Recovery Coaching may be new to you! You’re not the only one! Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching Services.
What is Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching?
First and foremost, you should know that recovery coaching is NOT a replacement for therapy, counseling, or professional medical treatment. As a certified eating disorder recovery coach, I will work alongside the rest of your care team (therapists, dietitians, doctors, etc.) as we each have our own role in your recovery journey.
What Recovery Coaching IS:
- Identifying, challenging, and overcoming cognitive distortions and limiting beliefs
- In-the-moment support (I understand that eating disorders don’t have business hours. I’m here to fill that gap!)
- Coping strategies for dealing with behaviors and triggers
- A judgment-free space for you to talk through struggles related to food/body/exercise.
- A helpful addition to fill the gap in support between treatment
- Additional support after leaving higher levels of care
- Support for those (without diagnosed EDs) wanting to break free from diet culture, body image, or compulsive thoughts surrounding food/body/exercise
- Neural retraining
- “Here-and-now” support in-between sessions, after hours, etc. (Again, I’m here to fill that gap!)
- Your personal advocate
- An eating-disorder trained specialist to add to your treatment team
- A HUGE step in the right direction towards a life that is fueled and freed
What Recovery Coaching IS NOT:
- A substitute for traditional therapy or medical treatment (again, we all have different roles in your recovery!)
- Treatment of mental illness, trauma, or other diagnoses (as a coach, I will work alongside those diagnoses to develop coping strategies and uncover a life of freedom)
- A place to be diagnosed (although I am educated on diagnoses, I am unable to diagnose you. If I feel that a diagnosis is needed, I will refer you to a professional.)
Please note that if you are working with a treatment team, I will be an addition to the team – not a substitution. I will work alongside the other helping professionals that are a part of your recovery journey.
Non-eating-disorder clients: Not everyone pursuing recovery coaching has a full-blown eating disorder. If you are wanting to free yourself from negative body image thoughts, dieting, or other food/body/exercise-related limitations, recovery coaching is a great option for you, too! In this case, we may be able to work together without the need for a treatment team (consisting of a therapist, dietician, or doctor). This is something we can discuss further in our FREE initial discovery call and intake assessment.
What is Meal/Snack Support?
Meal and/or snack times can be especially challenging – but they are an essential part of your healing journey. I offer meal and/or snack sessions to help you feel supported and reassured during the meal.
Yes, IN THE MOMENT. While you are actively challenging your ED.
If you feel more comfortable, I can eat alongside you or simply sit with you as support as you conquer your fears. That is a personal decision that I will leave up to you.
I believe that taking physical action against our ED or diet culture voice is the best way to show it who’s boss. (That’s you… you’re the boss. 😉 )
However, I know that this is not easy at times. Support during meal and snack time is something that I remember wishing I had during my own recovery. I am here to be that support for you if you would allow me to be.
What Types of Eating Disorders Do You Work With?
I work with anyone that feels their life is being held back due to food, body image, or exercise thoughts – diagnosis or not.
Feel stuck in diet culture? I’m here for you.
Want to remove the “good” and “bad” labels from food? Let’s get in touch.
Feeling like your life revolves around exercise? Let’s work through it.
Want to finally make peace with your body? I’d love to help.
In terms of officially diagnosed eating disorders, I work with those in recovery from Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, and Binge Eating Disorder.
Diagnosis or not, you are worthy of a life free from these thoughts. Contact me here and we can see if we are a good match!
Can You Collaborate With My Care Team?
Already have a care team?! Wonderful!
I absolutely will collaborate with your care team! I’d love to hear more about who you are working with and how I can add to your recovery support team. Let’s chat!
Do You Offer In-Person Services?
I am trained as a virtual eating disorder recovery coach. Due to this, I do not feel that in-person coaching is within my scope of care. Much like the benefits of online therapy, I believe that virtual coaching has the ability to be a critical tool in your journey towards food and body freedom.
That said, if you do not feel that virtual coaching is right for you, I may be able to help connect you with an in-person coach in your area. Feel free to keep searching on your own or reach out to me for some help getting connected. I’m here for you!
Who is Recovery Coaching NOT For?
At Fueled + Freed, I do the best I can to offer my knowledge and services to as many people as possible. However, I do feel that it is my responsibility to take the proper precautions for your health and safety.
I will not be able to offer recovery coaching if you are:
- actively suicidal – you deserve specialized care
- under 18 (exceptions apply – contact me for details)
- dealing with medical complications
With this, if these conditions develop while we are already actively working together, I may refer you to a higher level of care and terminate our sessions until it is safe to resume. Your health and safety are my #1 priority. I commit to doing what I feel is ethically and morally right, even if it means we can no longer work together.
How Do We Get Started?
To begin working together, I offer a 20-minute discovery call (free of charge!). Simply fill out my contact form or send me an email letting me know that you would like to set one up! I will get back to you ASAP!
During that call, we can discuss any questions you may have regarding coaching, the process, the packages I offer, pricing, etc. Plus, we get to know each other a little bit which is always super fun!
After that, if you decide that Fueled + Freed is the right choice for you (yay!), I will send over the intake paperwork for you to fill out. We will then schedule an intake meeting to go over your paperwork and discuss any concerns or questions that either of us may have.
This call is a great time to finalize that we both feel we are a good fit for one another. I want you to feel 100% confident that I am who you want to walk through your healing journey with. On the other hand, I also want to feel that I can offer you the care that you need.
It is my promise that if I do not feel like I am the best fit for you, I will be honest about that and I will help you find a coach that I think better fulfills your needs.
If we are a good match, woohoo!! At that point, we can choose your recovery coaching package and get started on this journey together!
How Long Does Coaching Take?
Your recovery journey is your own. Recovery is not linear and there is no “correct” timeline for healing.
That said, seeking out support through coaching tells me that you are willing and ready to pursue recovery. You are already ahead of the game in that sense.
I cannot give you an exact timeframe for your coaching needs. Ultimately, I will trust you to make that decision when the time comes. If you no longer feel that coaching is needed in your life, that is a discussion we will have.
At that point, it may be time for celebration.
No longer feeling a need for an eating disorder recovery coach means that you have made great progress on your healing journey. Ultimately, it is my goal that you no longer need me in your life. As odd as it sounds, I will be smiling as we say our “goodbyes” – that means you are ready to live your life Fueled + Freed.
