Most concerns that bring people to therapy can be well served by any good, licensed clinician. Eating disorders are one of the exceptions. They're serious, medically entangled illnesses with their own evidence base, their own care teams, and their own ways of hiding in plain sight — and the research is blunt that specialized, coordinated care matters. So if you're shopping for an eating disorder therapist — for yourself or someone you love — it's worth shopping like a specialist buyer. Here's the checklist I'd hand a friend, with full disclosure that I am one of the therapists you might be evaluating. The list works anywhere.

What to look for

  • Dedicated eating disorder experience — not a checkbox. Many directory profiles list twenty specialties. You want evidence of real depth: time in dedicated ED treatment settings (residential, PHP, IOP programs), a sustained ED caseload now, ongoing consultation or training in the field. Some clinicians carry the CEDS credential (Certified Eating Disorders Specialist); years of dedicated ED practice in treatment programs is an equally meaningful signal. Ask about the path, not just the label.
  • Team fluency. Eating disorders are frequently a three-chair illness: therapist, dietitian, physician. A specialist should have eating-disorder-trained dietitians and medical providers they already work with, and a comfortable answer to "how do you coordinate?"
  • Levels-of-care literacy. Outpatient weekly therapy is right for many people — and not for everyone at every moment. You want a therapist who knows the whole spectrum (outpatient, IOP, PHP, residential), will tell you plainly if you need more support than they can provide, and can help you get it. A specialist who never refers up is a red flag wearing a credential.
  • A stated stance on food and weight. Ask where they stand on dieting, weight loss, and body image in recovery. You're listening for a coherent, non-shaming philosophy — in my case, weight-inclusive and intuitive-eating-informed — rather than vagueness or a side hustle in weight loss.
  • Licensure in your state. For Floridians that's an LMHC, LCSW, LMFT, or psychologist licensed in Florida — required for telehealth too.

Questions for the consultation call

Nearly every specialist offers a brief consult call (mine is free). Use it — you are interviewing them:

  • What portion of your current caseload is eating disorders?
  • Where did you get your eating disorder training and experience?
  • How do you work with dietitians and physicians?
  • What happens if I turn out to need more support than weekly sessions?
  • What's your stance on dieting and weight loss during recovery?
  • How will we know it's working?

You aren't looking for one right answer so much as fluency, directness, and how it feels to talk with them — you'd be trusting this person with a hard thing.

Red flags worth walking away from

  • Promises of quick fixes, or any guarantee tied to weight
  • Prescribing diets, cleanses, or weight-loss plans as "recovery"
  • No relationships with dietitians or medical providers, or resistance to involving them
  • Shame as a technique — about your body, your eating, or your ambivalence
  • Vagueness about their actual ED experience when asked directly

Fit still decides

After all the vetting, the strongest predictor of therapy working is the working relationship itself. A perfectly credentialed therapist you can't be honest with will lose to a well-qualified one you can. That's what consultation calls are for, and it's why you have standing permission to keep looking — a good specialist would rather you find the right fit than the nearest one.

Interview for depth, coordination, and honesty. Then trust the fit.

If you're starting the search near the Beaches — or anywhere in Florida by telehealth — here's exactly how I work with eating disorders, consultation call included. And if it turns out I'm not your fit, ask me for names. That's how this field is supposed to work.

This article is education, not a substitute for care from a licensed clinician — and not medical, insurance, or financial advice. Details reflect Florida practice as of July 2026.