Affirmative therapy for all bodies

All of you is welcome here

Eating disorder treatment shouldn't be traumatizing

  • Who We Are
  • What We Offer
  • FAQ
  • Blog
  • Media
  • Lauren Canonico, LCSW
  • Asher M. Seruya, LCSW
  • Sophie Kuhn BedaƱa, LMSW
  • Lee Warwick, LMSW
  • Sophie Talmadge Silleck, LMSW
  • Who We Are
  • What We Offer
  • FAQ
  • Blog
  • Media
  • Lauren Canonico, LCSW
  • Asher M. Seruya, LCSW
  • Sophie Kuhn BedaƱa, LMSW
  • Lee Warwick, LMSW
  • Sophie Talmadge Silleck, LMSW
Coming Home to You: Exploring Eating Disorder Recovery and Body Image Injury within the Trans Experience

Coming Home to You: Exploring Eating Disorder Recovery and Body Image Injury within the Trans Experience

by Asher Seruya | Jul 8, 2025 | Coming Home to You Group, Thoughts & News from ATC

A new group offering a space for adult trans folks (binary trans individuals as well as non-binary folks, 18+) struggling with disordered eating, eating disorders, and body image! Facilitated by ATC associate Sophie Kuhn BedaƱa, LMSW, this group is built as a space to...

Recent Posts

  • What’s (Romantic) Love Got to do with It?
  • Heated Rivalry and Sexual Intimacy
  • Your Body Doesn’t Need Discipline—It Needs Protection
  • Eating Disorders and the Trans Experience
  • Dry January: Pros and Cons for the Curious

Recent Comments

    Poly Friendly Professionals listing logo image - white text on a dark background with overlapping purple circles on the left side.
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    Poly Friendly Professionals listing logo image - white text on a dark background with overlapping purple circles on the left side.
    Manhattan Alternative logo
    Poly Friendly Professionals listing logo image - white text on a dark background with overlapping purple circles on the left side.
    Covid Conscious Therapist Directory link

    Ready to start the process of matching you with one of our therapists?

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    For all other inquiries, please use the contact form below

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    Affirmative Therapy Collective LCSW LLC

    Body, Sex, Trauma, Neurodivergent, and LGBTQ+ Affirmative Psychotherapy

    Eating disorder and trauma treatment done differently

     

    80 University Pl, Suite 2G, New York, NY 10003

    info@affirmativetherapycollective.com

    (646) 504-1615

    Quick Links

    • Individual Psychotherapy
    • Couples, Relationship, & Family Therapy
    • Group Psychotherapy
    • Supervision & Consultation
    • In-Person Clinicians
    • Therapeutic Approaches

    Connect with us on Instagram

    affirmativetherapycollective

    🌈All of you is welcome herešŸ³ļøā€šŸŒˆšŸ³ļøā€āš§ļø
    Body, Sex, Trauma, & LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy
    šŸ›‹ļø NYC
    šŸ–„ļø NY, NJ, CO, CT, FL, MI, MN, PA, WI
    New clients ā¤µļø

    Love is often sold to us in a specific way: romant Love is often sold to us in a specific way: romantic, passionate, and usually centered around partnership or sexual connection. Ultimately, most of us are conditioned by media and other social sources to believe that romantic love is the most meaningful version of love.

To be clear, this is not to say that romance does not hold weight; it does. Romantic and sexual relationships are deeply fulfilling, but they are only one piece of a larger emotional landscape.

Love shows up in countless forms, all of which are vital to our wellbeing: familial love, love within friendships, and self-love. Community-based love, one that is often forgotten about, fosters belonging and collective resilience—a necessity given our current political climate. In times of stress or crisis, community support can be a powerful protective factor.

By broadening our definition of love, we allow ourselves to experience connection in ways that might surprise us. It encourages a more inclusive and compassionate understanding of human connection, and it allows us to recognize that love is not a limited resource but a diverse and evolving experience. When we give equal value to friendships, family, community, and ourselves, we craft a stronger foundation that can sustain us throughout life’s challenges.Ā 

- Lee

Interested in exploring your relationship with love? Want to expand what it means to give and receive genuine care? Lee is taking new clients! Check out the šŸ”— in our bio šŸ’Œ to connect!
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šŸ·ļø #beyondromanticlove #relationshiptherapist #friendshiplove #queertherapist #newyorktherapist
    As we head into Valentine’s Day weekend, ATC wante As we head into Valentine’s Day weekend, ATC wanted to take this moment to remind you that finding safety in your sexual and romantic experiences is your right as a sexually active human. And, it makes sex that much more fun.

Sex can be a complicated topic, and learning how to engage with it in a way that prioritizes safety, autonomy, and mutual pleasure isn’t easy. The culture we live in is a huge barrier, between gender roles and patriarchy and purity culture, there’s a lot to sort through. 

For those of us with sexual trauma, there is an added layer of complexity. With the latest release of the Epstein files, we are once again reminded of the harm of sexual activity driven by power, control, and force.

But regardless of whether you have experienced sexual trauma or not, consent is supreme. And, yes, very sexy. Because to feel sexy, we have to feel safe. And we all deserve the kinds of sex lives that offer us that safety.

Interested in exploring your relationship with sex and intimacy? Sophie is taking new clients! Check out the šŸ”— in our bio šŸ’Œ to connect!
.
.
.
šŸ·ļø #consentissexy #vulnerabilityisstrength #sextherapy #sextherapist #consentismandatory
    Every January, the world gets louder about fixing, Every January, the world gets louder about fixing, shrinking, optimizing, and controlling bodies—as if our worth resets with the calendar.

The phrase of ā€œNew year, new bodyā€ is common during this time. These kinds of New Year’s resolutions often present themselves as harmless self-improvement. But the truth? These resolutions are steeped in diet culture, healthism, and fatphobia. In other words, they’re anything but harmless.

This kind of messaging teach us that thinner, more disciplined, more productive bodies are better bodies; that control is a moral virtue.

Over time, this messaging injures our relationship with ourselves.

We learn to mistrust hunger, rest, softness, pleasure—anything that can’t be optimized or measured. Perfectionism slips in wearing a wellness costume, insisting that if we just try harder, plan better, buy theĀ rightĀ products, we’ll finally feel okay in our skin.

And when that doesn’t work, the blame lands squarely on us—not the system that profits from our dissatisfaction.

This is where body image injury shows up: in the shame around taking up space, in the anxiety of being seen, in the relentless self-surveillance that replaces self-compassion.

Productivity culture backs this up, praising bodies only for what they can produce, endure, or overcome. Listening to your body becomes a problem if it interferes with goals.

So if this year you feel the urge to reject the ā€œnew bodyā€ narrative, fuck yea! That’s not resistance to growth—it is growth.

Your body doesn’t need fixing. It needs safety, respect, and maybe a little righteous anger on its behalf.

Looking to work with someone on body image injury in a space that creates safety for all kinds of bodies? Sophie has availability for individual clients!

Are you trans or gender non-conforming and interested in exploring the intersections of eating disorders within your trans identity? Sophie is currently enrolling the second co-hort of her group, COMING HOME TO YOU: Exploring Eating Disorder Recovery and Body Image Injury within the Trans Experience.
.
.
.
šŸ·ļø #BodyImageHealing #NewYearNewBody #dietculture #healthateverysize #fuckfatphobia
    We’re trauma therapists, so we know all too well t We’re trauma therapists, so we know all too well that you cannot separate the body, or the human inhabiting that body, from the world it is surrounded by. This moment is unjust, beyond challenging, and sadly all too familiar across history.

Show up how you can, including for yourself. We’re here with you.

Here’s a round up of posts we found helpful in thinking about how to get through this moment.

All sources tagged.

#fuckice #abolishice #nohumanisillegal
    Follow on Instagram

    Health At Every SizeĀ® and HAESĀ® are registered trademarks of the Association for Size Diversity and Health and used with permission

    • Follow
    • Follow
    • Follow
    Manhattan Alternative logo
    Poly Friendly Professionals listing logo image - white text on a dark background with overlapping purple circles on the left side.
    Covid Conscious Therapist Directory link
    Poly Friendly Professionals listing logo image - white text on a dark background with overlapping purple circles on the left side.

    Ready to start the process of matching you with one of our therapists?

    Fill out the screening

    For all other inquiries, please use the contact form below

    6 + 14 =

    Affirmative Therapy Collective LCSW LLC

    Body, Sex, Trauma, Neurodivergent, and LGBTQ+ Affirmative Psychotherapy

    Eating disorder and trauma treatment done differently

     

    80 University Pl, Suite 2G, New York, NY 10003

    info@affirmativetherapycollective.com

    (646) 504-1615

    Quick Links

    • Individual Psychotherapy
    • Couples, Relationship, & Family Therapy
    • Group Psychotherapy
    • Supervision & Consultation
    • In-Person Clinicians
    • Therapeutic Approaches

    Connect with us on Instagram

    affirmativetherapycollective

    🌈All of you is welcome herešŸ³ļøā€šŸŒˆšŸ³ļøā€āš§ļø
    Body, Sex, Trauma, & LGBTQIA+ Affirmative Therapy
    šŸ›‹ļø NYC
    šŸ–„ļø NY, NJ, CO, CT, FL, MI, MN, PA, WI
    New clients ā¤µļø

    Love is often sold to us in a specific way: romant Love is often sold to us in a specific way: romantic, passionate, and usually centered around partnership or sexual connection. Ultimately, most of us are conditioned by media and other social sources to believe that romantic love is the most meaningful version of love.

To be clear, this is not to say that romance does not hold weight; it does. Romantic and sexual relationships are deeply fulfilling, but they are only one piece of a larger emotional landscape.

Love shows up in countless forms, all of which are vital to our wellbeing: familial love, love within friendships, and self-love. Community-based love, one that is often forgotten about, fosters belonging and collective resilience—a necessity given our current political climate. In times of stress or crisis, community support can be a powerful protective factor.

By broadening our definition of love, we allow ourselves to experience connection in ways that might surprise us. It encourages a more inclusive and compassionate understanding of human connection, and it allows us to recognize that love is not a limited resource but a diverse and evolving experience. When we give equal value to friendships, family, community, and ourselves, we craft a stronger foundation that can sustain us throughout life’s challenges.Ā 

- Lee

Interested in exploring your relationship with love? Want to expand what it means to give and receive genuine care? Lee is taking new clients! Check out the šŸ”— in our bio šŸ’Œ to connect!
.
.
.
šŸ·ļø #beyondromanticlove #relationshiptherapist #friendshiplove #queertherapist #newyorktherapist
    As we head into Valentine’s Day weekend, ATC wante As we head into Valentine’s Day weekend, ATC wanted to take this moment to remind you that finding safety in your sexual and romantic experiences is your right as a sexually active human. And, it makes sex that much more fun.

Sex can be a complicated topic, and learning how to engage with it in a way that prioritizes safety, autonomy, and mutual pleasure isn’t easy. The culture we live in is a huge barrier, between gender roles and patriarchy and purity culture, there’s a lot to sort through. 

For those of us with sexual trauma, there is an added layer of complexity. With the latest release of the Epstein files, we are once again reminded of the harm of sexual activity driven by power, control, and force.

But regardless of whether you have experienced sexual trauma or not, consent is supreme. And, yes, very sexy. Because to feel sexy, we have to feel safe. And we all deserve the kinds of sex lives that offer us that safety.

Interested in exploring your relationship with sex and intimacy? Sophie is taking new clients! Check out the šŸ”— in our bio šŸ’Œ to connect!
.
.
.
šŸ·ļø #consentissexy #vulnerabilityisstrength #sextherapy #sextherapist #consentismandatory
    Every January, the world gets louder about fixing, Every January, the world gets louder about fixing, shrinking, optimizing, and controlling bodies—as if our worth resets with the calendar.

The phrase of ā€œNew year, new bodyā€ is common during this time. These kinds of New Year’s resolutions often present themselves as harmless self-improvement. But the truth? These resolutions are steeped in diet culture, healthism, and fatphobia. In other words, they’re anything but harmless.

This kind of messaging teach us that thinner, more disciplined, more productive bodies are better bodies; that control is a moral virtue.

Over time, this messaging injures our relationship with ourselves.

We learn to mistrust hunger, rest, softness, pleasure—anything that can’t be optimized or measured. Perfectionism slips in wearing a wellness costume, insisting that if we just try harder, plan better, buy theĀ rightĀ products, we’ll finally feel okay in our skin.

And when that doesn’t work, the blame lands squarely on us—not the system that profits from our dissatisfaction.

This is where body image injury shows up: in the shame around taking up space, in the anxiety of being seen, in the relentless self-surveillance that replaces self-compassion.

Productivity culture backs this up, praising bodies only for what they can produce, endure, or overcome. Listening to your body becomes a problem if it interferes with goals.

So if this year you feel the urge to reject the ā€œnew bodyā€ narrative, fuck yea! That’s not resistance to growth—it is growth.

Your body doesn’t need fixing. It needs safety, respect, and maybe a little righteous anger on its behalf.

Looking to work with someone on body image injury in a space that creates safety for all kinds of bodies? Sophie has availability for individual clients!

Are you trans or gender non-conforming and interested in exploring the intersections of eating disorders within your trans identity? Sophie is currently enrolling the second co-hort of her group, COMING HOME TO YOU: Exploring Eating Disorder Recovery and Body Image Injury within the Trans Experience.
.
.
.
šŸ·ļø #BodyImageHealing #NewYearNewBody #dietculture #healthateverysize #fuckfatphobia
    We’re trauma therapists, so we know all too well t We’re trauma therapists, so we know all too well that you cannot separate the body, or the human inhabiting that body, from the world it is surrounded by. This moment is unjust, beyond challenging, and sadly all too familiar across history.

Show up how you can, including for yourself. We’re here with you.

Here’s a round up of posts we found helpful in thinking about how to get through this moment.

All sources tagged.

#fuckice #abolishice #nohumanisillegal
    Follow on Instagram

    Health At Every SizeĀ® and HAESĀ® are registered trademarks of the Association for Size Diversity and Health and used with permission

    • Follow
    • Follow
    • Follow