Eating disorder recovery in and of itself is a journey that can feel long and challenging. When it comes to finding the team to support you through it, that can be an added stressor—especially when navigating insurance, finding the right fit, and ensuring your team can provide specialized care.

Finding one provider can feel challenging enough, let alone a team made up of a dietitian, therapist, healthcare provider, and even a psychiatrist. Where do you begin? How do you find an eating disorder recovery team in Omaha?

Knowing the importance of each person in your eating disorder recovery, understanding specialized care, and where to start your search will help you navigate this journey with confidence and calm.

What Is an Interdisciplinary Eating Disorder Treatment Team?

Especially if you’re new to recovery, you may be wondering: “What is an eating disorder treatment team?”

An interdisciplinary eating disorder care team is made up of professionals from different fields who support your health and recovery.

Research has long shown the strong importance of having a team comprising a dietitian, therapist, healthcare provider, and, if needed, a psychiatrist.¹

And patients who have weight restoration as a goal in their eating disorder treatment have improved recovery when working with an interdisciplinary team.²

Each individual on your recovery team will focus on a particular area of your recovery; however, there will be an overlap that will also strengthen the treatment you receive.

Having a team of dedicated individuals focusing on different physical, mental, and dietary aspects of your journey ensures your recovery is covered from all sides.

Registered Dietitian

A registered dietitian is a certified professional who will provide nutritional guidance. They may provide you with a meal plan or other food-related goals and challenges to help your recovery progress. Unlike people who broadly call themselves “nutritionists,” dietitians have specific credentials and schooling to guide patients in their health.

Eating disorder recovery dietitians should be Health at Every Size (HAES) focused, and know how to provide nutritional guidance specifically for those navigating an eating disorder. They will work closely with your therapist and healthcare provider to ensure your nutrition supports your recovery.

Therapist or Psychologist

A therapist, psychologist, or licensed counselor will help you navigate all the thought patterns, identify behaviors, navigate triggers, and guide you through the mental challenges of eating disorders.

While many therapists can be supportive of a wide range of mental health struggles, working with one who has specialized eating disorder expertise will make a profound difference in your recovery. They’ll be able to help you navigate challenges and work through struggles in harmony with your goals from your dietitian and healthcare provider.

Healthcare Provider

A primary care physician or nurse practitioner will monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, electrolyte levels, and many other factors related to your health.

They will keep in contact with the rest of your healthcare team throughout recovery to ensure your physical well-being.

Just like your dietitian, it’s important to find a doctor or nurse practitioner who has a HAES approach, as they will support your health without being focused only on the scale.

Psychiatrist

While not every individual in recovery will need to work with a psychiatrist, those who use or may benefit from medication may have one as part of their team.

This professional will work closely with the rest of your team to help navigate any mental health and related medication needs.

The Importance of Specialized Care

While there are many incredible providers across disciplines, it’s crucial to find those who specialize in eating disorder recovery. You want a team that has the specific education, knowledge, and experience to guide your recovery while avoiding diet culture and weight stigma, minimizing your experiences, or not knowing how to give you the necessary tools, resources, and skills.

Working with a provider who isn’t knowledgeable in eating disorders may not only be ineffective for your recovery — it can also be dangerous. Unfortunately, there is a lot of harmful misinformation that exists, even in the mental and physical healthcare space.

Healthcare providers may only receive a very small amount of education or training in eating disorders, so seeking out those who have spent extra time learning, researching, specializing, or working in a dedicated space (i.e., an eating disorder recovery program) is one of the best ways to verify your team’s capabilities.

This ensures you are fully supported with accurate, proven recovery methods rooted in research and experience to live your life in recovery.

How to Build Your Team

Building a team can feel incredibly overwhelming — especially if you’re just starting your journey, are new to the area, or are trying to navigate insurance, all alongside finding the right fit for yourself.

If you’re wondering how to find a recovery-focused healthcare provider, a qualified therapist, and weight-inclusive nutrition counseling in Omaha, it can feel like a lot to tackle.

You don’t have to find all your providers at once. Instead, give yourself permission to find just one member of your recovery team. Also, give yourself permission to meet with a few different providers for an initial appointment (i.e, two or three therapists) to determine who is the best fit.

Some good questions to ask an eating disorder recovery provider include:

• How do you communicate with the other members of a patient’s recovery team?
• Are you a Health at Every Size (HAES) provider?
• How do you support my recovery goals?
• What will you do to help me in my struggles?
• How will you challenge me to grow in recovery?

Advocate for yourself in appointments. Remember: You know yourself best.

If you find you’re struggling to build your team, or want the assurance that those on your team will work together to support your recovery, once you find a provider, ask if they have a list of recovery specialists they work with. This can help ensure your team is all aligned and focused on your goals. It also gives you confidence that they’ve helped others just like yourself.

Finding Your Eating Disorder Recovery Team in Omaha

Especially in an area like Omaha, the eating disorder recovery community is close-knit, and many specialized providers know one another. This makes it easy to build your perfect team.

You don’t have to navigate recovery alone. There is a strong community of eating disorder recovery support in Nebraska, with many professionals who often work together and have successfully helped people like you through their own recovery journeys and into a life of food freedom.

From therapists and psychiatrists to dietitians and healthcare providers, there are many qualified professionals across the Metro who are ready to guide you through this journey.

At Life Cycle Nutrition, for example, our registered dietitian nutritionists specialize in disordered eating and work closely with other disciplinary team members. As a dedicated HAES dietitian in Omaha, we’re ready to walk alongside you through this journey and will work with the rest of your team to empower you to live a life of food freedom.

And if you’re looking for help to build the rest of your recovery team, we have a full list of eating disorder treatment providers in Omaha: Eating Disorder Providers in Nebraska

Build a Recovery Team for Your Journey

Recovery is possible with the right team, tools, and resources. While it may feel overwhelming to build your team, searching for professionals with specific experience in eating disorder recovery and tapping into their interdisciplinary networks can make it much easier.

From finding intuitive eating support in Omaha to a therapist who has dedicated their career to guiding patients through eating disorder recovery, there is a team out there ready to share their expertise.

Give yourself grace and remember that those individuals are there to guide your journey. Recovery is possible, and you deserve it!