Binge Eating Therapist Vs. Coach? Which One Do I Need?

Binge eating sucks. Full stop. Getting qualified help for it is necessary, as binge eating disorder or even disordered binge eating is difficult to stop on your own. You can be a total high-achiever and still feel confused about what kind of help to get. No matter whether you’re in California, Colorado, NYC, Florida, Chicago, or elsewhere, determining where to seek binge eating help is challenging. I have the answers for you! Let’s dive into the differences between working with a life coach versus counseling for binge eating so you can decide which one fits best for you.

Tips for Finding a Binge Eating Therapist

If you struggle with binge eating, going to a qualified, experienced, eating disorder therapist in San Diego, LA, NYC, Chicago, or anywhere else is important. My recommendation is that you find someone who has been treating eating disorders, especially binge eating disorders, for at least two years. Ensure that they are a licensed mental health professional and that their caseload comprises at least 75% of clients with eating disorders/disordered eating. Ask whether they’ve had specific training with eating disorders and binge eating, as psychotherapists don’t receive such training in their degree programs. It is most important to find someone who fits you—someone you feel comfortable and vibe with.

When to Work With a Binge Eating Therapist vs. Coach

Many people who work with binge eating therapists in San Diego and elsewhere would benefit from binge eating coaching and vice versa. The key is the severity and frequency of the binge episodes, as well as other mental health issues that may be present. If the binge eating episodes are so severe and frequent that you cannot function in your daily life, it’s likely that you need binge eating therapy.

If you have a co-occurring mental disorder, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or severe depression or severe anxiety. Having more than one mental health issue makes treating binge eating more complex, so having a trained mental health professional is important. The only exception would be if you are seeing a licensed psychotherapist for OCD, PTSD, depression, anxiety, etc., and the binge episodes are secondary. In those instances, working with a binge-eating coach would be helpful. It would be supplementary to the primary therapeutic treatment.

Serious medical issues as a result of binge eating or binge/purge behaviors are another qualifier for binge eating therapy. Eating disorder therapists coordinate care with medical providers so you would receive more comprehensive treatment. You’ll receive weekly 1:1 individual therapy sessions with a binge-eating therapist. You may also meet 1:1 with an eating disorder dietitian. A medical provider can be a part of the treatment team as well.

Tips for Finding a Binge Eating Coach

If you’re looking for a binge eating coach in California, Colorado, NYC, LA, Chicago, or anywhere else, I’d look for someone who has specific training and experience in binge-eating recovery. They can be a psychotherapist or a registered dietitian. They may be certified binge eating or intuitive eating coach. Before you work with them, I’d ask what type of training they have with binge eating recovery, as well as what approaches they use. Coaching is a less-regulated industry than getting psychotherapy from a licensed provider. Make sure that you’ve fully vetted the person to ensure that they will give you quality, ethical support.

Check out their social media to see whether their messaging fits what you’re looking for. Attend any free masterclass or webinar they might hold to determine whether they know what they are talking about and whether they have the positive energy needed to encourage you to follow their advice or keep consistent with the online binge eating program’s lessons or modules. Ensure that they’ll be the person that fully believes that you CAN stop binge eating a life a full life.

When to Seek Binge Eating Coaching Instead of Therapy*

A sign that a binge-eating coach would fit you more than a binge-eating therapist is that other areas of your life are going pretty well. You just want to stop the binge episodes and don’t know how. If you do struggle with depression and anxiety, it’s either mild or under the care of a psychotherapist who doesn’t have any eating disorder experience. If you do have OCD or PTSD, you’ve already received or you’re receiving treatment for it. You don’t need the coach to address it.

High self-motivation is another indicator that working with a binge-eating coach in NYC, Chicago, California, Colorado, or elsewhere would be helpful. There’s typically less hand-holding from coaches and more do-it-yourself videos, worksheets, and lessons. You may receive weekly consultation groups and occasional 1:1 meetings with the binge eating coach. The focus is on changing behaviors and shifting mindsets, not on treating underlying psychopathology.

In some cases, starting with a binge eating coach or going through a binge eating coach’s program may ease you into a recovery mindset. After you’ve worked with the coach for a little while, you may decide that you’d like to dive into deeper issues, so seeking a binge-eating therapist at that time is appropriate.

*If you are having suicidal thoughts or are actively self-harming, please seek psychotherapy instead of coaching. If you are in crisis, please call the 24-hour, national suicide hotline in the US by dialing or texting 988. You can also go to a hospital emergency room for assistance. If there is domestic violence in your home, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7223) or visit this website.

Begin Working with a Binge Eating Therapist Through A FREE, 5-Day, Live Interactive Workshop and Masterclass for Binge Eating!

🍁 Register for my FREE Masterclass: ULTIMATE BINGE BUSTERS*. It’s a live, virtual, 5-day seminar from 9a-10a PDT (12-1p EDT) from November 7th to 11th. It’s an interactive workshop for binge eating online, and it will address both binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia.

🍁 Join the waitlist for my ELITE BINGE EATING RECOVERY METHOD*. It’s a 3-month, online binge-eating program for professionals, students, athletes, and all-around high achievers who just want to gain balance and control of food. The Initial Assessment and Onboarding Calls begin November 14th, 2022.

🍁 Check out my Instagram LIVES on Thursdays from 12-1p PST (3-4p EST). I have conversations with professionals such as eating disorder dietitians and therapists on many topics, such as binge eating, BED, bulimia, body image, etc. Subscribe to my Instagram @drmariannemiller, and you’ll get bulimia and BED info sent to your phone with my reels, posts, etc.

🍁 Login to my “Eating Disorder Tuesday Talks with Dr. Marianne Miller” on LinkedIn from 12p-12:15p PST (3-3:15p EST). In these short videos, I’ll share one Takeaway Tip and answer questions from readers like you! Connect with me on LinkedIn, and you’ll receive up-to-date eating disorder information, especially on binge eating and binge/purge behaviors.

*Both the ULTIMATE BINGE BUSTERS Masterclass and the ELITE BINGE EATING RECOVERY METHOD are virtual binge-eating education and coaching support. The goal for the masterclass and this program is to help people stop binge eating or binge/purge behaviors via behavioral changes and mindset shifts. The ULTIMATE BINGE BUSTERS Masterclass and the ELITE BINGE EATING RECOVERY METHOD are not eating disorder therapy or eating disorder treatment programs and are not intended to serve as such. In them, Dr. Marianne Miller works from her role as a binge-eating coach or consultant, not as a binge-eating therapist.