Dr. Keren Blumenthal Yanir (PhD) is an art therapist, psychotherapist, senior supervisor, and lecturer based in Israel, specializing in eating disorder treatment. She runs a private practice in Tel Aviv where she accompanies individuals with eating disorders and their families through the complex and often ambivalent journey towards recovery. Keren teaches in the Master’s Program in Art Therapy at Ono Academic College. Moreover, she designed and teaches a unique comprehensive course dedicated to art therapy for eating disorders. Her qualitative art-based research explored the use of food as an art medium in the treatment of eating disorders. The findings suggest that food-based art interventions may serve not only as a desensitization tool for food-related fears, but also as a gateway to processing core psychological experiences related to the development and maintenance of the eating disorder.   

To read more about Keren's work: 

Blumenthal Yanir, K. (2025). Utilizing food as an art medium in eating disorders treatment. Expressive Therapies Dissertations. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_therapies_dissertation/1

Blumenthal Yanir, K. (2023). The torso’s secrets: Using the torso in art therapy for people with eating disorders. The Arts in Psychotherapy, 86, 102095.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aip.2023.102095.

Chapter 11: Eating disorders: Working with the body and its image in art therapy

Keren Blumenthal Yanir and Abigail Bramnick

 You can connect with Keren by visiting her website: www.keren-by.com or by emailing her at kerenblu@gmail.com or kerenBl@best.ono.ac.il.