{"id":19555,"date":"2022-03-24T09:56:49","date_gmt":"2022-03-24T14:56:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=19555"},"modified":"2026-02-05T08:11:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-05T13:11:07","slug":"whats-an-eating-disorder-therapist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/whats-an-eating-disorder-therapist\/","title":{"rendered":"What’s an Eating Disorder Therapist?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Therapy comes in many shapes and sizes. While some therapists<\/a> treat anxiety and depression, others specialize in helping with more specific conditions.<\/p>\n

Eating disorders<\/a> affect 9 percent of the US population. They\u2019re the second deadliest mental illnesses, after opioid addiction, and are most likely to affect women. They\u2019re also becoming more and more common; for instance, they\u2019ve skyrocketed among teens during the pandemic due to a confluence of factors at home, including too much time spent comparing themselves to social media.<\/p>\n

The three most common eating disorders are anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorder. Patients with anorexia typically restrict food intake. People with binge-eating disorder typically consume food past the point of satiety, while patients with bulimia typically binge and then purge.<\/p>\n

While everyone\u2019s recovery plan looks different, at some point, patients in eating disorder recovery will need an eating disorder therapist.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, there are specialists out there who can help get to the complex root causes of these conditions.<\/p>\n

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Where should you turn first for treatment if you\u2019re struggling with an eating disorder?<\/h3>\n

Seeking help for an eating disorder can be incredibly difficult. At times, it may require some pressure or intervention from concerned friends or family members. Once someone has agreed to get help, their first point of contact will likely be a <\/span>primary care doctor<\/span><\/a>. They can help you determine next steps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Treatment isn\u2019t a one-size-fits-all solution<\/a>. <\/span>For instance, if someone has experienced severe weight loss, they might have to be directly admitted into the hospital.\u00a0<\/span>But depending on the patient\u2019s condition, there are a range of other treatment options, from <\/span>residential treatment facilities to outpatient programs \u2014 or less structured self-driven recovery plans with individual practitioners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Regardless of the format, comprehensive treatment requires a team of practitioners, typically a medical doctor, a dietitian and an eating disorder therapist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s an eating disorder therapist?<\/h3>\n

As Dr. Joann Hendelman, clinical director of the <\/span>National Alliance for Eating Disorders<\/span><\/a>, explains, \u201cEating disorder behavior is only the tip of the iceberg.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While a dietitian might come up with a meal plan to help a patient improve their physical health, an eating disorder therapist works with a patient to address the root psychological causes behind their behaviors. Everything from low-self esteem to certain personality traits can cause an eating disorder to manifest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most eating disorder therapists are trained in at least one of these therapeutic modalities:<\/span><\/p>\n