Depending on the treatment approach, a patient may see only one clinician or a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians. All patients should be monitored by a medical doctor during recovery. It is important that the team include specialists in the physiology and psychology of eating disorders - generalist clinicians receive little to no training in eating disorders and can not be expected to have updated training in this fast-changing specialty.

The parent is often responsible for compiling a treatment team, but it is ideal to work with a clinic with teams in place. When more than one clinician is involved, all team members should be given legal permission to communicate. One clinician, or the parent, will coordinate information and communication for the team. Due to the nature of the illness, many families and clinicians avoid having the patient be in charge of communication between team members or with the family. Click here for a list of licenses, certifications, and degrees commonly found in treatment.

Some of the possible roles on your loved one's treatment team: 

• Primary care physician: to monitor medical issues and recovery goals set by a specialist in ED care
• Physician specialized in eating disorder recovery: to oversee and set recovery goals with special attention to medical issues of malnutrition, refeeding, activity, and purging
• Eating disorder therapist: a psychologist, psychotherapist, social worker, or psychiatrist specifically trained in the treatment of eating disorders who will see the patient or whole family in therapy sessions
• Registered Dietitian (sometimes called Nutritionist): an eating disorder specialist who monitors and educates patient and/or family in nutrition and meal planning specifically for eating disorder recovery
• Psychiatrist: board certified child and adolescent psychiatrist specializing in eating disorder recovery

Questions for parents to ask while interviewing clinicians: From the NEDA Toolkit HERE
Questions for parents to ask while researching inpatient or residential care: From the NEDA Toolkit  HERE