What It Takes to Treat an Eating Disorder | Episode 70 with Eleanor McAuliffe

Eleanor McAuliffe is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Eating Disorders Specialist-Consultant based in New Orleans, and she joins us to break down what eating disorders actually are and what most people misunderstand about them. We talk through the full spectrum of eating disorders, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and ARFID, and why focusing on symptoms and lived experience matters more than labels. Eleanor explains how eating disorders function as serious, life-threatening, bio-psycho-social illnesses rooted in genetics, brain changes, environment, and coping, not choice or willpower.We also dig into why eating disorders often begin in adolescence but frequently persist into adulthood, how they can coexist with high achievement and “doing well” on the surface, and what effective treatment really looks like. Eleanor shares why recovery requires a team-based approach, how family support plays a role at every age, and how compassionate intervention can help people access care when the illness makes treatment feel impossible. This conversation is essential listening for parents, caregivers, and anyone trying to better understand eating disorders beyond stereotypes. Join Dr. Lauren LaRose, psychiatrist and mom of three, as she brings on experts in mental health, physical health and education and explores ideas outside the traditional medical model. The Little Brain Campaign aims to make issues kids and caregivers face easier to understand, while always keeping in mind that we need to look beyond the usual answers to find what really works.Follow The Little Brain CampaignInstagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/thelittlebraincampaign/