I see part of my role as holding hope
My passion for working as a therapist with people experiencing eating disorders, I think stems from an underlying respect for the complexity of these illnesses and the extraordinary courage it takes to move towards recovery for people.
I have worked within mental health services for over 26 years and currently work in an adult community eating disorder service. I work as part of a multi-disciplinary team made up of a specialist eating disorder consultant psychiatrist, specialist eating disorder dietician, psychologist, eating disorder therapists and administration staff. I am quite open about how much I enjoy my job and consider myself privileged to be able to say that but mostly to be able to be part of the journey for people who have an eating disorder. Having said that this does not mean that the job is easy, eating disorders often convince individuals that change is impossible, and I see part of my role as holding hope on their behalf during the moments when they can’t hold it for themselves. The passion I feel for my job allows me to do this and I would say is an essential part of the role. Holding hope, even in its smallest forms, to me is one of the most meaningful parts of being a clinician.
I believe it is deeply important to see the person, not the illness.
There are some shared themes and common ground within eating disorders that most people are aware of and acknowledge, but everyone is unique, and this should be remembered and respected. Allowing and encouraging individuals to reclaim parts of themselves through therapy, that have been overshadowed by the eating disorder is both challenging and rewarding in equal measures for both parties, but worth the journey and hard work. I think it is also important to acknowledge that recovery is not linear, and it may not be the right time for people to make the changes that are needed, but this is not a reason to lose hope but should be acknowledged for the stage of the recovery journey that it is.
I try to see the individual behind the disorder and hope that by being part of the journey and using the knowledge and skills that I have in engaging people in therapy I can enable the individual to see and rediscover that too for themselves. I would like to be able to keep doing my job for many more years to come, but part of that means a commitment on my behalf to keep learning from people with lived experience and adding to my knowledge base. KM, eating disorder therapist
Everyone is unique and this should be remembered and respected