I believe deeply in eating disorder recovery coaching. I should. I’ve been doing this work for ten years.
Over the past decade, eating disorder recovery coaching has grown from something many had never heard of into an increasingly recognized and valuable part of the recovery process.
I’ve worked alongside therapists, registered dietitians, physicians, treatment centers, parents and families. And, sat across restaurant tables from clients who were terrified to eat, walked grocery store aisles with them, held their hand in the emergency room, helped them face fear foods, and answered texts in moments when the eating disorder was screaming loudly and the next therapy appointment was still days away.
I’ve also been invited into big life moments like graduations and weddings, watching former clients live fully and freely in the lives they worked so hard to reclaim.
I know what good eating disorder recovery coaching can do. I also know that eating disorder recovery coaching is an unregulated profession, and I think we need to talk about what that means.
Anyone Can Call Themselves an Eating Disorder Recovery Coach
There is currently no governing body that determines who can use the title Eating Disorder Recovery Coach. Someone can recover from an eating disorder, create a website, put “Eating Disorder Recovery Coach” in an Instagram bio and begin accepting clients without completing specialized training or certification.
That does not mean there aren’t incredibly skilled, ethical and well-trained recovery coaches doing this work. There absolutely are. It does mean, however, that when someone is trying to find an eating disorder recovery coach for themselves, their child or someone they love, the title alone does not tell them very much about that person’s qualifications.
When we are talking about eating disorders, that matters.
Eating disorders are serious and complex illnesses. The people supporting someone through recovery need to understand not only eating disorders, but also the limits of their own role. This is why I believe families and individuals should look beyond the title when choosing an eating disorder recovery coach and ask questions about training, experience, scope of practice and collaboration.
Lived Experience Is Powerful, But It Isn’t Enough
My own recovery is one of the greatest gifts I bring into my work as an eating disorder recovery coach. There are things I understand because I have lived them.
I know what it is like to have an eating disorder convince you that something completely irrational is perfectly reasonable. The shame and secrecy that can surround eating disorder behaviors are familiar to me, as is the fear of loosening your grip on the very behaviors that have made you feel safe. But I also know that full recovery is possible because I have lived that too.
That kind of understanding can create a connection that is difficult to teach in a classroom, and I believe lived experience can be an incredibly valuable part of recovery coaching.
But lived experience alone does not make someone qualified to guide another person through an eating disorder.
My recovery taught me how I recovered. Training taught me how to help someone else.
Those are two very different things.
A qualified eating disorder recovery coach needs to understand that a client’s eating disorder may look nothing like their own. Coaches need specialized education about eating disorders, different diagnoses and behaviors, treatment approaches, levels of care, medical risk, family dynamics, boundaries, ethics and scope of practice. They also need to understand that what helped them recover may not be what another person needs.
Perhaps most importantly, a good recovery coach needs to know what they don’t know.
Understanding the Role of an Eating Disorder Recovery Coach
One of the most important things to understand when choosing an eating disorder recovery coach is what a coach does and does not do.
An eating disorder recovery coach is not a therapist and does not diagnose or treat mental illness. A recovery coach is not a registered dietitian and does not prescribe meal plans or provide medical nutrition therapy. A recovery coach is also not a physician and does not determine whether someone is medically stable.
Those boundaries do not diminish the role of a recovery coach. They are part of what makes good coaching safe and effective.
Eating disorder recovery coaching occupies a different and very practical space in recovery. I often describe it as the space between knowing what to do and actually doing it.
A therapist may help someone understand why eating at a restaurant feels terrifying. A registered dietitian may help determine what adequate nourishment looks like. A recovery coach may sit beside that person at the restaurant while they order the meal, help them stay present while eating it, and support them as they navigate the thoughts and urges that come afterward.
Recovery coaching can also happen in grocery stores, dressing rooms, kitchens, restaurants, college dining halls and everyday life. It can mean practicing flexibility around food, challenging rituals, navigating body image, preparing for a difficult event or simply having support in the real life moments when recovery has to be practiced rather than talked about.
That is an incredibly valuable role, but only when the coach understands where that role begins and where it ends.
Good Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching Is Collaborative
After ten years of doing this work, one of the things I believe most strongly is that eating disorder recovery is collaborative. I do not want to be the only person supporting someone with an eating disorder. That means having a therapist and registered dietitian involved, along with a physician, psychiatrist, treatment team and family when appropriate.
I want communication between the people supporting the client, with appropriate consent, because each person brings a different area of expertise to the recovery process.
A skilled recovery coach should be comfortable working as part of an eating disorder treatment team rather than trying to replace one.
There have been times throughout my career when the most important thing I could do for a client was not coach them through another meal or help them challenge another behavior. It was recognizing that they needed something I could not provide.
Sometimes good coaching means stepping in and offering practical support. Sometimes good coaching means recognizing that a client needs a higher level of care, additional professional support or expertise outside of the coach’s scope.
Knowing the difference is part of the job.
Does Certification Matter When Choosing an Eating Disorder Recovery Coach?
Because eating disorder recovery coaching is unregulated, specialized training and certification are important things to consider when choosing a coach. Certification can demonstrate that a coach has invested in education specific to eating disorders, coaching skills, ethics, boundaries and scope of practice rather than relying solely on personal recovery experience.
But I do not believe letters after someone’s name automatically make them a great recovery coach either.
Training should be the beginning, not the finish line.
If you are trying to choose an eating disorder recovery coach, I would encourage you to ask questions. What specialized eating disorder training have they completed? Do they clearly understand and communicate their scope of practice? How do they collaborate with therapists, dietitians and other members of a client’s treatment team? Are continuing education, consultation or supervision part of their ongoing professional development? What happens when a client needs support beyond what the coach is qualified to provide?
If a coach has their own lived experience with an eating disorder, I believe another question matters too: How do they make sure their own recovery story does not become the blueprint for someone else’s?
There is also a harder question that deserves to be asked. Is the coach fully recovered enough to sit with someone else’s eating disorder without needing that person’s recovery to look like their own?
This work requires more than knowing what recovery feels like. It requires knowing how to make room for someone else’s recovery to unfold differently than yours did.
Eating Disorder Recovery Coaching Is Growing Up
I’ve had the privilege of watching eating disorder recovery coaching evolve. More treatment professionals understand the role now. More treatment teams include coaches, and more individuals and families know that recovery coaching is an option.
I love seeing that growth because I know firsthand how powerful this work can be. I have watched clients take things they understood intellectually in therapy or nutrition sessions and begin to practice them in their actual lives. Having support in the space between appointments, where so much of recovery actually happens, can make an incredible difference.
Growth Comes With Responsibility
If eating disorder recovery coaching is going to continue becoming a respected part of eating disorder treatment and recovery, those of us doing this work have a responsibility to protect what makes the profession valuable. That means investing in specialized training, practicing ethically, collaborating with other professionals, continuing to learn, and staying within our scope even when we believe we could help.
It also requires humility. Sometimes one of the most repsonible things a reacovery coach can say is, “This is bigger than what I can safely support.”
If you’re considering recovery coaching for yourself or someone you love, I’ve also shared more practical guidance on how to find the right eating disorder recovery coach.
I don’t believe the answer to an unregulated profession is to diminish eating disorder recovery coaching. Quite the opposite. I believe in this profession enough to want us to hold it to a high standard.
Because behind every inquiry is not simply a potential client. There is a person who is hurting, or sometimes a terrified parent trying to figure out how to help their child. A family is placing enormous trust in the person they invite into one of the most vulnerable seasons of their lives.
They deserve to know that the person sitting beside them has more than a recovery story.
They deserve someone who has done the work to learn how to help carry theirs.
