Is Your Teen Ready for College? Benefits of Eating Disorder Therapy
Photo description: The graphic has a road and a graduation cap . The title reads “Class of 2026”.
The year before your teen starts college can be full of emotions, processing ‘goodbyes’, and anticipation for what is to come while possibly living away from home for the first time. Preparing to send seniors off to college can be challenging for parents, especially when mental health concerns are present. While starting college can be a time of great joy in celebrating your child’s achievement and drive for independence, it can feel overwhelming when witnessing your teen struggle with unhealthy dieting, over-exercising, and/or anxiety about food and body image.
It is known that eating disorders often co-occur with anxiety and that eating disorders and disordered eating patterns are prevalent in the general adolescent population (Swanson et al., 2002). Claydon et al. (2025) found that college students who engaged in disordered eating patterns had particular struggles with anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, low distress tolerance, and alcohol problems. Disordered eating patterns were identified in the study to include behaviors that both met criteria for a clinical eating disorder (i.e. Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder) and subclinical eating disorder symptoms, such as struggling with body image disturbance, restricting food intake, bingeing, purging, engaging in excessive exercise, and/or other compensatory behaviors (Claydon et al., 2025).
In the months ahead, therapy can be a helpful bridge for your high school senior to create healthy coping strategies that prioritize mental health prior to starting college. If adolescents develop the life skills of nourishment and self-care prior to embarking on their college career, it could benefit their physical and mental health in a number of ways.
How therapy can help:
Increase self-awareness towards unhealthy thinking patterns that may reinforce disordered eating patterns
Understand possible ways that biological factors, individual traits, & environmental influences can increase risk for eating disorder behaviors
Establish & apply mindful eating strategies that can be implemented while adjusting to college life
Develop distress tolerance skills
Identify & explore emotions underlying food anxiety and/or body dissatisfaction
Increase family support & education on ways to support your child in building a healthier relationship with food
College in California?
Moving away for college while still living in California? Dr. B offers virtual therapy (telehealth/video sessions offered using a HIPAA-compliant platform) to California residents
Telehealth can be a bridge for college students who are traveling for school and seek continuity of care
About the Author:
Dr. Tracy Ballardo is a licensed clinical psychologist with over a decade’s experience treating people with eating disorders in inpatient and outpatient hospitalization programs, residential treatment, community mental health settings, college and high school settings, and private practice. She assists children, teens, adults, and families with balancing school/work with other parts of their lives. Dr. B often supports people with treating anxiety, depression, and trauma that often co-occur with eating disorders. Interested in learning more? Let’s connect!
References:
Claydon, E.A., Ward, R.M., Geyer, R.B., Weekley, D. (2025). Mapping anxiety symptoms and disordered eating
using the EPSI: a latent profile analysis accounting for peak alcohol use. Journal of Eating Disorders, 13
(96), 4-10.
Swanson, S. A., Crow, S. J., Le Grange, D., Swendsen, J., & Merikangas, K. R. (2011). Prevalence and correlates of
eating disorders in adolescents. Results from the national comorbidity survey replication adolescent
supplement. Archives of General Psychiatry, 68(7), 714–
723. https://doi.org/10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.22
