Telehealth Eating Disorder Treatment: What to Expect & How to Get the Most From Treatment
If you’re ready to get help for your eating disorder and you want to try telehealth sessions, this post will set you up for success and ease anxiety by explaining what to expect. It also includes tips and practical suggestions as you get started to help you get the most from your telehealth eating disorder treatment.
Eating Disorder Telehealth: What is it?
I won’t spend too much time on the reasons for the explosion in interest and offerings of telehealth. Basically, advances in technology + a global pandemic that kept people home = lots of need for telehealth, including teletherapy.
Telehealth is the broad term for healthcare that happens over video or phone, not in person. Mental healthcare can happen via telehealth too. Teletherapy is the term for therapy sessions that are done via video or phone. While therapy is not always perfect for telehealth (more on this later!), psychotherapy is one of the most compatible services for telehealth because much of the treatment and healing is happening in conversation, as opposed to in a procedure or surgery, in which, of course, you need to be in the same room as your provider!
Eating Disorder Telehealth: What to Expect?
I can’t speak for every therapist but I’ll share what my clients can expect from teletherapy with me. My clients receive two reminders prior to each session and each reminder includes the link to join the session via an e-mail or a text. For telehealth sessions, I use a secure, HIPAA compliant platform called “Simple Practice”. Some clients choose to download the app, other clients just join from their device’s default browser.
At our scheduled time, both my clients and I log into session. I check to make sure that I know where my client is located so I can confirm they’re in Michigan (this is important as I’m only licensed to see clients who are located in the state of Michigan!) and so in the event of an emergency, I would know where to send help.
After that, the session proceeds the same as if we are in person! I’ll ask what’s important to you for us to cover, I’ll check in on any previously discussed topics or therapy homework, and we’ll continue to work towards your goals.
Eating Disorder Telehealth: What are the advantages?
Here’s why I choose to offer teletherapy:
Convenience: I work with a lot of teens and their families. And let me tell you – my clients are busy! The vast majority of my clients and their parents don’t have time to drive to an appointment, find parking, and wait while their teen or parent is in session.
Accessibility: Michigan is a historically underserved state for eating disorder treatment resources. Telehealth allows me to serve people who live all over the state. While I live in Ann Arbor, I have clients who live in Grand Rapids, Lansing, the Thumb, Traverse City, and even the UP!
Effectiveness: When I’m working with an adolescent, family involvement is a key to effective care. Teletherapy allows parents to join a session even when they’re not in the same place as their teen. It’s been hugely helpful in my work with blended families.
Here are a few situations in which I don’t recommend teletherapy:
In general, I’ve found teletherapy to be most effective for clients ages 12 and up. Every once in a while, I’ll make an exception but in general, clients who are ages 12 or younger benefit more from in person sessions that involve play/activities.
Folks who live in chaotic home environments may benefit from sessions in their therapist’s office, where privacy & a calm environment can be ensured.
If medical stability is compromised, clients may need to be in a program in which their vitals are taken daily. There are a few virtual programs that offer this but in general, an in person program will be better suited.
Eating Disorder Telehealth: How to Get The Most From Treatment
A few practical tips to get the most from telehealth eating disorder treatment:
Make sure your device is fully charged and your internet connection is stable - I have clients who join session from their phone, computer, laptop, or tablet. Make sure whatever device you’re using is fully charged. Make sure you’re in an area where the wifi connection is stable. There is nothing worse than a lagged video or audio while you’re talking through something important! On my end, I always have a charger nearby and a hotspot that I can switch to if my wifi goes down.
Find a quiet, private, comfortable space for session - the good news about teletherapy is that you can do therapy from anywhere! The bad news is that not all places are good for therapy. Here is my criteria for a good spot for teletherapy:
Mostly quiet - it’s ok if there is some background noise but you don’t want to be distracted by too much going on around you.
Private - effective therapy is dependent on honesty. You need to find a place where you can speak openly and honestly. This can be tricky if there are other people at home. You might have to get creative! I’ve had clients go in their backyard, sit in their car, clear a spot in their closet, use noise machines, etc.
Comfortable – most therapy sessions are between 30-60 minutes. You’re going to want to be comfortable! Find a comfortable couch, sit next to a window, bring a snack or your favorite tea.
Don’t try to multi-task! - therapy is your time to have all the focus on you and your goals. In life, this doesn’t happen often so take full advantage! Because clients are often at home for teletherapy, it can be tempting to multi-task with chores, responding to texts, or driving to/from somewhere, but this usually decreases the quality of the conversation. Sometimes clients find having something to keep their hands busy allows them to focus better in session, if that’s the case, I highly recommend using fidgets, coloring books, or doing really simple tasks like folding or painting nails.
Have a backup plan – whenever I start working with a new client, we talk about what to do if the power goes out, wifi goes down, or the doorbell rings. I let my clients know to try to log back in for a few minutes and if we’re not reconnected, they can trust that I will call them via phone to either finish the session or make a plan to meet a different time.
Eating Disorder Telehealth: Ready to Get Started?
If you’re a teen or an adult struggling with an eating disorder, or you are a parent of a teen with an eating disorder, schedule your introductory phone call with me here. You can also e-mail 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.