How to be a Team Leader for your Patient (and Collaboration, not Competition)

DID YOU KNOW that Table Talks are recorded and posted on our website? This week’s is totally one to catch if you weren’t there.

Watch the video of Anna's talk Here.

The enthusiastic Anna Kowalski, LMFT, CEDS schooled us on How to be a Team Leader for your Patient (and Collaboration, not Competition). Anna has learned in her 20 yrs that Residential treatment just gets one ready for the honest Outpatient work- where more than ever, our therapy becomes a Mutually Growth Fostering Relationship. This is when both people have “the integrative awareness of what it means to feel like one matters.” These relationships include a sense of “zest.”

Anna stressed that we risk exposing vulnerabilities to a menacing ED voice when we don’t also speak to significant others. So get releases and team up with all family and friends and support them- this means parents, siblings, coaches, roommates- whomever is effected and cares about this person. Because they are either policing, enabling, or supporting. RD’s present (thank you, Erin Naimi) verified the success of this same approach.

Lastly, families are encouraged to build relationships with insurance company case workers- who have flexibility and final say in coverage of services. Remember to treat them as the blessing, not the curse- though they be both.

We heard some wonderful anecdotes from Anna's career as a person first and a therapist second. So thank you, Anna! And to all who attended: Tessa Gordon, Josie Munroe, Antonia Ludwig, Amanda Jennings, Tessa Smith, Sona DeLurgio, Danielle Hoffman, Silvina Cox, Kathy Lalezarzadeh, Dana Schwartz, Veronica Buacharern, Fiona LaRosa-Waters, Elizabeth Weiner, Erin Naimi, and Christine Loeb

Remember ISOLATION IS THE GLUE THAT HOLDS OPPRESSION IN PLACE (Laing, 1998)