About Kellie

wo​rk with me

Kellie Zundel, MSW, LCSW is an eating disorder therapist in Arlington, Virginia who specializes in working with adults with eating disorders including anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder, as well as obsessive compulsive disorder, trauma, depression, and anxiety.
 
Kellie previously worked for multiple years as a primary therapist at a residential eating disorder facility, where she provided individual and group therapy. Prior to that she worked at a program treating individuals with substance use disorders. 
 
Kellie has completed trainings in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). She is also passionate about doing shame resilience work with clients. Additionally, she has completed trainings in the treatment of anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. 
 
Kellie also practices from a Health at Every Size informed approach to eating disorder treatment, as she believes that this approach is crucial when working with clients.

Kellie works with clients in Arlington, Virginia and virtually throughout the state of Virginia and Maryland.

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My Approach

It is important to tailor my approach to each client, as everyone is an individual. I tend to begin with clients by assessing their awareness of the contributing factors and the functions that underlie their eating disorder behaviors.  It is important for clients to gain an awareness around the underlying functions of their behaviors, so that I can help them with both the outward eating disorder symptoms and the underlying issues. 
 
Many of my eating disorder clients with eating disorders experience alexithymia, thus I have found that it is essential for clients to learn how to identify, acknowledge, and validate emotions within their bodies in order to recover. As I support clients in building this awareness, I meet clients where they are at within their “window of tolerance”, especially for those who have experienced trauma or have PTSD. I also help clients build emotion regulation skills in addition to utilizing other DBT and CBT skills.  

For clients struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder, I use exposure and response prevention-which is the gold standard for the treatment of OCD.
 
I use self-compassion and shame resilience techniques to assist clients in learning how to recognize and validate their own emotional world, as well as to uncover deep wounds created by shame.  I also empower clients to recognize unhelpful thought patterns and shame stories and teach them skills to challenge these beliefs and re-write their own narratives.
 
I am grateful to be able to help clients to fully recover from eating disorders, to live in alignment with their true values.

*I am taking on a limited number of new therapy clients. If spots are full, I am happy to refer you to another clinician.

WORK WITH ME

"Kellie is a fantastic clinician!  She understands how to provide a safe environment for her clients to work on their recovery from eating disorders and anything else they may be struggling with.  Kellie uses evidence based interventions to help serve her client, but individually tailors her treatment to meet each individual's specific set of needs.  She will help you reach your goals!"

-Erika Flax, LCSW, Therapist

Eating disorder therapy in Arlington, Virginia. Serving McLean, Vienna, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Leesburg, Purcellville, and Herndon. Specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, as well as obsessive compulsive disorder. Virtual eating disorder therapy serving clients throughout Virginia.