Anorexia Nervosa
Welcome to
Victus Counseling
At Victus our specialized Counselors are dedicated to providing the tools and supports needed to overcome an eating disorder. Specialized registered dietitians are available through a network of providers we have cultivated collaboration with. Including IAEDP trained and certified dietitians licensed in multiple states.
Helping you to navigate and overcome:
News & Articles
Creating a Pathway for Recovery
Victus Counseling is dedicated to guiding individuals on a transformative journey toward recovery from eating disorders. We understand the complexities of these conditions and offer a supportive environment where you can find the most effective treatment tailored to your needs. Our experienced team uses a range of evidence-based therapies, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which helps in altering negative thought patterns; Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), encouraging a life aligned with personal values even in the face of distress; and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), which equips you with coping skills for emotional stability.
We also incorporate Motivational Interviewing to empower your willingness to change, Person-Centered Therapy to provide a non-judgmental space for growth, and Family Behavior Therapy (FBT) to engage the support of loved ones in your recovery process. Every step you take with us is a stride toward reclaiming control and creating a balanced, fulfilling life.
Thank you Pulitzer Center for spotlighting parity, eating disorder treatment barriers, and the reality of what those fighting eating disorders are navigating. Melanie Haiken did a very good job of what this reality looks like. You can read her four part 11 month investigative journalism at: pulitzercenter.org/stories/front-row-seat-desperation-meet-advocates-fighting-remove-barriers-eat...
mindsitenews.org/2025/05/15/no-rural-mental-health-for-eating-disorders/
'We're Not Serving Rural Communities': One Specialist for 250,000
mindsitenews.org
In rural America, finding eating disorder treatment is nearly impossible: 20% of patients can find no residential treatment in their state.0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Thank you The Kennedy Forum for spotlighting parity and the urgent need in our nation. The reality is hard to comprehend and hold, yet we never give up hope - we refuse to give up hope that things can't change for the better in mental health resources, parity enforcement and accountability, and reduced barriers in access to care.
Keeping our loved one's names and faces alive in hopes of preventing further loss and suffering through parity enforcement, advocacy, and hope is the catalyst for national change. The time really is now - we have lost so many already. Our nation can do better in parity enforcement for mental health and substance use disorders and I believe we will do better - humanity needs this.
Faith Carlson - Victus Counseling
www.thekennedyforum.org
Caption: Faith Carlson with her brother, Andrew Faith Carlson, a Clinical Therapist specializing in eating disorder treatment at Victus Counseling, was drawn to the field after learning that eating…1 CommentsComment on Facebook
This cherry tree caught my attention in DC. It was held up by these pillars and I went over to read this sign….
It has me think that even in the best intention, best care, best hope…support is needed. Support not just in one area to thrive, multiple areas. Not because this gift, this iconic cherry blossom tree was not the best, but because we ALL need support.
People are not ment to do life alone even with the best intentions. We know eating disorders thrive in isolation - where no support exists.
Perhaps we can see support comes in many “pillars” in life. That it does not mean weakness. That it does not mean you’re not trying your best.
Support means your going to have the best chances of growing, thriving, and blossoming in your own unique ways when you allow the support in your eating recovery process - to trust the process - those on a trained, qualified, educated treatment team want to be those supports alongside all the others you allow into your growth journey.
- Victus Counseling
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A few posts from Eating Disorder Coalition Day! You can reach out to your representatives on each government website and ask to endorse the request this year that we don’t lose funding on grants for early intervention of eating disorders and not to lose funding on training doctors about eating disorders. These funds were already approved, set aside, and we are asking they don it get cut and are renewed - these grants are smaller grants and not wasted funds.
I was apart of a team that did apply for the women’s health grant early intervention and while not awarded it did go to two colleges using last years funds for early interventions.
This is how you can have your voice heard - email your Senator and Representatives and request support on the blue info graph pictured!
- 2025 Eating Disorder Coalition Day
Washington DC
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My day heading to DC - and well everyone who has worked with me or knows me totally lol can agree this is so me 🤦♀️lol and I am sure the senate staffers and well every professional I cross today will get it ..maybe..
Sharing my message over to Equip haha this is going to be a day!
Dear Equip & Mackenzie …about those stickers mailed to Victus 😁 I totally placed this one on my water container for all those great clients to see during therapy (positive messaging) and it so is…
I’m loving explaining this sticker (what I do, where I got the sticker and all the wonderful advocacy education about eating recovery) at every water fountain in DC and my ‘pre-gaming’ advocacy day for a little Tricare conversations
Thanks for the sticker and let’s go team recovery!
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I am already missing my clients today! I am also so grateful that I can show up in DC to advocate for the betterment of those fighting in eating recovery work.
YOU all inspire me. YOU are fighters. YOU all are so important and valuable people - we can do better in the field and these trips help me say - no can’t be the answer in reducing help in research, training, early interventions in treating eating disorders.
We never lose hope! More updates - currently in Chicago and heading over to DC to join others activates in sharing what needs to change.
Keep up the hard work - you can do more than you think in recovery - I have hope.
More updates coming has I am out in DC this week.
- With humility, Faith Carlson
- Victus Counseling
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9 months ago Anna passed away from her eating disorder. Another name and face of the reality of mental health diagnosis of an eating disorder.
Sharing Anna’s story with great humility and responsibility has I prepare for my 4th trip up to DC for National Eating Disorder advocacy in Washington. Anna was not a client of mine but she was yet another courageous fighter in the community of people with eating disorders.
Her family shared this heartfelt message on her obituary “And she will be remembered, in part, as a girl who lived with and died from anorexia, a disease that remains poorly understood by the medical community and the public at large. Anna Mary Znachko, along with everyone who loved her, walked 18 years on a difficult journey of questions without answers and hope without promise. Her family hopes that no one else will ever experience the suffering that Anna did. To support funding, research, and education about this disease, Anna's family requests that those who celebrate and grieve her life and death consider making a donation to the Academy for Eating Disorders.”
lnkd.in/gi-VEWde
Academy for Eating Disorders website: lnkd.in/gbZCyv_N
May is mental health awareness month and eating disorders are a mental health illness. Let’s take the time to remember the names and families who have suffered life changing loss from mental health.
Holding Anna Znachko in that space of devastating loss from mental health and the hope for positive change in the field increasing support. It takes courage to hold space for both - and we can.
#MentalHealthAwareness
#eatingdisorderrecovery
#NEDA
#EDC
#VictusRecoverySD
#neverlosehope
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Bella Rosa THANK YOU ❤️❤️
We wanted to take a moment to send a big thank you to Bella Rosa Flower Market for the stunning flowers provided for our mental health clinic. 🌿💐
The beautiful arrangements have truly brightened our space and created such a welcoming environment for both our team and the individuals we serve.
We've received countless compliments from our community and with our outreach partners, especially the mental health professionals we've connected with.
Your thoughtful contribution not only lifted our spirits but also reminded us all of the power of kindness and natural authentic beauty!
Thank you for being a part of Victus Counseling’s journey and helping us spread positivity and support to those in need! 💖
#MentalHealthAwareness #ThankYou
- Victus Counseling Eating Disorder Specialty Clinic, Sioux Falls
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About those GLP-1 weight loss medications… Let’s talk informed consent.
Resources & expert recommendations below. Keep reading!
At Victus Counseling, we specialize in eating disorders—a serious mental health condition. We do not offer weight loss treatment. Our approach is always evidence-based and rooted in informed consent—because every client deserves to understand both the risks and benefits of any medical treatment.
GLP-1 medications (like Ozempic, Wegovy, etc.) are making headlines, and it’s important to look at these through the lens of eating disorder care. This month, ANAD (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders) released a helpful and balanced resource page on GLP-1s and eating disorders:
Read it here
www.wrbl.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/801300175/anad-publishes-resource-page-on-glp-...
ANAD emphasizes:
“We seek to provide individuals with the knowledge to make informed decisions about their care and minimize potential harm.”
Many providers aren’t trained to ask the right questions.
Medical training in eating disorders is shockingly limited—less than 3 hours on average, even though eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness.
More on that here:
Fierce Healthcare article
www.wrbl.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/801300175/anad-publishes-resource-page-on-glp-...
Important date:
ANAD is hosting a live community Q&A on GLP-1s + EDs on April 28.
Register here:
anad.org/glp-1-medications-eating-disorders/
Why does this matter?
Clients must be screened for eating disorders before being prescribed weight loss medications—but that often doesn’t happen. Informed consent isn’t optional. It’s an ethical obligation.
We support every client’s right to choose (or not choose) a medication—with full knowledge of how it may impact their mental and physical health.
If you think you might have an eating disorder:
Use this free screening tool from the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA):
www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/screening-tool/
Medical Professionals:
If you are a medical provider you can learn more about eating disorders through this free resource created for medical practitioners!
The course, called preparED, is free and publicly available. The Center for Eating Disorders and the New York State Psychiatric Institute worked together with eLearning Brothers to develop and launch the course in the summer of 2020.
Use this link:
prepared.nyspi.org
Stay open to learning and feedback from clients - they are experts about the lived experiences in their body (P.S. all bodies are good bodies)
One of the BEST supports is understanding. Are you aware of your own biases about weight? We all carry unconscious biases that can influence how we see and treat others. If you're interested in exploring your own weight bias, take the Implicit Association Test (IAT) from Harvard University. It’s a free, quick test that helps you identify hidden attitudes about body weight. Understanding these biases is the first step in creating a more inclusive and compassionate environment for everyone.
Take the test here: Implicit Association Test - Weight Bias
implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatouchtest.html
Let’s work together to reduce weight stigma and promote understanding!
Consumers
If offered a GLP-1 helpful questions to ask:
1) Can you help me understand why you're recommending this medication specifically for me?
This prompts your doctor to explain the medical reasoning behind the suggestion — whether it's related to blood sugar levels, insulin resistance, cardiovascular risk, or BMI — and helps distinguish between evidence-based care and assumptions based on weight alone.
2) Are there alternative options that address my health concerns without focusing on weight loss?
This opens up a conversation about lifestyle interventions, mental health support, or managing underlying conditions that might be more appropriate — especially if weight isn’t the root cause of the issue.
3) How will we measure success with this treatment, and does it involve more than just weight loss?
This question challenges the idea that weight alone equals health, and it pushes for a more holistic look at your well-being — like improvements in mobility, lab results, energy, or mental health.
Let’s continue advocating for safe, ethical, informed care—especially for those in vulnerable populations.
Specialized eating recovery provider and always a student/advocate researching and sharing to be better in the field of eating recovery - where we all can do better!
Faith Carlson, MA, LPCMH, CEDS
anad.org
Register to attend and submit your questions for our Community Q&A on April 28th at 12pm ET. GLP-1 Medications & Eating Disorders After fielding questions about GLP-1 medications from volunteers, grou...0 CommentsComment on Facebook
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National Eating Disorder Awareness Week
/in UncategorizedVictus Counseling donates to the 4th Annual Lighting Up of Falls Park for the Eating Disorder Awareness Week. You are invited to come and see! Eating Disorders Awareness Week (EDAW)is an annual campaign to educate the public about the realities of eating disorders and to provide hope and visibility to individuals and loved ones impacted […]