Should a therapist reveal they’ve experienced an eating disorder?

Therapists are often encouraged to bring empathy and authenticity into the therapy room, but what happens when that understanding comes from their own experience of an eating disorder? Should they disclose it to clients, or keep it private? And what does that decision mean for both therapist and client?

In this episode of Let's Talk, Beth talks with clinical psychologist and researcher Pheobe Ho, who draws on her own recovery, years of clinical practice and her PhD research to explore one of the most complex and under-discussed questions in eating disorder treatment: the ethical, professional and deeply personal decisions faced by clinicians who've been there themselves.

Phoebe shares what it was like to work alongside members of her own treatment team, and at a service where she was once a client. She explains why disclosure is never a simple yes-or-no decision. Together, she and Beth discuss workplace stigma, supervision, the emotional toll of concealing lived experience, and why psychologically safe workplaces matter for clinicians and clients alike.

They also explore how the eating disorder sector can better support clinicians with lived experience, why clearer guidance is urgently needed, and how new research could help shape the future of care.

It's a conversation for anyone curious about what happens when personal experience and professional expertise intersect.

Resources

Pheobe’s blog on being a clinician with lived experience in eating disorders.

Pheobe’s blog on supporting clinicians with lived experience.

Pheobe’s Linkedin.

Contact our Helpline

Follow Butterfly Foundation on Instagram here

Production Team:

Produced by Beth Shelton and Sam Blacker from The Podcast Butler
Executive Producer: Camilla Becket
Supported by the Waratah Education Foundation

For more information about this episode, visit www.butterfly.org.au/podcast and click through to this episode.

If you're concerned about an eating disorder for yourself or someone you care about, please reach out to the Butterfly National Helpline or chat online with one of their specialist counsellors. Recovery is possible with the right support.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(92)

The Wellness Trap: How 'healthy' content harms users at risk for eating disorders

Wellness culture promises optimum health. New research suggests it might be hiding a bigger risk: disordered eating. Beth Shelton sits down with researcher Ruby Kagan to unpack why. We're used to th...

8 Sep 29min

Dr Susan Simpson on schema therapy and her new self-help book for recovery.

Evidence-based treatment for eating disorders rightly focuses on restoring health and changing eating disorder behaviours. But what if those behaviours are also protecting something much deeper? What ...

4 Aug 29min

From looksmaxxing to protein mania: the viral pressures on male health & wellbeing

Men's body image is having a moment in the cultural conversation, but beyond the clickbait, what's actually going on? Where's the line between caring about your body and falling into something that ca...

2 Jun 39min

Eating disorder and neurodivergence: What one carer learned that made all the difference

Neurodivergence, ADHD, autism, dyslexia, sensory processing differences, is far more common in eating disorder presentations than most people realise. When it goes unrecognised, traditional treatment...

5 Mai 26min

It's not about the body: the hidden story behind your body image

Meet our new host, Beth Shelton, a counselling psychologist with thirty years of experience working with people affected by eating disorders, including their loved ones. In addition to her own practic...

31 Mar 30min

Problematic relationship with your body and food? Here's what to do.

In this episode Yvie is joined by Natalie Spicer, Butterfly's Head of Clinical Services, to talk through taking the all-important first steps toward recovery from an eating disorder. If you or a loved...

3 Mar 30min

The medicine and the message: Unpacking the chatter around GLP-1s

On this week’s episode of Let's Talk In this episode, we're talking about GLP-1 medications, the drugs originally developed for diabetes that are now used more widely for weight loss. We've all seen h...

3 Feb 50min