You’ve come to the right place
You don’t have to do this alone
If you are feeling lost, hopeless, frustrated, angry, confused and discouraged, you are not alone. If you feel like no one understands and nothing has helped, you are not alone.
Eating disorders in youth and teens have been on the rise since the COVID-19 Pandemic. We have seen an increased rate of hospitalizations and eating disorder program waitlists across the United States since 2020. I am here to help bridge the gap in care.
I know you have tried everything you could. You’ve done the research and reached out for help. You may have blamed yourself, asking ‘Why didn’t I see this sooner?’ ‘Why didn’t I notice they were losing weight?’, ‘Why is it still so hard, we’ve been going to therapy? Or ‘they’re eating more, why are things still so tense?’
Let me paint a scene
You worked all day and came home to prepare dinner for your family. You chose your teenage daughter or son's favorite meal that they always loved. You set it down and BOOM! Let the match begin! Your child is screaming, crying, or has left the table altogether. They tell you they never liked this food, you are just trying to make them fat, how could you not understand??
If this sounds all too familiar and you want your child back and want peace at the dinner table and in your home again, you’ve come to the right place.
I’m Heather Allen, LPCC-S, clinical counselor and therapist specializing in working with adolescents with eating disorders.
I am passionate about helping young adolescents and their parents leave the eating disorder in the past and build a life worth living. I love to see children and teens reach their fullest potential and achieve things that would not be possible with an eating disorder. I am passionate about helping families reconnect, communicate and learn how to support their child with an eating disorder and get their life and their family back.
My favorite part of working with clients is starting a session to hear a parent or child share a big success they achieved over the week and see the look of pride on their face. I am inspired by the anti-diet movement and the shift I see happening with women on social media. There is finally awareness of the harm that the media has caused to women by constantly scrutinizing their bodies and we are finally making changes as a society to protect the next generation.
I show up to therapy because I deeply care about children and helping them reach their potential.
Education & Experience
I have a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Dayton, as well as a Bachelor of Science in Children and Family Studies from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. I have worked at one of the nation’s premier children’s hospitals, located in Central Ohio in various mental health departments, including the eating disorders program. I have experience working in multiple partial hospitalization programs with clients who require intensive eating disorder treatment. I have had extensive adolescent development and eating disorder training and have worked with over 100 families dealing with eating disorders. I have known I wanted to work with children and families since I was a child myself and I’ve spent over 10 years working with children ages 0-24 in many capacities.
When I began my work with eating disorders, I knew I had found my place. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all mental health disorders because of the physical component and the detrimental effects of malnourishment on the body. They are dire and impact the entire family system. But with eating disorders, the answers are clear cut. We know how to treat them and we know that they can be eliminated - for good. Children and adolescents have a full chance to live a life free of an eating disorder - and I can help that to be your child.
My Approach
I remember being an adolescent girl and I know how excruciatingly hard it is. I want to lighten that burden and carry some of the weight alongside you and your child.
When working with me, you will get practical interventions that you can start implementing today. You don’t have to worry about traffic, waiting rooms and finding parking - I provide convenient telehealth sessions and am available to meet more than once per week if deemed appropriate. You are the expert on your child, and I am the expert on eating disorders. Your child will be able to stay in your home for treatment instead of having to go to a more intensive level of care, as long as they are stable and appropriate.
I bring knowledge, warmth and compassion for how hard it is to have an eating disorder living in your home. I know it is not easy and you wouldn’t be here if you weren’t exhausted, desperate and deeply concerned about your child. They are your world and all you want is to help them feel better. You would do anything for them, and I am here to guide you in the journey of how best to help your child or teen with an eating disorder.
I provide knowledge of the most evidence-based treatment for adolescent eating disorders and years of experience working with families just like you who didn’t know what to do or who to turn to by guiding you and supporting you along this difficult road to recovery, healing and food freedom.
I provide knowledge of the most evidence-based treatment for adolescent eating disorders and years of experience working with families just like you who didn’t know what to do or who to turn to by guiding you and supporting you along this difficult road to recovery, healing and food freedom.
I provide a dedicated space to focus on eating while providing tools, guidance and experience to create a healthy home environment where the eating disorder is not welcome. I can help you to help your child gain weight and stabilize outside of the hospital or treatment program.
I want my clients to live a life of food freedom, body acceptance and to generally spend a lot less time thinking about food and their body so they can spend it thinking about their goals and dreams and how they want to change the world.
I specialize in working with children and teens ages 6-24 with eating disorders, specifically anorexia nervosa. I use FBT, Family-Based Treatment, or the Maudsley method as a framework for therapy. It is the most evidence-based treatment for adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa, whether restricting type or purging type.