Specialties · Plano office and Texas telehealth
Specialized help for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in children, teens, and adults, from fear of choking to a very short list of safe foods.
In person or online
Plano office, Texas telehealth
Evidence-based
research-backed approaches
On this page
Overview
When eating feels scary or impossible, meals can take over family life. Maybe your child eats only a few safe foods, you’ve been afraid of choking or vomiting since a bad experience, or every birthday party and restaurant comes with a plan B. ARFID is a recognized eating disorder, and it deserves specialized care.
At Layers Counseling Specialists, we help children, teens, and adults with avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) feel safer with food, one small step at a time. ARFID care is led by Rachel Tipsword, LCSW, in Plano and online across Texas.
ARFID is an eating disorder where fear, sensory sensitivity, or low interest in eating leads to avoiding or restricting food. It has nothing to do with body image. It can affect people of any age, and it often starts in childhood.
Many families tell us about mealtime anxiety at school lunches, parties, and family dinners, relying on a handful of foods, or a fear of choking that makes trying anything new feel impossible. Picky eaters usually outgrow it. People with ARFID usually need support.
ARFID is treatable. With gentle, structured help, many people expand the foods they eat and feel calmer at the table. When growth or nutrition is a concern, therapy works alongside your doctor and, often, a dietitian.
We go at a pace that feels safe, and we never force food.
Step by step, we practice looking at, touching, smelling, and tasting new foods, starting with what feels manageable and building from there.
We build from foods you already like toward similar ones, like a familiar sandwich on different bread or grilled chicken instead of tenders, changing one small thing at a time.
Distress tolerance skills from dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) help you ride out anxiety at the table. Radical acceptance helps you sit with discomfort so the fight stops feeding the fear.
With your permission, we coordinate with your pediatrician, doctor, or dietitian so everyone is working together.
Who it's for
We help kids expand their foods and feel less stressed at school, at meals, and at social events, without shame or pressure.
Whether ARFID has been lifelong or started recently, we help you loosen rigid eating patterns and build a more relaxed relationship with food.
We give you tools to make meals calmer and support your child’s progress at home.
If your child isn’t ready for treatment, SPACE-ARFID works entirely through you to ease mealtime accommodations.
Why Layers
Rachel has advanced training in ARFID and pediatric feeding concerns, and experience with higher levels of eating disorder care.
Parents are part of the work, so progress carries on at home between sessions.
ARFID work often goes well at your own table, by secure video from anywhere in Texas, or at our Plano office.
Who you'll work with
Read about each therapist’s experience and approach to care.
Rachel treats OCD in kids and adults and specializes in ARFID, when eating narrows to a few safe foods. Through SPACE, she coaches parents to help an anxious child, even one not ready for therapy.
rachel-tipsword
https://layerscounselingspecialists.clientsecure.me/request/date?clinicianId=1532211¤tTimeZone=America%2FChicago&preselected=true
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