A Journey Through Eating Disorders Support & Recovery

Katherine Hill, MD, knows exactly when she first became interested in understanding the complexities of eating disorders: during her career as an athlete. Long before she joined Equip as VP of Medical Affairs, Hill was an NCAA Division I swimmer and pre-med college student. When the creator of a popular diet came to speak to her swim team about nutrition,…

"You don't have to learn how to love yourself. You just have to remember there was nothing wrong with you to begin with. You just have to come home." - Nayyirah Waheed   With the New Year quickly approaching, more promotions of “self-improvement” through dieting and weight loss are going to be popping up. Losing weight has been the most…

It’s no secret that the holidays can be an emotionally challenging time for anyone, and are often especially tough for families navigating eating disorder recovery. “The holidays are like a marathon of dealing with these culturally loaded interactions with food and bodies,” says licensed psychologist and gender therapist Sand Chang, PhD. “And they are also a time where a lot…

Traditionally, the consensus in the eating disorder (ED) field had been to avoid trauma work during intensive treatment, opting to address it later in outpatient settings. This approach may arise from concerns about exacerbating eating disorder symptoms or a lack of expertise in trauma assessment and treatment. However, recent research published in the Journal of Eating Disorders suggests that concurrent,…

Many people fit into a “gray area” when it comes to eating disorder behaviors. Perhaps they experience purging, but not bingeing. Or they show signs of bulimia, except their symptoms don’t occur as often. Or maybe they present with symptoms of multiple eating disorders, or they shift between diagnoses. If you’re noticing behaviors that don’t fit neatly into the commonly-known…

It’s not unusual to experience some selectiveness around food. Many people have allergies that limit their food choices, others are naturally drawn to certain flavors or textures, and most of us likely demonstrated a degree of pickiness in childhood. But what happens when these food preferences begin to erode your quality of life? When eating becomes increasingly narrowed in food…

An eating disorder can present in many seemingly unexpected ways and can have immense impacts on an individual's health and well-being. When an eating disorder co-occurs with a condition such as substance abuse, those negative health impacts can be amplified. It’s important to learn more about how eating disorders and alcohol use disorder interplay so you can see the signs…

There’s a significant treatment gap when it comes to adults with eating disorders: Nearly 30 million Americans will develop an eating disorder in their lifetime, but only about 20% will get treatment. It’s possible that many aren’t familiar with the treatment options. While Family-Based Treatment is the gold standard treatment for children and adolescents this method isn’t feasible or appealing…

Pursuing treatment for an eating disorder or another mental health concern can be incredibly difficult, especially for mothers who may be facing leaving their children and families for the first time. The complexity of this decision can be compounded by the demands of motherhood, which often include sleepless nights, postpartum adjustments, and relationship changes. Timberline Knolls is here to support…

The benefits of athletics are well-established. Participating in organized sports can help you build self-esteem, recognize the value of teamwork, set the foundation for a lifelong physical activity practice, improve mental health, promote social connections, open the doorway for scholarships or even a career, and teach important life skills, such as goal-setting and leadership. However, these positive outcomes come with…