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Becoming Anchored S1E6: Supporting Families Through Eating Disorder Recovery with Katherine Fowler · Becoming Anchored

0:00
Hi everyone.
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Welcome to the Becoming Anchored podcast.
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I am Laura Dineen, your host for today.
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And we have the lovely Catherine Fowler as well.
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Um, so Catherine is a dietitian in the Nashville area and we.
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Have shared many clients over the years and Katherine is just so lovely
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and Katherine You were actually our first guest on this podcast.
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So
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welcome.
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Thank you, Laura I am so honored to be here and just to be invited to take part
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in this podcast Thank you for having me.
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Of course,
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of course, so Lauren Jackson isn't with us today.
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Um, it'll be me, Catherine.
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Um, but yeah, we're so excited to have Catherine.
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And so if you're new to this podcast, the purpose of this podcast is really
0:45
just to share life with you all.
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And so, you know, Lauren and I talk about this a lot, but we're first
0:50
and foremost humans, and we want to be Um, relatable and we want
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to share our lived experiences.
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So the ups and downs of life and the hardships that life
1:01
brings along with the joy.
1:03
Um, so we're here to do that with you.
1:04
And then we also have the benefit of, you know, being a therapist.
1:08
And so we're going to share some of our nuggets and wisdom that we have.
1:12
learned as therapists over the years.
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A quick caveat, this is not designed to be therapy.
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Yes, we are therapists by trade, but if you are needing extra support,
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if you're in the Tennessee area, we would love to see you at Anchored.
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And then Catherine is also going to be sharing more about her practice as well.
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So we're excited to hear about her openings.
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Um, but yeah, if you need professional support and you're in
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Tennessee, we would love to see you.
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If you're out of state, please find a professional in your area.
1:39
So thanks for being here today.
1:57
Okay.
1:57
So when Catherine and I were trying to decide what topic to choose, um,
2:02
there's so many that I feel That you are just an expert in Catherine and so
2:07
nearing down to one topic is, is hard and Catherine and I are, are colleagues
2:13
and friends and I feel like we could talk about so many things all day long.
2:16
So nearing down to one topic was quite difficult.
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So I'm sure that we'll have you back on the show, um, down the road as well.
2:23
But today we decided to talk about supporting families who have a loved one
2:28
going through eating disorder recovery.
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So I think sometimes we think of children, which we're going to be
2:34
talking about children, adolescents, but this can also be maybe you're a
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parent and you're supporting an adult child in eating disorder recovery.
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Or maybe you're supporting your husband or your wife in eating disorder recovery.
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And, um, the nuances of that, I think Catherine does.
2:51
so well.
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And so, yeah, that's going to be our topic for today.
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And so we're excited to dive in.
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So Catherine, just out of curiosity, tell us a little bit more about
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yourself and your style as a nutrition therapist, the work that you do first
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so that our audience kind of knows about you if they, if they don't know
3:11
you yet, and then we can kind of dig into the topic a little bit more.
3:15
Yeah, absolutely, Laura.
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So as you mentioned, I'm a dietician and own a group
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practice in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Um, uh, outpatient nutrition therapy practice that specializes in treating
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eating disorders, um, body image concerns and family feeding dynamics.
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Um, our practice serves all ages, all genders, um, again
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with those specialty areas.
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So I've been practicing as a dietitian for just about 15 years, um, really working
3:48
in the field of treating eating disorders.
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Um, I'm a certified eating disorder, um, registered or a certified eating disorder
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specialist consultant through IADAP and along with working in direct client care,
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um, I'm able to provide supervision to other professionals that are seeking.
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The um, certified eating disorder specialist credential as well.
4:12
Amazing.
4:13
Yes.
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So you have wonderful experience working with this population.
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Yeah.
4:18
So one thing that I have found As I have gone through my career is, first
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of all, that we don't get much training, especially as therapists in eating
4:28
disorders and, um, you know, learning the nuances of treating eating disorders or
4:33
supporting loved ones of clients that are going through eating disorder recovery.
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A lot of that training that I've received has been through
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supervision from supervisors like you who've really poured into me.
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Um, and one of the things that I find is the hardest parts of going
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through recovery is that families come to us and they don't know how to
4:55
support their loved one in recovery.
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And so, by the time people get to us, their loved one might be quite sick.
5:03
And I don't mean that in a critical way, but sometimes people were able
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to catch the disordered eating before it turns into an eating disorder.
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So in the therapy world, we would think about that from a
5:13
subclinical standpoint, right?
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And then sometimes by the time that people reach out, they're in the
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throes and they're in the thick of it.
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Um, and then their loved ones are coming to us and they're really afraid
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and they're really, um, They feel really anxious about the treatment
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and how long it's going to take and do people actually get better.
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And so I'm sure you've seen those things in your office too,
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right, Catherine?
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Yeah, definitely.
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Um, you know, any individual that is walking alongside a loved one and
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barking on this treatment process, it's understandable that it's really scary.
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There's a lot of unknowns.
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Um, there's just a lot of.
5:54
You know, outcomes that can't be predicted and Yeah, that's understandable.
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And I think, you know, for individual supporting, um, someone in their
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life going through this process, the initial, like, best steps that they
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can take is ensure that their loved one has a team of professionals that
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really has experience in this area and, um, that they are supported.
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by, um, clinicians that can really walk alongside them in that process,
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um, provide that education, that reassurance, that support, connect
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them with resources as well.
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Um, because it really does take a village and, you know, loved ones and families,
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they can be one of the greatest assets in an individual's recovery process.
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So, um, yeah, I think.
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It's, it's wonderful when there are clinicians that are able to
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come together, collaborate, work as a team and supporting a whole
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family system through this process.
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Absolutely.
6:58
Yeah.
6:59
Yeah.
6:59
And I think oftentimes families come to us and, and they feel blamed or shamed
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for their loved one's eating disorder.
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And I'm not here to say that parents or loved ones do everything.
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Right?
7:12
In your quotations, right?
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Like we all have room to grow and learn, but I think blaming and shaming is
7:20
really not looking at the full picture.
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Right?
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And so there are cases where maybe a parent has messed up or maybe
7:26
been entrenched in diet culture.
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But I, I, I really love to hold hope as a therapist that we can
7:33
all grow and learn and change.
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And so, yeah, like you talked about, we have to be willing as providers to Maybe,
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I don't know if, you know, confront isn't the right word, but to share directly our
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thoughts, our opinions, even if that means that, you know, it counters some of the
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family's beliefs about body or beliefs about food or beliefs about exercise.
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And that's one of the things that.
7:57
has helped me the most as a provider is just really stepping into a place
8:01
of assertiveness, but remembering that it's all from a, from love
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and loving care for a family.
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Um, and really resisting the urge to blame, to criticize, to
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shame, because that's not helpful.
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We're all trying to, I guess, fight the eating disorder together, and
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keeping that in mind has been really helpful as a professional for me.
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Yes, that makes sense, Laura.
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Totally.
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And, you know, I think for just about all, all people living in this day and time,
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we're all immersed in diet culture, right?
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We're all conditioned, um, to a degree to really buy into that and
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these messages that have been just inundated, were inundated with, um,
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that we've been shaped by, you know, Um, that that's a reality, right?
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That that's real.
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And, um, family members, they, they know what they know, and they don't
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know what they don't know, right?
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And I've never encountered, you know, a family member support person that
9:03
doesn't want the best for their loved one.
9:05
Right.
9:05
They're doing what they think is going to be most helpful.
9:09
And sometimes they're needing some more information, right?
9:13
Or psychoeducation around how to best do that.
9:17
Um, because certainly an individual dealing with an eating disorder,
9:21
that that's tough to navigate, right?
9:24
Like, how do we know what to say?
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We don't want to say the wrong thing, but we don't want to say nothing.
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And We're just feeling lost and, you know, the next steps to take on what's
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really going to be best, our, um, our loved one, and the same, um, you know,
9:44
intervention, so to speak, is not going to be appropriate for everybody.
9:47
For everyone.
9:48
Yeah.
9:48
Yeah.
9:49
Yeah.
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And I actually lead a free support group for, and it's open to,
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it's not a therapy group, right?
9:55
So it's open nationwide and we've had some people from different states join.
9:59
Yeah, I think that was something I actually shared recently with, with a
10:03
family member, which is this idea that, you know, no two eating disorders are
10:06
the same and so no two treatment plans are the same as, you know, as well and,
10:12
you know, providing that psychoeducation like you talked about, I think is one
10:16
of the fundamental pieces of supporting families that are walking alongside
10:23
someone with an eating disorder.
10:24
So equipping the family To understand what is happening for their loved one, right?
10:30
So this is, and Carolyn Koston talks about this, but it's like, it is about
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the food and it's also not about the food, and we have to address both.
10:37
Both from the therapy side and the dietician side, and we're kind of tag
10:41
teaming it, and I tell clients this, that some of our work, especially more
10:44
so in the beginning, overlaps, right?
10:46
And they might hear something similar from you and something similar from me, and
10:50
we're certainly staying in our lane, so to speak, and scope of practice, but, It's
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reinforcing kind of that same message.
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And so I found that psychoeducation, especially for family members, is
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one of the best things we can do in the earlier stages of treatment.
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It's almost, I kind of think of myself as more so as a teacher in those moments.
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I'm like, Hey, let me teach you about what an eating disorder is,
11:13
where we're going in treatment, and then how we can get there.
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And I'm just thinking about myself, like.
11:20
You know, if I have a mental health diagnosis, I would want
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to know those things, right?
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I would want to know what's happening to me.
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And I have had various diagnoses over the years that I've talked about on this show.
11:33
And that has been the best treatment for me, is to understand what's
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happening to me, where we're going, and then how I can get there.
11:40
Yeah,
11:40
having those expectations, said Laura, and of course, none of us have a crystal
11:45
ball and we can't predict exactly what an individual's recovery journey is going
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to look like, but you know, we can share, hey, in our clinical experience, right?
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Like this is what we've seen.
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This is what we can expect.
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This is what we can predict.
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And of course, your treatment team is there to walk alongside you
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as things shift and as maybe the treatment plan changes, right?
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And can be, um, a guide of sorts, right?
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To, to navigate, because this is, this is complicated, you
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know, life is complicated.
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Um, we're, we're talking about people that have.
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You know, jobs, they have other children, maybe they have spouses,
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they're in higher education, right?
12:29
And treatment takes a lot of time, a lot of resources, a lot of energy.
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And yeah, it can be complicated to, to really get that treatment plan or that
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approach set in motion that's going to align with that individual's needs.
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Absolutely.
12:46
Yeah.
12:46
It's complicated.
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It's messy.
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It's hard.
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We're in the trenches for a while, especially with, you know, with
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anyone with an eating disorder.
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And then I know the family, too, is in the trenches with us.
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And, um, yeah, I think it's this tricky dynamic of, you know, telling
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a family, Hey, this is what we need to do, and there's also hope.
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And holding, holding both of those together as providers, I've found can
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sometimes be tricky, where we definitely want to instill, Hey, this is really
13:13
serious, and people do get better.
13:16
Right.
13:17
Um, so the fundamental of like psychoeducation, I'm curious from your
13:21
perspective in the dietician world, what else do you feel are fundamentals to
13:27
treating, you know, some, or as you're working with a family with an eating
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disorder, what are you keeping in mind?
13:37
Yeah, well, you know, again, it's going to be individualized, right?
13:41
And, you know, in, in our practice, we make a point for that initial appointment.
13:45
It's a long appointment, you know, it's an hour and a half long, but we're
13:48
really getting an opportunity to hear the story, um, of what's going on, all
13:53
of the complexities and nuance to those, um, circumstances for that individual.
13:59
Um, and getting a sense of, okay, where, where are we, right?
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Like what type of treatment, what level of support is going to be
14:07
indicated for this individual to reach recovery and, um, get their needs met.
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And I would say, you know, it, it can be a common misconception, um,
14:19
that, um, There's a misunderstanding about like what nourishment means.
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And if a person is nourished or not nourished, I think a lot of what we learn
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in our culture tells us you can just look at somebody and just tell like, Oh, if
14:35
they look okay, then they must be okay.
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Um, but I would say.
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Almost always, not always, but almost always when an individual is in the throes
14:45
of an eating disorder, there is some degree of low, low nutrition, malnutrition
14:52
going on where their brain is hijacked.
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And it is a priority, um, in nutrition therapy.
15:00
To really ensure that that brain is rescued and that that individual is
15:06
getting the nourishment they require and they need to not only stabilize
15:12
from a medical standpoint, if that's indicated, but also so they are able
15:17
to think more clearly, right, and engage in their therapy work for their
15:22
medications that they may be taking that are indicated for them to work.
15:27
Effectively.
15:29
Um, so that I think that's so important, you know, to reinforce that may not
15:35
be understood by either the individual going through the process themselves
15:39
or their support people in their life that that really is priority.
15:43
Number one.
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Absolutely.
15:46
Yeah.
15:46
And that I loved that word.
15:47
You use the misconception, right?
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And again, without blaming families, but oftentimes families will come to
15:55
me after they've seen you and you.
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They'll say like, Laura, Catherine wants us to eat this much, right?
16:00
And I think that's a pretty common thread, right?
16:03
That clients are given a meal plan and they look at the meal
16:07
plan and their initial response is like, not every client, right?
16:11
Just to put a caveat there, but their initial response is like, Oh my goodness,
16:14
I have permission to eat this much food.
16:15
So it's either permission or it's, Ah, this amount of food scares me.
16:20
And I think there are a lot of myths around what our bodies
16:23
actually need in any given day.
16:26
And one of, I remember when you did a training for us, for us, for our
16:29
practice maybe two years ago, and you talked about the need for nutritional
16:33
rehabilitation for almost all, if not every client with an eating disorder.
16:38
And that just really stuck out in my mind of like, Yes, every client that
16:42
has an eating disorder, no matter what their presentation or diagnosis is,
16:45
needs nutritional rehabilitation and with that comes psychoeducation for
16:49
the family around what an appropriate amount of food is in any given day.
16:54
Yeah, I mean, we've got to think about, you know, an eating disorder
16:57
as an injury of sorts, right?
16:59
Where, you know, with the evidence we have to this point, like the brain is impacted,
17:03
the brain is injured to, to a degree.
17:07
Um, Grey matter can be lost in the brain, right?
17:11
And so just like another injury, like we might experience, let's say a broken leg.
17:17
It's gonna be a process where we may have to have a really structured
17:22
plan around physical therapy.
17:25
Engaging in that therapy might feel worse before it starts to feel better and you
17:30
really have to trust that, um, physical therapist to let you know, okay, now I
17:35
need you to push harder or nope, not yet.
17:38
It's, it's not time because if we're moving too quickly or we're not,
17:42
um, engaging in the treatment that's going to support you in healing.
17:47
We could have to, you could get re injured, right, and
17:51
complicate your recovery process.
17:53
So, just like engaging in physical therapy, it may not be normal.
17:57
You may not be doing what you've typically done, um, but it's not forever.
18:03
And there is a really critical time period where the focus of
18:07
nutrition rehabilitation, um, has to happen, you know, for, um, an
18:13
individual to be in the position to really reach, reach full recovery.
18:20
Yeah, absolutely.
18:21
And so we're both here to say that if you're listening today and you are
18:25
a mom or a dad or a wife or husband supporting your loved one in recovery,
18:29
and you've had the thought like, oh my goodness, You know, does my child
18:32
really need this much that that's that's a pretty normative response and you
18:38
know, understanding like Catherine said that this is an injury and there are a
18:42
lot of influences like we talked about earlier in the show around, you know,
18:47
diet culture and all these messages that we get about what our bodies need.
18:50
And so working with a trained professional.
18:53
You know, versus Googling a meal plan, in my opinion, is the way to go.
18:59
Yeah, whenever possible.
19:00
Yeah, whenever that's accessible to, to an individual.
19:04
Because, yeah, to your point, Laura, going through this nutrition rehabilitation
19:09
process, this is not normal eating, right?
19:13
This may not be the way a person's ever eaten before.
19:17
Or, um, it may not be how their peers are, are eating, their co workers,
19:23
their families, their friends.
19:26
It initially, almost always, is a pretty prescriptive process.
19:31
And that's, I've found, um, really necessary to allow the body to regulate
19:38
for, um, gastric function to regulate, gastric emptying, um, appetite hormones,
19:45
hunger and fullness cues to return metabolism to normalize and having a
19:51
guide, um, or a plan, so to speak, that an individual can follow, that their family
19:57
is informed about, that they can support.
19:58
Board around, um, is gonna put them in the position to then be able to
20:03
move into more normative eating or attuned eating or intuitive eating.
20:08
But at first it's not gonna feel normal.
20:11
May feel very wrong and you're like, you're going against your body.
20:16
So having the support of a specialized, trained, um, dietician or or clinician
20:22
to help guide you through that process can just really be, um, pivotal.
20:29
And it can save, it can save a lot of time, right?
20:32
So I think going back to that analogy about the major broken leg, right?
20:37
This isn't something like, Oh, we got a broken leg.
20:39
So we're just going to kind of let it sit for a while.
20:42
And, you know, maybe in six months we'll, we'll think about, um, you
20:47
know, treating this, especially for individuals that are younger when
20:53
their brain is still developing.
20:55
And there's pruning going on.
20:57
It's really critical.
20:58
We want to, we want to act.
21:00
And, um, we know from the research we have earlier intervention, um, and again,
21:06
rescuing that brain and optimizing a person's nutritional status, um, leads
21:10
to, you know, higher recovery rates.
21:14
Yeah,
21:14
absolutely.
21:15
And there's an urgency.
21:17
And, um, for lack of a better word right now, it's not coming to me.
21:20
I know it's early in the morning, but you know.
21:22
An aggressive, not aggressive approach, but a timely approach.
21:26
That's the word I'm looking for, right?
21:27
There's an urgency to treating an eating disorder with the end.
21:31
insight, right, that, okay, what we're doing right now is very purposeful, right,
21:37
and it's very, um, intentional, um, and so it's a little bit different even than
21:43
how I was trained in graduate school, right, and some of the supervision I've
21:47
gotten is, hey, we really need to work on getting this person fed, and if you
21:52
think about Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, for those of y'all that are listening,
21:55
you can Google this, and it comes right up, um, but yeah, Maslow's Hierarchy of
21:59
Needs, like food, Shelter, safety, right?
22:02
Those are some of the things at the very bottom, and if the bottom falls
22:05
out, well then we can't even try to meet the rest of our needs of connection,
22:08
love, belonging, all the other things.
22:11
And so, when I started to understand that, as a younger therapist,
22:15
that really clicked with me.
22:17
Of like, yeah, there is an urgency, especially, really for any eating
22:21
disorder, but, you know, the earlier we catch it, hopefully we reduce
22:24
long term pain and suffering, right?
22:26
Because as you and I know, It doesn't just go away, right?
22:30
Just like a leg that's broken, unless it gets appropriate medical
22:34
treatment, it doesn't just go away without professional intervention.
22:37
And so, you know, we, we're here to say that, you know, you can,
22:41
you can heal later in life and your brain has had longer in it.
22:47
And so it's going to take more time to rewire what we call those neural pathways.
22:52
Um, and so that's why we approach it urgently is because we really
22:56
want to reduce long term suffering.
22:59
Yeah, um, in eating disorders are disruptive.
23:03
They're isolating, right?
23:04
They're life threatening.
23:06
Um, and you know, I think a goal that I have in any with any individual I'm
23:10
working with or any family is supporting that individual and being able to live
23:15
a life that aligns with their values.
23:16
Right?
23:17
And ultimately, eating disorders compromise that, um, at a, at a point.
23:24
Absolutely.
23:25
It's life, what we call, like life interfering, right?
23:27
Because if you think about food, I mean, whether we're going to potluck or
23:30
you know, eating at a church gathering or going out to eat with colleagues
23:34
at work, it's so life interfering.
23:36
And so that's why You know, we, we treat it so urgently is we really
23:41
want to help support people, like you said, getting to a place of full
23:44
recovery where they can live a life that's in line with their values.
23:48
Treating
23:48
urgently and also, um, I think comprehensively, right?
23:53
Like going back to that treatment team approach, that multidisciplinary approach.
23:58
I recognize.
23:59
as a dietitian, um, partnering with individuals and collaborating with
24:04
them on their nutrition rehabilitation plan and their recovery plan.
24:09
They're going to have a lot of big emotions, right?
24:12
They're going to be activated.
24:13
They're going to have a lot of distress.
24:15
And that's where having a really skilled, trained therapist.
24:21
To be a part of that, it's just so essential, right?
24:25
Like, this isn't something that I feel like I can really do alone, right?
24:29
And not only that, going through that process, um, again, at really any
24:35
nutritional status, there can be medical things that come up that either just
24:39
need to be monitored regularly so we can ensure that how the body's responding
24:42
to this process is going to be health promoting for that individual and
24:46
there's not anything that we're missing.
24:49
Um, so.
24:50
Yes, we want to treat urgently and we want to make sure that we're covering,
24:54
you know, all the bases or thinking about a stool that has three legs.
24:58
If one of those legs is gone, that stool might topple over, right?
25:03
Um, so understanding the nutritional, medical, like physiologic aspect
25:11
of the recovery process and having that support in place, along with
25:15
the emotional, like therapeutic.
25:19
I love that.
25:20
I love that word you use, comprehensive.
25:22
That just feels so, um, just accurate, right, of a picture of what quality
25:27
eating disorder treatment is about, right, because that's what we're
25:29
going for is the quality piece and the long term hope of full recovery.
25:34
I get asked, I'm curious, I get asked quite frequently from family members,
25:39
like, hey, what can I be doing?
25:41
But, you know, because there is this urgency, I think, from them as well,
25:45
you know, they want to understand.
25:47
And so, one thing that I share with families is kind of this
25:52
idea of doing your own work.
25:54
So, really challenging them to come to sessions, you know, if they, if
26:01
they have the opportunity to do that.
26:02
And I understand with families, sometimes it can be tricky because both parents
26:05
are working and they've got to take.
26:07
Time off work, but doing your own work around your ability to tolerate
26:11
emotions Will not only be helpful for you as a parent or loved one, but also
26:16
for your child or loved one, right?
26:19
And so that's one of the recommendations that I give quite frequently to families
26:24
is hey If it's available to you, I would recommend having your own therapist
26:30
or doing some of your own emotional work so that you can better tolerate
26:35
Your loved ones emotions, right?
26:37
Because like you said, yeah, I mean, when we, when we reduce eating
26:40
disorder behaviors, what we typically see is more of an emotional response
26:45
because that's the whole purpose of the eating disorder is to, you know,
26:49
dampen or to avoid the emotions.
26:52
And so supporting your loved one as they start to feel more
26:56
of their feelings is crucial.
26:58
So that's one of the pieces as a therapist.
27:01
that I think is just really, really important.
27:04
I don't know, as a dietitian, what, what stands out to you in terms of
27:07
maybe some of the best wisdom or, or best nuggets that, that you've shared
27:13
over the years that you've found to just be really helpful for families?
27:17
Yeah,
27:17
gosh, so many, Laura, and I think that the first thing that pops into my mind is
27:22
there are some really great resources out there as far as books go and workbooks
27:29
and podcasts like this one, um, and, and I think as much as possible is support
27:34
people can really immerse themselves.
27:36
in learning, um, even reading the same books or, um, resources that
27:43
their loved one might be encouraged to read can be really helpful to just
27:46
understand what their loved one is going through and again, how, how
27:51
they can be, um, the most supportive.
27:54
Absolutely.
27:55
Yeah.
27:56
Yeah.
27:57
What would you say?
27:58
So, you know, on this podcast, we're talking about just like
28:00
the highs and lows of right?
28:03
And so I know we've talked about some heavy things today.
28:06
I'm just curious, what, what do you find is the hardest part of this work?
28:13
Ooh,
28:14
that's a good question.
28:16
And, and I may have to think on that, you know, for a minute.
28:19
Because again, it's, it's individualized, right?
28:23
And I think, um, for some people, one aspect may, may be the most challenging.
28:28
Um, where for another individual, it may be something completely different.
28:34
Um.
28:35
But I think, you know, as a clinician, what I'll speak to, I think one of the
28:39
most challenging aspects of this work is in just the collaboration process
28:44
and ensuring that, you know, my client that, you know, I'm hired to support
28:51
and that, you know, I, I care for where we're getting everybody on the same
28:57
page that that's on their treatment team and we're working together, you know,
29:01
collectively, um, to just support that.
29:04
I think sometimes that can be a challenge for an individual
29:13
like embarking on this process.
29:15
It's like, okay, either myself, I think I'm dealing with an eating
29:19
disorder or my loved one or my child is dealing with an eating disorder.
29:24
Oh, my goodness, what's next?
29:25
You know, like, what do I do now?
29:28
And really enlisting that, that support team, um, ensuring you're able to find
29:35
practitioners that are the best fit, you know, that have the experience
29:40
and the expertise that you're looking for and getting that in place, I think
29:46
can be really intimidating and just challenging for a person that has
29:51
Again, they've never done this before.
29:53
Sure.
29:54
Sure.
29:54
Yeah.
29:55
I think that feels.
29:57
Resonates with me and that feels true for me, too.
29:59
Um, you know, I've shared on this podcast So I'm fully recovered from an eating
30:03
disorder and I had the opportunity just to work with an incredible team And I
30:07
will always be grateful for them and I think one of the hardest parts for me is
30:12
just the devastation that You know when you have a family come in or you know
30:17
that they bring into the room can just be really really tough and that feeling of
30:23
just being utterly discouraged that That's one of the The hardest parts for me.
30:28
And of course, as someone who has made it to the other side, I, I quite frequently
30:32
think like, no, there is another way.
30:34
And I want you to know this and I want to give you that hope and sitting with people
30:39
in that pain can just be really tough.
30:42
Um, and I'm a trained clinician, right?
30:43
So I do it all day, every day.
30:45
And, and sitting people sitting with that pain is, it can just be really hard.
30:50
But I'm curious, Catherine, what, what is your favorite
30:54
part of working with families?
30:55
It's, Oh,
30:57
gosh.
30:57
Um, so many things, Laura.
31:00
So many things.
31:02
I find it to be just really, really rewarding to collaborate with a family.
31:11
Um, and you know, that's That word collaboration, you know, that's,
31:17
that's how I practice, right?
31:20
Um, where everybody is actively involved, right?
31:24
In their nutrition therapy and what that looks like.
31:27
And we're, um, really going through that process together to determine.
31:33
Um, so I think having the opportunity to spend a lot of time with these individuals
31:44
on a consistent, regular basis and see the recovery happen, right, and be able
31:52
to talk with, you know, a client, an individual or their family and say, Hey,
31:56
you know, remember a few months ago when you said this is something that you felt
32:00
like would never be possible for you or that you didn't feel like you could do?
32:04
And here we are talking about it.
32:06
So, having You know, that hope that we as clinicians like hold out for for recovery
32:11
for our clients when maybe they're not feeling it or they're not seeing it and
32:16
then it coming to fruition is a beautiful thing and to see individuals be able
32:23
to actively engage in their life again, aligning with Their values is, is just
32:32
incredible to witness and it really is a gift and I feel so grateful to have the
32:36
opportunity to be a part of that process.
32:39
Sure, sure.
32:41
Yeah, it's almost like you can kind of see the light come back in their eyes, right?
32:45
Like whether it's the client or the family member.
32:49
And like you said, it's like recovery happening right in front of you.
32:53
I mean, it's just such a gift, right, as clinicians, and yeah, I mean, when
32:57
you get to see someone in the throes of an eating disorder walk through
33:00
recovery and hopefully get to the point of full recovery, I mean, wow, it's,
33:03
it's, it's truly miraculous, right, and it's not because of necessarily
33:08
something I've done or you've done, but it's really a team effort, and the
33:11
client is the one working hard, and it's, it Uh, it's just, it's so sweet.
33:16
It's such a gift to watch, um, and the, and really the hope, I think, too, of
33:21
family members or parents that I've worked with that they get to experience again.
33:25
It's just such a sweet thing.
33:27
Yeah.
33:28
To, to hear from those family members, like, oh my gosh, like I feel like my,
33:34
my wife's back, you know, or like my, my son, like he's, he's back to himself.
33:40
Again, and then for the client to say that themself too, you know, like, well,
33:45
I'm really, I'm really seeing like a shift in how I'm just navigating through
33:52
my day and how I'm feeling and how I'm thinking and I feel so much better.
33:56
Well, thank you so much for just sharing a small portion of your expertise.
34:01
Um, real quick, we're going to close out with an affirmation and some homework.
34:06
So.
34:07
This affirmation, um, really is for family members.
34:11
So, I would just love for y'all to chew on this idea that I am
34:15
capable of providing compassionate support to my loved ones suffering.
34:20
Um, because you're not alone in this.
34:23
There are a lot of people going through what you're going through, supporting
34:27
loved ones in eating disorder recovery, but like Catherine said earlier in the
34:30
show, it can be so isolating, right?
34:33
And I know it can be tempting to throw in the towel, but You are, you are supporting
34:38
a loved one and for that you are a saint.
34:41
Um, and I just, I want to really say that, um, that, that those people
34:48
that are out there supporting loved ones in eating disorder recovery
34:50
are, are doing the good work.
34:52
Um, and then for homework, I want you to think about, Um, what has been helpful
34:58
and what has maybe been unhelpful for your loved one and eating disorder recovery.
35:01
So in the therapy room, I really challenged clients to take
35:05
responsibility and ownership.
35:07
So if you have messed up, that's okay.
35:10
What we can do is we can ask for forgiveness and we
35:13
can repair our ruptures.
35:15
And so your homework is maybe to think.
35:17
A for yourself about what you think has been helpful for your loved one in
35:21
recovery and maybe what's been unhelpful.
35:24
And then if, if there's time, if you have the capacity, if you feel safe
35:27
to ask your loved one, ask them.
35:30
Right?
35:30
So like Catherine said, I think a lot of people are afraid of saying
35:33
the wrong thing and or, and so they just choose to say nothing at all.
35:37
But maybe ask your loved ones today.
35:39
Hey, what am I doing?
35:40
Or What am I not doing that you've.
35:41
feel is supportive to you and your eating disorder recovery process.
35:46
And so asking and practicing curiosity in that way can be really helpful.
35:53
So Catherine, I want to share a little bit about your practice
35:57
and how people can find you.
35:59
So I know you gave me that information, but www.
36:02
fowlernutrition.
36:04
com.
36:05
And you've got two ladies working with you.
36:07
So Anna and Ellie, and all three of y'all are just.
36:10
Fantastic and amazing.
36:14
And so, yeah, Catherine, are you guys taking new clients?
36:18
Yes, we are taking new clients and would welcome the opportunity to, um, yeah,
36:25
support individuals or families, um, in their eating disorder recovery process.
36:31
We're, um, in Nashville, Tennessee, as Laura mentioned, in the Greenhills
36:35
ERIN, we offer in person and, um, virtual services for Tennessee residents
36:40
when it's, um, clinically appropriate.
36:42
So, um, yes, we would.
36:45
very much welcome the, the opportunity to, to, to collaborate with any individuals
36:52
that might benefit from our services.
36:55
And I know you guys, y'all see really, what's the youngest age you work with all
36:59
the way up through the lifespan, right?
37:01
Well, depending on the provider, we're, we're able to serve all
37:05
ages throughout the lifespan.
37:07
Amazing.
37:08
And I have personally worked with Catherine along with her two lovely
37:12
team members, and I just cannot say enough amazing things about them.
37:16
And I've learned, I feel like I've become a better therapist and I've told you
37:19
this before, but working with you all.
37:22
And so I just feel so grateful.
37:25
that y'all are in Nashville and that we can refer back and forth and I would just
37:28
highly recommend your practice to really anyone looking for nutrition therapy.
37:33
And so thank you for being on the show.
37:36
Likewise, it's working with you and your team is always, you know, such a gift
37:43
and we're grateful to have your services and your practice as a resource for our
37:49
clients that are in need of a therapist.
37:52
So thank you.
37:53
Thank you.
37:54
Well, thanks y'all.
37:55
And we will see you next time.
37:57
Bye.