Learn about Internal Family Systems with Kindful Body’s Marcella Cox, LMFT
Looking for an eating disorder therapist in California and don't know where to turn? Longing to find someone who is inclusive of diverse body sizes, races, genders, sexual orientations, etc.? Wanting a place where you will feel connected and respected? Look no further! Meet California eating disorder therapist Marcella Cox, LMFT, CEDS-S and her team of therapists and dietitians at Kindful Body. I met with Marcella a while ago, and I felt wowed by her expertise. I also noticed how she truly cares about helping people recover from eating disorders and body shame. Her experienced team at Kindful Body shares the same approach to recovery, and they provide eating disorder therapy and nutrition counseling online throughout California. Marcella is thoughtful, genuine, and compassionate. I can't wait for you to get to meet her!
Would you share a little about you and about your California Eating Disorder group practice?
I’m a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapist & Certified Body Trust Provider. I am also the founder of Kindful Body, a group of skilled and experienced eating disorder therapists and dietitians dedicated to providing compassionate, trauma-informed care. Our IFS-informed and HAES-aligned (Health at Every Size®) practice provides online therapy and nutrition counseling throughout California for adults and teens (14 and older) of all body sizes, genders, sexual orientations, abilities, ethnicities, races, and religions. Our mission at Kindful Body is to help clients heal and reclaim parts of themselves to transform their relationship with food, their bodies and themselves, so they can live more fulfilling and happier lives.
Why did you choose to become an eating disorder specialist in California?
Like many others in our profession, my personal recovery journey guided my choice to specialize in working with others experiencing difficulties with eating issues and body shame. Being a therapist is a second career for me, and I realized I had a knack for, and found fulfillment in, guiding people through their personal struggles. I have also fought my own battles, not always with ease, but with determination and hope. It's a great privilege to kindle that spark of hope within my clients, and walk with them on their journey as they discover their own inner wisdom and befriend themselves.
What kind of treatment do you provide?*
Kindful Body provides outpatient online eating disorder therapy and nutrition counseling. We know that deep down everyone makes sense and that our clients’ mental health struggles make sense in context of their lived experiences. Our non-pathologizing approach is informed by the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of therapy, Mindful Self-Compassion, Brené Brown’s Shame Resilience Theory, Intuitive Eating, Health At Every Size® and Body Trust®. Our team’s collective experience working with clients has taught us that each client's challenges are as unique as the individual. I take great pride in the diversity of issues that my team can work with. In addition to binge eating disorder, anorexia and bulimia, we treat orthorexia, emotional eating, yo yo dieting, ARFID, compulsive exercise, athletes, body image struggles, OCD, trauma, attachment injuries, complex PTSD, self-image, process addictions, substance abuse, self harm, self-esteem, perfectionism, teens, college students, midlife eating disorders, parenting/caretaking in recovery and culture, race, identity affirmation struggles. In addition to IFS Therapy, Kindful Body’s therapists utilize a variety of approaches to support clients in their recovery, including EMDR, Somatic Approaches, Brain Spotting, Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), Psychodynamic Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Art Therapy.
Do you work with only eating disorders?
Although Kindful Body specializes in supporting clients in eating disorder recovery, we also provide therapy for trauma, anxiety, depression, grief and loss, self-esteem and relationship issues, which often co-occur with eating disorders.
Kindful Body’s eating disorder professionals provide services throughout California?
We know it can be difficult to find an eating disorder therapist or dietitian that can work within an overly full schedule and life, and we are happy to offer secure online counseling sessions with trained eating disorder specialists throughout California to improve convenience and access to care. Researchers have shown that online therapy can be just as effective as in-person therapy, which is good news for people who prefer to receive therapy from the comfort of their home or other confidential location.
How long have you been working with eating disorders overall?
I’ve been working in the eating disorder field since 2011. I have worked in residential treatment, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient treatment and outpatient therapy. Eating disorders are complex, and all of the therapists and dietitians on the Kindful Body team also have worked in higher levels of care and have years of clinical experience working with eating and body image issues as well as other mental health conditions. Our team meets weekly to ensure our clients are getting the best possible care. So when clients work with Kindful Body, they are getting one-on-one attention from one of our highly skilled eating disorder specialists, as well all the experience of our team supporting them.
What are your favorite types of clients to work with?
My favorite clients to work with are those who are drawn to IFS, and I love working with my clients who are therapists in recovery as well as those in recovery during midlife who face the challenges of peri-menopause and menopause.
What happens during a first appointment with you?
During the first 2-to-3 sessions, I gather information about my client’s current symptoms and history, answer their questions, and figure out goals to work on together. I believe what is most important when starting to work with a client is to develop a trusting relationship where my client knows that all parts of them are welcome and will be met with compassion and curiosity.
What are the first steps you take when treating binge eating and/or bulimia?*
My therapeutic orientation is Internal Family Systems (IFS). In IFS, disordered eating behavior is a client’s internal system's attempt at protection. Therapists who use this approach conceptualize that someone who binge eats, for example, has a specific part(s) inside that drives that behavior. And there are other parts inside with differing ideas about self-preservation and don’t want them to binge eat. One of the goals of treatment is to get to know and untangle these polarized parts. IFS also believe when we have access to our true Selves, we can be our own healing agent to bring about harmony within. By befriending these protective parts that binge eat and compensate with purging from a place of compassion and curiosity, we can then heal the underlying pain. After underlying pain and burdened beliefs are healed, the protective eating disorder behaviors no longer need to do their job and can return to their original, valuable role or transform into a new role in a person’s internal system. Some of the first thing I typically do when working with clients is to identify external constraints to change and explore ways to resolve them if possible. Clients and I then normally begin to identify, sequence and possibly map out to externalize the parts activated by their eating disorder behaviors.
What do you wish people knew about getting treatment for eating disorders?*
I wish people knew how common eating disorders are. A recent report showed that nine percent of people in the US will end up with an eating disorder in their lifetime. In California that is nearly 3.5 million people. Those who struggle often feel shame and like they are the only one who experiences challenges with food and their bodies the way they do. I want them to know they are not alone and there is hope. Recovery is possible. I encourage them to reach out for support to start their healing journey as soon as possible.
How can people learn more about and contact you?
Website: www.kindfulbody.com
Email: connect@kindfulbody.com
Phone: (401) 203-7066
Share one fun fact about you that most people don't know.
I am such a huge fan of IFS Therapy that I started a multi-state online group practice specializing in IFS Therapy called the IFS Telehealth Collective (www.ifstherapyonline.com) with two lead IFS Trainers, Mariel Pastor, LMFT and Paul Ginter, Clinical Psychologist.
Begin Working with A Binge Eating Therapist Through A Live Interactive Workshop, Masterclass for Binge Eating, or Via Online Therapy!
🌾 Check out my Fall 2022 Freedom From Binge Eating class*. It is a live, virtual, 4-week class on Tuesday, September 27th, from 12-1p. It’s an interactive workshop on binge eating. There will be many bonuses, including videos from yours truly, journal prompts, worksheets, and notes from each class! Anyone with BED, bulimia, binge eating, or emotional eating will greatly benefit!
🌾 Join my Instagram LIVES on Thursdays from 12-1p. I have conversations with professionals such as eating disorder dietitians and therapists on many topics, such as binge eating, BED, bulimia, body image, etc. Subscribe to my Instagram @drmariannemiller, and you’ll get bulimia and BED info sent to your phone with my reels, posts, etc.
🌾 If you live in California, you can work with me in therapy**!
*Disclaimer: This class is not therapy and should not replace professional eating disorder/binge eating treatment or medical advice. This educational group is for learning, discussion, and encouraging connection.
**My practice is full at the moment, so I encourage you to work with Kindful Body today!