A message from Howard

Hi, I’m Dr. Howard Farkas, clinical psychologist and author of the book, 8 Keys to End Emotional Eating, and I’m passionate about helping people who struggle with all forms of unwanted behavior.

My focus is on helping individuals who want to stop emotional eating. The people I treat typically feel that they have exceptional control in so many other areas of their lives, yet they’re unable to stop the pattern of compulsive, unwanted eating. 

I help them understand the internal struggle that underlies emotional eating and other unwanted behaviors, and how to resolve this conflict as it affects their eating. After understanding the motivation for this puzzling compulsion to repeat precisely those behaviors that they want to stop, they can begin to address the cause and regain control of their lives, ending the shame and self-doubt that so often goes along with these problems.

My approach to treatment is informed primarily by the autonomy-supportive principles of Motivational Interviewing, Self-Determination Theory, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Guided by those basic principles, we also integrate many of the techniques and principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy and psychodynamic therapy.

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Dr. Howard Farkas is the founder and President of Chicago Behavioral Health, LLC. He is a licensed clinical health psychologist who has been working and teaching in the field for over 20 years. Dr. Farkas helps people with emotional eating and other psychological and behavioral issues by helping patients recognize and overcome the psychological barriers that affect their motivation and follow-through in their efforts to change. As an interactive, solution-focused therapist, his therapeutic approach is to provide insight and practical feedback to help clients effectively address personal life challenges. He integrates complementary methodologies and techniques to offer a highly personalized approach tailored to each client. With support and understanding, he works with each individual to help them build on their strengths and attain the changes and personal growth that they are committed to achieving.

Dr. Farkas is on the faculty of Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, where he teaches graduate students in the Division of Clinical Psychology. He is also the author of 8 Keys to End Emotional Eating, from W.W. Norton.

Telehealth Sessions Available

We are currently offering remote teletherapy services in Illinois and Georgia. As of July 1, 2020 our services have expanded to Arizona, Colorado, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, & Utah. 

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8 Keys To End Emotional Eating

Get our new book with an insightful look at the psychology behind emotional eating and other unwanted behaviors.

"While diet advice typically aims at identifying triggers and strengthening self-restraint, clinical health psychologist Farkas contends that emotional eating is primarily owing to the rejection of the control necessitated by dieting--a desire to "be bad." Farkas seeks to help readers change their mind-sets about dieting through the use of his eight keys, which include breaking the diet mentality, resolving inner conflict, and upgrading coping mechanisms."

- Library Journal

"This excellent, short, and practical book offers many refreshing ideas and perspectives...A valuable book with many interesting insights in line with HG understandings."

- Human Givens

"Filled with useful tips and compassionate expertise, this book could help anyone to become more conscious around their eating, whether you're experiencing issues or not. For those who suffer most, it could mean the end of emotional eating and painful dieting, and hope for a better relationship to food and life."

- Greater Good Magazine

8 Keys to Ending Emotional Eating offers insights into emotional eating that I have not read/heard before. The information is easy to read, in a personable, engaging writing style. The content is detailed, well informed, and supported with clinical examples. I see this book as part of a healthy therapeutic relationship with a therapist who resonates with you, who feels into, senses into your struggle and offers the support you need to both come to awareness of and appreciate your past and then take the next steps to make changes for a healthier relationship with food and with yourself.

-- Nancy Eichorn, Ph.D., editor, Somatic Psychotherapy Today

  

Your search is over if you are an emotional eater, and you have time and again tried and failed to “will yourself” into a diet only to end up self-sabotaging. The lessons in this book are not only sound, especially amidst the endless mounds of ... (Read Full Review)

  

This is an excellent book. It’s straight to the point, has strategies and exercises that are simple to implement into my life and has helped me transform from an emotional eater into a “normal” eater.  I have read a million diet books and none have helped me as much as this book- probably because it’s not ...(Read Full Review)

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