The Professionals to Bring in for Student-Athletes With Eating Disorders (Q&A with Paula Quatromoni)
In this Q&A series, Dr. Paula Quatromoni (DSc, RD) answers some of the biggest questions coaches and athletic staff have to better prevent and assist athletes who may be struggling with eating disorders.
Q: Who is Needed on the Athlete Care Team For an Athlete With Disordered Eating?
A: Athletics programs at every level need to have someone identified as the point person for eating concerns, if not a full Eating Concerns Team that meets and communicates regularly about athletes at risk or in treatment. In most situations, an athletic trainer (AT) would fill this leadership role. The other members of an Eating Concerns Team would be multidisciplinary, to the extent that these providers exist.
Inside collegiate or professional sport, the sports medicine team includes a large staff of ATs and one or more sports medicine doctors. A Registered Dietitian may or may not be on staff; a nutrition professional in the community certainly should be identified and contracted as a consultant. Sports Psychology professionals may or may not be employed or contracted, and mental health counselors and/or licensed therapists should also be available if not inside athletics, in a campus counseling center or identified in the community for referral.
In the high school setting, the coordination role typically falls to the AT with support from school counselors, the school nurse and providers in the community.
Every collegiate athletics department should establish a strong referral network of providers on campus. If not employed inside Athletics, professionals in Student Health Services and/or the local community who have expertise in treating eating disorders and experience working with athletes are essential. Behavioral health programs in college health centers may or may not employ a dietitian, and on-campus providers may not have the right expertise or sufficient resources to appropriately treat an eating disorder. Most student health centers are set up simply to conduct basic assessments and triage care to outside providers. For this reason, it is essential to identify qualified treatment providers in the community.
| Eating Concerns Team Members |
High School |
Collegiate or Professional Sport |
|
Essential Staff |
Athletic Trainer
School Counselor School Nurse |
Athletic Trainer
Sports Medicine Doctor (MD) Nutrition & Mental Health Professionals, if on staff |
|
Collaborating Partners |
Registered Dietitian
Licensed Therapist Family Therapist Pediatrician Parents PT, OT as needed
|
Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics (CSSD, RD)
Licensed Sports Psychologist Licensed Therapist Strength & Conditioning Coach Primary Care Doctor (MD) Physical Therapist (for injured athletes rehabbing) |
| Inform, if permission is given by the athlete | Coach
Guidance Counselor |
Coach
Academic Counselor |
Sign up for our email list to get more Q&As/stories like this directly to your inbox
~
Paula Quatromoni, DSc, MS, RD is a registered dietitian, academic researcher, and one of the country’s leading experts in the prevention and treatment of eating disorders in athletes. Dr. Quatromoni is a tenured associate professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, and Chair of the Department of Health Sciences at Boston University where she maintains an active program of research. She publishes widely on topics including clinical treatment outcomes and the lived experiences of athletes and others with and recovering from eating disorders. In 2004, she pioneered the sports nutrition consult service for student-athletes at Boston University, and in 2016, she led the creation of the GOALS Program, an athlete-specific intensive outpatient eating disorders treatment program at Walden Behavioral Care where she serves as a Senior Consultant. Dr. Quatromoni is an award-winning educator. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Nutrition from the University of Maine at Orono, and her Doctorate in Epidemiology from the Boston University School of Public Health.
