Ep 09: Personal Story, Eating Disorder Recovery: Kate Funk, LMFT

The road to recovery is never an easy one, no matter what the issue is. Our guest today is Kate Funk and she talks about her own recovery and her work helping others with theirs. Kate developed a serious eating disorder at a very young age and it took many years for her to properly address and overcome the harmful effects of the roots of the problem. She now works at Monte Nido and Affiliates, helping teens on their path to a healthier self as well as in her own private practice of rehab. Kate opens up about what her disorder looked like and how it changed and evaded her grasp. We hear about chasing a never-achievable body weight, the influence of her mother’s own eating issues on her as a young girl, important steps in the process, and even some of the positive things that have come with having these problems in her life. Kate shares the important role her friends played in the journey and how tiny moments and messages can make all the difference in hanging on. We also discuss her treatment and how she came around to it after a typical aversion. For a wonderfully honest and inspiring conversation with someone fully committed to helping people through what she has experienced herself, be sure to join us today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• More about Monte Nido, who it serves and its aims.
• Kate’s private practice working eating disorders, addiction and trauma.
• Our guest’s personal reasons for getting into counseling and working with eating disorders.
• Chasing a bodyweight and the unquenchable desire to go lower. 
• The recovery journey; scales, reaching out and journalling.
• The gifts that have come along with an eating disorder and how Kate appreciates her journey.
• Kate’s friends and the part they played in her recovery through steadfastness.
• The small messages that can make such a difference to someone who is struggling.
• How Kate was forced into treatment initially and how it took hold from there. 
• The different stages of recovery; making it through the levels over time.
• Finding ways to be more kind to oneself and taking your own emotional temperature.
• The other areas that Kate’s low sense of self-worth made itself apparent. 
• Challenges of working with people with similar issues and problems.
• Kate’s experience with Girls on the Run, sharing a positive message around body image.
• Some thoughts from our guest to anyone out there struggling.
• A favorite story from Kate’s journey around a big mirror and her fingerprint.
  
  

Tweetables:

“I developed an eating disorder at a really young age, I would say I was probably 7 or 8 years old.” — Kate Funk [0:04:30]

“I am a very sensitive person, so if I’m holding something back that is a red flag that there is something going on.” — Kate Funk [0:10:45]

“I probably am a little bit more tough love than a therapist that hasn’t been there.” — Kate Funk [0:32:15]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Mosaics of Mercy

Kate Funk

Monte Nido and Affiliates

Girls on the Run