Abir Ayesh, LMFT

Hi, I’m Abir Ayesh, a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and the founder of Zehn Therapy. I specialize in the treatment of eating disorders and work with individuals across the lifespan, as well as couples and families when appropriate. My practice also addresses co-occurring mental health conditions that can affect recovery.

I’ve spent the past 3 years working specifically with eating disorders across every level of care — outpatient, intensive outpatient, partial hospitalization, and residential treatment. A few of the settings I’ve worked in include Alsana, an eating-disorder treatment provider, and Laura’s House, a domestic-violence agency in Orange County. That range has given me a clear sense of how complex recovery can be, and how differently each person relates to their eating disorder.

I don’t view eating disorders as simply a collection of behaviors. They are coping strategies that developed for a reason. Rather than trying to eliminate the behavior first, I work with clients to understand what the eating disorder is providing, why it became important, and why letting go of it can feel so difficult. From there we develop other ways of meeting the same needs.

My approach is warm, direct, collaborative, and compassionate. I draw from cognitive behavioral, dialectical behavior, acceptance and commitment, family-based, narrative, and humanistic approaches, tailoring treatment to the individual rather than expecting every client to fit the same model. A strong therapeutic relationship is built on connection and trust, and I want clients to feel both understood and appropriately challenged when that is useful.

I also recognize that wanting recovery and being afraid of it can exist at the same time. I don’t read resistance or ambivalence as a lack of motivation — I read it as information about what the eating disorder may be providing. If part of you wants to recover while another part is terrified to give it up, we can make room for both, without judgment and without rushing you.

My goal is to help you build awareness of the disorder, develop coping skills that can replace the behaviors, and create a life that feels bigger than it. I work purposefully rather than open-endedly, while recognizing that recovery is not linear. The pace depends on your needs, your readiness, and the complexity of what you are working through.

On food and body image: I believe all foods can have a place in a healthy relationship with eating, and that bodies naturally come in different shapes and sizes. Recovery does not mean learning to love every aspect of yourself overnight. It means building a relationship with food, your body, and yourself that is less controlled by fear.

Most importantly, you don’t have to arrive ready to change. You only have to be willing to start exploring what is keeping you stuck. We’ll start where you are.