Cliff Notes: Everything You Need to Know About Eating Disorder Treatment Before You Begin
The idea of eating disorder treatment can feel very overwhelming.
If you aren’t sure where to start, then this episode is for you. Think of it as your crash course—because who doesn't love a good cliff notes version?
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When it comes to eating disorder treatment, building an outpatient team (if we’ve excluded higher level of care for now) is probably the most important factor; the indispensable trio of a therapist, dietitian, and doctor. Spoiler alert: the doctor’s there to keep you physically healthy (I know, groundbreaking), while the dietitian and therapist help you navigate the choppy waters of meal planning and emotional support. In lots of cases, you’ll work with a psychiatrist or group therapist or meal coach but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves yet.
The structure now means flexibility later. It sounds counterintuitive, but trust me—following a meal plan now will eventually allow you to eat that slice of pizza without a second thought.
In this episode, I'm talking about:
Overview of eating disorder treatment and recovery.
Importance of an outpatient team: therapist, dietitian, and doctor.
Doctor's role: monitoring physical health, focusing on vitals, blood work, EKG, and DEXA scans.
Importance of seeing a doctor specializing in eating disorders.
Dietitian's role: meal planning and support, specializing in eating disorders.
Therapist's role: emotional support, coping skills, and addressing underlying issues.
Communication within the treatment team.
Goals of nutrition counseling: increase consistency and quantity of eating.
Importance of honesty and vulnerability with the treatment team.
Involving family in the treatment process.
Emotional and relational growth opportunities during recovery.
Note: We’re celebrating three amazing years of the Understanding Disordered Eating podcast! Just as a reminder, we’re taking a two-week break at the end of August. We’ll be back with fresh content after Labor Day weekend, on September 10th. In the meantime, catch up on our older episodes—they're still gems!
Tweetable Quotes
"None of us here are okay with the unknown." - Rachelle Heinemann
"It's really important to share everything with your team. And I know that there are lots of parts of this that feel really embarrassing." - Rachelle Heinemann
"You absolutely can. You just have to get through this hump. You got this." - Rachelle Heinemann
“It's important to have some sort of family involved, especially the family that you currently have a relationship with." - Rachelle Heinemann
Resources
Grab the Replay of the Resistance in Treatment Webinar
Now accepting new clients! Find out if we're a good fit!
Related Episodes
Episode 137. Eating Disorder Recovery Cannot Happen Without This
Episode 131. Real Nutrition Information Minus the Shame with Claire Chewning RDN
Episode 120. Disordered Eating VS Eating Disorder, Which Is It?
Episode 119. Eating Disorders Don’t Have a Look
Episode 117. Weight Loss, Yay or Nay?
Episode 108. The 1 Thing That Affects Every Single Person with an ED
Episode 18. Breaking Down Eating Disorder Higher Levels of Care with Catherine Silver, LCSW
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Grab my FREEBIE!: As you navigate recovery, you may be feeling like something is missing. You're doing a lot of work challenging yourself with the food, your body, and exercise. You're probably working on lots of other things at the same time, like stuff at work or relationship issues.
But, still, something doesn't feel like you're getting to the bottom of it. Grab my free journal prompts below and begin to work through the emotions of healing.
More From Rachelle
Hey there! I’m Rachelle, the host of the Understanding Disordered Eating Podcast. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I work with clients to make sense of life’s messy emotional experiences.
I believe in the power of deep work and its positive impact on your life in the long term. Learn more about how we can work together here.
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