How to Find Trauma-Informed, Anti-Diet Support

October rolls around, and suddenly every brand, HR department, and influencer remembers “mental health” is a thing. Cue the pastel infographics telling you to “check in on a friend” while the same systems ignore your insurance claims, minimize eating disorders unless you’re visibly emaciated, or schedule you with a therapist who thinks “trauma-informed” means lighting a lavender candle.

Awareness without access is like being told there’s a fire exit behind a locked door. Nice idea. Useless execution.

This day is supposed to mean more than hashtags and generic advice. If we’re going to talk about mental health, we need to talk about how hard it is to actually get care that’s safe, affordable, and not shaming. Especially if you’re in a marginalized body, live with an eating disorder, or carry trauma.

What Awareness Leaves Out

Awareness campaigns love to hand you symptoms checklists:

“Feeling down?”
“Trouble concentrating?”
“Not enjoying your hobbies?”

Thank you, Mayo Clinic pamphlet. Now what? For many, the “what” is a six-month waitlist, a therapist who pushes weight loss as “self-care,” or providers who don’t believe PTSD exists outside combat.

Here’s the gap: we don’t need more billboards. We need more trauma-informed, anti-diet, culturally competent providers who listen before prescribing, blaming, or shaming.

What Trauma-Informed Care Looks Like (and What It Doesn’t)

Signs you’re in a trauma-informed space:

Your history isn’t used as ammo against you.
Consent is ongoing, not a one-time checkbox.
Providers explain options instead of dictating them.
Food, body size, race, gender, and culture aren’t treated as “problems to fix.”

Red flags you should notice:

“Have you tried losing weight?” before you finish describing fatigue.
Dismissing bingeing, restriction, or purging as “diet issues.”
Making you repeat your trauma story without support or choice.
Providers acting shocked when your trauma doesn’t match their textbook.

Access Means More Than Appointments

Access isn’t about knowing therapy exists. It’s about:

Affordability: Can you see someone without selling a kidney?
Cultural competence: Can you talk about your life without educating your provider?
Safety: Will your body and identity be respected, not pathologized?
Practical support: Does the provider understand barriers like childcare, disability, or transportation?

Awareness campaigns rarely mention these because it’s messier than pastel graphics. But without addressing them, we keep creating shame. Clients feel like failures when they know they need help but can’t get it. That shame isn’t theirs to carry.

How to Advocate for Yourself

This shouldn’t be on you, but here we are. Some strategies:

Ask providers directly: “What’s your experience with eating disorders in larger bodies?” Watch for defensiveness.
Use directories: National Register, Psychology Today, Association for Size Diversity and Health, Therapy Den, Inclusive Therapists, National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network, Project HEAL, NEDA
If therapy feels unsafe, you’re allowed to leave. Walking away isn’t “noncompliance.” It’s self-respect.
Document harm. Yes, even mental health care leaves scars.

What Clients Actually Need

Providers who treat mental health like health, not a character flaw.
Insurance systems that cover eating disorders and trauma without “medical necessity hoops.”
Families who learn the difference between support and surveillance.
Workplaces that stop slapping “self-care” posters on burnout instead of fixing workloads.

Quotes for Your Inner Cynic (and Your Inner Hopeful)

“Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” – Carl Jung

“The opposite of addiction isn’t sobriety. It’s connection.” – Johann Hari

“You either walk inside your story and own it or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness.” – Brené Brown

Affirmations That Don’t Sound Like Lies

My worth isn’t up for negotiation.
I am allowed to want care that doesn’t hurt me.
Access is a right, not a reward.
I will not confuse survival with failure.

Resources

Here is the Therapy Access Checklist (Link Above) – read it, print it, use the links!

Therapy Access Checklist

You want access, not slogans. Here is a checklist you can use today. It covers where to look, what to ask, and how to read profiles for anti-diet, inclusive, culturally competent, trauma-informed care.

Reliable places to search

Inclusive Therapists directory, filters for HAES and culturally responsive care.
ASDAH’s Health at Every Size provider listing.
National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network directory.
Psychology Today filters for eating disorders and trauma. Use as a starting point, then verify alignment.
Roundups of inclusive directories from Project HEAL if you need more options. Project HEAL

Core screening questions to ask before you book

Anti-diet and weight inclusive

How do you approach weight, health, and behavior change for clients in larger bodies
Do you practice from a HAES and weight-inclusive lens
What is your policy on weight loss goals in therapy
How do you screen and treat eating disorders across sizes

Trauma-informed

How do you ensure choice and consent during assessment and treatment
What is your plan if discussing trauma becomes destabilizing between sessions
How do you collaborate on goals and pacing
How do you handle crisis plans and coordination with medical care

Cultural competence and inclusion

What ongoing training do you complete related to racism, fatphobia, queer and trans care, disability, and religious or cultural harms
How do you adapt care for language, culture, and access needs
Do you offer sliding scale or structured referrals for cost and transportation barriers
How do you repair when you miss something or cause harm

Signals to look for on profiles and websites

This may be on their “About” or “Treatment Philosophy” pages

Clear green flags

Name the model: HAES, weight inclusive, anti-diet, fat positive, size affirming. Look for explicit statements, not hints. Inclusive Therapists and TherapyDen profiles often model this language.
Lists concrete trainings or certs: EMDR, TF-CBT, CPT, sensorimotor, IFS, RO-DBT, MSC, plus continuing education in anti-racism, transgender care, disability justice.
Describes consent practices: content warnings, opt-out options, collaborative treatment planning.
Offers practical access supports: telehealth, flexible scheduling, sliding scale, accessible office details, interpreter options.
States supervision and consultation habits for eating disorders and trauma, not lone-wolf claims.
Provides specific ED experience, including atypical anorexia, ARFID, binge spectrum, and care across sizes. Cross-check with ED-focused directories and education pages. Psychology Today

Yellow flags

Vague buzzwords without receipts: “holistic,” “body positivity,” “trauma-informed” with no examples, trainings, or policies.
Weight loss framed as self-care or “health.” Advice to diet for mental health. No mention of HAES or weight inclusivity.
One-size-fits-all modalities with no attention to identity or culture. Stock photos of thin white bodies only.

Red flags

“Have you tried losing weight” presented as the solution to fatigue, pain, or mood.
Diet plans or weigh-ins presented as therapy goals.
Pressure to tell your full trauma story in the first session. No stabilization plan.
Dismisses pronouns, chosen names, or accessibility requests.

How to verify alignment fast

Ctrl-F the site or profile for “HAES,” “weight inclusive,” “anti diet,” “fat positive,” “trauma informed,” “consent,” “cultural humility,” “QTBIPOC.”
Scan for a written statement of values, land acknowledgement, or anti-oppression policy, plus examples of how those values shape procedures.
Look for fee transparency, sliding scale ranges, and referral pathways if they are not a fit. Inclusive directories often highlight these details. Inclusive Therapists

What to ask after a first session

What did you hear as my goals
How will we decide pace and exposure steps together
How do you monitor for harm and adjust if I feel worse
What are our backup plans between sessions

If you need culturally specific matches

NQTTCN for QTBIPOC-affirming clinicians, plus background on their healing-justice mission.
Lists of additional BIPOC-focused directories and therapy funds from reputable roundups. TIME

Pro move for ED care

Ask about multidisciplinary coordination with physicians and dietitians who are HAES-aligned.
Ask how they assess medical risk without weight bias.
Verify experience with ED presentations across BMI ranges and with co-occurring trauma. NEDA’s HAES resources explain the why. National Eating Disorders Association

How to spot genuine trauma-informed process on the site

Describes phased care: stabilization, skills, then processing. Offers grounding tools and between-session supports.
Names boundaries on contact, crisis procedures, and what happens if you dissociate or shut down in session.
Explains confidentiality limits in plain language.

If you use Psychology Today

Use it to shortlist, then go to the clinician’s own site for values, policies, and pricing. PT pages often lack depth and consistency across listings. Psychology Today

Backup options when cost is the barrier

Search inclusive directories first, then ask about therapy funds and vouchers listed in accessibility roundups. Examples include Open Path Collective, Loveland Foundation, Therapy for Black Girls, and others in news features and guides. Verify current availability. TIME

Quick copy-paste email template

Subject: Fit check for trauma-informed, anti-diet care
Hi, I am seeking therapy for trauma and eating disorder concerns. I am looking for weight-inclusive, HAES-aligned, culturally competent care.

How do you approach weight, health, and behavior change for clients in larger bodies
What specific trauma trainings and consult groups do you participate in
How do you ensure consent and pacing during trauma work
What access supports do you provide, such as sliding scale, telehealth, or interpreters

Thank you for any details on your approach and policies.

Keep this handy. If a profile talks about values, then dodges your questions, you have your answer.