Questions for a Therapist

Once you've decided what type of treatment you want, and you are ready to make the next step in recovery, you will need to research what therapists are available in your area. You may also want to check with your insurance company to see whether a specific therapist is covered and if there are any limitations on the number of sessions or the duration of therapy they will cover. (For example, my current insurance will cover only 30 visits a year - which is ridiculous, considering I see my OP therapist twice a week!)

You may want to set up initial "interview" or "evaluation" sessions with several therapists to help you get a feel for their style and determine which one is the best fit for you. Below is a list of questions for both you and your therapist to consider before commiting to working together. This is just a starting point; feel free to add on to or subtract from it according to your needs and desires.

• What is the therapists experience/training? i.e. psychiatrist, psychologist, certified counselor, social worker, etc. For more information on the different types of therapists and degrees, please visit this section.

• Will the therapist try to restrict behavior? Will they allow you to come to therapy if you are still purging, restricting or binging? Do you wish to discuss food, weight and diet issues in therapy or do you want a nutritionist or dietician to take care of that? Do you want to be "weighed in" during each session or do you wish that be provided by an additional outside method of treatment? (deciding to leave this up to a nutritionist does not mean your therapist will completely avoid the issue - it will need discussion on occassion).

• How much time will the therapist spend dicussing food, weight and diet issues? Will he or she encourage other forms of treatment as a combined effort in your recovery, and what other services do they provide? i.e. group therapy, nutrition counseling, workshops, etc. How does the therapist feel about organized self-help groups such as OA?

• What type of approach will the therapist use to help you achieve your goals? Do they believe in the possibility of permanent recovery or that a person is always "recovering?" What can you expect during sessions? What are your goals for therapy? Are you looking for behavior modification, emotional healing, self-discovery, or self-esteem growth, or do you want a balanced combination of all four (or something complete different)?

• Do you think your therapist needs specific experience with Eating Disorder treatment to accomplish your goals, or is the treatment of psychological and emotional disturbances enough? How many patients has the therapist treated who have had Eating Disorders and what have their successes been? Do they themselves feel their experience in treating Eating Disorders, or lack of experience, is important and why? How open-minded and willing to learn new things do they think they are (or appear to be)? What other types of emotional disorders have they treated? Can you speak with any of their patients? Does he/she feel there are special traits they have that could be helpful?

• What do you want out of your sessions? Do you want your family involved in your treatment and recovery (not everyone wants or needs to have their family involved)? Are you open to the possibility of medication (such as anti-depressants) to help in your recovery? What can you expect from your therapy sessions and how important does the therapist believe family involvement is (not everyone wants or needs to have their family involved). What are the therapist's opinion of the use of medications, and which ones?

• How often do you wish to go to therapy? How important is a flexible schedule to you? Are weekends and/or evening hours important to you? Does your insurance cover your treatment and if not, how will you pay for it? How important is it for you to be able to contact your therapist during the week, outside of sessions? How often does the therapist wish to meet with you? Do they offer evening and weekend hours? Charge for cancellations? Do they accept insurance payments and with which companies? How will they work payments with you? Will they be available by phone outside of sessions to talk with you and do they charge for this?

• How do you feel about hospitalization or in-patient treatment? What role do you wish for your therapist to play should you require or desire either? How do you want your family involved, if at all, in this process? When and how does the therapist go about requesting hospitalization? Is he/she affiliated with any clinics or hospitals? Will they be available to see you should you go in-patient or become hospitalized?

• Do you feel comfortable and like you can trust your therapist? Does he or she think the would like to work with you?