Advice and Resources For Eating Disorder Professionals

Are you part of the community of Eating Disorder Professionals looking for more information? Do you want help with your practice? Do you need consultation of specific cases?

Our purpose is to provide mostly psychological information to eating disorders professionals. Particulars include clinical, psycho-education, recommendations of books, as well as specific consultation about individual clients.

Helping You to Build a Successful Practice is also Our GoalWe are also developing an Eating Disorder Professionals Directory to be published on this website. This will include providers of individual treatment, eating disorder groups, eating disorder facilities, and an Eating Disorders Professionals Speaker's Bureau.

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Help with an Initial Assessment for Eating Disorder Professionals

Initial Assessment

In doing an initial evaluation of eating disorder client, it is important to remember that people who are binge eaters usually want help; bulimic clients can be ambivalent if the bulimia is working for them, and often-anorexic clients often do not want treatment. The anorexic client is often plagued with Body Dysmorphic Disorder so the last thing they want is to gain weight.Many people who develop eating disorders have been controlled by others. They may have had to resort to food to exert their own will. Early in the evaluation stage the clients needs to feel respected and supported in their own treatment goals. You will have much more impact on a client if you create this type of environment. When a patient is in danger, you may need to override the client's will.

In this section, we will focus on the initial assessment. This is so we can help with treatment planning.

Initial Assessment Suggestions for Eating Disorder Professionals

1. Is it the individual's own idea to seek treatment or a friend or family member?

This will give you some idea how motivated your client is to obtain treatment. If they were pushed into treatment because a loved one's concern you may need to work to make the client feel safe.

2. What is the reason your client is seeking treatment?Many eating disorder clients' may seek treatment for a problem that is causing them more distress at the time they are seeking assistance. It is helpful to find out the reason the client is seeking treatment and if possible, how it may relate to the eating disorder.

3. Does the client's family have a history of eating disorders? How does the family treat the client with respect to this issue?

In evaluating the biological, psychological, and social aspects of the client's eating disorder, it is important for eating disorder professionals to understand family history of eating disorders. It is also pertinent to learn about how the family dealt with your client with respect to growing up and the current dynamics between your client and his or her family with respect to eating.

4. What is your client's history with respect to eating issues and weight?

Often people with eating disorders have a history of families being critical of their weight and being put on diets in childhood.

5. Does the client know when they are hungry and/or full?This gives you an idea if the individual pays attention to their own body's cues.

6. Does the client avoid or over eat when they know they are full?

Individuals who avoid eating when hungry and have a very low calorie diet on a regular basis generally have a problem with anorexia. Those that ignore the feeling of satiation and continue to eat when they are stuffed on a regular basis either can have a problem with compulsive overeating or bulimia.

7. Does your client binge on food secretly? How does your client define a binge? Does your client purge? If so how often? By what means?

Individuals vary on the amount of food they consider a binge. It is important to know if you client is extremely restrictive and/or possibly purging. People feel embarrassed about purging. If a person is hesitant to talk about it, try to make them comfortable.

See if your client can let you know the amount of purging that goes on in a day or a week so that you can evaluate if there is an imminent medical problem that will require immediate attention.

If there is any question about a client's a medical status have the client go their physician. It is helpful to have a physician and a psychiatrist that works with eating disorders that you can refer to.

8. Does your client know what they feel? Is your client afraid to feel painful feelings? Does your client numb himself or herself with food in order to avoid feeling emotional discomfort?

Many people who suffer with binge eating disorder or bulimia can eat large amounts of food to deal with discomfort. Some client's who have these issues have trouble acknowledging their feelings.

9. Does your client have a history of psychiatric problems in addition to the eating disorder?

Clients who have eating disorders often have other psychiatric problems that go untreated.

10. Does your client have specific goals for treatment?

It is important to understand the expectations your client has for treatment. If your client is obese, or has a binge eating disorder, their wish may be too lose weight. It is key to help him or her know about the psychological process and that the goal is to better be aware of their biological cues of hunger and fullness as well as psychological issues such as feelings that they are trying to numb out. For some clients weight severs a purpose of providing a shield from others.

If a client suffers from bulimia or anorexia, the client may not be ready to give up a coping mechanism that works for them, especially, if they have come to treatment at the urging of a loved one. It is vital that you assess their medical stability. However if they are stable, it is imperative that you be empathetic and start where the client is and not be controlling.

More Clinical Help on the Way for Eating Disorder Professionals

Special New Eating Disorder Providers Speakers' and Referral Directory'

Please contact us if you would like to be part of our new Eating Disorders Professionals' Provider Directory. Specify if you would be interested in our Eating Disorder Providers Speakers' Bureau.

Special New Eating Disorder Professionals Directory Listing

• Individual Professional Provider Listing
  Includes listings in Provider Referrals Speakers Bureau
  15.00 per year
  



• Treatment Facility or Agency
  Includes listings in Provider Referrals and Speakers Bureau
  25.00 per year

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