Who do you work with?

I work with young adult women ages 18 years and older. It is a requirement that individuals with a clinically diagnosed eating disorder are currently working with either a therapist or registered dietician services to be eligible for coaching. Individuals who struggle with “disordered eating,” which is marked by abnormal eating patterns with a clinical diagnosis, are not required to be working with a clinical team unless they are determined to require extra support to maintain safety/health. I currently work with the following diagnoses/struggles: Anorexia nervosa, Bulimia nervosa, Binge eating disorder, Orthorexia, Body dysmorphia, Compulsive exercise, and disorder eating. I accept clients residing anywhere in the United States.

How does coaching differ from clinical care?

The main focus of therapy is to explore the deeper “why’s” and trauma-related work required to gain insight into how the eating disorder serves its purpose in your life and improve your perception of yourself and the world. Coaching is NOT a replacement for specialized clinical services, which are vital for diagnosis, exploring negative self beliefs, treating underlying issues, and addressing other mental health diagnoses. Clinicians are often limited time-wise and legally to traditional schedules set to 60-minutes, limited support between sessions, and limited accountability. In addition, a dietician is important as well in creating a customized meal plan to normalize eating patterns and regain physical health.

Coaching works best in conjunction with your clinical team since it is NOT a replacement for medical care or necessary clinical treatment plans. Coaching is aimed to establish present-moment support and guidance through exploration of current thoughts, urges, behaviors, and feelings. Real-time support and accountability is very limited with therapists and dietician, so coaching helps to reinforce and work with clinical treatment goals in day-to-day events. I collaborate with each member of your team to ensure that we are on the same page with their goals as well as our own that we set together. Our sessions focus on working on clinical goals, connecting to recovery-focused values, challenging disordered thoughts, focusing on the present moment, and setting goals related to exposures and distress tolerance. Lastly, having struggled with an eating disorder myself, I can provide validation, empathy, and insight from my own struggles through the recovery process as a role model.

What are exposures and how do they help?

Therapists and dietician work in an office or virtual setting to determine specific goals, such as challenging eating disorder behaviors, like body checking or restricting certain foods. My role as a recovery coach is work alongside you when completing exposures that illicit distress in the form of disordered thoughts and behaviors. Some examples of exposures that I help clients work through include grocery shopping, eating certain meals/fear foods, eating at different times of day, following a prescribe meal plan, clothes shopping, decreasing body checking behaviors, and decreasing compulsive exercise behaviors. Like stated above, coaching provides in the moment support, which is not available in clinical settings. This immediate support allows individuals to gain extra support when practicing new behaviors that challenge them. Over time, repeated exposures, help to re-wire neural pathways to establish healthy patterns and re-affirm that the eating disorder does not control them.

Exposures can be completed in virtual sessions or supported through text support between sessions. In addition, they can also be completed in person depending on the location. All costs of food and clothing purchases must be covered by the client.

How frequently will I need coaching sessions?

I typically recommend to new clients that they attending sessions once per week. Text support throughout the week outside of sessions is always included. Over time, as the client progresses in their goals and gain increased confidence in their ability to sustain recovery-oriented behaviors and thoughts, then the frequency of sessions can be tapered down. My goal is for each of my clients to eventually be stable enough in their recovery to no longer need my services. I am always available though for extra support when needed through difficult times or lapses!

What other services do you offer?

Outside of virtual and in-person coaching sessions, I offer support sessions for supports. These sessions include education about eating disorders, how to support loved ones, and guidance towards finding clinical treatment resources.

In addition, I offer continuous text support services only. These services are available to individuals who are previous clients requiring extra support, clients transitioning down from scheduled coaching sessions, and individuals who are in recovery and are seeking to reinforce what they have learned and strengthen their recovery.

Is there a specific license that eating disorder recovery coaches are required to hold?

Currently, there is not a license or an official board that oversees eating disorder recovery coaches. The field of coaching for eating disorders is a relatively new practices, and it is slowly gaining popularity among the recovery community. This can make the field of coaching sound suspect, which is why it is essential to be aware of those who could take advantage of that. At this point in time, anyone can refer to themselves as a coach, which makes it extremely important to do your research and find out the experience/reputability the coach has. It is also why it is pertinent that your coach is working with your established clinical team. The clinicians of your team, which include a dietician and therapist, go through years of schooling and hold licensing, which must maintain a high standard of care, which helps to hold the coach to a high standard as well. Overall, the field of coaching is looking forward to when recovery coaching will become standardized and can be regulated to keep standards and practices high for the sake of our clients.

What is the cost of services?

A typical session is 60-minutes in length and costs $130, which also includes continuous text support between sessions. I also offer longer sessions if needed to complete specific exposures. 30-minute education sessions for supports is offered at $50. Lastly, if you feel like you do not require the added support of sessions, continuous text support services only are offered at $100 per week.

Do you take insurance?

I do not accept insurance at this time because coaching services are rarely covered. I am able to provide a receipt, if necessary, for all coaching sessions if requested.