Well where I live counselling would be the first thing offered. In fact they are running a scheme where a "social prescription" is usually made first - so you get prescribed a session with a counsellor to discuss what things might (aside from drugs) help you. That might lead to a referral or to going back to the GP for anti-depressants if the issue cannot be dealt with effectively with a more "holistic" approach.
But it depends on the area in which you live and the services offered.
From my perspective, my disorder was intrinsically related to my adolescene, teenage angst, boyfriend trouble and so on.
I went to a counselling session and found it rather unhelpful in one respect (felt out of place along the lines of WTF am I doing here) but was helpful in that it served to jolt me out of the behaviour. Not completely,but enough to make a difference. And then I gradually grew out of it, went to university, became happier.
Also, telling my mother was the best advice the GP could give, because it meant that I saw how upset she was and also felt rather more "watched" than I had before. So embarrassment meant that I made a concerted effort to break the cycle.
Was a long long time ago. Took a few years for me to become more comfortable with my perfectly normal and actually rather slim shape.