Eating Disorders
Unfortunately, eating disorders are very common. According to the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), 9% of the US population (30 million Americans) will have an eating disorder in their lifetime. In the State of Michigan, about 879,923 individuals are currently struggling with an eating disorder (Deloitte Access Economics, 2020). Teens and young adults are particularly susceptible as adolescence is a time of identity formation and self-comparison. The use of social media has not helped the matter. Early exposure to body-ideal content, such as the images consumed on popular social media sites, can contribute to unhealthy attitudes toward food and body image.
The Process:
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1. Level of Care
Identify the appropriate level of care. There are different levels of care based on the acuity of where each person is in their eating disorder development or recovery. Schedule a free consultation, and we can help you identify where to begin to help you or your loved one start their journey.
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2. Start Therapy
Our team of licensed therapists will work with you to establish goals for recovery. We believe this collaborative approach creates better outcomes for our clients. Eating disorders thrive in isolation, and we recommend engaging in individual, group, and/or family therapy to support you in recovery from the eating disorder.
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3. Join a Group
We have an Eating Disorder Recovery Group that is a helpful supplement to therapy, which provides skills and community for clients to navigate disordered eating.
✺ Frequently asked questions ✺
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Honestly, if you are asking this question, there is a good chance you are struggling with some disordered eating. We have a great blog post that lists the symptoms, what to look for, and what to do when you realize you have an eating disorder. Check out our blog post below, titled “What is an Eating Disorder?”
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The whole idea of “being sick enough” is skewed and disordered thinking. If you are worried about being sick enough, you are sick enough.
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Eating food that offers you a variety of nutrients that is nourishing does not mean that you have an eating disorder. If you are fixated on the idea of “eating healthy” or “clean eating” and it causes you anxiety or some distress to think about eating something that you deem “unhealthy” or doesn’t feel “safe” then yes, you have an eating disorder.
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As Hillary, our licensed and experienced eating disorder therapist, always says, “Eating disorders are beasts.” You simply cannot recover alone. It often takes a whole team, including a therapist, Registered Dietician, psychiatric provider, and medical professional to combat the eating disorder. However, the biggest component to your recovery is YOU and your level of motivation, willingness to engage in the process, and readiness to surrender the eating disorder behaviors.
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Each individual person is different and has different needs in eating disorder recovery. Here at the Counseling Center of Great Lakes, we believe in the concept of “Health at Every Size.” Our mission is not to make you gain weight; rather, we hope that this process will offer you full emotional, physical, spiritual, and mental healing in your recovery from the eating disorder, and yes, that may mean that you gain weight. Check out our blog post “I have an eating disorder. Now what?” below.
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Please read our “What is an eating disorder?” blog post below. There are several types of eating disorders, like ARFID or orthorexia, and these eating disorders do not require a fear about gaining weight or body size to meet criteria for a diagnosis.
