ANOREXIA · BULIMIA · BINGE EATING DISORDER · DISORDERED EATING · BODY IMAGE
Eating Disorder Therapy in Birmingham, AL
Payton Wortman, MSW, LMSW with Empower Counseling is an Eating Disorder Specialist in Birmingham, Alabama.
In our country, over thirty million individuals suffer from eating disorders. One person dies every 52 minutes as a result of an eating disorder in the United States. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all diagnosable mental health issues — and they are progressive illnesses that get worse over time if left untreated. Beginning treatment as early as possible means a better chance at recovery. You do not have to wait until things get worse. Help is available now.
How Do I Know I Need Eating Disorder Therapy
If you struggle with a negative body image, are obsessive about food, or strive for perfection in any area of life, therapy is a good idea. Often individuals with eating disorders struggle with other issues before having a full-blown eating disorder. You do not need to be in crisis to deserve support. If you can relate to any of the following, reaching out now is the right thing to do.
- Anxiety
- Low self-esteem
- Body image issues
- Obsessive thoughts concerning food, eating, or appearance
- Comparisons to others
- Perfectionism
- Trauma, abuse, or neglect
If you have a relationship with food that takes up too much of your life, you may have disordered eating — maybe not a full-blown eating disorder, but something worth addressing now. The earlier the treatment, the better the outcome. Start therapy with an eating disorder specialist and give yourself the best chance at recovery before things progress further.
Eating Disorders Shrink Your Life. They can make you feel like your entire life revolves around managing food and your appearance.
An eating disorder comes with feelings of shame, guilt, and embarrassment. Much of your life is lived in secret — consumed by your own thoughts, counting calories, exercising compulsively, or concealing behaviors you feel you cannot explain to anyone around you. Nothing about having an eating disorder feels good. No matter what you do, you do not like what you see or who you are.
Your life does not have to look or feel this way any longer. Recovery is possible — and it begins with reaching out to someone who truly understands what you are carrying.
Eating Disorders Are Difficult and Complex Issues
Eating disorders rarely exist in isolation. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than half of adults assessed with Anorexia Nervosa also had anxiety or another diagnosable disorder. Over 80% of those with Bulimia Nervosa had an anxiety disorder, with 95% having some other diagnosable mental health issue. Seventy-nine percent of those with Binge-Eating Disorder suffered from anxiety or another mental health condition.
Eating disorders often co-occur with trauma, substance abuse, personality disorders, and depression. Because of this complicated nature, it is best to work with a therapist who has specialized training in eating disorder treatment. Eating disorders are very difficult to manage or overcome on your own — and the earlier you seek treatment, the better the chance of recovery.
THE WEIGHT OF THE NUMBERS
You Are Not Alone. The Data Makes That Clear.
30 Million+
individuals in the United States suffer from an eating disorder at some point in their lifetime.
1 in 10
people with an eating disorder will receive treatment — meaning the vast majority suffer in silence without ever getting the help they need.
Every 52 Minutes
one person in the United States dies as a direct result of an eating disorder — the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition.
Full Recovery Is Possible
with early, specialized treatment. The sooner you reach out, the better the outcome. You do not have to wait for things to get worse.
What are the Symptoms of Eating Disorders?
Symptoms vary depending on the type of eating disorder. The most commonly seen eating disorders are Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge-Eating Disorder — though disordered eating exists on a spectrum, and you do not need a formal diagnosis to deserve care.
Anorexia
Anorexia is a serious, life-threatening disorder that typically involves extreme efforts to control weight and body shape — an unhealthy low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight, and severely restricted caloric intake. Other symptoms include dramatic weight loss, compulsive or excessive exercise, distorted body image, and noticeable distress around food. Health consequences include heart failure, osteoporosis, severe dehydration, kidney failure, and if untreated, death.
Bulimia
Bulimia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening disorder that often includes cycles of bingeing and purging — driven by feelings of guilt, shame, and fear of weight gain. Purging can take the form of vomiting, excessive exercise, restriction, or laxative use. Bulimia is usually accompanied by preoccupation with body shape and weight and harsh self-criticism. Health consequences include electrolyte imbalances, irregular heartbeats, tooth decay, gastric rupture, and chronic digestive problems.
Binge-Eating Disorder
Binge-Eating Disorder involves eating large amounts of food quickly and feeling out of control during the episode — without the purging behaviors seen in Bulimia. It typically comes with guilt, shame, and embarrassment, and often involves eating alone or in secret. Health risks include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, and Type 2 Diabetes.
Avoidant / Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
ARFID involves extremely limited eating or avoidance of certain foods — often due to texture, smell, taste, or fear of choking — without the body image concerns typical of other eating disorders. It can cause significant problems with growth, development, and healthy functioning, and is more common in younger children, though it does occur in adolescents and adults.
What Causes an Eating Disorder?
Due to the complex nature of eating disorders, no one fully understands what causes them. Experts believe they result from a combination of biological, psychological, genetic, and social factors. Often, controlling food and food intake is a way of managing pain and gaining a sense of control in circumstances where control feels impossible.
Most eating disorders involve focusing too much on weight, body shape, and food. Eating disorders are more likely to occur in people who have parents or siblings who have had one — though the latest research suggests this is less about a specific eating disorder gene and more about inherited traits like perfectionism, anxiety, or fear that become risk factors over time.
Risk Factors
Some risk factors for developing an eating disorder include:
Perfectionism · Abuse and trauma · Neglect · Playing a sport that emphasizes size or weight (ballet, gymnastics, wrestling) · Low self-esteem · Poor body image · Social or familial pressure to be thin · Difficulties coping with stress or anxiety · Bullying · Challenges in relationships · Type 1 Diabetes · Diet culture · Weight teasing
Our Approach to Eating Disorder Therapy
Specialized, Evidence-Based Care That Addresses the Whole Person — Not Just the Behaviors.
At Empower, we understand that eating disorders are not about food. They are about pain, control, shame, and a relationship with yourself that has become something you did not choose. Our approach addresses what is underneath the behaviors — not just the behaviors themselves.
Payton Wortman brings specialized training in eating disorder treatment alongside her advanced ACT and IFS training — a combination that is uniquely powerful for this work. ACT helps you build a life grounded in your values rather than your fear, while IFS helps you understand the parts of you that have been using food and body control to manage pain that had nowhere else to go. Together, they address both the direction you want to move and the wounds that have been making it so hard to get there.
Meet Your Therapists
Payton Wortman, MSW, LMSW
Payton Wortman is Empower's eating disorder specialist — bringing advanced training in both eating disorder treatment and the therapeutic approaches that address what drives it. She specializes in eating disorders, body image, anxiety, trauma, and self-esteem, and she works with both adolescents and adults.
Payton understands that the eating disorder is often the most visible part of something much deeper — and she creates a space where that deeper work can happen safely, at a pace that feels right for you. She sees clients in person in Birmingham and online throughout Alabama.
Hannah Hattaway, M.Ed., LPC, LPC-MHSP
Hannah Hattaway is a licensed therapist at Empower Counseling who helps women break free from the cycles of shame, control, and anxiety that have been running their lives — and reconnect with who they are and what they actually want.
Hannah brings clinical depth and a steady, grounding presence to every session. At the core of her approach is a belief she comes back to with every client: that the therapeutic relationship, built on trust and respect, is the foundation for meaningful healing.
What Women Ask Before They Begin.
Do I need a diagnosis to start eating disorder therapy?
No. Many of the clients Payton works with come in with disordered eating — a difficult relationship with food, body image struggles, or patterns around eating that are taking up too much space in their lives — rather than a formal diagnosis. You do not need to have hit a particular threshold of severity to deserve specialized support. If food and your body are affecting your quality of life, that is enough.
Can eating disorder therapy help with body image even if I do not have a diagnosable eating disorder?
Yes — and this is one of the most important things to understand about early intervention. Body image struggles, perfectionism, and a difficult relationship with food are worth addressing before they progress. Therapy at this stage can be some of the most effective work there is.
What if I have been through treatment before and relapsed?
Relapse is a common part of the recovery process — not a sign that recovery is not possible for you. Payton works with clients at every stage of the recovery journey, including those who have been through treatment before and are finding their footing again. Where you have been does not determine where you can go.
Is eating disorder therapy available online?
Yes. Payton offers eating disorder therapy online throughout Alabama — the same depth of specialized care as in-person sessions, from wherever you are most comfortable.
You are not alone. Let's begin.
Don't Wait to Start Eating Disorder Treatment
If you are experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder or a difficult relationship with food, reaching out to a specialist now is the most important thing you can do. One person dies every 52 minutes as a result of an eating disorder in the United States. The statistics are alarming — but recovery is possible with the right treatment, and it starts with a single step.
A free consultation is simply a conversation. You do not need the right words or a clear sense of what you need. You just need to reach out — and we will take it from there.