Author Archives: Alison Pelz, LD, RD, CDE, LCSW

A Note to Parents of Teens with Anorexia Nervosa

A Note to Parents of Teens with Anorexia Nervosa

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If you’re reading this, chances are you’re scared, confused, and doing everything you can to help your teen who seems to be struggling with anorexia nervosa. Maybe you’ve noticed weight loss, increasing rigidity around food, or a once joyful child who now seems consumed by rules and restrictions. You’ve already tried reasoning, negotiating, and reassuring them, only to be met with resistance, tears, or even silence. You’re not alone—and you’re not to blame.

Eating Disorders Don’t Happen in a Vacuum

First, let’s clear some things up: eating disorders happen for a variety of reasons, and you did not cause this. Your child is not being difficult or manipulative. Anorexia nervosa is not a choice—it’s a serious mental illness, one that often emerges as a way to cope with overwhelming emotions, stress, or internal distress. While it’s common to want to understand the “why,” we’ve found that what’s often more helpful is understanding the “function” of the eating disorder.

Many teens develop anorexia as a way to regulate their nervous systems. It gives them a false sense of control, numbs emotions, or provides structure during times when life feels chaotic or uncertain. To you, their stressors may look like typical teenage challenges—school pressure, friendships, body changes—but to them, it may feel unmanageable. Anorexia becomes their coping strategy.

The First Priority: Nutrition

It’s completely understandable to want your teen to be motivated to recover. That desire is beautiful—and sometimes, they do. But more often than not, especially early on, they don’t. That’s because the eating disorder is serving a function that feels protective, even comforting. This is why insight is often low, particularly in the early stages. Your teen likely does not recognize the danger they’re in.

But as a parent, you must.

Malnutrition affects every system in the body—heart, bones, hormones, digestive system, and most importantly, the brain. When the brain is undernourished, it struggles to think clearly, manage emotions, and perceive risk. That means your child may not recognize how sick they are—or even that they’re sick at all. In this light, food is not just fuel—it’s medicine. Without nutritional rehabilitation, anorexia becomes more dangerous and more entrenched. Left untreated, it can be fatal.

Supporting Your Teen: Think “Food First, Life Second”

Your role as a parent is critical—and powerful. You don’t have to wait until your teen agrees there’s a problem. In fact, waiting can lead to more severe illness. Instead, treat this the way you would treat any other safety concern. If your child was struggling to breathe, you wouldn’t wait until they acknowledged the problem—you’d act. Anorexia nervosa requires the same kind of decisive care.

So what does that look like?

  • Offer three meals and three snacks a day. These should be complete, nourishing meals designed to support weight restoration and healing—not what your teen requests or feels “safe” eating. (Remember, the eating disorder is often dictating their choices right now.)
  • Before starting nutrition rehabilitation process, first get a full medical workup from your teens doctor, as they may be at risk for refeeding syndrome, which can be life-threatening.
  • Sit with them while they eat. This isn’t just about supervision—it’s about support. Offer to distract them if they’d like—scroll through social media together, play a card game, or watch a show. Distraction can be a helpful tool.
  • Validate, validate, validate. Acknowledge how hard this is. Say things like, “I know this is scary,” or “I can see how uncomfortable this feels.” Your calm, steady presence will help more than you know.

You’ve probably already tried to help your child eat more and have been met with pushback. That’s normal. Remember, the eating disorder is helping them cope, and asking them to let go of it—especially before they’ve learned other ways to regulate—is asking a lot. But with nourishment, the brain begins to heal. With nourishment, new coping strategies become possible.

You’re Not Alone

Recovery from anorexia is hard—but it’s possible. And no one should do it alone. Reach out to treatment professionals who understand eating disorders, and look for support groups for families walking the same path. Family-Based Therapy (FBT) is designed to support you as you support your teen.

Above all, remember this: your love is not enough to cure anorexia, but it is the foundation on which recovery is built. You can be firm and compassionate. And set boundaries and offer comfort. You can lead your teen through something they don’t yet want to leave behind.

You’re not failing. You’re fighting for your child’s life. And that matters more than anything else.

This article is meant to be educational about anoerxia nervosa, but it does not suffice as treatment. If you think your teen has an eating disorder, please seek a medical evaluation from your teen’s doctor. 

If you would like to connect about how I work with families, feel free to schedule a consultation here. 

Freshman Year of College Why Eating Disorders May Start or Reappear

Freshman Year of College: Why Eating Disorders May Start or Reappear

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The first year of college is often described as a thrilling new chapter—freedom, independence, new friends, late-night pizza, dorm life, and so much possibility. For many students, this first year is fun and exciting. But it’s also filled with major transitions—many of which are invisible until you’re in them. And for students with a history of disordered eating, or even those without, the shift can be enough to stir up or intensify existing eating disorders and their symptoms.

The Perfect Storm of Change

Think about the months, even years, leading up to college: there’s pressure to get in, choose the “right” school, imagine your dream experience, and count down to this next life stage. Students often hear, “These will be the best years of your life.” That narrative leaves little room for the complicated, and very real, emotional reality of freshman year.

Starting college means stepping away from nearly everything that has felt familiar. Students leave behind the structure of high school, the predictability of home, their longstanding support systems, routines, and even the foods they’re used to eating. Meals in college are different—not just the food, but the context: dining halls, roommates watching what you eat, lack of privacy, food availability at odd hours. Schedules shift. Sleep is often disrupted. Social dynamics become more fluid and uncertain.

Our nervous systems thrive on predictability. When that predictability disappears, our bodies and brains notice.

Nervous Systems Don’t Just “Adjust”

The human nervous system is designed to keep us safe and regulated. When life feels overwhelming or uncertain, the body often reaches for something to regain a sense of control or grounding. For some students, that might be diving into academics or social life. For others—especially those with a history of disordered eating—old symptoms may resurface as a way to self-soothe, manage anxiety, or feel a sense of mastery in a suddenly unpredictable environment.

Even for students who have never struggled with an eating disorder before, the stress of transition can be enough to tip the scale. Eating disorders aren’t really about food. They are adaptive responses to stress, trauma, and dysregulation. And while they may seem counterproductive from the outside, they often serve a protective function—numbing overwhelming feelings, offering structure, or creating a sense of control.

When the Fun and the Stress Coexist

It’s important to recognize that freshman year doesn’t have to be miserable for it to be dysregulating. Students (and parents) are often surprised that eating disorder behaviors emerge during what appears to be a “good” year. It’s a common misconception that if a student is socializing, attending classes, or even enjoying college, they must be doing fine. But excitement and stress can coexist. A student might love their college experience and still be struggling silently with food or body image.

What can college students and families do?

  • Normalize the complexity of transitioning to college. Including feelings of worry, fear, and isolation. 
  • Check in with yourself or your college student about disruptions to routine, the changes in eating patterns, and the emotional rollercoaster of being away from home.
  • Support emotional regulation strategies beyond food and body control—like mindfulness, journaling, movement, and connecting with others.
  • Encourage care, especially for students with a history of an eating disorder. Ongoing therapy or nutrition support through telehealth can make a significant difference.
  • Watch for warning signs that may get masked by the “college is fun” narrative—changes in weight, food rituals, isolation, or excessive focus on body image.
  • Reinforce that relapse is not failure, but a signal from the nervous system that something is overwhelming. It’s an invitation for support, not shame.

Final Thoughts

Freshman year is a season of growth, challenge, and self-discovery. It’s normal for it to feel both exciting and hard. When we understand the nervous system’s role in regulation—and how eating disorders often function as misguided coping tools—it becomes easier to see why symptoms might arise or return during this time.

By naming these challenges openly, we can help students and families feel less blindsided—and offer the compassionate, proactive support that helps them not just survive freshman year, but move through it with resilience.

If you would like to know more about how I work with families and college students with eating disorders, please feel free to contact me.

Understanding ARFID: More Than Picky Eating

Understanding ARFID: More Than Picky Eating

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Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) often remains underrecognized and misunderstood.

Adults who have struggled with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder for most of their life may feel it is impossible for things to be different. Parents who have a child struggling with ARFID have, more often than not, literally tried everything to help their kiddo eat, but nothing seems to be working. ARFID is complex, it isn’t simple “picking eating”.

Although ARFID is a newer diagnosis, there is nothing new about it.

Prior to being added to the DSM-5, it was included in a broader category called “Feeding Disorder.” It was added to the DSM-5 in order to develop better ways to treat it.

Parenting a Child with ARFID

If you are a parent, well-meaning doctors may have minimized your child’s selective eating. This can be particularly true if your child is on track with growth. This can be frustrating for a number of reasons. You spend significant time to figure out how to feed your child – and it takes a lot of mental energy and often can feel very limiting to keep dealing with this challenge day after day.

Nutritional deficits can impact both physical health and emotional well-being, which is why early detection of ARFID is important–so it doesn’t turn into a life-long struggle. Understanding ARFID is crucial for effective intervention, and a comprehensive treatment strategy tailored to the individual’s specific needs is necessary.

Understanding ARFID

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is not just a simple case of picky eating; it is a complex psychological condition that can cause significant nutritional and reduced quality of life, particularly if it endures into adulthood.

Unlike other eating disorders that are often driven by concerns about weight and body image, ARFID is characterized by an avoidance of food based on sensory sensitivity, lack of interest in eating, depressed appetite, and/or fear of adverse consequences such as choking, throwing-up, or an allergic reaction.

Individuals grappling with ARFID may face a persistent difficulty when it comes to eating sufficient quantities or varieties of food. This can stem from deep-seated anxiety, gastrointestinal discomfort, or past negative associations with food.

Recognizing Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Symptoms

Persistent avoidance of specific foods or food groups or low food intake are characteristic of ARFID. Physical responses such as gagging may coincide with this avoidance of certain foods.

The eating patterns of individuals with ARFID reveal a restrictive intake that fails to meet their physiological needs. Without treatment, ARFID can lead to potential nutritional deficiencies, weight loss, or developmental delays, irrespective of age, gender, or body weight.

Behavioral signs and changes in eating that may indicate ARFID include:

  • Poor appetite
  • Getting full quickly
  • Avoiding eating due to fear of choking
  • Picky eating that often gets worse over time

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is often misinterpreted as a phase among children or as mere pickiness in adults; however, it represents a significant feeding or eating disorder that hinders one’s capacity to consume an adequate variety and volume of food.

Impact of ARFID on Everyday Life

ARFID’s restrictive eating patterns in children can lead to low energy, isolation, and anxiety around meal times. For caregivers, it can be a struggle to know how to feed your child, or  it can take lots of effort to prepare foods that you know they will eat in order to support growth.

For older children and adolescents, ARFID can make socializing, which often happens around food (such as parties, sleep overs, family events or team dinners), anxiety provoking for both the child and parents. The disorder’s consequences radiate outward, often simmering into familial tensions and social rifts, as loved ones grapple with the complexities of ARFID.

Adults with ARFID tend to have a decrease in quality of life. Moreover, the fear of eating outside one’s comfort zone can hinder personal and professional growth, particularly when mealtime activities are involved.

Ultimately, the disorder’s grasp can dampen overall quality of life, exerting a significant emotional toll.

Approaches to Treating ARFID

The main goal of treatment for ARFID is supporting the sufferer with eating enough (and enough variety) to keep their body nourished. For children, treatment works to support growth. Treatment for children, adolescents, and adults can help to improve overall quality of life.

Improved quality of life looks different depending on the individual with ARFID. For some, that may mean eating most food. For others, it may mean expanding the variety of food just a bit to improve nutrition and make eating easier.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder treatment usually focuses on making eating or feeding a priority.

That is, for most folks, increasing the number of times each day they eat meals and snacks. Due to the nature of ARFID, eating often gets put off because it is uncomfortable for the person to eat, or they simply aren’t hungry.

Structured meal planning can be an effective strategy for managing ARFID, as it introduces routine and predictability into the dining experience. By brainstorming menus in advance, individuals and families gain clarity and a sense of control over their food choices.

Having structure and making eating a priority can help make sure people are getting adequate nutrition and reduce mealtime stress.

In addressing the dietary concerns that stem from Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, we take a gradual approach to food exposure. Food exposures are designed in collaboration with the client and/or the family in order to personalize care.

Incremental exposure to food means starting with foods that are less anxiety-provoking, and building up to a more diverse diet over time. Food-related anxieties can be deconstructed, facilitating the individual’s encounters with previously feared foods in a safe and controlled environment. While some foods may never feel safe or comfortable for the person to eat.

Efforts are channeled into ensuring balanced nutritional intake while concurrently addressing emotional and cognitive barriers. Over time, the individual learns to associate eating with safety rather than distress, thus gradually dismantling the cycle of avoidance that characterizes ARFID.

My Approach to ARFID Treatment

When I am working with children with ARFID I work closely with their caregivers. I have learned from my training in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for ARFID that I can bring the expertise in eating disorders, and the parents & kiddo bring the expertise on their family, food beliefs, culture, and abilities (to name a few).

With adults with ARFID I use a similar mindset. I bring skills to the table to treat the eating disorder and they bring their expert knowledge of themselves.

Are you concerned that you or your child are dealing with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder? Sign up for a free consultation to learn more about how I can help you and your family.

Nourish to Heal: How Eating Enough Supports Binge Eating Recovery

Nourish to Heal: How Eating Enough Supports Binge Eating Recovery

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Eating more will likely help you reduce binge eating.

This feels counterintuitive and is certainly not what the weight loss industry or the medical community typically advises, so I know this recommendation can feel very scary. 

The weight loss industry provides “tricks” to reduce binge eating, usually focusing on how to limit consumption of certain foods. However, rather than helping navigate binge eating, it often fuels and perpetuates binge eating. Science has taught us that dietary restriction is a risk factor for developing an eating disorder, including binge eating. Dietary restriction also maintains the eating disorder–in other words, a restrictive diet keeps the disorder going. 

Binge eating can cause significant distress to those who are experiencing it, so understandably, you would do almost anything to stop it. 

First, we need to normalize binge eating. Most humans experience eating episodes related to emotions, as eating can be a common way we cope with and regulate emotions. If you have sensory and neurological differences, including anxiety or ADHD, eating can be a useful tool to help you feel more comfortable. 

We hear harmful messages in our culture about binge eating: that it means something negative about us, or that we “have no will power or we are not disciplined enough”.  Of course, we then internalize these messages, meaning we believe these untrue messages about ourselves, further disconnecting us from self. 

Let’s take a closer look at why eating more helps to reduce binge eating.

Our brain’s primary job is to keep us alive. We need food to survive. Most of us experience pleasure from eating (That’s our brain’s way to ensure that we eat!).

If your meal gets delayed for some reason, you feel really hungry, often leading to feeling “hangry” (hungry & angry–that grumpy feeling we get when we’ve gone too long without food)-our body’s cue to eat. Consequently,  you might eat quickly and possibly more than usual. This is our body’s nifty mechanism to keep us alive. 

Many people who experience binge eating try to limit their food intake or the types of food they typically binge on. This makes perfect sense given the messages about food in our culture. But dietary restriction is eating less food than your body needs. An example of dietary restriction may be “I am going to eat out for lunch, so I’ll skip or have a ‘light’ breakfast”.  This simple act, which our culture often rewards, sets our body’s drive up to alert us to eat.

Dietary restriction is a key feature in what initiates and sustains eating disorders. 

Herman and Polivy coined the term dietary restraint in the 1970s. It suggests that when human eating behavior is under cognitive control, it reduces the ability to read internal satiety cues. 

In other words, simply thinking about restricting food types and amounts can lead us to eat past fullness. Dietary restraint is the key feature of EVERY DIET. And dietary restraint is a significant risk factor for developing an eating disorder. 

What can be done? 

Many clients who experience binge eating also experience dietary restriction and restraint–the natural reaction is often to focus on eliminating binge eating by using more dietary restriction and restraint. Again, this makes sense given diet culture and our medical system. However, it often maintains the eating disorder. 

One of the first steps in my work with clients is to gradually reduce dietary restraint and restriction. I can understand that this can feel very scary. 

In sessions, we explore your personal story and understand where you learned about dietary restriction and restraint.  We then consider if it makes sense to approach things differently.  

We do work on reducing binges, but that typically comes later in treatment. First, dismantling the restriction and restraint is needed to reduce binge eating. 

If you want to learn more about binge eating, I highly recommend this book. Additionally, Decolonizing Wellness is an excellent resource. If you would like to learn more about how I work with clients struggling with binge eating, the first step is to schedule an initial consultation. I would love to hear from you. 

Eating Disorder Recovery: Gain Momentum Over Summer Break

Eating Disorder Recovery: Gain momentum over summer break

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For college students working towards eating disorder recovery, during the school year can feel like a constant balancing act. Between deadlines, exams, social stressors, and navigating independence, there’s often little space left for the deep emotional work that recovery requires. You may have found yourself just trying to stay afloat—doing your best to maintain stability, but without the time or energy to develop new skills that support long-term recovery.

Summer break, however, offers something the school year rarely does: breathing room. With fewer academic pressures and more control over your schedule, summer can be an opportunity to gain real momentum in your recovery journey. Here’s how you can use this season to refocus, reconnect, and strengthen your foundation for eating disorder recovery. 

1. Re-Engage With Your Eating Disorder Treatment Team

If you’ve had to scale back on therapy or nutrition sessions during the semester, summer is the time to plug back in. Reach out to your treatment team—therapist, dietitian, physician—and schedule regular appointments. Even a few months of more consistent support can create noticeable progress.

If you’ve been away from care altogether, summer is a great time to re-establish those connections or seek out new providers who can help you move forward. Virtual care has made this more accessible than ever, whether you’re at home, traveling, or staying on campus.

This could also mean considering a more intensive level of care, such as a partial hospitalization program (PHP) or intensive outpatient program (IOP). These structured treatment options—often called “day treatment”—can be an incredibly effective way to reinvigorate your recovery. With daily therapeutic support and a more contained environment, you can focus deeply on healing without the academic stress that might otherwise get in the way.

2. Learn (or Re-Learn) Coping Skills

It’s completely normal to feel too emotionally taxed during the school year to take on new coping strategies. That doesn’t mean you’ve failed—it means you were human in a high-stress environment. Summer gives you the bandwidth to revisit or discover skills that actually help regulate your nervous system and reduce the urge to rely on disordered behaviors.

Here are a few to explore:

💬 Connection with Others

Recovery can feel isolating, and sometimes shame convinces us we’re better off alone. But notice this: What happens when you simply connect with someone—a friend, a family member, even a kind stranger? Does your anxiety dip, even a little? Human connection is powerful. It doesn’t need to be deep or intense to be healing. A short walk with a friend, a phone call or text exchange, or a shared laugh can ground you and remind your brain that you are safe.

🌳 Spending Time in Nature

Nature has a unique way of soothing the nervous system. Research shows that even short periods outdoors—walking through a park, sitting near water, or lying in the grass—can reduce stress hormones and improve mood. The natural world invites presence, which is often the opposite of the chaos and noise that feed disordered thoughts.

Try noticing the small things: the sound of wind in the trees, the feel of sunlight on your skin, the rhythm of your footsteps on a trail. These aren’t distractions—they’re grounding tools that help rewire your stress response over time. 

✍️ Journaling and Self-Reflection

Without the constant stream of assignments and obligations, you may find space for reflection. Journaling can help you process emotions, track your recovery progress, or simply notice patterns in how you’re feeling. You don’t need to write every day or follow a strict structure. Even jotting down a few thoughts each week can increase self-awareness and offer insight into what’s helping (or hurting) your recovery.

3. Give Yourself Permission to Slow Down

Recovery isn’t just about doing more. Sometimes the biggest breakthroughs come when you give yourself permission to rest. Summer may feel like the time you “should” be catching up or making huge leaps—but remember, slowing down can be the leap.

Ask yourself:

  • What pace feels sustainable to me?
  • Where can I offer myself compassion rather than pressure?
  • What kind of support do I need to keep moving forward gently?

4. Plan for the Fall—Without the Pressure

Toward the end of summer, consider how to carry your progress into the school year. Maybe that means scheduling therapy sessions ahead of time, setting boundaries around school-life balance, or identifying support systems on campus.

You don’t need to have it all figured out—but having a loose plan can prevent you from feeling like you’re starting from scratch once classes resume.

Final Thoughts on Eating Disorder Recovery

Recovery during the academic year can be a slow climb—but summer offers the chance to catch your breath, look around, and notice how far you’ve come. This season isn’t about perfection. It’s about presence, curiosity, and gently returning to the practices and people that help you heal.

Use this time to reconnect—with your team, your tools, your community, and yourself.

Are you struggling with eating disorder recovery ? Working with a therapist who is experienced in Family-Based Treatment can help. If you are in Texas and interested in working with me, click here to fill out a contact form.

Book Review: Sick Enough A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders is a Must-Read

Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders is a Must-Read

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Sick Enough by Dr. Jennifer L. Guadiani is a great resource both for those experiencing an eating disorder and for those who love them.

This book breaks down complex medical topics into bite-sized pieces. It helps readers understand the real medical complications of eating disorders while addressing barriers to treatment.

Dr. Jennifer L. Gaudiani, author of Sick Enough, is a board certified-internal medicine doctor specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. She is also the founder of the Gaudiani Clinic: an outpatient medical practice specializing in the treatment of eating disorders. Before that work, she worked at ACUTE Center for Eating Disorders and Severe Malnutrition, which treats people with extreme medical complications of eating disorders. Dr. Gaudiani has spoken on this topic worldwide, is published in scientific journals and much more.

All people with an eating disorder deserve care and treatment. This is a simple but powerful idea that is reinforced again and again throughout Sick Enough.

Maybe you think your eating disorder “isn’t that bad”. Or feel like you don’t “look” like you have an eating disorder”.  Unfortunately, these are common beliefs. Many reasons contribute. Many folks who experience eating disorders feel or are made to believe that their disorder isn’t legitimate.  Maybe they don’t fit the mold of “type” of people who get eating disorders. Or they’ve experienced their eating disorder minimized by well-meaning but underinformed mental health providers, doctors, and even family members.

Eating disorders affect people’s physical health, not just their mental health. It is important to know how being underfed and undernourished can affect the body. People with bulimia, binge eating, and anorexia can experience these effects. Undernourishment can happen across the weight spectrum. It affects the digestive tract, mood, muscle tone, and much more.

Yes, Gaudiani emphasizes, all who experience eating disorders are “Sick Enough” to warrant treatment. 

Why read Sick Enough?

In Part I, “Not Enough Calories” Gaudiani initiates an important discussion on what happens to the mind and body when enough calories are not consumed over time. With intentionally dramatic and jarring chapter titles like “30,000 Foot View: What Happens When You Starve Yourself?,” and “Going Into Hibernation and The Empty Tank.”

Gaudiani starts off by introducing the reader to the “cave person brain”.  This part of our brain regulates some of the most basic bodily functions. Furthermore, what our brains do to keep us alive when our body is underfed. She illustrates the devastating effects (regardless of body size) that not getting enough calories can have on both physical health and psyche.

Examining Unexplored Biases in Sick Enough:

Refeeding syndrome*, which describes the condition of introducing food too much too quickly to someone who has been malnourished. Refeeding can present a real danger to patients. Gaudiani takes time to explore how the more common, equally dangerous condition of “underfeeding” is historically overlooked in eating disorder treatment, largely due to weight bias in the field.

Genetic variability is another concept Gaudiani explores within Sick Enough. As clinicians we are often baffled when a client who suffers from a severe eating disorder gets their lab work back and it all looks “normal.”Many providers can also be shocked to learn a client has lost their menstrual cycle without appearing to have lost much weight. In exploring how different people react to inadequate food intake, Dr.Gaudiani gives a thorough discussion on genetic variability as a reason we see things like this.

The book’s final section dives into the relationship and intersection of eating disorders and different gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, and chronic health conditions like diabetes. Gaudiani wraps it all up by providing a brief discussion on caring for those who have long and enduring eating disorders, and those who decline eating disorder care.

Throughout the book Dr. Gaudiani weaves in critical discussions on weight bias and weight stigma, and how they function as barriers to accurate diagnosis, treatment and care, as well as diving into and deconstructing pseudo science popularized by diet and wellness culture.

Sick Enough may be a challenging read at times–it goes into detail about some of the more rare medical complications of eating disorders which feel daunting to the reader.

While Gaudiani does her best at acknowledging the complexities of eating disorders within various identities–something historically excluded from the eating disorder treatment space– most of these sections are brief and not in-depth. Missing entirely is a discussion on neurodiversity and how it can complicate eating disorders and eating disorder treatment–RDs for Neurodiversity and Eating Disorder and Autism Collective are resources outside the scope of this book to begin learning more about neurodiversity and how it impacts eating disorders.

Who is Sick Enough for?

  • Medical professionals
  • Those who are experiencing an eating disorder and their loved ones
  • Caregivers

Sick Enough is loaded with invaluable vignettes and metaphors that can be used with clients–as a therapist and dietitian, it helps me communicate and collaborate more effectively with my client and the whole treatment team, as well as helping me advocate for clients in spaces that aren’t eating disorders friendly.

If you are a clinician wanting to learn more about eating disorders and their treatment, sign up here to receive free eating disorder resources in your inbox.

As a therapist who is also a dietitian, I can help you understand what is going on from both angles. If you are in Texas and interested in working with me, click here to fill out a contact form. I would love to support you and your child on your journey to health.

*Please consult your doctor if you think you have an eating disorder before beginning treatment. 

Cover Image courtesy of Taylor & Francis, 2019