Eating Disorders – A Teenage Anorexic Client Shares Her Feelings About Therapy

One of the biggest challenges for your daughter is going to that first therapy session. These are words written by one of my adolescent clients and shared with her permission. Her hope is her experience will help your daughter take the first step like she did.

“I’ve always been awkward and rather uncomfortable going to meet new people when it’s not my decision to do so, and it was no different when I met my therapist…at first. I went in for the first time with both of my parents.

I remember sitting on the tan couch feeling like a shell. My skin was just a layer, and beneath it, all I had were thoughts. Loads of them; but it was impossible to listen or recognize them all.

One thing I distinctly remember about the first session was she went over why I was there having the session to begin with. I remember hearing the words “eating disorder” just hanging in the air, and all I wanted to do was hide and cry; I only managed to do the latter.

But in a way, it was a relief and my shell could breathe again. And every time I went back it was as if I could slowly take bigger and deeper breaths.”

Your daughter may be afraid to go to counseling, and why wouldn’t she be? Even those who are open and ready for help still find it scary to spill their guts to a stranger. It is hard for adults to go to a first counseling session, let alone an adolescent!

So if she is afraid, this one paragraph written by another adolescent girl is for your daughter, so she can see she is not alone. There are other girls out there who feel the same way she does and they are able to face that first therapy appointment.

There are other girls who don’t want to admit they have a problem, and they go to that first appointment and try to just breathe and get through it. Others feel confused, scared, and angry that a parent has brought them to this strangers office.

Many girls have to trust another adult and try to say what they are thinking and feeling when they are not even sure themselves. If your daughter has an eating disorder and she is not happy about going to that first appointment; see if she will read this short article, and then sit down and write down how she feels about going to counseling.

By: Lynn A Moore

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