Eating Disorder Therapy: What to Expect in the Recovery Process

nurturedthoughts
Jan 3
6 min read

Eating disorder therapy offers a structured, compassionate way for you to heal your relationship with food, your body, and yourself. In this article, we'll guide you through exactly what you can expect from eating disorder therapy. You’ll learn how typical sessions are structured, how goals are personalised to your recovery, how therapists support emotional and behavioural change, the importance of involving family and friends, and ways you and your therapist can measure your progress along the way.

The Structure of a Typical Eating Disorder Therapy Session

Eating disorder therapy sessions have a consistent and supportive structure designed to create safety, build trust, and foster steady progress. In your first session, your therapist will warmly welcome you, explain confidentiality clearly, and spend time gently exploring your personal experiences with food, body image, and emotions.

After this initial session, each therapy session will usually follow this helpful pattern:

Weekly check-ins: You’ll share how you’ve been feeling, discuss your eating patterns, and highlight any challenges or victories you encountered during the week.
Emotional exploration: Your therapist helps you explore emotional triggers behind your eating behaviours, gently uncovering how your feelings influence your eating.
Skill-building exercises: You’ll learn practical strategies such as structured meal planning, mindfulness exercises, or journaling techniques to replace harmful eating patterns.
Homework assignments: Your therapist will give you achievable tasks, like keeping a food diary or noting your emotional experiences between sessions, to reinforce learning and measure progress.

Initially, your therapy sessions may focus heavily on establishing healthy routines around food, such as aiming to eat 3 regular meals and 2 to 3 snacks daily, with no more than 4 hours between eating [1]. Research shows that consistent meal timing helps stabilise nutrition and emotional wellbeing as a foundation for further therapeutic work [1].

Setting Personalised Recovery Goals

In eating disorder therapy, setting clear, achievable goals tailored specifically to you is key to your success. Rather than vague objectives, your therapist will work closely with you to define specific milestones that feel meaningful and manageable.

Here’s what some personalised recovery goals might look like:

Establishing regular meals: A specific goal might be having breakfast daily or incorporating at least 1 balanced snack every afternoon.
Reducing harmful behaviours: Clearly defined objectives may include limiting how often you weigh yourself or reducing the frequency of purging episodes.
Improving body image: Goals often involve practising ways to reduce critical self-talk or finding activities that help you feel more positively connected to your body.
Physical recovery targets: Health professionals set an individualised target weight, for adults this typically means restoring weight to a healthy range agreed with your multidisciplinary team, and for adolescents it means resuming expected growth on centile charts, both approaches being associated with improved outcomes [3][5].

Research and Australian practice standards emphasise collaborative, person centred planning, which increases engagement and motivation during recovery [3].

How Therapists Support Emotional and Behavioural Change

Your therapist uses proven methods such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Family Based Therapy to gently guide emotional healing and behavioural changes. Initially, your therapy might focus on stabilising nutrition and eating behaviours. Once you have greater physical stability, the therapeutic work shifts towards addressing deeper emotional issues that underpin the disorder.

Common ways therapists support you include:

Challenging distorted beliefs: Therapists help you recognise and reframe negative self-beliefs like “I must be thin to feel worthwhile,” guiding you toward a healthier self-perception.
Managing emotional triggers: You’ll learn to identify specific emotional or situational triggers, such as stress or social events, and find healthier ways to cope.
Building emotional resilience: You’ll be taught effective skills to manage distressing emotions without resorting to disordered eating behaviours, using techniques from Dialectical Behaviour Therapy such as mindfulness and emotional regulation.
Gradual exposure: With your therapist’s support, you’ll gradually reintroduce foods that cause anxiety, rebuilding confidence and trust around eating.
Fostering self-compassion: Your therapist guides you in practising kindness towards yourself, replacing harsh self-criticism with empathy and understanding.

Therapy provides a safe, accepting environment where you can openly share your experiences, frustrations, and breakthroughs. Your therapist supports you compassionately through each stage of your healing, consistent with Australian treatment principles that prioritise evidence based, coordinated, multidisciplinary care and involvement of significant others [3][5].

The Role of Family and Support Networks

Your family and friends can be vital allies in your recovery from an eating disorder. Australian guidance clearly states that involving families and support people plays a crucial role in care, support, and recovery, increasing engagement and helping to reduce relapse risk [3][4][5].

Here’s how loved ones can support you:

Family Based Therapy: Family members learn how to create supportive mealtime environments, offering gentle encouragement and reducing mealtime anxiety at home [5].
Support groups: Joining an eating disorder support group or attending family counselling is associated with improved motivation, connection, and reduced isolation in Australian services [6].
Friends and partners: Including trusted friends or a partner in your recovery can offer invaluable emotional reassurance. They can participate in challenging activities, such as eating meals together or accompanying you to therapy sessions [4][6].

Family and social support create a nurturing recovery environment, ensuring that you always feel understood, valued, and supported throughout your journey [4].

Measuring Progress and Maintaining Motivation

Progress in eating disorder therapy is measured using a mix of physical, behavioural, and emotional criteria. Therapists and clients work together to track changes, celebrate milestones, and recognise improvement over time.

Some common ways to measure your progress include:

Physical indicators: Regularly monitoring your weight, BMI, and overall health indicators to track physical recovery.
Behavioural markers: Observing a reduction in binge eating, purging, restrictive behaviours, or adherence to structured meal plans.
Psychological assessments: Regularly checking improvements in anxiety, mood stability, and self-esteem through validated psychological tools.

Eating disorder recovery typically takes between 1 and 6 years of consistent therapy and professional care, based on Australian reporting that summarises national economic and clinical evidence [2]. Celebrating incremental achievements helps you maintain motivation, especially given the gradual nature of recovery.

Practical Recovery Steps

There are several practical steps you can take to actively support your eating disorder recovery. These psychology-backed strategies complement your therapy sessions:

Build a professional care team: including a GP, a psychologist specialising in eating disorders, and a dietitian, to ensure comprehensive, coordinated care [3][4].
Maintain structured eating: Establish a consistent eating schedule of 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks daily, which can reduce anxiety around food and support nutritional rehabilitation [1].
Keep a recovery journal: Writing down your meals, thoughts, and feelings helps identify patterns and provides tangible evidence of your progress.
Identify emotional triggers: Recognise specific situations that heighten anxiety around eating, and develop personalised coping strategies such as mindfulness or reaching out to a support person.
Practise coping skills regularly: Use skills learned in therapy, such as deep breathing or mindfulness exercises, daily.
Attend support groups: Regular participation in Australian support programs is associated with improved motivation and reduced isolation [6].
Adapt your recovery plan: Keep your recovery flexible and personalised to suit your unique circumstances, consistent with Australian treatment standards [3].

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly happens during eating disorder therapy sessions?

In sessions, you'll discuss your experiences and emotions from the previous week, identify patterns and triggers, and develop tailored coping strategies. Homework assignments reinforce session content and track progress. This structure reflects evidence based, coordinated care recommended in Australian guidance [3][5].

How long does eating disorder recovery typically take?

Full recovery usually requires between 1 and 6 years of consistent therapy and care, according to Australian reporting that synthesises national evidence [2].

What therapeutic methods are commonly used in eating disorder therapy?

Common methods include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Dialectical Behaviour Therapy, and Family Based Therapy, each targeting different aspects of eating disorders and aligned with Australian clinical guidance [5].

Why is family support important during recovery?

Family involvement improves engagement and provides essential support with meals, emotions, and relapse prevention, consistent with Australian standards and care recommendations [3][4][5].

How do therapists track progress in recovery?

Progress is measured through physical, behavioural, and emotional improvements. Regular assessment of these indicators ensures clear tracking of your journey, aligned with multidisciplinary care principles [3][5].

At Nurtured Thoughts Psychology, we specialise in compassionate, personalised eating disorder therapy, guiding you toward lasting emotional wellbeing and a healthy relationship with food.

Disclaimer: This article is informational only and does not replace professional psychological advice. If experiencing severe emotional distress, seek immediate support from a qualified healthcare professional.

References

[1] Murphy, R., Straebler, S., Cooper, Z., & Fairburn, C. G. (2010). Cognitive behavioral therapy for eating disorders. Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 33(3), 611–627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psc.2010.04.004

[2] Eating Disorders Victoria. (n.d.). Eating disorder statistics and key research. https://eatingdisorders.org.au/eating-disorders-a-z/eating-disorder-statistics-and-key-research/

[3] Heruc, G., Hurst, K., Casey, A., Fleming, K., Freeman, J., Fursland, A., et al. (2020). ANZAED eating disorder treatment principles and general clinical practice and training standards. Journal of Eating Disorders, 8, 63. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40337-020-00341-0

[4] National Eating Disorders Collaboration. (n.d.). Families and supports. https://nedc.com.au/support-and-services/families-supports

[5] Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. (2014). Australian and New Zealand clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of eating disorders. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 48(11), 977–1008. https://doi.org/10.1177/0004867414555814

[6] Butterfly Foundation. (2025). Support groups. https://butterfly.org.au/get-support/support-groups-programs/support-groups/