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Arizona Connection Counseling
Explore issues and make life changes in a safe, comfortable, accepting environment.
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Arizona Connection Counseling is a licensed counseling agency with offices in Mesa, Gilbert and Scottsdale, AZ, and appointments available statewide through Telehealth. Our therapists work with individuals, couples, families, and groups; we pride ourselves on being a safe haven and secure base for clients to pursue positive growth. In fact, that is our mission at Arizona Connection Counseling: “To provide our clients with a safe, comfortable, non-judgmental environment where they can explore issues and make changes to their life.”

Our team of experienced therapists are trained in and utilize a range of highly researched and clinically proven forms of therapy, including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), EMDR, and more.

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Currently accepting new clients, our team has a wide range of specialist skills and approaches. We have therapists who focus on treating relational distress within couples and families, helping with issues such as infidelity, communication, and sexual difficulties. We also offer mindfulness, trauma and client-centered therapy for individuals seeking personal growth.
Finding the right therapist is important. We will work hard to match you with the just the right therapist. Are you ready to make a change to your life, and pursue positive growth? If you are, we are. Let’s start your journey towards health and healing today.
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Licensed Counseling in Mesa & Scottsdale

As a licensed facility, we are pleased to serve clients at our Mesa/Gilbert and Scottsdale locations who carry Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and TriCare, as well as self-pay clients. We can also work with you if you have out-of-network insurance coverage, or an HSA account. If you have insurance concerns, please contact us.

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If you are a new client and ready to book an appointment, follow this link, give us a few details, and you can access our scheduling calendar. Existing clients, please use the login button at the top of the page. If you have a question, please reach out to our team using our contact form, or at 480-744-5864 (call/text) or by email info@azconnectioncounseling.com.

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Arizona Connection Counseling

Arizona Connection Counseling is a licensed counseling agency with a team of experienced and trained therapists throughout Arizona. We utilize a range of highly researched. clinically proven forms of therapy, including Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), EMDR, and more.
Existing Client? Login to Schedule

Dealing With…?

  • Sexual Issues
  • Relationship Conflict
  • Trauma & Self-esteem
  • Eating Disorders & Body Image
  • Infidelity & Betrayal
  • Communication Difficulties
  • Navigating Divorce
  • Parenting
  • Addiction & Compulsive Behaviors
  • Grief and Loss
  • Healthy Boundaries
  • Depression & Anxiety
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Back-office Hours:
  • 8am-4pm Monday-Friday, excluding Holidays
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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”:
  • Comfort, soothing, nurturance
  • Numbing, sedation, distraction
  • Attention, a cry for help
  • Discharge of tension, anger, rebellion
  • Predictability, structure, identity
  • Self-punishment or punishment of "the body"
  • Self-cleansing or self-purification
  • Protection or safety (through creation of a small or large body)
  • Avoidance of intimacy
  • Proof for self-blame instead of blaming others (for exampl, abusers)
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

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/happiness-is-state-mind/201703/eating-disorders-it-s-not-all-about-food