Emily Ciepcielinski, PhD, LPCS, CEDS

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.

So much of our relationship with food begins long before anyone would recognize a problem.I see how early body shame and...
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💜

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 ...
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 👇🏼👇🏼

Eating disorders are often framed as irrational, self-destructive, or senseless behaviors.But in my work, they almost al...
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! 💜

📢It’s a common misconception that eating disorders begin with obvious restriction or weight loss.In reality, they often ...
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. ❤️

🧠🧘🏻‍♀️We have to show, not just tell, our nervous system that it can experience safety, calm, connection, and groundedne...
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!

Our kids (and teens) don’t just have “good” or “bad” behavior - think about their behavior from a nervous system perspec...
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? #

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

Many of us were raised to be “good girls” or “good kids”-responsible, agreeable, self-controlled.Those traits can look l...
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?? ⬇️

🧩These are just some of the parts I’m seeing activated right now - for many folks, myself included. 🤍A gentle reminder: ...
02/10/2026

🧩These are just some of the parts I’m seeing activated right now - for many folks, myself included.

🤍A gentle reminder: there are no bad parts. The names I use may resonate, or they may not - and that’s okay. One of my favorite parts of this work is when someone comes up with a name that fits perfectly for them (I have some incredibly creative clients!). So feel free to borrow language, shift it, or just make it your own.

🤍Our protective parts are incredibly skilled at trying to keep us safe. Sometimes they do that beautifully and give us exactly what we need; other times they become polarized, overextended, or just take a toll on our overall system …. For example, avoiding the news might be supportive in one moment- and not in another. The invitation is always to check in with your body and listen. How are your various parts feeling right now?

🤍This list isn’t exhaustive. Another important point- while our exiled parts deserve the utmost care and compassion, they may not always feel safe enough to emerge- honor where you are with that, too.

What parts are showing up for you right now?

Thursday meme drop 🤗
02/05/2026

Thursday meme drop 🤗

In parts work, we’re not trying to get rid of parts, judge them, or shame them into changing. However, we do sometimes h...
02/04/2026

In parts work, we’re not trying to get rid of parts, judge them, or shame them into changing. However, we do sometimes help them find “new roles” - or gently modify old ones - when the role they’re playing is harming the overall system or causing pain in the individual’s life.

I really want to stress this:
❤️Whichever part you’re working with- first and foremost, our goal is to listen in, validate it, and show compassion.

Sometimes we’re working with a part that is causing us (or our loved ones) pain or suffering. Again- first we need to listen in and help that part of us feel heard. We need to meet its needs, perhaps for the first time ever, and provide it with space for healing when applicable. Then, and only then, that part may shift its role. Here are a few examples of how some protective parts, in particular, can shift in a more whole, healthy, and integrated system.

• Hyper-Vigilant Guard → Attuned Observer
Still perceptive… but no longer living in constant alarm.

• Rebel → Agency Protector
Protecting autonomy and choice without needing to fight everything.

• Hustler-at-All-Costs → Grounded Achiever / Creator
Pursuing goals/dreams with pacing, presence, and sustainability.

• Self-Sacrificial Caretaker → Care-With-Boundaries Ally
Offering care without abandoning the self.

• Catastrophizer → Risk Assessor
Considering possibilities without spiraling into worst-case futures.

• Hyper-Independent Part → Support Navigator
Knowing when strength means reaching toward others, not away.

Which part of you might be ready for a new job? 💭❤️

01/30/2026

What conversations are you having in your homes? What are you finding helpful? 👇🏼👇🏼Let me know in the comments❤️

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6135 Park South Drive Suite 130
Charlotte, NC
28210

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

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