Eating Disorder & Body Image Therapy in Michigan

Does this sound like you?

The rules about food have quietly multiplied and you can no longer remember making most of them

You've been praised for the thing that is hurting you

Eating in front of other people takes planning

Your relationship with your body changes what you will and will not do that day

Your sport, your training, or your job made this look like discipline
for a long time

You've told yourself it is not serious enough to count

What's actually happening

Eating disorders are not about food and they are not about vanity. They are usually about control, safety, or numbing, running through the one system that is always available and always socially legible as discipline.

That is what makes them so hard to interrupt. The behaviour gets reinforced from outside as commitment or self-control, often for years, and the part of you doing it experiences it as the thing keeping everything else manageable. Being told to stop reads as being told to give up your coping without a replacement.

Recovery is not primarily about eating differently, though that changes. It is about building enough of everything else that the system is not doing all of the work on its own.

How we treat it

CBT

Structured work on the rules, the loops, and what happens when they are broken.

Internal Family Systems (IFS)

The part managing food is protecting something. IFS works out what, rather than trying to remove the protection first.

Somatic Therapy

Rebuilds the connection to physical signals that disordered eating disrupts, at a pace that does not overwhelm.

What we can and can't hold

Attunigrate is an outpatient practice, which sets a real limit on this work. If what you need is inpatient care or an intensive outpatient program, Desiree will say so and help you find it. She keeps referral relationships for exactly that.

What we don't do is end the work the moment symptoms get harder. Eating disorders are not usually experienced by the person living inside one as a problem to be solved, and pushing someone toward a higher level of care before they can hear it tends to end the relationship rather than the behaviour. If you are not ready, Desiree will keep working with you and keep being honest about what she thinks you need.

You'll hear all of this in the first session rather than finding it out later. We would rather tell you our limits on day one.

What the first six sessions look like

Before you start

A free consult with the therapist you have been matched to. You are matched on what you are bringing, not on who has an opening, and you still have to feel safe with the person in front of you. We verify your insurance and tell you your exact cost before session one.

Sessions 1 and 2

History and what brought you here: the primary concern, and the life events that led to it. There is paperwork at this stage, and it can feel like a lot. No one is asking you to relive anything yet. By the end of session 2, you and your therapist set goals together, on a three- to six-month horizon.

Sessions 3 and 4

You are both still getting acclimated, and you are deciding together how to approach the thing you came in for. Your therapist is mostly listening here rather than teaching. This is your time to talk and put things down.

Sessions 5 and 6

If EMDR was part of the plan at intake, this is usually where it starts. If it was not, this is often where your therapist starts handing you language: words for patterns you have lived a long time without being able to name. By this point, the early doubts have been said out loud and dealt with, and it feels safe to work.

Eating Disorder & Body Image Therapy with Desiree

Eating disorder and body image therapy at Attunigrate is offered by Desiree Messina, LCSW. She works long term with adults navigating eating disorders, body image concerns, athletic performance, and performance pressure.

If you’re not sure whether what you’re experiencing “counts,” that’s okay. Desiree can help you understand what’s happening and what support makes sense for you

Who you'd work with

Desiree Messina

LCSW

Eating disorders, body image, athletes, and performance pressure

What clients say

"Desiree gave me exactly what I needed to work on. My relationship with food has been changing for the better because of her. She gets it." (J.P.)

Meet Desiree

Insurance & Payment Options for Therapy in Michigan

We accept most major insurance plans. Attunigrate is in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, Aetna, Priority Health, and UnitedHealthcare.

Most clients using insurance pay a copay between $25 and $75 per session, depending on their plan. We verify your exact cost before your first session so there are no surprises.

Private pay is $150 per session with most of our therapists, $175 with Dr. Leija.

We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid.

Check your coverage

See full pricing

It counts, whatever it looks like

Book a first session and tell us what's going on. We'll take it from there.

Start your becoming

FAQ's

Do I have to be underweight for this to count?

No. Most people with eating disorders are not underweight, and weight is one of the least reliable indicators of severity. If your relationship with food is costing you time, energy, or freedom, it counts.

What if I'm not sure it's a disorder?

Then that is a good thing to bring to a first session. Disordered eating sits on a spectrum and a lot of it never gets a formal diagnosis while still doing real damage.

Can you help if I'm an athlete?

Yes. Desiree works specifically with athletes and performance pressure, where the behaviour is frequently reinforced by coaches, teammates, and results before anyone identifies it as a problem.

Do you work with a dietitian or a doctor?

Eating disorder care sometimes requires support beyond individual therapy. Attunigrate is an outpatient practice, and if Desiree believes you need a higher level of care, such as an intensive outpatient or inpatient program, she’ll talk with you about it and help connect you with appropriate resources. We’ll also be clear about those limits from the beginning.

Is virtual therapy appropriate for an eating disorder?

For a lot of people, yes. Not at every level. Attunigrate is an outpatient practice, so if you need inpatient care or an intensive outpatient program,

Desiree will tell you that and help you find it rather than taking you on and hoping. If you are somewhere in between, or not ready to hear that yet, she will keep working with you and keep being honest about what she thinks you need. You will hear where those limits are in the first session.

Does insurance cover eating disorder therapy?

Usually. We are in network with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Blue Care Network, Aetna, Priority Health, and UnitedHealthcare. Most clients using insurance pay a copay between $25 and $75 per session. Private pay is $150. We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid.