How Will We Get More People Doing Eating Disorders Work?
National Eating Disorders Week is upon us and I thought I’d share a little about why I love the work I do and why I am so passionate about expanding the field to more professionals.
You can check out my video by clicking below or scroll down for the cliffs notes version.
As I sat reflecting on why I love the work that I do, I identified 3 clear reasons off the top of my head:
- I get to help people reclaim their lives.
- I get to help people regain self-trust.
- I get to help people reconnect to their power.
I was introduced to the field of eating disorders back in 2005 and I knew deep down that I’d never be the same and that I’d never look back.
But it wasn’t long into my career that I realized the magnitude of the problem stemming from food and body challenges and that my education didn’t prepare me. And that’s also when I realized that my colleagues need accessible, affordable, and up-to-date training. That’s why I created my online trainings!
Now in my career, I get to help my clients but I also get to build up and empower other clinicians. We need you!! This field needs you. We especially need those of you who reflect the diverse races, cultures, sexual and gender identities, abilities, neurodivergence, and socioeconomic backgrounds of our clients. This year’s eating disorders awareness theme is, “Every Body Has a Seat at the Table.” And while we aren’t there yet, I do know that I am committed to that vision.
For those of you who are interested, my hope is that my training will give you concrete skills but also confidence to do this work. While we are in the throes of a global pandemic and the calls for social justice have never been stronger, the need for compassionate and capable clinicians in the ED field has never been greater.
I have also created some free resources for professionals as well – including a self-assessment to help you reflect on whether this work is a fit for you, pitfalls to avoid when working with EDs, meditations to use with clients, and additional resources for places to go for additional training. You can check these out here.