Mel Strunk Therapy

01/16/2026

Eating disorder or disordered eating; My latest blog offers some clarity on when it may be time to seek support.

Feeling Uncertain About Eating Disorder Therapy Is CommonIt’s common to feel uncertain before beginning therapy for an eating disorder. Reaching out for help can feel incredibly vulnerable—especially when struggles with food or body image have been present for a long time. Many people believe th...

01/12/2026

01/03/2026

New Year New You? The new year can bring about a lot of body and diet talk, but that doesn’t mean you need to listen. Drastic changes to your body, over exercising, and cutting out entire food groups is usually trending in January. These trends aren’t only dangerous for your body, but also your mental health. Instead of idealizing drastic changes this year focused on appearances, reframe your thoughts to caring for your body by fueling it properly, getting in movement that you enjoy and remembering that you don’t need to participate in trends that feel bad for your mental health. You don’t have to do it alone. Reach out if you need support ❤️‍🩹

12/19/2025

Good grief, it’s the Holiday season! A time of Joy, gratitude, the season of giving, Santa Clause is coming to town! But the holiday season is also a reminder of who isn’t here. The first for a lot of us missing some of our favorite people, pets, houses where we used to celebrate. Traditions that no longer happen and tears that won’t stop flowing. So instead of thinking you need to bake cookies, get a white elephant gift, and decorate like you used to-take this season to care for yourself, tend to your sadness, let people know the season looks and feels different this year. Make this a year with no expectations for yourself. Self kindness is the only requirement ❤️💚

10/24/2025

How often do you assume you know what someone else is thinking? 🧐 It’s easy to get caught up into thinking someone must be mad at me, I just know they don’t like me, I did something wrong to make them stop talking to me, she definitely thinks all of these negative things about me. A swirl of negativity in your head.

Sound familiar? Just because you’re thinking these thoughts, does not mean someone else is. Look for evidence in what you’re assuming to be true. Having thoughts around the situation is not evidence. Chances are, it’s not that deep and you’re maybe possibly potentially being kind of extra about it in your head. 🫣 Let’s reframe these thoughts by reminding yourself that you are not a mind reader. You aren’t responsible for what thoughts are in someone else’s head and unless they tell you, it’s not yours to figure out.

10/15/2025

What is ARFID? Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder.

Extreme pickiness of food where individuals may only eat a small variety of certain foods. These foods are deemed as safe foods. The idea of expanding beyond these foods can cause anxiety, dread, and panic. It literally feels unsafe for the individual with ARFID to venture outside of the safe foods they typically consume.

Textures, smells, consistency, and other sensory characteristics are all reasons why individuals with ARFID avoid certain foods.

Some people with ARFID generally have a lack of interest in eating food. I hear people tell me if there was a pill they can take instead of eating food, that would be preferable. Some people have a fear of choking. People typically aren’t preoccupied with their weight and body image like we see with other eating disorders. ARFID looks different for everyone.

Some individuals with ARFID are under weight. Some individuals are not. You can’t tell by looking at someone to know if they struggle with ARFID. Everyone that struggles with ARFID deserves to find help and support through psychotherapy and nutrition therapy. Recovery is possible ❤️‍🩹

04/17/2025

Here is a reminder that your mental health diagnosis does not define you. Having an eating disorder, depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD or any mental health diagnosis doesn’t mean that is who you are. We are more complex than that. A diagnosis may be one aspect of what you experience, but it is not all of you. You may have an eating disorder, you may have anxiety,but you are so much more 🙌❤️

12/17/2024

The holiday season can bring on a lot of self induced pressure. Pressure to buy, bake, wrap, cook, activities, gifts, secret Santa’s, white elephant, pot lucks, decorate, sign up, volunteer……….All good things in moderation, but these things may not benefit your mental health if you push yourself into too many. Instead of saying yes to all of it, check in with yourself to consider what you have space for. It’s okay to say no to some things. Your mental health will thank you. ❤️💚

03/04/2024

I had the pleasure of speaking at an event with some wonderful therapists from Courageous Hearts on Friday night for National Eating Disorder Awareness week. Thank you to Courageous Hearts for hosting and to all of the individuals who participated in a discussion about positive body image. My favorite take aways from the night:

Get connected to something in the world; animals, music, dance, art….and spend less time stuck in your head.
Bodies are forever changing; we’re not going backwards, continue moving forward as you find ways to connect to your body.
Exercise is about so much more than trying to lose weight. Include other reasons for your intentions to exercise.
We are influenced to view our bodies negatively. Practice changing the story to “my body is good enough.”
Outwardly disliking and picking apart your body won’t change it. Be careful with your words. Don’t be a bully. If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to you.

12/18/2023

There is grief woven into the holiday season that many of you are experiencing. The loss of your people, the first year without Christmas Magic for your littles, old joyful memories that tend to only resurface this time of year, the feeling that the holidays used to bring that are replaced with sadness and a newness that you don’t want to participate in. Allow space to feel whatever it is you may be going through and know there is no expectation as to how you go about it ❤️💚

09/11/2023

Just wanted to acknowledge that it’s hard taking care of a body. There are so many messages about what we should consume, what we shouldn’t consume, exercise recommendations, weight ranges, how much sun exposure we’re supposed to get, how much protein we should have, if we should eat carbs or not (we should btw), how much sleep we need to be getting, if there’s a vitamin or powder or supplement we should be taking.

If we could stop for a moment to acknowledge that it’s really hard to do the “right” thing all of the time. Focus on the basics. You know when you’re doing something that serves you or doesn’t. You’re not going to do it perfectly or right some of the time. Some of it you may never get right. Keep trying, set small goals, don’t compare yourself to others, and do what you can today to try and make good choices in some of the areas a lot of the time.