4 Things to Consider While You Find an Eating Disorder Therapist
Written by CCTC Staff Writer
If you are reading this, you are considering (or pursuing!) recovery from an eating disorder, Or, you may be looking for an eating disorder specialist for someone else. This is a big step forward in the path towards recovery.
Here are four things to consider when trying to find an eating disorder therapist who’s right for you.
1. Where to Start Looking for an Eating Disorder Specialist
Where you find an eating disorder specialist depends on where you are in life. If you have a primary care doctor, you may first go to them for help. Many primary care physicians are not experts on eating disorders, though. If your primary care doctor does not know about eating disorders, you can ask them to refer you to someone who does.
If you are in college, many schools have a mental health center on campus. You can set up an appointment to be evaluated for an eating disorder, and then they should be able to provide you with treatment options. This may include a therapist, dietician, and/or psychiatrist. Your school may have access to these specialists. If they do not, they can refer you to specialists in the surrounding area.
You may also search for a therapist who specializes in eating disorders on these sites:
Each of these websites allows you to type in your location, and you will be provided with a list of therapists in the area. Also, during the COVID-19 pandemic (and, very likely, beyond this time), many treatment providers offer virtual services. So even if you are not able to find someone in your area, you can still find help.
*Note: On websites like Psychology Today, therapists more often list what they can or want to treat, rather than what they really specialize in. It’s important to find someone who is very knowledgeable about and practiced in treating eating disorders. Read more about finding a specialist here.
Related: Does virtual eating disorder treatment really work? Click here to find out.
2. What to Consider During Your Search for an Eating Disorder Specialist
In addition to location and experience, keep the following in mind during your search:
Logistics: Insurance Coverage, Budget, and Hours
If you have insurance, try to find a provider who accepts your insurance. Every treatment provider will list what type of insurance they will accept (if any.) If you do not have insurance, or insurance does not cover your entire bill, many therapists, charge on a sliding scale. This simply means that they bill you based on your income and what you can afford. This helps therapists succeed financially, while also breaking down economic barriers to treatment.
So sit down, write down how much income you bring in every month, and how much you spend. Making a budget will help you figure out how much you can spend on therapy every month, and narrow down your choices to those who fit within your budget.
And finally, hours. Many people are late risers, have a full time day job, go to college, or have other time restrictions. Don’t make the mistake of setting an appointment time you won’t actually be able to make. This keeps you from getting treatment. You may also be charged for the missed appointment (and many insurance providers won’t cover missed appointments, so you may have to pay full price on your own). Your therapist is also likely to have a policy about missed appointments, and may stop seeing you altogether if you miss too many of them.
Block off times that you absolutely cannot book an appointment (class, work, etc.) Then think about what time you naturally rise (many late risers book a very early appointment, and then don’t wake up in time for it). Block off times that you cannot realistically make an appointment.
Then try to find a provider who has availability in times that you have not blocked off. (When you first speak with a therapist, they will discuss their availability.) If — and this is very unlikely — you cannot find anyone who can accommodate your schedule, you may have to adjust work times, course schedules, etc., to get treatment.
Eating disorders are very serious illnesses, and you shouldn’t put off treatment because of things like money and schedules.
If you wait, and let your eating disorder get worse, you’ll have to spend more time and money on treatment. So really, you’re saving time, money, and possibly even your life.
Practices: Treatment Philosophies and Practices
No single therapy practice works for everyone. If it did, then everyone with an eating disorder would recover at the same pace, in the same way. You have to find what works for you.
If you have never been to therapy before, you may have no idea what therapeutic practice you will respond to. Even if you have been to therapy, you still may not know what you need. That’s okay.
As you’re researching therapists, you’ll find that each person has written a bit about their treatment philosophy, or how they view eating disorders and the best way to treat them.
For example, many eating disorder specialists understand eating disorder behaviors to be sparked by acute emotional distress, and use practices like Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) to treat their patients.
For an in depth description of different treatment practices, click here.
Population Specializations
Anyone, from any background, can develop an eating disorder. But those from different backgrounds can develop or experience eating disorders in different ways.
For example, it has been found that the transgendered population has a higher prevalence of eating disorders than the general population. A transgendered individual may develop an eating disorder due to discriminatory trauma, trying to create gendered features, or trying to reach a masculine or feminine “ideal”. A transgendered individual would probably benefit from receiving therapy from someone who is or deeply understands what it is like to be transgender.
It has also been found that many eating disorder professionals have internalized fatphobia or weight bias. If you are worried about being discriminated against because you are a larger size, you should seek out a HAES informed specialist.
Related: Body inclusivity is one of the staples of the Health at Every Size (HAES) Movement. Read more about the movement and how it's changing the way eating disorders are treated here.
If you identify with a certain population (religious, cultural, gender, sexuality, etc.), and believe that your identity contributes to your eating disorder, try to find someone who works with that particular population.
3. Your First Appointment with an Eating Disorder Therapist
After finding someone that meets your needs, all you have to do is schedule. You may do this over the phone or via email. If you are nervous about contacting someone, get someone you trust to help you send messages.
You will have to fill out paperwork before or during your first appointment. This paperwork includes gathering insurance and payment information. It also includes going over your therapist’s privacy and treatment policies.
In your first few sessions, your treatment provider will just get to know you. They’ll ask basic questions about your life, your history with an eating disorder, and current eating disorder behaviors.
Don’t expect to be “cured”, or even really start working on your issues, in those first few sessions. Your therapist has to get to know you before they can really help.
4. Don’t feel like you’re “clicking” with your new treatment provider?
It’s not uncommon to feel like you’re not resonating with your new therapist. On one hand, your eating disorder may be making you feel like that to try and get you to quit treatment. On the other hand, you might actually not be with the right therapist. (This does happen. And it’s not a big deal.)
If you walk out of your first session and feel awful, you have to examine your discomfort. Why did you dislike it so much? Were you in a bad mood before walking into the room? Did the intake questions make you feel anxious or guilty? Did you feel like the session was pointless?
It’s easy to blame someone else for your discomfort. But it may not have been the other person in the room making you uncomfortable. To really know if it’s the person you’re not connecting with, rather than the treatment process, you have to go to a few more sessions. You have to sit with that discomfort and learn from it.
If you have thought about it and know that they’re not the person you need to help you on your journey, you should stop going to them. It is not worth your time or theirs to continue working with them.
This does not mean “ghosting” them, or ghosting treatment altogether.
It’s common courtesy to let anyone know when you cancel plans. This goes the same way for therapists. They only have so much time to see patients, and don’t deserve to spend it waiting for someone who isn’t coming. Make sure to tell them well in advance if you won’t be continuing with your sessions, or you might have to pay a cancellation fee.
And just because one therapist didn’t work out, that does not mean you’re going to be stuck in an eating disorder forever. You just have to go back to step one, and eventually you’ll find the right person, at the right place and the right time.
Everyone is worthy of getting help for their eating disorder. You owe it to yourself to find help.
If you or a loved one is suffering from an eating disorder, take the first step today and talk to someone about recovery or simply learn more about the holistic eating disorder recovery programs we offer.