faulker053

Yes, I'm direct. Today I heard reference to me and how I practice, shared by a patient, spoken by a therapist.  "She's extreme", the therapist reportedly said, referring, no doubt to my reaction to my new patient's eating disorder behaviors and her severely restrictive intake. I bypassed the "let's just wait and see" approach after a mere couple of visits, after noting the wac-a-mole pattern to her "recovery". Stop the laxatives, increase the purging, increase the food, double the exercise. And there weren't the necessary supports at home to help implement change and ensure her safety and her progress.  It's not the first time strong descriptives have been used about me and my management of eating disorders. I've been called  "tough" and "not easy". It's a wonder anyone would choose to come to see me. I sound so scary, no? So let me fess up. It's all true.  My stand against eating disorder behaviors ...

It's hard to tell that something's missing. Kelli’s cutting corners on her meal plan. You know, measuring her cereal—but then picking off a few pieces to eat less than she measured. And Dan revealed that for months he would crumble some of his cookies, his planned dessert, and then leave it over, along with spilling—intentionally—a few ounces of his milk at meals, most every meal, at home. In a way I was pleased. No, I’m surely not looking to fill my schedule with long-term patients who stay stuck with their eating disorder. And I’m not giving them the half full perspective, suggesting that at least they’re eating something, that it’s only half empty and could be worse. Meal plans are not designed with the intention of our patients eating only 50% or even 95%; I never over estimate what patients need to eat. But for Kelli and Dan, sharing that their eating was falling short was a significant step forward. It spoke to being real and acknowledging where they were struggling in ...