21. eating disorder recovery by ABA (kinda)

As a Board Certified Behavior Analyst I never thought ABA would just about save my life.

Applied Behavior Analysis and eating disorder recovery don’t usually show up in the same conversation, but in Kait’s recovery journey, that rule didn’t apply. By bridging her professional background with her personal healing, Kait used behavior principles in a completely new context and ultimately found her way to full freedom from anorexia.

Tired of being stuck in the cycle of knowing what to do but not being able to follow through, Kait decided to try something different. She put on her BCBA hat and leaned into what she already knew: structure, reinforcement, and behavior change. The result? A self-written behavior contract that brought clarity, consistency, and just enough accountability to move her forward. In this episode, Kait gets real about the mental tug-of-war between her eating disorder self and her healthy self, the hesitation around using a clinical tool in such a personal space, and what actually happened when she shared her contract with two trusted friends.

This is a story about getting creative, getting honest, and building your own way out, bite by bite. 🍒

Episode topics:

• Kait’s background that led her to the use of a behavior contract (1:47)

• What is a behavior contract? (5:36)

• How Kait created and used a behavior contract for herself (6:24)

• How behavior contract provided structure for Kait (8:44)

• Kait’s specific reinforcement (10:27)

• Kait reflects on what using a behavior contract was like (12:09)

• The importance of accountability (13:11)

• How Kait’s recovery motivation shifted during accountability (14:40)

• People will still love you through your shit (16:16)

• Long term recovery versus recovery in this moment (21:15)

• Kait realized that recovery is not cookie-cutter (22:59)

• Kait highlights the episode’s biggest takeaways (24:09)

• Kait announces something exciting 👀 (28:50)

Interested in 1:1 recovery coaching with me?

👉🏼 Book your FREE Discovery Call for 1:1 recovery coaching

Connect with Kait

👉🏼 @bitebybiterecovery

👉🏼 bitebybiterecovery.org

🍒 Recovery resources
‼️Get Kait's Behavior Contracts

Affiliate Links

COMFRT

FIND THE GOOD