Therapy for Disordered Eating with Brandi Wilson, PLPC

Anxiety and disordered eating can often go hand-in-hand.

And we’re so excited that we can now offer therapy for disordered eating right here at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.

Brandi Wilson, MA, PLPC works with anxious teens and college students from 13 on up, and brings her compassionate, client centered approach to her work with trauma, attachment, anxiety and eating disorders at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis.

Below you’ll learn more information about Brandi, her approach, and her expertise!

Why did you decide to become a counselor in St. Louis?

Brandi Wilson, PLPC

I really wanted to normalize people being able to enjoy their life in a way that felt inclusive of their experiences, good or bad. I really wanted to promote the idea that some of our challenges are also some of our greatest assets in living an authentic life. I really enjoy helping people understand that their emotions are such a vital part to the human experience.

What's your favorite part about counseling?

I love the moment a person's body settles when they feel completely validated in their experience, and truly understood in a way that feels liberating. I also really enjoy getting to bring in creative techniques that supports clients in having a different understanding of their emotions and experiences.

I love working with clients that feel like, on paper, things look really great, but they often feel really lost when it comes to emotions.

I also love working with clients that struggle with bringing their emotions directly to relationships, which often gets absorbed by other behaviors.

What do you feel is the most important part of therapy?

The client feeling understood and held in their experience. I hope to support each human with a nice big exhale after discussing whatever tough stuff comes up in session. Because of my experience in the field, I enjoy helping people give voice to the things they wish to overcome.

What overlap do you notice between anxiety, perfectionism, and eating disorders?

Eating disorders are often an expression of what doesn’t get processed verbally. The overlap between anxiety, and perfectionism is often another way that we communicate challenges around being in the world, our bodies, and relationships for various reasons.

Food related behaviors, and cognitive distortions are often not the underlying issue of eating disorders, lack of relational safety and connection is.

Through therapy, many clients will learn that by facing their relational challenges both within themselves and others, their symptoms with anxiety and disordered eating will begin to shift. 

How would you describe your approach to anxiety therapy?

I often look at anxiety as a chaotic manager in our lives. Anxiety really tries to keep us on our toes by making us aware of life’s challenges, but when it’s persistent and intrusive it becomes exhausting (and might I add annoying).

In therapy we might work on limiting the intensity through relaxation techniques, while trying to understand it’s message.

I might ask questions like, “What’s your anxiety trying to tell us? What’s important for us to understand about its message?”  Or, “How does your anxiety try and make you feel?  Safe? Aware?” My approach in helping clients with their anxiety is helping them create a different relationship with it by shifting the dialogue, that way we can calmly engage with our anxiety and discuss what it might be trying to help us with.

What ages do you work with? Does your therapeutic approach change depending on the age of the client?

I work kids, teens, and college students from age 13 on up.

Though my clinical lens and what I believe heals a person does not shift a whole lot, I do bring in specialized techniques to help the client understand themselves or their emotions better. I really like bringing in movie clips, books, and anything that creates a dialogue with the person sitting across from me. I like to take interest in what my clients are into and what makes sense to them and try to incorporate that into their therapy.

What do you wish people knew about getting therapy for anxiety?

Sometimes it’s hard work, and it requires a great deal of commitment from all parties involved. I’ve seen and experienced it being worth it in the end, but sometimes that process feels challenging because you are having conversations, and trying things you have never done before. We as therapists recognize those challenges and work to create an environment that is supportive, collaborative as the client continues to learn more about themselves. 

What do you like about working at Compassionate Counseling St. Louis?

I love that we are encouraged to use our passions to work with clients that fit our skill set! As therapists, we know we cannot be good at every issue, so it’s important that we feel confident in our task to help along with the client feeling like they are in competent hands. 

Compassionate Counseling St. Louis specializes in anxiety and anger management therapy for kids, teens, and college students. All of our therapists take this anxiety lens and apply it to their own specialized training - just like Brandi and her work with disordered eating! To learn more and schedule a call, please visit our contact page.