Picky Eating & ARFID Therapy in Tampa, FL
In person in Tampa · Virtual throughout Florida and vermont
A parent-based approach for families who've already tried everything else
You’ve tried all the things to make picky eating/ARFID easier.
The feeding therapy. The OT. The special plates, the reward charts, the bribes, the bribes about the bribes. You've sat across from every professional who's told you to "just keep offering" while your kid gagged, cried, or left the table entirely.
I know. I've been that parent. And I want to offer you something different.
If this is your life right now
You're not here because things are fine. You're here because:
Mealtimes feel like a negotiation, a battle, or a hostage situation (sometimes all three)
Your kid has a list of safe foods that hasn't changed since 2019
You're making two dinners every night and you're exhausted (and feel guilty that you're exhausted)
You've been told your child has ARFID (or maybe nobody's said that yet, but something is clearly going on)
You've tried feeding therapy. Or OT. Or seeing a dietitian. And either it didn't really move the needle, or it made things worse, or your kid completely shut down and refused to go back
You're scared. Not because they're in medical crisis - they're okay, their pediatrician said so - but because this is affecting your whole family and nobody seems to have an answer that actually fits (or actually feels helpful)
You are not doing this wrong.
You might just need a different approach
ARFID stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder. It's an eating disorder ( and yes, it's a real diagnosis) but it's nothing like what most people picture when they hear that word.
ARFID isn't primarily about body image (although many humans in our culture struggle with their body image, kids included). It's not driven by wanting to change your body. It's about the experience of eating itself feeling genuinely overwhelming, scary, or just deeply unappealing. This can be because of texture, smell, fear of choking or getting sick, or simply a profound lack of interest in food.
Kids with ARFID aren't being difficult. They're not manipulating you. Their nervous system is telling them that food is threatening, and every time that alarm goes off and someone forces the issue (puts the "scary" food on their plate, makes them take one bite, runs an exposure hierarchy) it can make the alarm louder.
What ARFID Actually Is (and what it isn’t)
ARFID Can Look Like
A safe foods list that is short and doesn't change much
Real distress (not just preference) around new foods or certain textures, smells, or colors
Anxiety or shutdown at mealtimes, restaurants, birthday parties, or at school
A child who isn't restricting because of weight - they just can't or won't eat most things
Nutritional gaps, but sometimes without the acute medical crisis that would send you to an eating disorder program
Picky Eating vs. ARFID
There's a spectrum here. Some kids are extreme picky eaters who don't technically meet the diagnostic criteria for ARFID, and they and their families are still struggling. The approach I use works across that full spectrum. You don't need a formal diagnosis to get help. You just need to recognize your family in what you're reading.
A note for adults reading this about themselves
ARFID isn't just a childhood diagnosis. Plenty of adults have lived with food avoidance, a short list of "safe foods," or real distress around eating their whole lives. Sometimes without ever having a name for it. If that's you, I also work directly with adults navigating ARFID, using an approach that's grounded in the same anti-diet, no-pressure philosophy. You don't have to have a kid in the picture to reach out.
what we actually do in sessions
What Picky Eating & ARFID Therapy in Tampa, FL Looks Like
This is the part that surprises most parents.
In SPACE-ARFID treatment, the primary work is with you - the parent. Your child doesn't need to come to sessions. Not because their experience doesn't matter, but because the most powerful thing we can do for them right now is change what's happening around them. If you have an older kid or a teenager who genuinely wants to be involved in the process, there's room for that, but your kiddo is not required to show up and be brave before they're ready.
Here's what this looks like:
We look at accommodation patterns.
You've built a whole system to help your kid avoid the distress that comes with food - separate meals, carefully managed menus, avoiding restaurants, redirecting any conversation about new foods. All of it made sense. All of it came from love. And some of it has been accidentally telling your child's nervous system that food is, in fact, very dangerous. We work together to figure out which patterns are keeping things stuck and how to gently begin to shift them.
We work on how you respond, not what your kid eats.
This is not about forcing anything. We're not building exposure hierarchies. We're not putting new foods on the plate (unless mutually agreed) . We're changing the emotional environment around food - the anxiety level, the pressure, the scripts you default to when things go sideways at dinner.
We take the pressure off everyone.
Including you. Because you've probably absorbed a lot of shame and fear about this, and that matters too.
And if you've got your own complicated history with food?
That gets to live in this work too. If you grew up in a household where food was controlled, restricted, or fraught (ie: if you've got your own diet culture baggage) that doesn't make you a bad parent. It makes you a human parent. And sometimes the most powerful thing we can do for your kid is address what's happening in your own nervous system around food and mealtimes.
Sessions are available in-person in Tampa (Carrollwood area) or virtually anywhere in Florida and Vermont.
You don’t have to keep navigating picky eating or ARFID alone.
If you're a parent in Tampa (or anywhere in Florida or Vermont) who is wanting a new approach to picky eating or ARFID, I'd love to talk.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation to see if we would be a good fit.
Hey, I'm Keri — And I've Literally Been You
I'm Keri Baker, LCSW - a therapist in Tampa who specializes in the relationship between people and food. In my main practice, I work with adults on body image, intuitive eating, and recovering from decades of diet culture.
But I also have a kid with ARFID. And I have done the circuit.
We did feeding therapy. We tried OT. We saw a dietitian. And although these providers were amazing in their own right, none of it really clicked - partly because every approach assumed my kid would be willing to do exposures, and she wasn't at the time.
When I found SPACE-ARFID - a parent-based treatment model out of Yale - something finally made sense to me, both as a clinician and as a mom. The idea that I could make things better by changing my behavior, not by making my kid do something hard she wasn't ready for? Now that was something different.
I got trained in it because I wanted to be able to offer this to other families who were where I had been. Exhausted. Scared. Out of ideas. Done with approaches that put all the pressure on the kid.
- Keri Baker, LCSW · Picky Eating & ARFID Therapist in Tampa, FL
My approach to this work is anti-diet and weight-inclusive - which means I'm not here to tell you what your kid should be eating, or to frame a limited diet as a moral failing. There's no one right way to feed a child. Our goal isn't a perfectly varied diet. Our goal is less suffering - less mealtime dread, less family stress, more room to breathe.
Questions?
FAQs
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No - and for most families, they won't. In SPACE-ARFID treatment, the primary work happens with parents, which means your child doesn't have to sit in a therapist's office working on something they're not ready for. That said, if you have an older kid or a teenager who is genuinely motivated and wants to be part of the process, there's room for that. The point is that nobody gets pushed. Your child's readiness (or lack of it) doesn't need to be a barrier to getting started.
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Yes. The approach works across the spectrum from extreme picky eating all the way to a formal ARFID diagnosis. If mealtimes are affecting your family's quality of life and traditional approaches haven't helped, this may be a good fit.
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It's genuinely different. SPACE-ARFID isn't about exposures or getting your child to try new foods. The work is entirely focused on parent behavior - the accommodations and response patterns that, with the best intentions, can keep food anxiety in place. Your kid doesn't have to do anything.
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Absolutely - and this is actually a great setup. I can provide dedicated parent support while your child's other providers work with them directly. I'm happy to collaborate with other clinicians when it's helpful.
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It fits. A lot of parents navigating ARFID have their own food history - growing up in diet-culture households, their own restrictions, their own mealtime anxiety. That doesn't make you a bad parent; it makes you human. If it's relevant, we can address it alongside the parent work.
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Yup! Virtual sessions are available throughout Florida and Vermont. In-person sessions are available in Tampa (Carrollwood/North Tampa area).
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Sessions are $200 for 50 minutes. I'm private pay and don't bill insurance directly, but I provide Superbills you can submit to your insurance for potential out-of-network reimbursement.
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The SPACE model is designed as a relatively brief treatment - usually somewhere in the range of 10–16 sessions, depending on your family's situation. We'd talk through what that looks like in your free consultation.
It is worth noting that to get the right amount of support, we would meet for weekly sessions.
Mealtimes don't have to feel like this forever.
If you're ready to try something different - something that doesn't ask your kid to be braver than they're ready to be - I'm here.
Accepting new clients · Tampa in-person & virtual throughout Florida & Vermont
Picky Eating & ARFID Therapy in Tampa, FL
Services also offered virtually throughout Florida and Vermont