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Emily Ciepcielinski, PhD, LPCS, CEDS

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Charlotte, NC
Emily Ciepcielinski, PhD, LPCS, CEDS

Eating Disorders & Anxiety Specialist Providing counseling and counselor supervision services in the Charlotte, NC area.

Areas of clinical specialty include: eating disorders and the full range of disordered eating (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, chronic dieting, etc.), body image struggles, self-compassion and self-identity work, anxiety and depressive disorders, and general women’s wellness and stress management issues.

03/09/2026

Grief can show up big time in eating disorder recovery, and we don’t talk about this enough.

As the eating disorder loosens its grip, many different parts can surface - parts that feel sadness, anger, nostalgia, fear, betrayal, regret, or relief. None of these reactions mean you’re doing recovery wrong. Often, they reflect the very real losses and adjustments that come with letting go of something.

When we get curious about these parts instead of fighting them, we create more space for compassion, understanding, and lasting healing.❤️

Which part resonates most with you right now? Or what are you seeing in your therapy sessions?💬

03/05/2026

When we talk “Window of Tolerance”, we’re talking about the range where our nervous system can feel regulated enough to think clearly, feel our emotions, and stay present. We’re not overwhelmed or shutdown- life might feel challenging but we can handle it.

Many of us move outside that window depending on our upbringing, our specific neurotype, history of trauma… or just life!

🔺 Hyperarousal might look like anxiety, panic, racing thoughts, irritability, or feeling overwhelmed.
🔻 Hypoarousal might look like numbness, shutdown, disconnection, exhaustion, or brain fog.

Both are protective nervous system responses for sure- your body is truly trying to keep you safe.

So, the goal isn’t to eliminate these states completely or to just live Zen-like in your window of tolerance perfectly at all times. The goal is to notice these hyper or hypo-aroused stayed sooner and support your nervous system in finding its way back toward regulation.

Sometimes we need calming and slowing (when we’re in hyperarousal).
Sometimes we need activation and re-engagement (when we’re in hypoarousal).

Save this post so you have a few options the next time your system moves outside your window. 🧠✨

As always, let me know your strategies and skills- for kids or adults!👇🏼

03/04/2026

A “neurotype” simply refers to the unique way a person’s brain is wired - how they process information, regulate emotion, focus attention, experience sensory input, and move through the world.

Neurodiversity reminds us that there isn’t one “right” or “normal” brain. “Neurotypical” and neurodivergent experiences exist on a spectrum, with wide variation inside each category.

Even words like “typical” and “disorder” can sometimes become limiting. They can unintentionally frame difference as deficit rather than diversity. What if instead of asking, “How do we fix this brain?” we asked, “How do we better support and understand this brain?”

When we shift toward honoring and better understanding different neurotypes, we create more access, more compassion, and more belonging - for kids and adults alike.

Save this post as a reminder, and share it with someone who needs a more affirming lens. ❤️

03/03/2026

Anxiety isn’t a character flaw.
It’s a nervous system doing its best to protect you.

The words we use matter.

When we shift from shame → curiosity
from self-criticism → compassion
from “what’s wrong with me?” → “what might I need?”

…we create just a little more safety inside.

And safety is what helps anxious systems heal.

Save this for the next spiral. Share it with someone whose nervous system could use softer language today. 💛

02/27/2026

So much of our relationship with food begins long before anyone would recognize a problem.

I see how early body shame and food fear can take root - often years before an eating disorder is visible.

And how we relate to food often mirrors how we’re relating to ourselves:
🧘‍♀️how we nourish, care for, and live in our bodies.

Prevention matters because early messages matter.
If we change those messages, we change trajectories.

If you’re concerned about yourself or someone you love, you can find screening tools, treatment referrals, and support options through the National Eating Disorders Association:
👉 [Learn more about assessment & support](https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/get-help/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)

💜 Eating Disorder Awareness Week 2026💜

02/26/2026

Kids learn how to relate to food and bodies from the language around them.

Not just what we say to them -
but what we say about ourselves and other people.

Diet talk, weight praise, and moralizing food are incredibly normalized in our culture. Most parents use this language without realizing the impact it can have on body image, shame, and food trust over time.

The goal isn’t perfection.

It’s about shifting toward language that supports:
➡️body neutrality(and/or body appreciation & compassion)
➡️connection to internal cues
➡️food flexibility
➡️self-trust
➡️strong sense of identity

These small language shifts are one of the most powerful prevention tools we have.

Happy National Eating Disorders Awareness Week!💜

In the comments below, let me know what phrases or one- liners you use with your kids, or anyone, to foster positive relationships with our bodies and food 👇🏼👇🏼

02/25/2026

Eating disorders are often framed as irrational, self-destructive, or senseless behaviors.

But in my work, they almost always “make sense” in context.

From a parts-based lens, EDs aren’t just random behaviors- they emerge as protective strategies that developed to help someone try to cope, regulate, or survive.

However, naming the protective function doesn’t minimize the harm. Eating disorders cause real physical and psychological suffering. Please know this.

But also know this - both can be true:
-they were trying to protect
-and they are causing great harm

Recovery, then, is about honoring the needs for protection/regulation/safety while building more effective ways to meet those needs.

If this reframe resonates please save this post for later or share it with friends and colleagues. Happy Natonal Eating Disorder Awareness Week! 💜

02/24/2026

📢It’s a common misconception that eating disorders begin with obvious restriction or weight loss.

In reality, they often start much earlier - and much quieter.

As a therapist specializing in eating disorders for twenty years, the early signs I see most often in kids aren’t dramatic behaviors. They’re subtle shifts in rigidity, anxiety, body awareness, and food rules that can easily be mistaken for “healthy habits,” personality traits, or developmental phases.

This is one of the reasons prevention and early identification are so important.

The earlier we notice patterns, the easier it is to support flexibility, safety, and trust around food and bodies.

If you’re a parent reading this, this is not about alarm - it’s about awareness.

Most kids move in and out of phases with food and body. But when patterns become rigid, fear-based, or distress-driven, it’s worth gently paying attention.

Early support changes trajectories.
Recovery is far easier when intervention happens early.

If this was helpful, consider saving or sharing during this Eating Disorder Awareness Week. ❤️

02/19/2026

🧠🧘🏻‍♀️We have to show, not just tell, our nervous system that it can experience safety, calm, connection, and groundedness. We do this through new experiences, new ways of relating, new ways of coping and interfacing with the world…

And this is why effective therapy will integrate the mind AND body into the therapeutic work, as well as emphasize the importance of seeking out/cultivating these new types of lived and felt experiences. 🤍

✨So, if you’re constantly feeling stressed and/or anxious, and it feels like nothing’s working, it could be that things aren’t taking “root” because your nervous system can’t be tricked by quick hacks or temporary bandaids… it’s got to, repeatedly, feel and deeply experience safety. For many of us, this means changing deeply rooted ineffective patterns and habits - so it may take some time, but it’s possible!

02/18/2026

Our kids (and teens) don’t just have “good” or “bad” behavior - think about their behavior from a nervous system perspective. According to polyvagal theory, we’re all constantly moving up and down the ladder and/or trying our best to function well in the state we’re in. 🪜

Polyvagal theory helps us see what state a child is in:
🔵 safe & connected
🟡 fight/flight energy
🔴 shutdown/freeze

Every state has a purpose.

And every state has supports that can help kids move back toward safety and connection.

When we teach kids body-based tools - movement, rhythm, warmth, connection — we’re giving them lifelong regulation skills. 🤍

Save this to come back to when big feelings show up.
And share with a parent, teacher, or therapist who supports kids!

What would you add to this list of skills? #

02/17/2026

➡️When ADHD, sensory processing differences, and eating disorders overlap… eating is no longer just about food.

It becomes:
• executive functioning
• sensory regulation
• nervous system capacity
• shame
• and yes - sometimes ED fear

So when someone “doesn’t follow the meal plan,” it may not be resistance.

It may be:
→ too many steps
→ too many decisions
→ sensory distress
→ time blindness
→ activation paralysis

This intersection is frequently misunderstood in treatment.

We often push:
more flexibility
more exposure
more intuition

…before the brain has enough structure and safety to make eating accessible.

➡️But here’s the therapeutic reframe:

Predictability can be regulation.
Sameness can be access.
External structure can be support.
Sensory safety can be prerequisite - not avoidance.

When we foster increased executive functioning skills and honor sensory needs, eating often becomes possible enough for ED work to actually begin.

🤍Please save for reference and share for awareness!

02/13/2026

Many of us were raised to be “good girls” or “good kids”-responsible, agreeable, self-controlled.
Those traits can look like strengths… and often are.

But when kids learn early that being good means being easy, quiet, or compliant, they may miss out on learning how to listen to their bodies, express needs, or trust themselves.

This is one of the many pathways that can intersect with body image struggles or disordered eating later- not because parents did something wrong, but because our culture overvalues control/success/externalization/accomplishment and under-values embodiment/rest/fun/self-trust.

Awareness gives us options.
And it’s never too early-or too late- to model something different.

What “good kid” messages did you receive growing up?? ⬇️

Address

6135 Park South Drive Suite 130
Charlotte, NC
28210

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm

Website

http://www.ciepcounseling.com/

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