FAQ'S

As a coach, my focus with you is on the present and your recovery goals. You may discuss your past to give me context and help me to understand patterns you wish to change however I DO NOT diagnose, treat or identify the pathology of your eating disorder. Only a licensed mental health practitioner (your therapist/psychiatrist) can treat and diagnose your eating disorder and any other psychological issues that may also be present.

As your coach, I am trained to support you in the “here and now” of your recovery and help you navigate through real-life situations while helping you move towards your recovery goals set by your therapist and/or treatment team. We will also work to reinforce behavior changes as discussed in collaboration with your therapist and/or treatment team.

While traditional therapy sessions typically last 50 minutes in an office setting, as a coach in a support role, our time together can be more flexible as part of the coaching experience is my ability to be available to you during daily, real-life scenarios, for various lengths of time, and outside of traditional “business hours”.

Individual states in the U.S. have different requirements a person must adhere to in order to hold a license as a registered dietitian. Specifically in Texas, an RD must hold at least a bachelor’s degree with focused nutritional academic coursework, complete a minimum of 1200 supervision practice hours at an accredited facility, and passage of a national examination administered by the Commission on Dietetic Registration.

An easy way to remember a coach’s scope of practice is that a coach focuses on the “here and now”. For example, I can:

Help you combat your eating disorder voice when you sit down to have your snack today;
Help you participate in a social event without using eating disorder behaviors;
Help you to have a successful experience, right now.
Other various services that are within a coach’s scope of practice include:

  • Supporting you through meals, shopping trips, and other outings.
  • Help you deal with eating disorder thoughts and behaviors during challenging situations.
  • Help you to strengthen your healthy self so you are better equipped to fight back against your eating disorder self.
  • Suggest you obtain advice from a licensed clinician or physician if you are seeking a diagnosis or treatment for a physical or mental health issue.
  • Refer you to a registered dietitian for nutrition advice or meal plans.
  • Deal with your current thoughts and behaviors when it comes to recovery rather than trying to resolve underlying issues or larger psychological problems.

It depends on where you are in your recovery. If you are actively struggling in your eating disorder or experiencing other mental health or physical health concerns, I may require that you meet with a therapist, registered dietitian, and/or physician to be cleared for us to work together with their support. If you currently do not have any of these members on your team, I will be happy to provide you with referrals to help coordinate getting you additional help.

If you are pretty far into recovery or possibly just feel that you want to overcome or challenge a few lingering beliefs that are holding you back, we can discuss this in our initial consultation and move forward from there. My default will most likely be that you have at least a therapist or dietitian in your repertoire of healthcare professionals that I can coordinate with.

Being trained through the Carolyn Costin Institute (CCI) has prepared me to work as an adjunct to a client’s treatment team in order to implement and integrate behavior changes necessary in their daily lives to reach and sustain recovery. My work with clients is focused on the “here and now” of present thoughts and behaviors in real-life scenarios that are often difficult and challenging for someone struggling with an eating disorder to face. Performing exposure and response prevention work with clients allows you more time to work with the client on underlying, larger psychological issues and/or specific nutritional-related goals that are not within my scope of practice.

Having had and recovered from my own eating disorder, I also offer a peer perspective of having “been there” and understanding the complexities a client faces both while suffering and recovering from an eating disorder. CCI has also trained me how to share and use my personal experience in a safe and healthy way so that I may be a role model and source of hope and inspiration that recovery is possible.

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As a coach I am not a licensed health or mental health practitioner and do not take the place of such, thus I cannot provide medical, nutritional, psychological or other services designated for practice by a licensed professional, provide treatment, or give professional advice. If you are seeking a diagnosis or treatment for a physical or mental health concern, please seek advice from a licensed clinician or physician. The content of this website is provided for informational purposes only. Nothing contained in this site is or should be considered or used as a substitute for professional medical or mental health advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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