Information for Professionals

What I do?

• Coaching is an adjunctive support which helps clients navigate the practical areas of recovery
• I am trained to focus on helping clients accomplish tasks and change behaviours in the here and now and do not discuss underlying issues or work on the causes of the eating disorder, as that is the job of professionals such as registered dietitian, therapists and psychiatrists. Coaches as mentioned are not a replacement for professional care but rather are thereto help in ways that the licensed professionals on the team just can’t do, for example, late night phone calls, setting up a kitchen, or accompanying the client to a restaurant or the gym. As a coach I am available via call-text-email outside of regular session times, at all hours, allowing clients to reach out when struggling. This ‘in the moment’ support not only provides help at inconvenient times, but also teaches clients the skills of reaching out to people, rather than their eating disorder, which is a key to recovery.
• Eating Disorders do not just operate within office hours, thus those who are suffering need support outside of regular treatment sessions where they can get guidance and reassurance in ‘real time’ rather than waiting until their next appointment.” Eating disorder coaching is a complement to treatment that has been missing.
• Additionally, each week my clients and I collaborate to come up with recovery-oriented goals.I then, send my clients an email reminder of their goals. This is useful in terms of accountability and empowering clients to make progress in their recovery.
• I help carry out the necessary task of exposure and response prevention (ERP) – meaning I am there to progressively expose the client, under a controlled environment, to known triggers such as, eating specific foods, eating in public or eating without purging, and am trained to manage the situation and the anxiety that may occur. I will focus on HOW to help the client deal with the here and now, dealing with specific behaviours and avoiding discussions of the underlying issues or WHY the person has an eating disorder, as that is the territory of trained professionals. This distinction creates a clear boundary.
• Also, while therapists typically meet with clients for one hour in an office setting, I meet with clients for variable lengths of time and more in their daily lives. For example, eating meals, cooking, grocery shopping, buying new clothes after weight restoration, being available for on-call support between sessions, and other activities of daily living where the eating disorder is very strong and hard to challenge in the moment alone.

How might therapists benefit from referring a client with an eating disorder to a recovery coach?

• I am trained to be an adjunct to an overall treatment team and to help clients implement what they are working on with their treatment team into their daily lives, allowing the therapist more time to focus on the underlying and more deep-rooted issues with the client.
• Eating disorders are so complex that often once a week therapy can struggle to touch upon all the
  'hot spots' necessary to keep someone facing forwards in recovery. A therapist can continue working with their clients on relational dynamics or regulating emotions while the coach can help put those areas into practice by being part of a family meal or supporting an anxious client to use techniques they have learned in therapy.
• I always make sure to communicate closely with those in the treatment team to ensure I am aligning my work with theirs to truly feel like an added support for them. This clear communication also ensures that the client is receiving the most consistent and effective coaching support.