Coaching is action-oriented—providing present- and future-focused, practical support to help you clarify your goals and move towards them. It focuses on the HOW of recovery. Coaching helps bridge the gap between recovery and real life—creating sustainable change.

Coaching is a collaborative, mentorship-style relationship rooted in lived experience.

Coaches do not diagnose and treat mental health conditions, process underlying trauma, or explore patterns from the past like you would in therapy. I point clients to therapy for trauma in need of deeper processing and healing.

Therapists will use coaching techniques in their practice, but coaches have a much narrower scope of practice.

Coaching is meant for those in ED recovery wanting day-to-day support and help practicing recovery in real life.

Coaching is a good fit for those who:

• consider themselves actively in recovery

• already have a therapist or dietitian and are looking for ways to strengthen commitment and accountability between their sessions

• want a non-clinical, mentorship-style relationship rooted in lived experience

• are medically stable and not in acute crisis

• want hands-on support with meals/snacks, food challenges, grocery shopping, cooking, clothing shopping

• need help implementing new skills/strategies/routines for recovery, body image work, and divesting from diet culture in daily life

Coaching Sessions Could Include:

• Mentorship from someone who has experience with an ED and recovery; a space that normalizes what are you going through

• Goal clarification and setting

• Putting goals that you are working on with the rest of your team into action

• Help changing behaviors that are no longer aligned with what you want for yourself

• Identifying and anticipating barriers

• Game planning: brainstorming practical and individualized support and strategies to work with your barriers

• “Reviewing the tape”: what worked, what didn’t, where are you getting stuck, how to adapt the next time

• Revitalizing and strengthening commitment to recovery

• Compassionate accountability for tough moments to resist behaviors that move you away from your goals

• Help practicing and implementing skills and strategies in daily life

• Real time meal, snack, and food challenges support

• Real time support with things like grocery shopping and clothes shopping

• Support rebuilding an identity outside of an ED

• Creating routines that support recovery and increase self-trust

• Practical ways to divest from our disordered culture

• The sharing of anti-diet and eating disorder recovery resources and education

I take active steps to coach in a way that reduces the likelihood of re-traumatization because eating disorders are interconnected with individual, collective, and historical trauma.

Being trauma-informed does not mean we dive into the past; it means I create an environment that promotes healing and reduces the risk of more harm.

The trauma-informed principles of Safety; Trust and Transparency; Peer Support; Collaboration and Mutuality, Empowerment, Voice and Choice; Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues g‍uide my approach

Citations

• Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care. (n.d). What is Trauma-Informed Care? University at Buffalo.https://socialwork.buffalo.edu/social-research/institutes-centers/institute-on-trauma-and-trauma-informed-care/what-is-trauma-informed-care.html

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA's concept of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach. https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf

I believe full recovery from an eating disorder is a possibility while also understanding we are complex humans living in a complex world. I do always hold hope for the possibility of full recovery for everyone.

You can read more about my coaching perspective HERE.

Yes, I believe reducing the negative consequences of eating disorder behaviors is ethical care. I see harm reduction as a compassionate approach aimed to reduce suffering and increase someone’s quality of life no matter where they are in their process.

I have learned so much in this area from the amazing Gloria Lucas of Nalgona Positivity Pride.

Session frequency is individualized based on your needs and goals for recovery. I typically recommend meeting weekly or biweekly to help us build momentum and troubleshoot challenges as they arise.

Between-session messaging support also works best when we meet at weekly or biweekly to strengthen our working alliance.

I offer a free 20-minute call to see if working together could be a good fit and give you a chance to ask any questions about my approach.

If it’s a good fit, then we schedule our first session, and I send over a few forms to fill out and sign beforehand.

Weekly Session + Messaging: $150

• 50-minute coaching session

• Messaging access Mon–Sat

Messaging-Only Week: $100

• Messaging access Mon–Sat

• No session

Session Only: $120

• Up to 50-minutes of coaching

• No messaging support between sessions

I offer a dedicated amount of sliding scale coaching spots. Please inquire if I have any space open.

Unfortunately coaching is currently not covered by most insurances at this point in time but that could change in the future. I encourage you to contact your insurance company & inquire if there are any reimbursement avenues available for coaching services.