Confidently Navigate 'Treatment Resistance' in Eating Disorders

What if the resistance you're seeing isn't actually resistance at all?

"They're just not motivated"
"They don't want to change"
"They're too attached to their eating disorder"
"It's all very behavioural"

Sound familiar? If you're a clinician working in eating disorder treatment, you've likely heard or even said some of these phrases. But what if I told you that what looks like "resistance" is actually your client trying to tell you something crucial about what they need?

The truth is, most clinicians entered this field because they wanted to create real, lasting change in people's lives.

You want to be the therapist who truly "gets it" - who builds the kind of authentic connection that transforms recovery. Yet somewhere along the way, many of us learned to see certain responses as problems rather than information.

Here's what's really happening when we think clients are "just not motivated":

What we label as "lack of motivation" might actually be:

• Terror of change that needs gentle acknowledgment
• A response to past trauma that requires safety-building first
• A legitimate critique of treatment approaches that aren't meeting their unique needs
• Wisdom about their own readiness that we need to respect

When we dismiss someone's words as "just the eating disorder talking," we're inadvertently telling them we know their experience better than they do. This can replicate the very patterns of invalidation that may have contributed to their struggles.
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The paradigm shift that creates real connection:

Instead of seeing "attachment" to an eating disorder as defiance, what if we understood it as information? Eating disorders often serve crucial functions - offering safety, control, or identity in a chaotic world. When we honour this complexity, we create space for genuine healing.
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This means showing up differently:

Meeting clients in their reality - without judgment about their readiness for change
Listening for the wisdom in their resistance rather than trying to overcome it
Looking beyond behaviours to understand the complete story of their experience
Treating each person as the expert in their own life while offering your clinical expertise
Addressing the whole person - housing, relationships, sensory needs, trauma history
Focusing on quality of life rather than weight-centric measures of "success"

The result? You become the therapist who creates those breakthrough moments. The one clients remember as truly understanding them. The clinician who facilitates authentic, lasting change because you've built real trust.

True healing happens in relationships built on genuine connection, not through dismissal or oversimplification. When we create space for the full complexity of someone's experience, we open the door to the meaningful change we all want to see.
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Ready to become the therapist your clients actually want to work with?

The path forward isn't about abandoning evidence-based treatment - it's about enhancing it with the human connection that makes all the difference. It's about moving from "just the eating disorder talking" to "I hear you, and your experience matters."

Your words matter. Your approach matters. And most importantly, the authentic connections you create matter.
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Transform your practice today:

Download our free guides:
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When The Manual Doesn't Work: Your Person Centred Guide to ED Treatment That Actually Fits Each ClientWhen The Manual Doesn't Work: Practical Strategies
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This guide offers practical strategies for building the therapeutic relationships that lead to breakthrough moments and lasting change.

Want to go deeper? Check out our online on demand training

Together, we can create the authentic, transformative treatment experiences that both you and your clients are seeking.

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