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How to approach a client with a suspected eating disorder
Contributor: Courtney Howard, BA, writer for Eating Disorder Hope
It can be difficult for anyone, including mental health professionals, to know how to best approach someone who may be struggling with an eating disorder. Clients might come in reporting anxiety or depression, without the understanding that their disordered eating is fueling these conditions.
Others might be well aware that their eating disorders are a problem but try to hide this from clinicians out of shame or embarrassment.
As a therapist, you have a unique opportunity to help individuals process what they are going through and work toward recovery. Yet, you do not want to come off as accusatory or scare someone away from seeking the professional help they need and deserve. How do you find a balance when it comes to intervention efforts?
Adolescent Clients with Eating Disorders
The National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) reports that the prevalence of anorexia nervosa in women ages 15 to 19 has increased each decade since the 1930s. Awareness and prevention efforts aim to curb the rates of eating disorders in adolescents, but there is a strong need for effective treatment for those currently struggling.
If you have an adolescent client showing signs of an eating disorder, it is important to address the issue as early as possible. Early intervention has shown to be most effective for long-term recovery. Once rapport is built with an adolescent client, you can explore their thoughts and beliefs regarding food and body image and begin to address their distortions.
Maintaining Your Client’s Trust
If an individual comes to therapy for something other than an eating disorder but is actively engaging in disordered behaviors, he or she is likely in denial or is simply not ready to get help. In either case, it can be difficult for a therapist to get through to the client without his or her guard going up.
Coming from a non-judgmental place is essential for any intervention to be effective. This might seem like common knowledge, but many individuals, even those within the behavioral health field, are unfamiliar with eating disorders and hold many misconceptions. If a client feels judged or shamed for his or her disorder, that relationship and rapport will be difficult to rebuild.
Recovery is Possible
Many people are reticent to seek professional help for their eating disorders because they do not want to give up their identities so closely tied to them. Others might hold the false belief that recovery is not possible anyway.
As a therapist, you have the power to encourage your client to process the emotions behind his or her eating disorder and know that full recovery is possible. If the individual is in need of a higher level of care, it is your duty to refer the client to a treatment program that is more equipped to guide his or her path to recovery.
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About the Author: Courtney Howard is the Executive Assistant for Eating Disorder Hope and Addiction Hope. She graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. from San Diego State University, holds a paralegal certificate in Family Law, and is a Certified Domestic Violence Advocate. After obtaining her certification as a life coach, Courtney launched Lionheart Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching in 2015 and continues to be a passionate advocate for awareness and recovery.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Last Updated & Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on March 17, 2016
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com
The EatingDisorderHope.com editorial team comprises experienced writers, editors, and medical reviewers specializing in eating disorders, treatment, and mental and behavioral health.
