my services are a match. Should you decide you’d like to work together, sessions are available in-person at my New York City office, (located in the Upper Westside of Manhattan near Lincoln Center), by phone, or via a virtual service such as Skype.

Thank you for your interest!

Very warmly,

Susan D’Addario, LCSW

Certified Eating Psychology Coach

Founder of The HealthShrink