Blog
Not a coping skills kinda therapist
August 10, 2022
Recently, I’ve been hearing more than ever before the phrase, “coping skills” as it relates to therapy. And each time, I have the same basic response, which is, “I’m not a coping skills kinda therapist.” And of course I explain…
Social Media Often Seems Socially Acceptable Bullying
August 10, 2022
My dressage coach yesterday told another rider and myself to be sure to watch a particular ride from an international dressage show. I had been following scores, but had not watched any specific rides, because….as awful as this is to…
Understanding the new link between social media and mental health
December 9, 2021
I have been following the general public’s reactions to this news about social media and its impact on eating disorders and mental health. And what I am seeing is that the real point is not truly being understood. For example,…
More on Social Media
November 22, 2021
Given the last post, the next logical question is “What can I do, as a parent?” This is, of course, a very tricky question, as we knowing parenting teenagers is tricky in general. But, I have found that teenagers do…
Parents: What You MUST Know About Social Media
November 14, 2021
As most of us know, a whistleblower, Frances Haugen, recently testified in front of Congress regarding her knowledge of some of the dangerous actions taken by Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. Whereas her testimony covered a number of topics, most relevant…
For Parents: First Few Weeks
November 15, 2020
Recovery from an eating disorder is a confusing process. Some improvements happen quickly, and others take much longer. And unfortunately, while you are waiting for those improvements that take longer, conflict around food continues in your home. That conflict is…
Starting a New Series for Parents Providing Treatment for Low Weight EDs at Home
November 6, 2020
I realized yesterday that I have a higher than average percentage of teen clients at this point, and one of the biggest challenges in treating teens is that my job is to teach parents how to treat an eating disorder.…
For Parents: The Initial Session
November 6, 2020
So, you are about to do the first session with your son or daughter, and you don’t know what to expect; or, you just finished it, and have no idea what just happened! 😉 I thought my best approach would…
Tenacity and Facing Fears
November 4, 2020
The other half of my life (and it does feel like it takes 50% of my time!) is being an equestrian. As I share with my clients often, I too was gifted a healthy dose of anxiety, which I address…
Treating Eating Disorders and Trauma via Telehealth
November 3, 2020
Had anyone ever said I’d eventually move out of Utah and work in another state, I would have adamantly denied that was a possibility. My work, and the practice I created in Utah, was, and is, a huge part of…
Pursuing Passions: Career AND Personal (Plus, some local horse-related recommendations)
June 7, 2020
Big changes are coming up for me and my practice. The story of how I have gotten to this place is one of those “what are the chances” kind of situations. But, as life has developed over the years, I…
Treating Body Image Concerns
December 5, 2019
Ahhh, body image! The concept that was completely befuddling for a few years of my career as a therapist. You see, there are so many ways that people have come up with to try to treat body image. There are…
The Impact of Changing Identity
November 5, 2019
I am a bit surprised, looking back at the titles of past posts, that it seems I have not written on this before. After all, it is one of the biggest things faced by those in treatment/recovery from an eating…
“I’m sorry” and “dramatic”…tales of avoiding emotions
October 31, 2019
I hear “I’m sorry” in my office quite often. Which would be cool if my clients had reason to apologize to me. But usually, they don’t. They are apologizing to me for crying, for being mad, for being sad, for…
In the end, you have to take advantage of the help you are offered
October 15, 2019
Particularly in severe eating disorders, it is often the case that the client has been a therapy a long time. And, here’s the thing…I really think that eventually, being in therapy, particularly with the same person, for a long time…
It’s Been a Long Time
October 10, 2019
I must admit…I forgot I had a blog. So much so that it just took me 30 minutes to figure out how to log back into it! So, to catch up… I don’t know why I stopped writing blogs for…
Just Keep On, Keepin’ On
May 16, 2016
It has been a long time since I have written a post here. Life, both professional and personal, has been very busy. Clearly! 😉 And I’m not thrilled about the content of today’s post; it’s kind of heart-breaking, actually. I…
Detachment, without disconnection
October 20, 2014
I recently completed a training that addressed attachment, detachment, connection and disconnection, and it led me to think of these concepts in a deeper way. Detachment sounds like such a negative thing. But, in reality, we all need to detach…
Update, a long time coming
September 10, 2014
Today, I was asked to write a blog post. Now, I asked the requestor to give me a topic, and her ever-helpful response was, “I dunno; you are the one with a PhD.” Well, thanks for that help! 😉 So,…
But, What Do YOU Want?
September 10, 2014
I’m guessing this won’t come as a surprise to anyone, but sometimes there are a number of power struggles involved in our lives. A good number of us really don’t like to be told what to do. And, sometimes, this…
Why Equine Therapy…and What is it Anyway??
May 27, 2014
Hmm, I have run into an unexpected difficulty in marketing Shadow Mountain Equine Psychotherapy (from this point forward, known as SMEP). As it turns out, the vast majority of people think equine psychotherapy means I am therapizing the horse. Hmm,…
Shadow Mountain Equine Psychotherapy and the return of Angela Hicks, PhD!
May 12, 2014
Hi everyone! It has certainly been a long time since I have posted. A lot has been going on! Some major changes have happened around here, all for the good! The major news is that the week of June 1,…
What Does the Body Hold?
March 30, 2014
One of the reasons I have become committed to equine psychotherapy is the fact that it requires the use of the body, rather than simply talking. But, why is this so important? Well, most clients with eating disorders are very…
Weighing versus Intuitive Eating
December 5, 2013
Often, weighing yourself is a big part of having an eating disorder. Sometimes many, many times a day. That number on the scale, and the one inside your pants, comes to drive how you feel, what you do, how you…
UCED’s Treatment Approach for Adolescents with Eating Disorders
December 2, 2013
For the past couple years, there has been a lot of research going into, and professional debate regarding, the appropriate treatment of adolescents with eating disorders. Eating disorder treatment, and the mental health field in general, is a hard field…
Using Intuitive Eating During the Holidays
November 26, 2013
–by Nicole Holt, RD The holiday season can be a difficult time of the year for those who struggle with an eating disorder. It is a time of the year where family gatherings, work parties, and holiday activities are often…
Equine Therapy in Eating Disorder Treatment
November 21, 2013
My interest in animal-assisted therapy began with the puppy-love-of-my-life, Shadow. I became the very honored owner of Shadow, a rescued shiba inu, in May 1999. Although we did not know her history, it quickly became evident she was likely neglected,…
Honor Your Hunger
October 3, 2013
Hunger has helped mankind survive since the beginning of time. Without a primal drive to seek food in times of need, the human species would have ceased to exist. This is why statements like, “I am an awful person because I overate,”…
Insurance Coverage for Eating Disorders–a year later
October 3, 2013
Imagine my surprise when I looked back at the history of posts, and noticed I posted on October 4, 2012, about insurance coverage for eating disorder treatment. I then looked down at my watch and confirmed, it is in fact…
The Job of a Therapist
July 31, 2013
A therapist’s job is an odd one. In fact, my job is officially to work myself out of a job. Weird, huh? But true. My job is to support people in “getting better,” however that is defined, and then watch…
What should my child weigh?
July 17, 2013
As I was thinking more about the last post, I realized I wanted to share some more information related to kids and their weights. I’ll begin with a story: A few weeks ago, I was talking to a physician about…
“The Childhood Obesity Epidemic” and Eating Intuitively
July 13, 2013
Our society has done a wonderful job scaring everyone about rates of childhood obesity. I haven’t delved into the research myself and really looked at the extent to which children are at higher weights/BMIs, etc., but I feel confident that…
Making sense of your disorder
June 24, 2013
The really good news is that those in treatment for an eating disorder eventually reach that day where they walk in and say that they feel as though their eating disorder is only a small part of his/her life. These…
Thanksgiving ideas
November 21, 2012
Of course, Thanksgiving is a holiday dreaded by those with eating disorders. They are scared of the amount of food, what might happen with food, what family members will say to them about their eating. So, here’s a few ideas…
News coverage, part II
November 19, 2012
The aforementioned news outlet has again contacted me to come on air, this time to address EDs in men. I spoke with the reporter at length, expressing my concerns about the previous story, and was told this reporter would not…
The person is not his/her disorder
November 14, 2012
Some of you may have seen the local news story about anorexia the other day. Of course, I support anyone with an eating disorder getting the support they need, but I found the news story to be so inappropriate in…
Opinions on weighing
November 2, 2012
A recent discussion on a professional listserv was regarding whether or not providers weigh patients and communicate their weight to them. At about the same time, a normal weight patient in the process of learning Intuitive Eating commented to me…
Restricting causes bingeing
October 30, 2012
I’m really not sure how I made it this far in this blog without more directly addressing this topic. And, I know I have referred to it in a couple other posts, but this is such a key concept that…
More on body image
October 26, 2012
If it is indeed true that body image is one of the last things to change, imagine the experience of going through eating disorder treatment. Patients would, logically, want to feel better about their body so they can feel better…
The Mask
October 16, 2012
This is a poem, written by Anonymous, that I used to always read when I provided lectures on eating disorders: Take a look at my faceWhat do you see?A woman who shows youWhat she wants you to see. Hear my…
Separating the eating disorder from the person
October 16, 2012
Patients will come in, and some will joke in an embarrassed way that they sound like they have schizophrenia (though they usually call in multiple personalities). They are able to identify that there’s this separate voice in their heads, telling…
Binge eating disorder: the overlooked eating disorder
October 13, 2012
I was thinking about what to post, and realized I think my own blog represents the ways in which binge eating disorder is overlooked. Sure, so it’s not an “official” eating disorder yet. It will be, and regardless, it is…
Ohhh, body image
October 10, 2012
Wow, body image. Such a difficult topic, in my opinion. I do think it is the very last thing to change in an eating disorder, which is really quite unfair. At the same time, I think there can be significant…
