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Eating Disorder Treatment for Bedford, MA

Every clinician at Harborside has an extensive background in treating eating disorders and the conditions that tend to travel alongside them, which means a family in Bedford gets informed, coordinated care for a genuinely complex set of challenges rather than a referral to figure it out elsewhere. Bedford sits inside a wider band of Middle-and-outer-suburban towns that stretch from Lexington and Weston through Sudbury and Hopkinton toward the 495 belt, and in Bedford specifically it is often a parent doing the searching late at night after noticing a change in how their teenager eats, exercises, or talks about their body, or a working adult in a high-demand job quietly trying to address a pattern they have managed alone for years.

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Eating Disorder Treatment for people in Bedford, MA

Eating disorders rarely show up as a single, tidy symptom. They show up as skipped meals a parent notices over a school break, as a shift in mood tied tightly to a number on a scale, as rigid rules around food that start to shape a family’s whole schedule, or as a habit an adult has carried quietly since college and finally wants to name out loud. Harborside works with people across Bedford who are trying to understand what they are seeing in themselves or in someone they love, and who want a clinician who treats eating disorders as a primary area of focus rather than one item on a long list.

Because eating disorders so often coexist with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive patterns, or trauma, treatment here is built to look at the whole clinical 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 to people across Bedford by video, using a secure telehealth platform accessed from a computer, tablet, or phone with a stable internet connection. There is no waiting room and no drive to a Route 128 office park. Sessions happen from home, a private office, or anywhere you have a door that closes.

Appointments with a prescriber typically run 30 to 45 minutes for an initial evaluation and shorter for follow-ups, with frequency set based on clinical need, sometimes weekly at the start and spacing out over time. Therapy sessions generally run 45 to 50 minutes on a recurring weekly or biweekly basis. If medication is part of the plan, prescriptions are sent electronically to a pharmacy of your choosing in Bedford or wherever is convenient. Massachusetts licensure allows the practice to work with medications including stimulants and other controlled substances when clinically appropriate, prescribed and monitored directly by the treating clinician.

What we treat

Harborside works with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and disordered eating patterns that do not fit neatly into a single diagnosis but still affect daily functioning, physical health, and relationships. Care also addresses the conditions that commonly accompany disordered eating, including anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, trauma histories, and body image concerns that predate or persist after other symptoms settle. Treatment is built around the person in front of us, whether that is a teenager whose relationship with food has narrowed sharply, a college student managing a return home, or an adult who has lived with a pattern for years and is ready to bring it into a clinical setting.

What the first appointment involves

The first appointment is an evaluation, not a commitment to a fixed plan. A clinician asks about eating patterns, physical health, mood, family history, and how symptoms affect daily life at school, work, or home. For younger patients, a parent is typically part of this conversation. From there, the clinician talks through options, which may include therapy, medication management, coordination with a primary care provider or dietitian, or some combination, and you decide together what makes sense before anything is scheduled beyond that first visit.

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 practice’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 the medication needs that sometimes accompany eating disorder treatment. Full bios and credentials for each of them are on the team page.

Therapy and eating disorder-focused clinical 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 adds a nonverbal avenue for patients, particularly younger ones, who find it hard to talk directly about food or body image. Across the team, the shared thread is direct, sustained experience with eating disorders and the conditions that accompany them.

What it costs

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

Getting started

If you are in Bedford and trying to decide whether to make a call, you do not need to have a diagnosis worked out first. Reach out, describe what you are seeing, and a clinician will help figure out next steps from there. Care is delivered entirely by video, so there is no need to arrange time off for a commute into Boston or a neighboring town.

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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 warning signs and levels of care, the [CITATION: National Institute of Mental Health overview of eating disorders, for general public health guidance on symptoms and risk] is a useful outside resource.

Reviewed by Jacquelyn Duford, LCMHC, ATR. 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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