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Eating Disorder Treatment for Needham, MA

Every clinician at Harborside brings an extensive background in treating eating disorders and the conditions that often travel alongside them, from anxiety to depression to obsessive patterns around control and body image. That depth matters, because eating disorders are rarely one thing. They show up tangled with a teenager’s college pressure, a parent’s own history with food, or a high-achieving adult’s need to manage something in a life that otherwise feels unmanageable. In Needham, where families tend to be deeply invested in school performance, sports, and getting into the right college, that pressure often surfaces first as a change in how someone eats, exercises, or talks about their body. Parents are frequently the ones who notice first and the ones searching for care that takes the full picture seriously.

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Eating Disorder Treatment for people in Needham, MA

Needham families are often navigating a packed calendar: club sports, AP courses, travel teams, and a general expectation that everyone is managing well. That expectation can make it harder to name a problem out loud, especially when the person struggling is a teenager who seems to be succeeding by every visible measure. Harborside works with people across Needham who are dealing with disordered eating alongside the anxiety, perfectionism, or mood symptoms that so often accompany it. Care is built around the whole picture, not just the eating behavior in isolation.

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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 Needham. You do not travel anywhere. You need a private space, a stable internet connection, and a phone or computer with a camera. Sessions happen through a secure telehealth platform, and the link is sent ahead of each appointment.

A first appointment with a prescriber typically runs longer, usually around 60 minutes, to allow time for a full history, current symptoms, eating patterns, and any past treatment. Follow-up medication appointments are shorter, often 20 to 30 minutes, and are scheduled based on clinical need, sometimes every few weeks at first and further apart once things are more settled. Therapy sessions with the clinical team are generally 45 to 50 minutes and can be scheduled weekly or biweekly depending on what a person’s care plan calls for.

If medication is part of the plan, prescriptions are sent electronically to a pharmacy of your choice near Needham. Because this is delivered under Massachusetts licensure, the full range of appropriate medication options, including controlled medications when clinically indicated, can be discussed and prescribed as part of care.

What we treat

Eating disorder treatment at Harborside addresses a range of patterns, including restrictive eating, binge eating, purging behaviors, and the preoccupation with food, weight, or body image that can dominate someone’s daily thinking. It also addresses the conditions that frequently accompany disordered eating, such as anxiety, depressive symptoms, obsessive-compulsive patterns, and trauma-related stress. Treatment looks at how these pieces interact, since an eating disorder rarely responds to being treated as an isolated behavior. For some patients that means medication management, for others it means therapy, and for many it means both working together over time.

What the first appointment involves

The first appointment is a conversation, not a checklist. A prescriber or therapist will ask about eating patterns, physical health, mood, sleep, family history, and anything you have already tried. There is room to talk about what daily life looks like right now, including school, work, and family dynamics, since those details shape what kind of care plan makes sense. By the end of that first session, you should have a clearer sense of what treatment could look like and what happens next.

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 those related to eating disorders. Full bios and credentials for each clinician are available on the team page.

Therapy and eating disorder work are delivered by the 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 offer another way into difficult material for patients who find talk-based approaches limiting on their own. Together, this team covers both the medical and therapeutic sides of eating disorder care.

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 are trying to decide whether to make a call for yourself or for someone in your family in Needham, you do not need to have it all figured out first. A short conversation with Harborside can help clarify whether eating disorder treatment is the right fit and what care would involve. You can review the eating disorder treatment service page, learn more about care across the state on the Massachusetts telehealth page, or see how Harborside works with other towns in the region on the MetroWest MA page.

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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 eating disorders page, government health source for symptom and warning sign information].

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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