Anxiety and Eating Disorder Therapist in Silver Spring, MD
Meet Dr. Elizabeth Gordon (she/her)
If you’re here, you might be feeling tired of struggling with your relationship with food and your body. You might be tired of fighting with yourself all the time, of having to be the one who always has it “all together,” or of feeling like you can never live up to your own expectations.
That’s Where I Come In!
Who I Work With:
I work with adults of all ages, with a special focus on young adults, who have made some progress in eating disorder recovery but still need support integrating progress into everyday life. The people I work with tend to be seeking support for disordered eating, body image issues, perfectionism, anxiety, and depression.
You might be a good fit for this work if one or more of the following apply to you:
You want help sustaining progress and preventing relapse in your eating disorder recovery
You are open to an anti-diet, weight-inclusive approach
You struggle with perfectionism, high self-expectations, or harsh self-criticism
You feel overwhelmed by anxiety, depression, or ongoing life stressors
You want support with boundaries, people-pleasing, and prioritizing your own needs
I work with clients who are open to slowing down, getting curious, and practicing new ways of relating to themselves—with kindness, flexibility, and honesty.
How I Can Help
Many of the people I work with have already started recovery. They may be eating more consistently or no longer engaging in behaviors, yet still feel mentally pulled back into old patterns. Therapy at this stage often focuses less on crisis and more on helping recovery feel stable, integrated, and truly livable. Together, we can work to:
Quiet the eating disorder voice (without fighting your mind)
Instead of trying to eliminate thoughts, we change how you respond to them.
You’ll learn to notice the eating disorder voice without obeying it, experiment with flexibility around food, and untangle the guilt and moral meaning attached to eating and body size.
Rebuild self-trust around food and life decisions
We practice making real decisions together: observing what happens rather than judging whether they were “right.” Over time you learn to tolerate uncertainty, listen to internal cues, and repair after choices instead of second-guessing them.
Loosen perfectionism and harsh self-criticism
Your inner critic likely developed to protect you. We understand what it’s trying to do, separate helpful standards from punishing ones, and practice responding to mistakes with accountability instead of shame.
Heal body image and step out of appearance-based self-worth
Body image improves when behaviors change, not when you force positive thoughts. We reduce checking, comparison, and avoidance; process grief about the “ideal body”; and build a fuller identity beyond appearance.
Build a life that supports recovery
Recovery stabilizes when it connects to what matters. We clarify your values and practice acting on them now — in relationships, work, and daily routines — even when anxiety is present.
I approach therapy collaboratively and at your pace. You don’t have to have everything figured out, and you don’t have to be at a breaking point, to begin.
If you’re ready for recovery to feel steadier and less effortful, we can talk about whether working together would be helpful.
A Little Bit About Me
Professional Background
I’m a licensed clinical psychologist with advanced training in working with eating disorders. I have over a decade of experience working with adolescents and adults struggling with eating disorders, disordered eating, anxiety, depression, trauma, and other psychological concerns. I’ve worked across a wide range of settings, including inpatient, partial hospitalization (PHP), intensive outpatient (IOP), and outpatient eating disorder treatment programs.
My clinical approach is integrative, drawing from behavioral, relational, and psychodynamic modalities. In practice, this means I focus both on the patterns and beliefs that keep you stuck and the deeper emotional and relational experiences that shape how you see yourself, your body, and the world. I tailor therapy to each person, rather than using a one-size-fits-all model, and I value thoughtful, collaborative work that supports lasting change.
A Bit More Personal
Outside of the therapy room, my beloved rescue dog Harriet is an important part of my life and my practice. She serves as the unofficial mascot and therapy assistant for my practice, and she may make an appearance during virtual sessions from time to time. Harriet wholeheartedly embraces the anti-diet mindset, celebrating each and every mealtime with an enthusiastic (and very committed) happy dance.
I grew up in Maryland and am currently based in Silver Spring, but I spent many years in NYC. I love curling up on the couch with a good book: thrillers are my go-to, though I’ve recently been branching out into historical fiction. I also enjoy learning languages, trying new foods, and traveling whenever I can. Curiosity, humor, and appreciation for the small joys in life are things I value deeply, and they naturally find their way into my work as a therapist.
Educational Background
Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in School and Clinical Psychology from the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology at Yeshiva University
Master’s of Education (Ed.M.) with a concentration in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Psychology from Johns Hopkins University