You check out the reputation and credentials of people you associate with because people with eating disorders have difficulties with trust. They can trust too quickly when it's not a good idea, and they can withhold their trust when it is a good place and in so doing lose a potentially helpful relationship. So credentials and recommendations are important as you explore what is available for you. Contact eating disorder specialists hospitals school counseling programs 12 step organizations residential treatment centers churches, temples and synagogues eating disorder web sites Ask for people you can talk with who have experience in either treating eating disorders, achieving recovery from eating disorders or have received good feedback from referring people to helpful situations. Learn about the different ways people have found real help and choose what seems like a tolerable beginning place for you.
Guides come in all kinds of forms.
You might discover a simple, direct path when someone or several people highly recommend a particular psychotherapist. But information might take a different shape entirely. Someone might recommend a creative writing group that has a lot of people in recovery as participants. By visiting or joining that group you might get a creative boost in your life plus meet people who can give you solid recommendations for treatment. Hearing these stories and meeting the people can be enormously helpful, even if it's just one meeting and just one story that opens your mind to a path for you.