Does Harborside treat eating disorders alongside anxiety, depression, or ADHD?

Yes. Eating disorders rarely show up alone. Our clinicians routinely work with clients who also have anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive patterns, ADHD, or trauma histories alongside disordered eating, and treatment planning accounts for all of it rather than treating each piece separately.

Is video care appropriate for eating disorder treatment, or does this need to be in person?

Outpatient eating disorder care, including therapy and medication management, can be delivered effectively over video for many people. It is not appropriate for every level of severity. If a higher level of care or in-person medical monitoring is needed, we will talk with you directly about that during the first appointment and help you understand your options.

Can a psychiatric nurse practitioner prescribe medication for an eating disorder?

Yes. Rachel Egan, Emily Pardue, and Kirstin Ritchie are each a psychiatric nurse practitioner (RN PMHNP-BC) qualified to evaluate, diagnose, and prescribe medication for eating disorders and related conditions in Massachusetts.

Do I need a referral to start eating disorder treatment at Harborside?

No referral is required. You can request an appointment directly, and questions about fit or cost can be answered before anything is booked.

What if I am also seeing a dietitian or medical doctor for my eating disorder?

That is common and often appropriate. Eating disorder care frequently involves coordination between a therapist, a prescriber, a dietitian, and a primary care or specialty medical provider. We can discuss how our care fits alongside providers you already see.

What is eating disorder treatment?

Eating disorder treatment helps individuals address unhealthy eating patterns, emotional challenges, and related mental health concerns through professional support.

Who needs eating disorder treatment?

People experiencing concerns related to eating behaviors, food anxiety, body image, or eating disorder symptoms may benefit from professional treatment.

Does Harborside Psychiatry provide eating disorder treatment in Cambridge, MA MA?

Yes, Harborside Psychiatry provides eating disorder treatment and psychiatric support services for individuals in Cambridge, MA.

How can I schedule an appointment for eating disorder treatment?

You can contact Harborside Psychiatry at 508-876-3448 to schedule an appointment or learn more about available treatment options.

Eating Disorder Treatment for Cambridge, MA

Every clinician at Harborside has an extensive background treating eating disorders and the conditions that tend to travel with them, which means the person on the other side of the screen already understands how anxiety, perfectionism, academic pressure, or a demanding lab schedule can shape someone’s relationship with food. That depth matters in a city like Cambridge, where a lot of our clients are graduate students, researchers, postdocs, and professionals who have already read the literature on their own diagnosis before they call, and who want a clinician who can meet them there rather than explain the basics from scratch. You do not need to arrive with a simplified version of what is happening to you. We work with the full picture, including the parts that are harder to summarize in a first sentence.

Eating Disorder Treatment for people in Cambridge, MA

Harborside Psychiatrics is based in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, and delivers care to clients across the state by secure video, including people living and working in Cambridge. You do not travel to us and we do not have a Cambridge office. What you need is a private space, a stable internet connection, and a laptop, tablet, or smartphone with a camera.

A typical first appointment runs longer than follow-ups, usually somewhere in the range of an evaluation-length session, so there is time to go through history, current symptoms, and what treatment might look like. Follow-up appointments with a prescriber are shorter and happen on a schedule that depends on your situation, sometimes every few weeks early on, often spacing out over time. Therapy sessions with a licensed therapist are typically held weekly or every other week, depending on what you and your therapist decide.

If medication is part of your plan, prescriptions are sent electronically to a pharmacy you choose, including any pharmacy in Cambridge or wherever you regularly pick up prescriptions. Controlled medications, including certain medications sometimes used for co-occurring ADHD, can be prescribed in Massachusetts when clinically appropriate, and that will be part of a direct conversation with your prescriber rather than something assumed in advance.

How telehealth care actually works

Eating disorders show up differently from person to person. That can include restrictive eating patterns, binge eating, cycles of bingeing and purging, over-exercise tied to food or body image, and eating patterns that do not fit neatly into a textbook category but still interfere with daily life. It is common for these patterns to exist alongside anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive tendencies, trauma histories, or ADHD, and our clinicians treat the whole clinical picture rather than isolating the eating behavior from everything connected to it. Some clients come in already diagnosed and looking for ongoing care. Others come in unsure of what to call what they are experiencing, only sure that it is affecting how they eat, work, sleep, or think about their own body. Both situations are appropriate reasons to reach out.

What we treat

The first appointment is a chance for a clinician to understand your history and current situation in enough detail to build a plan that fits, not a screening you need to prepare for. Expect questions about your eating patterns over time, related physical or medical concerns, other mental health symptoms, past treatment if any, and what you are hoping care will look like going forward. If medication is being considered, the prescriber will walk through your history and talk with you about options directly. If therapy is the right starting point, or the right complement to medication, that gets discussed too. You will leave the appointment with a clearer sense of next steps, not a diagnosis handed to you without explanation.

What the first appointment involves

Medication management and functional psychiatry at Harborside are performed by psychiatric nurse practitioners: Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC, who is also Harborside’s 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 eating disorders and the conditions that often accompany them. Full bios and credentials for each clinician are on our team page.

Therapy and eating disorder-focused clinical 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 can be a useful additional approach for clients who find body image and eating concerns hard to put into words directly.

Who our clinicians are

Harborside is a private-pay practice and does not bill insurance directly for appointments. Current fees for an initial appointment and for follow-up appointments are listed on our pricing page, and if you have questions about cost, you can ask before anything is booked.

What it costs

If you are ready to move forward, you can request an appointment directly through our website. If you are still deciding, that is a reasonable place to be, and you are welcome to reach out with questions about fit, scheduling, or what care with us would actually look like for your situation before committing to anything. Many people in Cambridge start this process while still weighing it against other options, and that is a normal part of deciding what is right for you.

Getting started

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. For mental health crisis support, you can call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Harborside Psychiatrics does not provide emergency or after-hours care, and this page is educational in nature. It is not medical advice and does not create a provider-patient relationship. For general information on eating disorders, the National Institute of Mental Health maintains a public overview of symptoms and treatment approaches. [CITATION: NIMH eating disorders overview page, used as a neutral government health source]

Reviewed by Rachel Egan, RN PMHNP-BC, Clinical Director, Harborside Psychiatrics. Last reviewed: {LAST_REVIEWED}.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Yes. Many clients start therapy for a difficult relationship with food or body image before, or without, a formal diagnosis.

Will my therapist coordinate with my doctor or dietitian?

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

Does Harborside provide medical monitoring or meal planning?

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.

What if I also need medication for anxiety or depression?

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

Is this a fit for someone who needs a higher level of care?

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.

Is this service available outside Massachusetts and New Hampshire?

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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