In this episode, I will describe different eating disorders, what contributes to a person developing an eating disorder, my treatment recommendations, and how to support your own recovery if you do not have access to a clinical team.

I review the different types of eating disorders, and review some of the biological/psychological/social aspects that influence a person developing an eating disorder, as well as the importance of evaluating family dynamics and traumatic experiences.

I discuss the Health at Every Size model (HAES) and BMI not being the most accurate indicator of health.  I recommend that people experiencing eating disorders seek (HAES) informed clinicians who have an understanding intuitive eating.  Additionally, I recommend the following recovery tips:

1.  Build self-awareness (tune into your thoughts, feelings, behaviors)

2. Set boundaries with others

3. Honor your needs/wants in small ways

4. Practice self-compassion by acknowledging disordered eating behaviors as a survival skill and without judgment

5. Evaluate your relationship with exercise

6. Practice intuitive eating and body trust

7. Acknowledge the ways that diet culture is a method to distract and oppress people 

8. Remember that your self-esteem was never positively impacted long term by your body

9. Build a strong social support network/ follow accounts on social media that POSITIVELY IMPACT YOUR WELL-BEING (unfollow those fitspo accounts!)

10. Practice radical acceptance- what can you control and what can you not control? Let go of self blame or responsibility that you have over things that are not yours to hold on to

Resources:

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/toolkit/parent-toolkit/temperament-and-personality

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3366171/

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/special-reports/neurobiology-eating-disorders-clinical-implications/page/0/1

https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/neurobiology-of-binge-eating-disorder/

https://haescommunity.com

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/14/a-number-that-may-not-add-up/

Podcasts for Body Liberation:

Food Psych with Christi Harrison

Love your bod pod with Cara Carin Cifelli

Book Recommendations for Eating Disorder Recovery:

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole

Anti- Diet by Christi Harrison

Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon

Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnston

The Body is not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Body Wisdom by Cara Carin Cifelli

Hunger by Roxane Gay

The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf

IG Accounts to Follow for Body Acceptance:

@maryscupoftea

@drcolleenreichmann

@whollyhealed

@bodyposipanda

@caraskitchen

@mollybcounseling

@iamdaniadriana

@thickleeyonce

@bodyposipower

**Lastly, I reference an episode on TFCBT which has not been published yet. Stay tuned! 

In this episode, I will describe different eating disorders, what contributes to a person developing an eating disorder, my treatment recommendations, and how to support your own recovery if you do not have access to a clinical team.

I review the different types of eating disorders, and review some of the biological/psychological/social aspects that influence a person developing an eating disorder, as well as the importance of evaluating family dynamics and traumatic experiences.

I discuss the Health at Every Size model (HAES) and BMI not being the most accurate indicator of health.  I recommend that people experiencing eating disorders seek (HAES) informed clinicians who have an understanding intuitive eating.  Additionally, I recommend the following recovery tips:

1.  Build self-awareness (tune into your thoughts, feelings, behaviors)

2. Set boundaries with others

3. Honor your needs/wants in small ways

4. Practice self-compassion by acknowledging disordered eating behaviors as a survival skill and without judgment

5. Evaluate your relationship with exercise

6. Practice intuitive eating and body trust

7. Acknowledge the ways that diet culture is a method to distract and oppress people 

8. Remember that your self-esteem was never positively impacted long term by your body

9. Build a strong social support network/ follow accounts on social media that POSITIVELY IMPACT YOUR WELL-BEING (unfollow those fitspo accounts!)

10. Practice radical acceptance- what can you control and what can you not control? Let go of self blame or responsibility that you have over things that are not yours to hold on to

Resources:

https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/toolkit/parent-toolkit/temperament-and-personality

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3366171/

https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/special-reports/neurobiology-eating-disorders-clinical-implications/page/0/1

https://psychscenehub.com/psychinsights/neurobiology-of-binge-eating-disorder/

https://haescommunity.com

https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/14/a-number-that-may-not-add-up/

Podcasts for Body Liberation:

Food Psych with Christi Harrison

Love your bod pod with Cara Carin Cifelli

Book Recommendations for Eating Disorder Recovery:

Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole

Anti- Diet by Christi Harrison

Health at Every Size by Linda Bacon

Eating in the Light of the Moon by Anita Johnston

The Body is not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Body Wisdom by Cara Carin Cifelli

Hunger by Roxane Gay

The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf

IG Accounts to Follow for Body Acceptance:

@maryscupoftea

@drcolleenreichmann

@whollyhealed

@bodyposipanda

@caraskitchen

@mollybcounseling

@iamdaniadriana

@thickleeyonce

@bodyposipower

**Lastly, I reference an episode on TFCBT which has not been published yet. Stay tuned! 

In this episode you will learn about Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers' organization from the Clinical Director Debra Levenseller, LCSW, and about Trust-Based Relational Interventionâ (TBRIâ) components and therapeutic usefulness.  Other staff members included in this episode are:

Angela Woodhead, LSW Adoption Social Worker

Lindsey Bragdon, LSW Adoption Program Director and TBRI Practitioner

Stacey Merrill LCPC-c Outpatient and Family Therapist and TBRI Practitioner

Special thanks from Debra Levenseller to:

"Foundations/donors that helped us with funding to get all of this TBRI/Theraplay/Play Therapy trainings, as well as supported some of our TBRI conferences/training we’ve offered.  [Our] Board and Administration and the foundations that really made it happen financially.  [Also] The Bingham Program, The Gimbel Foundation and the Elsie and William Viles Foundation."

Helpful links and resources:

https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.njTs8lae.dpbs

https://www.mainechildrenshome.org/

https://theraplayinc.com

Upstairs & Downstairs Brain/ Trauma Brain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IDG_Mm_82w

Book: “The Whole Brained Child”

TBRI Books by Cindy Lee:

https://www.amazon.com/Cindy-R-Lee/e/B00Q7APA7K/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Engine Plate to help your child learn self-regulation:

https://mountainadoptionadventure.wordpress.com/2016/03/25/co-regulation-hows-your-engine-running/

My contact information for questions & comments: [email protected] 

In this episode you will learn about Maine Children's Home for Little Wanderers' organization from the Clinical Director Debra Levenseller, LCSW, and about Trust-Based Relational Interventionâ (TBRIâ) components and therapeutic usefulness.  Other staff members included in this episode are:

Angela Woodhead, LSW Adoption Social Worker

Lindsey Bragdon, LSW Adoption Program Director and TBRI Practitioner

Stacey Merrill LCPC-c Outpatient and Family Therapist and TBRI Practitioner

Special thanks from Debra Levenseller to:

"Foundations/donors that helped us with funding to get all of this TBRI/Theraplay/Play Therapy trainings, as well as supported some of our TBRI conferences/training we’ve offered.  [Our] Board and Administration and the foundations that really made it happen financially.  [Also] The Bingham Program, The Gimbel Foundation and the Elsie and William Viles Foundation."

Helpful links and resources:

https://child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.njTs8lae.dpbs

https://www.mainechildrenshome.org/

https://theraplayinc.com

Upstairs & Downstairs Brain/ Trauma Brain:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IDG_Mm_82w

Book: “The Whole Brained Child”

TBRI Books by Cindy Lee:

https://www.amazon.com/Cindy-R-Lee/e/B00Q7APA7K/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1

Engine Plate to help your child learn self-regulation:

https://mountainadoptionadventure.wordpress.com/2016/03/25/co-regulation-hows-your-engine-running/

My contact information for questions & comments: [email protected] 

Trigger Warning (TW)! ----- This episode does include discussions around suicidal thoughts and self-harm.  If this topic activates unhelpful and unsafe thoughts within you, please skip this episode and take care of yourself. In this episode, I speak with two Maine public school employees, a school counselor, who has chosen to remain anonymous but we can refer to as “B” and a career coordinator, Eliza, who also has previous experience as a high school teacher.  They both have important insights about the challenges faced by youth, particularly stress and anxiety related to the transition from middle to high school and from high school to building a career. They both explain their role and how they support students with these transitions while also exploring the intersections of mental illness, social support, and poverty and how these impact student’s trajectories. Throughout our discussion, I will be referencing statistics and information provide by the Maine Kids Count data book. You can find a link to that data book in the show notes. "B" discusses the support she provides to 8th and 9th graders through developing a positive rapport with students and normalizing their anxiety.  We touch on advice for parents with children experiencing this transition period, particularly asking questions and building a collaborative relationship with their child's teachers.  Additionally, "B" explains her schools approach to safety concerns including suicidal ideation and self-harm by utilizing the support systems in place. We touch on protective and risk factors for suicide; bullying is a risk factor for suicide indicated by the Maine Data Book, so we explore how "B" determines what constitutes as bullying and what incidents can be resolved using "restorative justice" as a mediation practice.  (More information this can be found below).  Lastly, "B" discusses her solution-focused approach to school counseling and gives helpful ideas on how to help kids self-regulate, advocate for themselves, and honestly appraising their strengths/challenges. Eliza talks about her role helping high school students explore their career interests by networking with members of the community to speak with students.  She speaks to the importance of having a gentle approach to discussing future aspirations with students, so that they do not feel unnecessary pressure.  We explore the demonization of "mistakes", how helpful it can be to acknowledge the value in learning from our difficult experiences, and the reality of non-linear life paths.  Additionally, we discuss barriers to obtaining higher learning, as well as cultural pressures to achieve it.  Lastly, we explored how poverty, particularly in communities of color, plays a role in a child's ability to be successful, as well as creates grander expectations/responsibilities for the school staff involved in the child's life. 

Maine Kids Data Book link: https://www.mekids.org/2019-maine-kids-count-data-book.php 

More on Restorative Justice: http://www.rjpmidcoast.org/what-is-restorative-justice.html 

Helpful Phone Apps:  "My 3" - for safety planning "Calm Harm" - for coping with thoughts of self-harm 

Mobile Crisis Numbers: 744-HELP (Maine Crisis Line) 1-888-568-1112 (Statewide Crisis Line)

In this episode, Sare, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, explains how creativity allows us to explore how we experience the world in a tangible way.  She also explains the therapeutic process she utilizes while in session with her clients.  Additionally, we explore perfectionism in relation to the creative process and "healthy risk taking", as well as how she guides her clients through this experience and supports them in building flexible thinking. 

Sare delves deeper into the neurobiological aspects of utilizing art therapy by explaining her trauma sensitive approach that involves nurturing developmental traumas that a child may have experienced.  Sare emphasizes creating a safe holding space for her clients, and inviting parents to learn engagement tools through attunement and observing their child without judgment.

Lastly, she describes how she utilizes a Gestalt framework in her sessions by staying in the moment and providing an authentic presence.  In particular, we talk about how transparency can be helpful in working with teens.  Sare discusses her experience facilitating a teen group.

Important resources:

How to contact Sare Gebhardt-

[email protected]

http://www.healingartstherapy.org/about-sareacute.html

More on Gestalt Therapy-

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/gestalt-therapy