Role of the Treatment Team in Eating Disorder Recovery

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Successful eating disorder recovery relies on a compassionate, coordinated interdisciplinary treatment team—melding expertise from dietitians, therapists, psychiatrists, physicians, and family support.

At Sööma, we work collaboratively—ensuring each professional plays a vital role in our client’s healing journey. This collaboration  helps foster lasting change from nutritional stabilization to emotional resilience.

The Dietitian

The registered dietitians at Sööma specialize in medical nutrition therapy—addressing malnutrition, normalizing eating behaviors, choosing fear-challenging foods, and rebuilding trust with food.  Sööma offers nutrition services to the general public. The role of the dietitian is to provide evidence-based nutrition counseling in order to address specific conditions. When working with individuals with eating disorders, dietitians at Sööma may address malnutrition, work on normalizing eating behaviors, choosing challenging foods, and rebuilding trust with food.

In cases where a multi disciplinary approach is needed, the dietitian will refer the individual to other professionals.

The dietitians at Sööma offer a nutrition approach based on the following:

  • Client-centered care
  • Collaboration and education
  • Harm-reduction
  • Exploration and understanding
  • Curiosity and compassion
  • Scientific evidence and best practices
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The Clinical Psychologist

Sööma offers psychological services to the general public. The role of the clinical psychologist is to provide evidence-based psychotherapy for specific mental health diagnoses. Our psychologists will meet with you to evaluate your mental health status, determine the goals of your work in therapy and accompany you in better understanding how your emotions, thoughts and beliefs impact your life, functioning and well-being.

Our team of specialized psychologists also guide clients through the emotional complexities of eating disorders—working with trauma, anxiety, body image, and cultivating coping skills. Their role includes individual and family therapy sessions to build sustainable emotional resilience.

The psychologists at Sööma offer psychotherapy based on the following:

  • Trauma-informed care
  • Humanistic approach
  • Harm reduction
  • Respect for autonomy
  • Empathy and warmth
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Meet our Psychologists

Healing from an eating disorder requires the shared insight of a compassionate, interdisciplinary team.

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The treatment team for eating disorders

Psychologists are a crucial component of the treatment of eating disorders. Research shows that most individuals diagnosed with an eating disorder also have co-occurring psychological diagnoses. The therapist will use evidence-based practices, which are currently Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Family Based Treatment (FBT) or Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) (in cases of Bulimia or Binge Eating Disorder) in assisting individuals in the change process. 

In therapy, the psychologist helps clients explore the function the eating disorder serves in their lives, identify the factors that maintain the illness, and recognize how the disorder interferes with their values, goals, and overall well-being. Through this process, clients are supported in developing insight and shifting unhelpful coping strategies toward more effective, life-affirming behaviors.

Dietitians are an essential part of the eating disorder treatment team. Those who specialize in this field do more than offer nutritional guidance—they address the psychological beliefs and emotional patterns that shape a person’s relationship with food, often referred to as “food psychology.”

When an eating disorder impacts physical health, a dietitian works to restore proper bodily function—an essential step for people of all body sizes. It’s a common misconception that malnourishment only affects those in smaller bodies; in truth, individuals in larger bodies can also be medically compromised or nutritionally deficient.

Dietitians provide evidence-based education to help clients challenge unhelpful beliefs, shift behaviors, and reestablish trust with food. They may support clients through food exposures, introduce mindful eating practices, and work collaboratively to meet medical needs. Unlike diet culture, which promotes restriction and shame, our dietitians do not prescribe rigid meal plans or judge your food choices. Instead, they support clients in understanding how food affects their physical and emotional well-being, and—when appropriate—guide them toward intuitive, flexible eating grounded in compassion and care.

Due to the serious health risks associated with eating disorders, such as tachycardia, bradycardia, osteopenia, osteoporosis, electrolyte imbalances, and syncope, it is essential that clients are monitored by a medical professional. A family doctor will track physical health and offer medical guidance based on their findings. We strongly recommend that all clients diagnosed with an eating disorder receive regular medical supervision to ensure medical safety. 

 

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in treating mental health conditions. In some cases, medication may be necessary and effective in managing symptoms of co-occurring conditions. Although there are currently no medications specifically for treating eating disorder symptoms, certain medications can help address underlying factors that contribute to maintaining the illness.

The role of the dietitian in sports nutrition

At baseline, an athlete must provide their body with enough energy for it to function, perform and repair itself. Because physical activity often impacts appetite, it can sometimes be difficult to fuel adequately throughout the day. The dietitian will be able to assess your baseline energy needs and provide recommendations and strategies to meet the energy demands of your day, while also considering your training schedule, job and other obligations that may interfere with your access to food. It is important to remember that getting enough food is the most important part of nutrition for sport. You cannot tailor your intake to performance if your body is being restricted of energy.

If your body is already getting enough energy or you have worked with a dietitian to get to this point, you can tailor your intake to optimize recovery and performance. Specific macronutrient (protein, fat and carbohydrate) intake at certain times of day may be pertinent for a given sport.

Chronic injuries in endurance sports such as running can be common. While a physiotherapist and coach can help address the specific injury, sometimes medical doctors and dietitians can explore how your current behaviors and lifestyle may be contributing to this. A common example is an individual with recurrent stress fractures. I cannot stress enough that stress fractures ARE NOT a normal part of training and are often representative of an underlying problem. A dietitian can help rule out or address hormonal imbalances due to inadequate intake or impaired recovery due to intake of poor quality food.

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