Eating disorder and trauma therapy for teens and adult women
In-person in Downers Grove, Illinois • Online therapy across Illinois
If you’re tired of fighting your body or your thoughts, you’re not alone.
I’m Courtney Billman, LCSW, CEDS-C, and I help teens and adult women heal their relationship with themselves. Through a warm, collaborative, trauma-informed approach, therapy becomes a space where you don’t have to perform, perfect, or hide. Together we’ll work to understand the protective parts of you, restore safety in your body, and build the capacity to move toward more peace, flexibility, and connection — both internally and in your life.
You don’t need to “try harder” to heal
If you've been living in survival mode (overthinking, overfunctioning, numbing, restricting, binging, people-pleasing, or pushing your feelings away), your symptoms make sense. Together, we'll slow things down and listen with compassion to what your mind and body have been trying to communicate.
Therapy with me isn’t about fixing you. It’s about helping you return to self-trust, steadiness, and choice.
Specialties
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I specialize in helping teens and adult women heal from eating disorders, disordered eating, and lifelong struggles with body image. Whether your relationship with food feels controlling, chaotic, or simply exhausting, we’ll work to understand what’s underneath — the fear, shame, or unmet needs driving it. You’ll learn to rebuild trust with your body, soften perfectionism, and create a relationship with nourishment that feels peaceful and intuitive.
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Trauma can show up in ways we don’t always recognize — chronic anxiety, shutdown, self-criticism, difficulty trusting, or feeling disconnected from your body. Together, we’ll gently work to restore safety in your nervous system using approaches like IFS and EMDR, helping you process the past without reliving it. My goal is to help you move from surviving to feeling grounded, safe, and whole.
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If your mind rarely slows down and you constantly feel like you have to do more or be more, therapy can help you reconnect with calm, clarity, and compassion. We’ll explore how perfectionism and self-criticism have been protecting you, and create new ways of being that feel less pressured and more peaceful.
Additional Areas of Focus
Depression & mood changes
Shame and self-injury
Relationship patterns and boundaries
Life transitions, grief, and identity shifts
What therapy with me feels like
My style is warm, relational, and collaborative. I integrate Internal Family Systems (IFS), CBT-ED, DBT, EMDR, and HAES-aligned care, always tailoring therapy to your needs. We move at a pace that feels safe while still making meaningful progress toward healing.
You can expect a space that is:
compassionate and direct
emotionally safe and nonjudgmental
rooted in nervous-system awareness
focused on whole-person healing (not just symptom management)
Getting Started
Starting therapy can feel vulnerable — even if you’ve been thinking about it for a long time. My goal is to make the process feel safe and supportive.
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Reach out through the contact form or email to set up a brief 15-minute consultation call. This gives us a chance to talk about what’s bringing you in, answer any questions, and see if we feel like a good fit.
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Once you decide to move forward, you’ll receive a secure link through my client portal (TherapyAppointment) to complete intake paperwork before our first session.
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Our initial session focuses on getting to know you — your story, what feels most pressing, and what you hope to gain from therapy. You’ll never be expected to share more than feels comfortable
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We’ll meet weekly (either virtually or in-person) to explore patterns, process experiences, and build tools for healing and self-trust. Sessions are 50 minutes.
Session Options
In-Person: Downers Grove, IL
Virtual: Available to residents anywhere in Illinois
Fees & Insurance
I am in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, United Healthcare PPO Plans. For clients using out-of-network benefits, I am happy to provide a superbill for reimbursement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Still have questions or wondering if therapy is the right next step? You’re welcome to reach out, I’m here to help.
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Yes. I provide secure telehealth therapy for clients located anywhere in Illinois.
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Yes. I work with teens and adult women, especially around eating concerns, anxiety, perfectionism, and trauma.
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Yes. EMDR may be part of our work when it fits your needs and when we’ve built enough safety and stability to proceed at a supportive pace.
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I am in-network with Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, United Healthcare PPO Plans. For clients using out-of-network benefits, I am happy to provide a superbill for reimbursement.
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It’s really common to wonder that. You don’t have to wait until things feel unbearable to reach out. If something is getting in the way of your day-to-day life or your relationship with your body, food, safety, or sense of self, it’s worth talking about.
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CEDS-C stands for Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Consultant. It’s a credential awarded through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP) and reflects advanced training, supervised clinical experience, and demonstrated expertise in eating disorder treatment.
In practical terms, it means eating disorder work isn’t something I “also do.” It’s a core area of specialization. Eating disorders are complex—often intertwined with trauma, anxiety, attachment patterns, and nervous system regulation—and specialized training matters when navigating that depth.