Searching for an eating disorder therapist online can feel like reading a hundred profiles that all say the same thing. Everyone is “compassionate.” Everyone “specializes.” If you are looking for yourself, or for a daughter, son, or partner you are worried about, you need a way to tell the difference quickly, because eating disorders are not a problem that waits politely.
I’m Jamie L. Jones, a licensed professional counselor, clinical art therapist, and certified Eating Disorder and Body Image Specialist with more than 17 years of clinical experience in the Washington, D.C. area. I founded Juniper Blu Collective in 2013 to support people navigating eating disorders and self-harm, and today our team provides virtual eating disorder therapy to people in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Virginia. This is the checklist I would hand anyone before their first consultation call.
Table of Contents
What should you look for when choosing a virtual eating disorder therapist?
Look for four things, in this order. I call them the four checks, and a therapist who can’t pass all four is not the right fit for eating disorder care, however kind they are.
- Licensed where you are. The therapist holds an active license in the state where you will physically be during sessions, and you can verify it on the state board’s public lookup.
- Specialized in eating disorders. They can name their eating-disorder-specific training, who supervised their early eating disorder work, and roughly how much of their current caseload involves eating disorders.
- Part of a team. They routinely coordinate with a registered dietitian and a medical provider, and can describe exactly how.
- Clear on safety. They screen for medical risk at intake and throughout care, and can tell you plainly when they would recommend more support than weekly sessions.
Everything below goes deeper on each check, plus the questions to ask and the logistics.
One pattern I see often: families spend weeks searching for the perfect therapist while the eating disorder keeps gaining ground. A good-enough specialist you can start with this month is usually better than an ideal one with a long waitlist. You can always transfer care later. Eating disorders reward delay, so I encourage people to treat the search itself as time-sensitive.
What credentials should a virtual eating disorder therapist have?
Start with an active license in your state. Depending on the state, a licensed therapist’s credentials may read LCPC or LPC (professional counselors), LCSW, LCSW-C, or LICSW (clinical social workers), LMFT (marriage and family therapists), or PhD or PsyD (psychologists). An art therapist may also hold a separate art therapy license, such as Maryland’s LCPAT or D.C.’s LPAT.
A license alone does not make someone an eating disorder specialist. Look next for:
- Specialty certification. The Certified Eating Disorder Specialist (CEDS) credential from the iaedp Foundation is a widely recognized signal. It requires licensure, eating-disorder-specific coursework, supervised clinical experience, and ongoing continuing education. CEDS-C (Certified Eating Disorder Specialist Consultant) means the clinician is also qualified to supervise and mentor other specialists; you may still see the older CEDS-S designation for the same role. Many skilled eating disorder clinicians hold other specialty certifications instead, so treat this as one signal among several, not a pass/fail test.
- Training you can name. A specialist answers “what eating disorder training have you completed?” immediately and concretely.
- Caseload. Someone who sees one eating disorder case a year is a generalist for this purpose.
- Professional memberships, such as the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), suggest a clinician keeps up with the research.
What do “LGPC,” “Resident in Counseling,” and “intern” mean?
These titles describe clinicians who have completed graduate training and are working toward full independent licensure under a licensed supervisor. An LGPC (Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor in Maryland and D.C.), an LAPC (Licensed Associate Professional Counselor in Pennsylvania), and a Resident in Counseling (Virginia) are all supervised, pre-independent credentials. Supervised clinicians can provide good care, and many practices, including ours, have them on the team. The questions to ask are who supervises them, how often, and whether that supervisor has eating disorder expertise.
Does virtual therapy actually work for eating disorders?
For people who are medically stable and working at an outpatient level, virtual therapy can be an effective way to receive eating disorder care. The research is encouraging but still developing, so it helps to know what it does and doesn’t show:
- A 2022 study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders compared adults treated in person with adults treated by video at the same outpatient program and found similar short-term improvement in eating symptoms and similar satisfaction. It was a historical comparison, not a randomized trial (Int J Eat Disord, 2022).
- A 2022 scoping review of virtual care for young people found that most studies measuring effectiveness reported reduced eating disorder symptoms, while noting that research on videoconference therapy specifically is still limited (Journal of Eating Disorders, 2022).
- A Canadian consensus panel on virtual care for children, teens, and young adults recommended that in-person medical evaluation continue alongside virtual therapy (Journal of Eating Disorders, 2021).
That last point is the one I want every family to hear. Virtual therapy is on its firmest footing when the medical side of care is still happening in person.
A nuance of virtual work people rarely expect: I sometimes learn more in telehealth than I did in an office. I meet people in their kitchens and bedrooms, where meals and body image struggles actually happen. Someone can show me the cabinet they avoid or the mirror that starts the spiral. That immediacy can make the work more concrete, not less. The tradeoff is that I cannot take vital signs through a screen, which is exactly why the medical member of the treatment team matters so much in virtual care.
When is weekly virtual therapy not enough?
Weekly virtual therapy is not enough when someone is medically unstable or when eating disorder behaviors are escalating faster than outpatient care can interrupt them. The Academy for Eating Disorders lists physical signs that call for prompt medical evaluation, including dizziness or fainting, chest pain, heart palpitations or an irregular heartbeat, and abnormal lab results such as electrolyte changes (AED, Eating Disorders: A Guide to Medical Care, 2021). The same guide’s answer to “when do I worry?” is as soon as you suspect an eating disorder, because early care matters. A primary care visit is always a reasonable first step, and our guide to the signs you might have an eating disorder can help you decide what you’re seeing.
Eating disorder care is organized into levels, and the right level depends on medical stability, behaviors, and how much support someone needs day to day. The American Psychiatric Association’s 2023 practice guideline treats choosing the level of care as part of every eating disorder treatment plan.
- Outpatient therapy (can be virtual)
Regular individual sessions, often weekly, with a dietitian and medical provider coordinating. For people who are medically stable. This is the level Juniper Blu Collective provides. - Intensive outpatient (IOP)
Several hours of structured treatment a few days a week, while living at home. - Partial hospitalization (PHP)
A full-day program most days of the week, returning home in the evening. - Residential treatment
Round-the-clock structured care in a treatment setting. - Inpatient or medical stabilization
Hospital-based care when someone is medically unstable.
People can move up or down levels as their needs change. A good outpatient therapist screens for this throughout care and helps arrange a higher level when it's needed.
If a prospective therapist has no clear answer to “what happens if I need more support than weekly sessions?”, keep looking.
Why should a virtual eating disorder therapist work with a team?
Eating disorders affect the body, the mind, and the relationship with food at the same time, so good care usually involves three roles working together:
- A therapist for the psychological work: the thoughts, emotions, relationships, and history the eating disorder is tangled up with.
- A registered dietitian, ideally one who specializes in eating disorders, for nutrition rehabilitation and meal support. This is not general healthy-eating advice.
- A medical provider, often a primary care physician or adolescent medicine specialist, who monitors physical health.
Coordination is what makes it a team rather than three separate appointments. With your signed release, the therapist should exchange updates with the others, flag concerns between sessions, and adjust the plan together. At Juniper Blu Collective, we collaborate with dietitians, nutritionists, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and primary care physicians as a routine part of eating disorder care.
Which therapy approach fits which situation?
The approach should match the person and the eating disorder, and the strongest evidence points to eating-disorder-focused therapy rather than general talk therapy. The table below reflects the American Psychiatric Association’s 2023 practice guideline.
| Situation | Approach with the strongest guideline support | What to ask the therapist |
|---|---|---|
| Adult with bulimia nervosa | Eating-disorder-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), sometimes alongside medication managed by a prescriber | "Do you use an eating-disorder-specific CBT protocol, such as CBT-E?" |
| Adult or teen with binge eating disorder | Eating-disorder-focused CBT or interpersonal therapy (IPT) | "Which of these do you use, and why for me?" |
| Adult with anorexia nervosa | Eating-disorder-focused psychotherapy, with medical monitoring and nutrition support | "How do you coordinate with my medical provider and dietitian?" |
| Teen or young adult with anorexia or bulimia, with an involved parent or caregiver | Family-based treatment (FBT), where caregivers are active participants | "How will you involve us as parents?" |
| ARFID (avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder) | APA notes there is not yet enough data for a specific treatment recommendation; care is individualized | "What ARFID-specific training do you have?" |
Other approaches often play a supporting role. In my practice, I often bring in DBT skills when intense emotions, self-harm, or impulsive urges are part of the picture, and art therapy when someone can describe the eating disorder intellectually but can’t yet reach what sits underneath it. Those are choices about fit, made alongside an eating-disorder-focused approach, not replacements for one. If you’re navigating ARFID, our ARFID guide explains how it differs from other eating disorders. And if you’ve been told you can’t have an eating disorder because of your weight, read Atypical Anorexia: Can You Have an Eating Disorder at a Normal or Higher Weight?.
What should you ask in a consultation call?
Ask specific questions, and listen for specific answers. Most therapists offer a brief consultation call, and these eight questions will tell you most of what you need to know.
| Question to ask | What a good answer sounds like | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| Are you licensed in the state where I'll be during sessions? | Yes, with a license type you can look up. | "It doesn't matter for video sessions." |
| What portion of your caseload is eating disorders? | A meaningful share, stated without hesitation. | "I see a bit of everything." |
| What eating-disorder-specific training and supervision have you had? | Named trainings and named supervisors or settings. | General credentials offered as if they were eating disorder credentials. |
| How do you work with dietitians and medical providers? | A concrete coordination routine with releases and regular contact. | "I can refer you to someone if you want." |
| How do you handle medical safety in virtual care? | Screening at intake and throughout, required medical involvement, and clear criteria for a higher level of care. | No plan, or visible discomfort with the question. |
| What is your approach, and why for my situation? | A specific approach matched to you, explained in plain language. | Promises of fast results. Ethical clinicians describe a process; they don't guarantee outcomes. |
| What happens if I'm ambivalent about change? | Ambivalence is treated as expected and workable. | Any suggestion that you must be fully "ready" first. Almost no one starts ready. |
| How soon could I start, and what happens while I wait? | A realistic timeline, and a plan for support or referral if there's a wait. | No answer, or no plan if things get worse while you wait. |
What a good first session actually feels like, because people are often braced for something clinical: you should leave feeling that the therapist was more curious about you than about your diagnosis. In my first sessions I want to understand what the eating disorder does for the person, what it protects them from, and what life it is costing them. You should not leave a first session with a meal plan or a lecture. You should leave feeling accurately seen, maybe a little relieved, and clear on what happens next.
Want to ask us these questions directly? Juniper Blu Collective provides virtual eating disorder therapy in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Get Started!
How do licenses, privacy, insurance, and cross-state care work?
Verify a license in about a minute. Search the therapist’s name, confirm the license is active, and note any disciplinary history:
- Maryland: Board of Professional Counselors and Therapists, or Board of Social Work Examiners
- Washington, D.C.: DC Health licensure lookup
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Licensing System (PALS)
- Virginia: Department of Health Professions License Lookup
Telehealth privacy. Sessions should run on a HIPAA-compliant video platform, not a consumer video app, and the therapist should explain their privacy practices before you start. It’s fine to ask which platform they use.
Cross-state care. Licensure generally follows where you are, not where the therapist is. If you split time between states, such as home in Maryland and college in Pennsylvania, ask whether the therapist is licensed in both. Some clinicians, including several on our team, hold licenses in more than one state for this reason.
Insurance and cost. Ask whether the therapist is in-network with your plan, what the self-pay rate is, and whether they help with out-of-network claims. If you pay out of pocket, you have the right to a Good Faith Estimate of expected costs under the federal No Surprises Act. At Juniper Blu Collective, we work with several insurance plans and provide concierge support to help people use out-of-network benefits; out-of-network reimbursement depends on your specific plan. We don’t accept Medicaid or Medicare. Getting the cost picture clear before the first full session helps keep care steady.
Who treats eating disorders at Juniper Blu Collective?
Juniper Blu Collective provides virtual outpatient eating disorder therapy in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and coordinates with dietitians and medical providers as part of care. Independently licensed clinicians on our team who provide eating disorder therapy include:
| State | Clinicians providing eating disorder therapy |
|---|---|
| Maryland | Jamie L. Jones, LCPC, LCPAT · Michelle R. Scudero, LCSW · Megan M. Herbets, LCPC |
| Washington, D.C. | Jamie L. Jones, LPC, LPAT · Michelle R. Scudero, LCSW · Megan M. Herbets, LPC |
| Pennsylvania | Jamie L. Jones, LPC · Michelle R. Scudero, LCSW |
| Virginia | Jamie L. Jones, LPC |
Frequently Asked Questions
Look for four things: an active license in the state where you’ll be during sessions, specific eating disorder training and caseload, routine coordination with a dietitian and medical provider, and a clear plan for medical safety. A specialist can describe each one concretely in a consultation call.
For medically stable adults in outpatient care, a 2022 study in the International Journal of Eating Disorders found similar short-term improvement with video and in-person therapy. Research is still growing, and experts recommend that medical monitoring continue in person alongside virtual therapy.
When someone is medically unstable or behaviors are escalating, weekly outpatient therapy isn’t enough. Signs like fainting, chest pain, or abnormal labs need prompt medical evaluation, and a higher level of care such as intensive outpatient or partial hospitalization may be needed.
For most people, yes. The American Psychiatric Association’s 2023 guideline treats eating disorder care as multidisciplinary. Therapy addresses the psychological side; an eating-disorder-specialized dietitian supports nutrition rehabilitation. A therapist who discourages adding one is worth questioning.
Start where you can. A consultation for yourself, with a clinician experienced in eating disorders, can help you understand the illness and change how you respond at home. For adolescents, family-based treatment assumes parental involvement even when the young person is reluctant.
Be cautious of anyone who promises a firm timeline. Eating disorder treatment usually unfolds over months, and the pace varies widely from person to person. A good therapist will describe their process and how you’ll review progress together, not guarantee a result.
It means they’ve completed graduate training and practice under a licensed supervisor while working toward independent licensure. They can provide good care. Ask who supervises them, how often, and whether the supervisor has eating disorder expertise.
Yes. Eating disorder therapy is the foundation Juniper Blu Collective was built on in 2013. The practice provides virtual outpatient eating disorder therapy in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and Virginia, and coordinates with dietitians and medical providers as part of care.
Juniper Blu Collective works with several insurance plans and offers concierge support for using out-of-network benefits, though reimbursement depends on your plan. The practice does not accept Medicaid or Medicare. Contact the team to confirm coverage for your specific plan.
Ready to talk it through?
If you’re in Maryland, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, or Virginia, we’d welcome the chance to answer these questions directly. Now welcoming new patients. Some of our therapists have openings for online therapy right now, while others are booking from a waitlist. Reach out and we’ll match you with a therapist who has availability, or add you to the waitlist for a specific therapist.
Get Started or call (202) 244-0818.