Eating Disorders in College Students: A Resource for Campus Professionals

College students face a significant and increased risk for developing eating disorders. Clinical providers and staff members on campus play a critical role in supporting students with eating disorder and mental health symptoms.

Resources for college professionals

The Eating Recovery Center (ERC) Collegiate Clinical Partnership Team is here to help you ensure that your students receive the guidance, support, and education they deserve. With over four decades of combined professional experience working with college students on campuses, our team has pulled together numerous resources to support your work with your students. 

These are the resources, trainings and tools we wish we'd had years ago – so we share them with you here today.

college counselor helping student

Meet ERC's Collegiate Clinical Partnership Team

At ERC Pathlight, our team of collegiate clinical experts recognize the critical importance and rising need for mental health and eating disorder support on college campuses, because they have experienced it on campuses first-hand. As part of our mission, we offer a range of free resources designed to:

  • Foster collaboration among campus staff and mental health professionals

  • Educate providers about eating disorders

  • Increase access to care for those in need and help providers connect students to the appropriate level of care

Our team brings vast and diverse experience across many domains, including college campus outreach, psychology, psychiatry, medicine, nutrition, clinical research, and more. By providing resources at no cost, we aim to empower college professionals to better support their communities and ensure students have the help they need to thrive. These resources offer support nationwide to:

  • College campus counseling and health centers

  • Athletic departments

  • Student affairs and other relevant departments on campus

The ERC clinical collegiate partnership team

Schedule a meeting with our team today!

Email Collegiate and Telehealth Partnerships Manager Adee Levinstein, MS, RD, LD, CEDS-C here - or click the link below to schedule a meeting via Calendly. 

Learn more about continuing education and professional opportunities today.

Meet the Team

multicultural college students sitting outside

Eating disorder treatment for college students

We want to help college students find the right care at the right time. When you refer a student to ERC, they’ll get matched with the exact support they need, when they need it. 

Our admissions process is designed with referring professionals in mind, and involves thorough assessment and information-sharing to ensure a holistic picture of the patient’s medical, psychological and social status. Our team involves you throughout the treatment process so you become educated, focused and knowledgeable about how to treat this illness and support the recovery of your students struggling with eating disorders.

A full continuum of care for eating disorders

Our unique continuum of care starts with an assessment, where our masters-level clinicians will conduct a free biopsychosocial assessment and determine the appropriate level of care. 

Our admissions team supports students through the entire assessment process until admission and our clinical team will work hand-in-hand with you to ensure that your student receives the best care during programming and has an outpatient treatment team established for discharge (if they don't already have one). 

Our eating disorder treatment programs and process have been designed so that we can meet students where they are -- and step them up and down in the same system without having to complete another phone call or assessment. Following discharge, your students will continue receiving aftercare support from our community outreach liaisons.

Comprehensive assessment & long-term aftercare support

At ERC, you’ll find:

  • All levels of care for eating disorders and co-occurring mood and anxiety disorders
  • Free student support groups, events and resources
  • Communication and coordination every step of the way

From our initial outreach and at any point throughout the process, we coordinate with you to ensure a seamless transition throughout programming and back to your care.

Virtual eating disorder treatment for college students

Eating Recovery At Home, ERC’s virtual eating disorder treatment program, is often an ideal program for college students. Without ever leaving campus, students can find convenient, proven treatment tailored to meet their needs. Students connect virtually with providers and peers who relate to what they are going through while gaining helpful skills they can practice right away in their day-to-day lives. 

  • All providers are licensed mental health providers and registered dietitians.
  • Group programming takes place in the evening to accommodate academic schedules.
  • All patients participating in Eating Recovery At Home report that they feel connected to their facilitators and group members.
  • Eating Recovery At Home participants experienced greater than 50% improvement in overall eating disorder behaviors.
  • 9000+ patients treated have been treated virtually at ERC since 2016.

ERC’s virtual intensive outpatient program was developed in 2016, pre-pandemic, to increase access to care. The program was created by Dr. Casey Tallent, a former college campus psychologist and faculty member. Dr. Tallent knows first-hand how challenging it is to find outpatient and higher levels of care at college campuses in treatment deserts. In addition to developing ERC’s virtual treatment program, Dr. Tallent has conducted trainings and conference presentations for university counseling and health centers across the nation to help improve the treatment of eating disorders on campus, establish eating disorders treatment teams, and more. 

college counselor speaking to student

Join our monthly consultation hour

Our monthly collegiate consultation hour offers a space for campus providers to seek support and guidance in navigating the increasing mental health needs on campus. Join colleagues and our collegiate and clinical teams to discuss your challenges and successes treating students with eating disorders and mood and anxiety disorders on campus. Discussion typically includes:

  • Case consultations

  • Tips for navigating or finding resources

  • Learning about what colleagues are doing on their campuses to support students 

Continuing education & training opportunities for professionals

With a deep-rooted commitment to education, we provide you with the tools you need to provide superior eating disorder support to your students. Explore our continuing education and training opportunities and deepen your own professional development.

“This was extremely helpful in my search for how to approach therapy specifically with an athlete who has an eating disorder. I cannot tell you how many places I looked and could not find information. Amazing presentation.”

EDIP Presentation Attendee

Become an Eating Disorder Informed Professional (EDIP)

The Eating Disorder Informed Professional (EDIP) designation signifies that campus professionals, providers, educators and administrators have knowledge, credibility and reputability in identifying, assessing and providing early intervention to college students with eating disorders.* This free CE program includes:

  • 6 hours of in-depth CE training on eating disorders
  • Foundational, fundamental knowledge on eating disorders
  • Supplementary resources to help guide clients to the appropriate level of treatment
  • Specialized education for athletic department staff

*Continuing education credits are available for professionals with clinical licensure.

More continuing education and training opportunities

Attend our annual college symposium

Earn up to 12 free continuing education credits at our annual symposium for providers and staff on college campuses. Each year, we discuss critical and current topics to help you meet the growing mental health needs of students on your campus. While we offer a new symposium each January, previous presentations are always available on-demand to watch at your convenience.

Explore our virtual continuing education library

Join us for free, on-demand courses to continue your education and earn CE hours. We offer a range of complimentary continuing education programs to support campus staff. Sample topics include: addressing treatment ambivalence, motivational interviewing skills and understanding medical consequences of eating disorders.

Ask about our custom trainings for professionals

We provide customized trainings to campus counseling and health centers, athletic departments, student affairs, and other departments on campus. If you feel you, your staff or departmental peers could benefit from additional training and education, contact us to learn more about these supportive services.

Develop an eating disorder treatment team on your campus

The Collegiate Clinical Partnership Team is here to walk you step-by-step through the process of setting up designated eating disorder treatment teams and other eating disorder resources at your educational institution. Contact us to learn more about best practices for developing eating disorder treatment teams, how to implement treatment guidelines, identify barriers, and collaborate with community providers, recommended referral procedures on campus, and more.

college students walking on campus

Host a Say It Brave On Campus event!

Throughout the year, during multiple mental health observances, Say It Brave on Campus hosts free virtual events to tackle the realities and uncertainties of student mental health. We have brave, unforgettable conversations with experts, advocates and leading nonprofit organizations combatting mental health stigma. Our team empowers campuses to host watch parties, creating on-campus awareness events and activities at no cost, in just four simple steps:

  1. Register for an upcoming virtual event or access a past event recording

  2. Download your Event and Resource Kit

  3. Find a space on campus

  4. Invite students!

"Say It Brave On Campus was a life-changing event. I believe every collegiate student-athlete, coach, administrator, parent, and friend should attend this presentation in the future."

Carly Ellman, LCSW

"The Say It Brave event was an incredibly powerful experience. I learned that our struggles are not something to push to the side until it's too late. We have to work to destigmatize mental health, showing ourselves the same compassion we have for others."

Lindsay R., Student Athlete

Say It Brave on Campus: Meet our advocates

college students in classroom

Free eating disorder support groups for college students

ERC is proud to offer college students a variety of free, trained facilitator-led virtual eating disorder support groups providing support, resources and education on eating disorder treatment and recovery. Within these groups, you’ll find options that best fit your student’s needs. Participation in the groups is online and there is no cost to attend. See an updated list of weekly support groups and time-limited support group series by using the link below.

View specialized support groups for:

  • College students and young adults

  • BIPOC individuals

  • LGBTQ+ community members

When people are welcomed as their whole selves, each individual’s mental health journey can be supported, and a community can flourish. We support all individuals from different backgrounds, lived experiences and perspectives. We strongly reject racism, hate, and discrimination as they run counter to what is good and ethical and stand in total opposition to our core values. 

ERC support groups are a source of supplemental support and are not a replacement for higher levels of care, therapy or medical advice.

Questions?

Please send an email to Collegiate and Telehealth Partnerships Manager Adee Levinstein, MS, RD, LD, CEDS-C here with questions about continuing education and professional training opportunities.

Or click the button below to schedule a meeting with Adee via Calendly. Learn all about our continuing education and professional opportunities today!

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Eating Recovery Center is accredited through the Joint Commission. This organization seeks to enhance the lives of the persons served in healthcare settings through a consultative accreditation process emphasizing quality, value and optimal outcomes of services.

Organizations that earn the Gold Seal of Approval™ have met or exceeded The Joint Commission’s rigorous performance standards to obtain this distinctive and internationally recognized accreditation. Learn more about this accreditation here.

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