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Email: recovery@givawilkerson.com
Phone: 267-314-7893
So why work with a coach?
(FAQs)
What is an Eating Disorder Coach and what do they do?
Eating Disorder Coaches are not therapists; but work alongside therapists, dietitians and other clinicians to provide 1:1 and group support, utilizing non-clinical interventions, to support clients in three different ways:
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Assist with the establishment and maintenance of their motivation for recovery
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Encourage the development of their social and emotional skills and
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Assist with the development and utilization of healthy coping skills
Who can benefit from working with an Eating Disorder Coach?
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Individuals new to recovery looking for additional support (after hours assistance, meal support, shopping assistance. etc.)
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Eating disorder providers (therapists, dietitians, etc.) looking for a collaborator to help clients with accountability and consistency
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Non-eating disorder providers looking for a collaborator to tackle eating disorder symptoms, as they focus on root causes and co-occurring conditions
Why hire an Eating Disorder Coach?
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Person-centered and individualized care
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After hours and real-time support
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Support in the following areas:
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Establishment and maintenance of motivation for recovery
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Challenging of eating disorder thoughts and behaviors
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Establishment of new beliefs and habits
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Development of positive coping strategies
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Recovery management and maintenance
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Consumption of meals and snacks
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Grocery and clothing shopping
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Preparation for holidays and special events
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Connection with someone who’s been there
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Care coordination amongst providers
Why refer your clients to an Eating Disorder Coach?
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Collaboration, clear communication and transparency
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After hours and real-time support for clients
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Care team coordination and record keeping
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Support with the establishment of new/positive habits
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Reinforcement of positive coping strategies
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Support with the integration of care into daily life
What is the difference between a Coach and a Therapist?
It is easy to get these lines blurred, so here are a few guidelines to help coaches differentiate their role from a therapist. How do we prevent coaches from performing clinical work? There are several strategies…
Provider Roles
Coaches Focus On…
Therapists Focus On…
Explanation
The “what”
(Ex. What does this member need right now to help them not use ED behaviors?)
The immediate or most pressing issues
(Ex. Member is feeling anxious and wants to skip dinner)
The symptoms of trauma
(Ex. Member feels “ugly”, “fat” and “undeserving” of food).
The eating disorder
(Ex. Assisting a member with anxiety with coping skills so that they can feed themselves, as opposed to restrict during anxious moments)
Using their lived experience as a primary source of their knowledge
(Ex. “I remember feeling afraid to eat around others, this is what I tried…”
The “why”
(Ex. Why does this member use eating disorder behaviors?)
The root cause
(Ex. Member was triggered by a recent visit with family and is dissociating)
The trauma
(Ex. Parents withheld food from the member as punishment throughout childhood and often criticized their weight)
The eating disorder AND other co-occurring illnesses and conditions
(Ex. Getting to the source of the anxiety, to help the member process the traumatic episode)
Using therapy/therapeutic interventions as a primary source of their knowledge
(Ex. “Can you tell me more about the first time you felt afraid to eat around others?”
Coaches assist members with developing coping strategies to move through difficult moments in the present or future.
Coaches focus on helping members move through the immediate moment.
Coaches help members challenge eating disorder beliefs and expand their identity outside of the eating disorder. They do not explore the source of the current identity.
Although coaches will learn about many/all aspects of a member’s life, they focus on how these conditions affect the eating disorder, not the co-occurring condition itself.
Coaches use themselves and their personal experiences in their sessions. Therapists use CBT, DBT, and other interventions to help members process their experiences.