Eating Disorder blog about eating disorder treatment, food, body, movement, and mental health. By Opal: Food + Body Wisdom.
Client Interview: Family Therapy in Eating Disorder Recovery One of Opal’s hallmarks is our Family + Friends programming and the commitment to including a client’s community (family, friends, roommates, significant others, etc) in the treatment process. Our Family + Friends program consists of many components: family therapy, family + friends Read more
Body Hate, Body Love, and Everything In Between I lead the body image group at Opal, which often leads to the assumption that my own body image is flawless. And some days it is. But, my experience as an embodied woman is constantly shifting and changing. Just when I get Read more
Food+Body Freedom in the Backcountry One staff member’s experience of freedom from her eating disorder while backpacking in Washington Over the fourth of July weekend, I embarked on a four day backpacking trek to Washington’s finest and most envied spot, The Enchantments. As mentioned in its name, this captivating Read more
Student Health Consortium organizes conversation about healthy eating Opal co-founder, Julie Church, CD, RDN speaks at the University of Washington in May 2015 for a presentation entitled, “Healthy Eating: Listening to your Body.” Read the article here.
Disordered Eating: Therapist Who Helps, Once Suffered Article by Kara Bazzi, LMFT, CEDS in Northwest Runner Magazine from June 2015 found here. She shares her own recovery story and involvement in the treatment of eating disorders in the world of sports and athletics
An empowered message to recipients of sizeism As a woman of size I have realized that many people in our society feel at liberty to comment on my weight. It could take the form of a “concerned” family member reminding me of diets and procedures at my disposal, or that Read more
[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”] Experiential therapy for exercise eating disorder treatment through the lens of art To begin exploring this idea of exercise and movement in eating disorder treatment, I need to give you some back story. Several years ago I had an idea. I was working Read more
How One Clinician’s Journey on a Silent Mindfulness Retreat Impacted her Work in Eating Disorder Treatment 2014 was a trying year; through the turmoil, I felt the fast momentum of life and knew I could not stop it. I noticed my inability to handle personal struggles was impacting my work Read more
I cried (tears of joy) the first time I went to The Pantry. This beautifully simple and cozy kitchen, tucked behind the famed Seattle pizza restaurant, Delancey, was a stark contrast and much needed breath of fresh air from the kitchen environment at Opal where I spend most of my Read more
[column width=”1/1″ last=”true” title=”” title_type=”single” animation=”none” implicit=”true”] Last spring Lexi and Kara decided they needed some basketball in their lives and recruited Opal staff members to play in a women’s league. I was immediately enthused to play on the Opal team, the Opal Owls. I always loved basketball, however I Read more