Food Allergy Counseling for Parents

Food allergy counseling for parents offers therapeutic support for managing the emotional challenges of raising a child with food allergies.

I work with parents who feel anxious, overwhelmed, or are stuck in fear-based patterns related to food allergy management.

Food allergy counseling services are available via telehealth for clients located in Illinois, Florida, and Ohio.

Common Reasons Food Allergy Parents Seek Support

Parents often reach out when their own food allergy anxiety begins to affect daily functioning, relationships, emotional wellbeing, and quality of life.

Here are common reasons parents reach out to me for food allergy counseling:

Struggling to cope after your child's food allergy diagnosis or allergic reaction
Intense, ongoing food allergy anxiety that feels hard to manage
Excessive avoidance of life experiences due to food allergy-related fears
Food allergy-related worries are impacting how you're parenting
Emotional exhaustion related to constant vigilance and educating others
Difficulty trusting others with your child’s care or letting others help
Food allergy-related conflicts with partners, family members, or schools
Anxiety about navigating food allergy-related treatments or oral food challenges

How Food Allergy Counseling Helps

Food allergy counseling is therapeutic in nature and focuses on emotional support, coping, and skill-building.

Together, we'll set goals and work towards making meaningful adjustments that increase your food allergy management confidence and quality of life.

Here are additional benefits of food allergy counseling:

Understanding how food allergy anxiety impacts your thoughts and actions
Developing tools to manage food allergy anxiety so it doesn't control your life
Adjusting the food allergy-related mindset to reduce/manage fear and worry
Establishing coping strategies to manage the emotional toll of ongoing vigilance
Learning how to balance food allergy vigilance with living fully/safely navigating risks
Increasing parental food allergy-related confidence to help kids build their skills, too
Strategies for navigating food allergy treatment and oral food challenge worries
Guidance on important conversations to have with your allergist/allergy care team

Therapy details

Why Work with Me

As a food allergy mom traveling a similar path, I truly understand how you're feeling. Therefore, from the start of our work together, you'll feel heard, understood, and validated.

As a licensed counselor and trained family therapist, I understand how allergic disease diagnoses impact the emotional well-being of entire family systems. Therefore, as we work together, I am focused on what's best for you, your child, and the whole family.

I use evidence-based approaches to guide my work, such as Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Family Systems Theory, and mindfulness principles. Additionally, as an allied health member of professional allergy organizations, I stay current with best practices in food allergy care.

Here's more about my credentials and what sets me apart:

Licensed clinical professional counselor with more than 20 years of experience
National speaker on food allergy anxiety and parenting
Author of the allergy parenting book, May Contain Anxiety: Managing the Overwhelm of Parenting Children with Food Allergies published by Johns Hopkins University Press
Allied health member of both the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Founder of Academy of Food Allergy Counseling and FoodAllergyCounselor.com
Writer for food allergy parenting blog on Psychology Today
Featured: Healio's "Women in Allergy" series & Spokin's "Top 100 Women in Allergy"

Ready for the support? Let's connect!

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If you’re looking for food allergy education or resources without therapy, you may be interested in my food allergy consulting service.