Ever wanted to join the field without a science heavy background allowing you to be a practitioner? Remember, the field needs people to run the show behind the scenes as well. Over the years we’ve interviewed a variety of experts who work on the administrative side of eating disorders. Check out their advice below.

“Be a student. Learn as much as you can. No one expects you to be an expert especially when you’re starting out. Look at your role as relationship building. No one in this field appreciates a sales pitch or aggressive tactics. Also, be respectful of other programs and reps. Understand that people get help in a lot of different ways and in different settings, and work to establish relationships with others who do your same job. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to treatment and sometimes the best referral is to a program other than the one you represent. People will trust and respect you if you make appropriate and well thought out referrals.” – Krista Lample

“If your position is a traveling one, always have a toiletry bag in your suitcase, trust me, you will thank me for this one! If you do not know the answer to a question about your program, its okay to say, I am not sure and get back to the professional in a timely manner.” – Dana Suitor

“Network and build connections with those that are in the field/area you want to work in; you never know what opportunities will come. Continue learning and growing in your practice regardless of the work you do as there is so many complex cases regardless of what field you are in.” – Becky Mehr

“Don’t think that you need to be a clinician or have an advanced degree to work in this field! I love working in outreach, it gives me an opportunity to engage with professionals from all over and to participate in wonderful educational opportunities that further my understanding of these disorders and the people they impact. My motto is “be a resource, not a sales pitch”. There is nothing I value more than connecting people to resources. That may be helping them learn more about my program, or it may be getting them set up with a local non-profit for support groups, or helping a family with some insight on how to advocate for themselves during the admissions process. This community is full of folks who are truly passionate about helping others, and I am so thankful for where I have landed in my career.” – Fiona Larosa-Waters

“If you are interested in working in eating disorders, get the training you need. If you are a graduate student or just beginning in the field, do a postdoctoral fellowship in eating disorders. Work in higher levels of care such as residential, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient to get experience. Do certification through the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp).  If you are not new to the field, get supervision by an iaedp approved supervisor, get training through iaedp and do continuing education through The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness.” – Dr. Joann Hendelman

“My advice is to commit to doing your own work, both before you enter the field, and definitely while you are working in the field.  It is the greatest gift you can give to yourself and will make you a more compassionate and effective therapist.” – Dawn Delgado, LMFT, CEDS-S, EMDR-Certified

“Be ready to examine your own thoughts and beliefs about the world. Being effective in the world of eating disorders means that you have to “walk the walk” and not just “talk the talk”. Examining how you interact with and participate in diet culture is the first step.” – Whitney Russell MS, LPC-S, CEDS-S

“Start supervision as soon as you know you are interested in pursuing a career in eating disorders (and never stop!  Peer supervision is invaluable throughout your career).If you have struggled with an eating disorder or disordered eating, ensure that you’ve worked through issues you have had about food, weight, and exercise so you are strong for your client. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate – Always work with a therapist and medical provider for diagnosed eating disorders.” – Beth Harrell, MS, RD, LD, CEDRD-S

“Read books, attend seminars and workshops, join BHN (Behavioral Health Nutrition), participate on their listserv, and get at least one mentor which includes an RDN for professional supervision.” – Karen Wetherall, MS, RDN, LDN

“A piece of advice that I would give to new professionals coming into the field is build your network.  The eating disorders field has so many passionate and knowledgeable professionals who are so open to connecting and mentoring.  Get involved in any local or regional professional organizations, and attend as many educational or networking events as you can.  Nowadays even following and actively engaging with other eating disorder professionals on social media can be a great way to expand your circle.  Nearly all of my professional opportunities came through my networking connections, and these relationships are so important in so many aspects of what I do now… and the members of the eating disorder community are some amazing human beings to get to know!” – Jenn Burnell MS, RDN/LDN CEDRD-S

“Seek out connections with colleagues who also specialize in eating disorders. They will likely end up being some of your closest friends and will help you develop personally & professionally.

Attend the major eating disorder conferences to earn CE/CEU credit, network and stay abreast of all the developing trends and evolutions in treatment. Walk around the exhibition booths and learn about the various providers and programs.

Take care of yourself and realize that you must be able to set effective boundaries between work and home life, in order to go the distance in your career.” – Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC

“Treating eating disorders is a rewarding but difficult job. Not much training or education on how to treat eating disorders will happen in school. You will need to get training from an eating disorder professional and attend eating disorder conferences and seek out eating disorder certification.

You will have to learn to be strong as well as kind, know how to challenge and set limits, be firm, and directive, self-disclose, be authentic and deliver the right balance of nurturing and authority. Expect your clients to lie and not want your help, expect them to slip up and even relapse but also expect them to be courageous, gifted, giving and overall incredible humans.

Treat every client who walks in your door as if he or she can be fully recovered. Each client has a healthy/soul self, he/she was born with an eating disorder self. Your job will be to strengthen the client’s healthy self so it takes over the job of the eating disorder self. The eventual goal is to help integrate the two selves back into one whole being.

It will help if you pay attention to the difference between ego and soul. The eating disorder is ego out of control. People suffering from eating disorders need to reconnect to soul and leading a more soulful life. The best way to do this is to bring your own soul self forward.

Treating eating disorders will make you think about your own values, your own body and your own life. You might even get triggered. Seek consultations and supervision for yourself in this regard.

I hope your work in eating disorders will be an incredible and rewarding journey like mine.” – Carolyn Costin, MA, Med, MFT

Check out these experts’ full interviews at https://eatingdisorderjobs.com/category/advice-from-experts/ and search the right column for their name.