In the beginning my interest was sparked by the media, specifically through exposure to a TV show when I was young. I remember wondering what was going on? How is this out there?
I immediately talked to my parents about it. I'm an only child, and we talk a lot at home. My parents were great about helping me to start being educated in that area. That is where my interest started to grow. I would say my research in the area really started then.
I think I learned the most in the beginning that there are a lot of stigmas and assumptions. What was interesting to me when I started in the practical area of working with individuals with eating disorders was that my eyes were opened to the reality compared to what the stigma was.
In looking at best practices, I think one of the biggest things is that we cannot put anyone who has an eating disorder or seems at risk for an eating disorder in a box. We have to remember that some of the assumptions we've come up with in society may be true, just like all stereotypes, but we need to treat each person as an individual and be open to their story.