How to Find an Eating Disorder Therapist
Disclaimer: This blog has been written for educational purposes only. This is not medical or psychiatric advice.
3/26/24 update: I’m learning that these “how to” posts are really popular! A couple of colleagues have asked to share this information so I created a PDF version that is easily shareable and printable.
What is an Eating Disorder Therapist?
An eating disorder therapist is a therapist who has interest, training, and experience helping people heal from eating disorders. This means that the therapist (often referred to as a “provider”) has specific training and experience treating people suffering with diagnoses, such as Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). An eating disorder specialist may further specialize by working with specific communities or populations, such as adolescents with eating disorders, adults with eating disorders, males with eating disorders, queer individuals with eating disorders, etc.
What to Look for in an Eating Disorder Therapist
Here’s where I would start if I were looking for an eating disorder therapist:
Before beginning my search, I would write down and rank order my criteria for my ideal therapist. Criteria to consider: the therapist’s specialty, their location, how they offer services (telehealth or in person), their schedule (do they see people on weekends or evenings), their availability (do they have immediate openings or do they have a waitlist? How long is their waitlist?), insurance/fees (are they in network with your insurance plan? If not, can you afford their fees?), the therapist’s personality (e.g. direct, warm, funny, relatable, etc.)
Ideally, you will find a therapist who meets all your criteria. However, the mental health care system is not currently able to help each person find a therapist who meets all their hopes. Often people need to decide which criteria is most needed and important. For example, if you are looking for therapy for a young child, you will need to find a therapist who is local and offers sessions in person. If you have an inflexible job, you may be limited to providers who offer evening or weekend availability. Go back to your list and write your “must haves” in one list and the “would be nices” in the other.
For most diagnoses, including eating disorders, it is crucial that you work with a therapist who has significant training and experience treating in your area of concern. If I could offer you one piece of unsolicited advice, it is to find a therapist who has experience (at least a couple of years!) helping people with eating disorders. This is key to making your treatment effective and efficient. If an experienced provider isn’t available in your area, consider working with a provider (e.g. a student or a new therapist) who is supervised by or in training with an eating disorder specialist.
How to Find an Eating Disorder Therapist
After I had my criteria written down, if I had insurance and hoped to use insurance benefits, I would contact my insurance’s member services to ask for a list of in-network therapists who specialize in the treatment of eating disorders. Often insurance will e-mail you or direct you to a list of therapists in their network.
I would ask a trusted medical professional, such as a PCP or pediatrician, if they have a list of trusted referrals who treat eating disorders. Effective treatment of eating disorders often requires multiple providers, such as dietitians, doctors and nurses. If your doctor (or dietitian or dentist) frequently collaborates with a specific person, it would be helpful to consider their referral.
If I needed additional options, I would search using an online therapist directory called Psychology Today. Psychology Today allows people to select certain search criteria (e.g. specialty, location, insurance, etc.) and read through potential options. If you get overwhelmed with options, go back to your top criteria and pick a few therapists to message.
Once I had a list of options, I would research each therapist to review their website or biography online. I would gather information about their location, how they offer services (telehealth, in person, or both), their fees/insurance status, availability (immediate or waitlist). I recommend that you message or call 3-5 therapists.
Extra Considerations for Your Search
Many therapists offer a free consultation or introductory call. I always recommend that folks take advantage of this opportunity. Write down your questions ahead of time so you can maximize your time with the provider. Consider asking the provider about their background, experience treating your area of concern, and typical timeframe for treatment. Consultation calls are a great way to get a sense of the therapist’s personality. Take note of how you felt on the call. It’s normal to feel nervous at first! Did the provider put you at ease? Were they warm? Did they answer your questions? Were you less nervous or more comfortable after talking to the therapist?
If you have the time and resources, consider schedule a first appointment (often called an “intake session”) with multiple therapists. I often compare finding the right therapist to dating! Some people are lucky and find the right therapist right away but most often, it takes a few tries! Don’t be afraid to tell the therapist that you’re meeting with a few different people to find the right therapist for you – it’s a totally normal, non-offensive thing to do!
What makes an eating disorder therapist (or any therapist!) good?
There are several factors that make a therapist “good”. In general, I recommend that people seeking therapy consider their therapist’s experience/specialties, their accessibility (insurance, fees, location, openings), and how comfortable they feel in the provider’s presence. Therapy is an inherently uncomfortable process *and* the right therapist for you will put you at ease. Research consistently tells us that the client’s perception of their connection with their therapist is the number one predictor of success in therapy. Ask yourself questions like:
Did you feel heard and understood?
Did you feel that the therapist has your best interest in mind?
Did the therapist support you with education, new thoughts/ideas to consider, practical tips and skills?
If you felt uncomfortable, was it because talking about thoughts/feelings and/or therapy in general felt new/unfamiliar or because you felt unheard, misunderstood, or like something was off with the therapist or your connection with them?
Eating Disorder Therapy and Treatment in Michigan
Historically, Michigan has been an underserved state for eating disorder treatment, which means there have not been enough providers, clinics, and centers to meet the demand of people in Michigan. Over the past several years, the options have been slowly expanding.
If you live in Michigan and are a teen or an adult struggling with an eating disorder, or you are a parent of a teen with an eating disorder, schedule your consultation call with me here.
If you need a list of an eating disorder treatment options in Michigan, please message me here.
If you need resources outside of Michigan, here is a great place to start your search.