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Eating Disorder Treatment for Boxford, MA

Every clinician at Harborside has an extensive background in treating eating disorders and the conditions that tend to travel alongside them, from anxiety to mood concerns to the pressures of high-achieving school and work environments. That depth matters in a town like Boxford, where a parent might be quietly researching care for a teenager while managing a demanding household and commute, or a professional might be trying to fit an evaluation around a schedule that already runs on tight margins. Either way, you want a team that understands the whole picture, not just the symptom in front of them.

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Eating Disorder Treatment for people in Boxford, MA

Boxford is a family-centered town, and eating disorder concerns often surface first at home, sometimes noticed by a parent before the person struggling is ready to talk about it. Other times it’s an adult who has managed a restrictive pattern or a difficult relationship with food for years, quietly, around a full-time job and a commute toward 495 or Boston. Harborside works with both. Care is built around what a person needs clinically, not around a single script applied to everyone.

Families in Boxford researching options for a teenager, and adults looking into care for themselves, are both a meaningful part of who we see. The clinical approach doesn’t change based on age, but the way we structure the first conversation often does.

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How telehealth care actually works

Harborside is based in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, and delivers care by video to patients across the state, including Boxford. You don’t drive anywhere. You need a private space, a stable internet connection, and a phone, tablet, or computer with a camera.

A typical initial appointment runs longer than a standard follow-up, giving the clinician time to take a full history, understand eating patterns, and talk through associated concerns like anxiety, mood, or sleep. Follow-up appointments are shorter and scheduled at an interval the clinician recommends based on where things stand, sometimes weekly, sometimes further apart. If medication becomes part of the plan, prescriptions are sent electronically to the pharmacy of your choice, including pharmacies in and around Boxford. Therapy sessions follow a similar video format, usually 45 to 50 minutes, at a regular cadence agreed with your therapist.

What we treat

Harborside works with a range of eating and body-image concerns, including restrictive eating patterns, binge eating, bulimic behaviors, and body image distress that interferes with daily life. Eating disorders rarely show up alone. Anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive patterns, trauma history, and attention-related conditions are common alongside disordered eating, and treatment planning accounts for that overlap rather than treating each piece in isolation. The goal of an evaluation is to understand the full clinical picture, including physical health status and any need for coordination with a primary care provider or dietitian outside our practice.

What the first appointment involves

The first appointment is a conversation, not a checklist. Expect questions about eating patterns and history, physical health, mood, sleep, family history, and how things are affecting school, work, or relationships. For a teenager, a parent is typically involved in at least part of the intake. By the end of the appointment, you should have a clearer sense of what a treatment plan could look like, whether that’s medication management, therapy, or both, and how often you’d be seen going forward.

Who our clinicians are

Medication management and functional psychiatry at Harborside are performed by psychiatric nurse practitioners: Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC, who is also the clinical director, Emily Pardue, RN PMHNP-BC, and Kirstin Ritchie, RN PMHNP-BC. Each is qualified to evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe for mental health conditions, including the medication needs that can accompany an eating disorder. Full bios and credentials for each of them are on the team page.

Therapy and eating disorder work are delivered by our licensed therapy team: Hannah Legesse, LICSW, Tori Mahoney, LMHC, Jacquelyn Duford, LCMHC, ATR, and Lexie Carchedi, LCSW. Jacquelyn is also a registered art therapist, which adds another approach for patients, including adolescents, who benefit from non-verbal ways of processing difficult material. Between the prescribing team and the therapy team, patients in Boxford have access to clinicians who focus specifically on eating disorders and the conditions that commonly accompany them.

What it costs

Harborside is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly for appointments. Current fees for an initial appointment and for follow-up visits are listed on the pricing page, and any questions about cost can be answered before you book anything.

Getting started

If you’re ready to schedule, or you just want to ask questions first, reaching out doesn’t commit you to anything. You can review clinician bios on the team page, look at the pricing page for current fees, and book an initial appointment when you’re ready. For a broader look at how this care works across the state, see our Massachusetts telehealth page, our eating disorder treatment overview, and our Merrimack Valley regional page. If anxiety is part of what’s going on alongside disordered eating, our anxiety treatment page may also be useful background.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does Harborside treat eating disorders that haven't been formally diagnosed?

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health crisis support, call or text 988. Harborside does not provide emergency or after-hours care.

This page is educational and is not medical advice. It does not create a provider-patient relationship. For guidance on eating disorder symptoms and warning signs, see the National Institute of Mental Health’s overview of eating disorders. [CITATION: NIMH page on eating disorders, used as a neutral government health source for symptom information]

Reviewed by Hannah Legesse, LICSW. Last reviewed: {LAST_REVIEWED}.

Yes, when a client is already working with one. Coordination is discussed during intake and ongoing treatment.

No. Eating disorder therapy at Harborside is talk therapy. Medical monitoring, lab work, and meal planning are handled by outside providers and coordinated with as needed.

Clients who want medication management can be connected with one of Harborside’s psychiatric nurse practitioners.

No. Outpatient therapy isn’t appropriate for every situation. If a higher level of care is needed, your therapist will discuss that directly rather than continuing with weekly sessions alone.

Currently, eating disorder treatment at Harborside is available to clients located in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.

If you need help right now

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health crisis support, call or text 988. Harborside Psychiatrics does not provide emergency or after-hours care.

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