The Role of Coaching in Eating Disorder Treatment

A relatively new but growing component of the eating disorder treatment community is coaching. Although this industry is generally becoming more popular, helping people with eating disorders is its most significant foray into mental health. 

In general, coaching provides many more options and much more flexibility than traditional clinical treatment. Not bound by the same professional and ethical constraints, coaches can provide not only one-on-one meetings but group online chats or discussions, weeks or months long courses, an assortment of blogs and podcasts and more flexible meetings and hours. 

As I have written many times in this blog, successfully treating someone with an eating disorder demands flexibility. The eating disorder thoughts are present 24 hours per day. An appointment a few times per week may be helpful in the moment but is often insufficient to stave off the power of the eating disorder meal after meal after meal. 

The inherent flexibility in the coaches schema allows for much more accessibility to counter the relentless eating disorder thoughts. 

The rise in coaching people with eating disorders also reflects two facts about these illnesses in our society. 

First, there is still a conflict between the concept of disordered eating/food obsession and an actual eating disorder. The internal struggle with food and weight that is pervasive in our current ethos masks the severity of full-blown eating disorders. Coaching spans all these issues, and many people with eating disorders many not be aware how severe their problem is. That leaves room to research and seek help from non-clinical care. 

Second, the limitations of clinical and often overly medicalized treatment for eating disorders leaves a lot to be desired. Many people are frustrated after seeking out help and are turning to coaching for another avenue for recovery. Coaches are more free to individualize treatment and forge new theories of practice. They also aren't as well regulated and certainly aren't trained to diagnose an eating disorder or identify concurrent problems. But the desperation of struggling with an eating disorder certainly makes another option worth pursuing when clinical treatment has been a bust. 

It would behoove the eating disorder treatment community to embrace the coaching movement. The flexibility of support, positive, creative messages and alternative approaches to countering the eating disorder thoughts can all help someone in the throws of recovery. Since there is no clear path to wellness, any support that is useful to someone struggling to get well can have real benefit.