For Providers

Dear eating disorder treatment provider,

It's wonderful to connect with you.

As a former dietitian I know how important collaborative care is, and how important it is to feel a sense of trust between everyone on the team.

On this page, I’ll briefly describe:

  • How eating disorder recovery coaching can support your work
  • How coaching differs from and complements therapy and dietetics
  • How Carolyn Costin Institute (CCI) coaches are trained and vetted

My intention is to be a supportive adjunct to the work you’re already doing, and never a replacement for therapy or dietetic care, or standalone treatment.

If you would like to discuss a specific client or learn more about our team’s work in general, please reach out. I would love to connect by email, phone, or video.

Warmly,

 

How coaching can support your work:

  • Exposure and Response Prevention support: My team and I help clients implement their goals in daily life through meal support, cooking/grocery support, clothing/appearance exposures, and other real‑world challenges.
  • Between-session availability: We provide text support throughout the week to help with accountability and to be present when urges or triggers are strongest.
  • Collaboration: With client consent, we coordinate with treatment team members, align with the treatment plan, and provide updates as needed.
  • Modelling and hope: Drawing on our lived experience and CCI training, we use thoughtful, boundaried self‑disclosure to normalize challenges and inspire hope.

Many providers tell us that having a coach on the team allows therapy and dietetic sessions to go deeper, because more of the in‑between support is held.

“We are better together! Collaborating with you creates magic for our clients. Thank you from the corners of my heart. I smile knowing my clients have you to help them through the day to day challenges an eating disorder presents. Your kindness and compassion is legendary. Thank you.”

Trixie Hennessy, MSW, Eating Disorder Therapist – Kelowna, B.C.

How coaching differs from, and complements, therapy and dietetics:

  • Diagnosis and treatment: While therapists and and dietitians can diagnose and treat, coaches cannot. We support the goals set by the treatment team.
  • Focus: Therapy often explores underlying issues and the why behind the eating disorder. Dietetics provides meal plans and specific nutrition recommendations. Coaching focuses on behaviour change in the here‑and‑now and on helping clients implement the plans and skills they’re given.
  • Modality: Therapy and dietetics sessions typically occur in scheduled appointments. Coaching also includes between‑session contact (e.g., text, quick check‑ins) to support in‑the‑moment challenges.
  • Roles: While therapists and dietitians lead assessment, treatment planning, and goal setting, coaches help clients carry out those goals in daily life.
  • Safety: Coaching is not intended as stand‑alone care. We communicate concerns promptly and defer clinical decision‑making to the treatment team.

How CCI coaches are trained and vetted:

The coaching field is largely unregulated, and I know this can understandably raise concern for clinicians. While I’m no longer practising as a regulated dietitian, I chose the Carolyn Costin Institute training because I wanted a rigorous, supervised pathway into coaching.

The CCI coach training program:

  • Takes roughly one year to complete, and is the most rigorous and in-depth existing at this time
  • Is designed and personally supervised by Carolyn Costin, an experienced eating disorder therapist and founder of the Monte Nido treatment centres in the USA
  • Includes 12 training modules with readings and video content focused on the day‑to‑day challenges of recovery
  • Offers a dedicated track for recovered professionals to use their lived experience safely and effectively
  • Requires passing both closed‑ and open‑ended assessments for each module, personally reviewed by Carolyn Costin
  • Concludes with an internship supervised by Carolyn, including taped sessions, session notes, and ongoing feedback on each case
  • Requires ongoing continuing education every two years to remain in good standing

You can read more about the program here: https://www.carolyn-costin.com/coaching

Connect about a client or our work:

If you would like to:

  • Discuss the needs of a specific client
  • Explore whether coaching might be a helpful adjunct to their current care, or
  • Learn more about how our team works

I would love to schedule a brief meet‑and‑greet, either by phone or video.

Depending on your needs and availability, a member of our coaching team may also join the call.

You can also email me directly at coaching@sarahrzemieniak.com

I look forward to connecting with you!