As a Recovered Eating Disorder Coach much like sober coaches/sponsors, I am available, responding to texts and calls at all hours and offering virtual and in-person emotional support. 

One of the many aspects of my role is to bridge that gap in the moment and be available in the Here and Now — to support you, hold you, urge you, remind you, provide a reality check, and reconnect you to your healthy self when you most need it, during the moments when your eating disorder self comes forth full force. When the urges to engage in eating disorder thoughts, choices, actions, behaviors, and rituals seem the only way out. 

Ongoing text communication serves to train one’s healthy self to show up, reinforcing his/her ability to stay accountable and on track. Rather than relying on old habits, text (and voice) support it’s a practical way to assist with trigger management during challenging, vulnerable, and uncertain moments whether in between meals or at any other time when the eating disorder behaviors and thoughts present themselves. 

This ‘in the moment’ support not only provides help at inconvenient times, but also exemplifies to clients practical ways that they can surf the urge, and most importantly strengthen the skills of reaching out to people, rather than their eating disorder, which is a key to recovery. Ongoing text support contributes towards learning to reach out to other people rather than engage in the ED habitual behaviors, as it provides a way to break the repetition through a compensatory practice instead (i.e: using relationships – in this case your Eating Disorder Recovery Coach –  to get your needs met and cope with difficult feelings/challenging thoughts).