Audra Owens

My career in social services has given me the rare opportunity and privilege to accompany others throughout much of life’s journey – from the miracle of birth as an adoption advocate, to helping senior populations and their families as a counselor managing long term care and end of life issues.
One of the universal truths I have learned is that struggle and adversity are an inescapable part of the human experience. Rather than let these challenges destroy you, my role is to help you on your journey to grow and work through the hardships of life and become the healthiest and happiest version of yourself.
I believe that human connection is key to our survival and happiness. When our connections become disrupted it can cause tremendous distress. I can help you recognize and restructure former negative cycles into healthy patterns of interaction, and to protect the relationships that are most important to you.
I primarily utilize Emotionally Focused Therapy methods, as well as trauma informed care. As a result, I can help you understand and develop more safe and secure connections that will lead to improved mental health and overall well-being. Both are crucial for healing from the majority of traumas, addictions, and relationship issues you might experience in life.
Audra Owens

Eating Disorders - It's Not About the Food

By Kelly Lopez

If it’s not about the food, what is it really about?

The eating disorder serves a function, it does a job. Despite the problems an eating disorder creates, it is an effort to cope, shield against, communicate, and solve problems. Behaviors may be a way to establish a sense of power or control, self-worth, strength, and containment. Bringing may be used to numb pain. Purging may be a way to release emotions. When one cannot cope in healthy ways, adaptive functions (behaviors) are created to ensure a sense of safety, security, and control.
According to Carolyn Costin*, some of the “adaptive functions that eating disorder behaviors commonly serve are”:
It’s not about the food, it’s a way of coping with low self-esteem, negative emotions, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, unstable home, difficulty resolving conflict and much more.
*Costin, Carolyn. The Eating Disorder Sourcebook: A Comprehensive Guide to the Causes, Treatments and Prevention of Eating Disorders. 3rd. edition, McGraw Hill, 2007.
Fuller, Kristen. “Eating Disorders: It’s Not All about Food.” Psychology Today, Sussex Publishers, 22 Mar. 2017