The Professional Counselor | Volume 14, Issue 2 217 Relational–cultural therapy (RCT; Jordan, 2009) is another promising theory that may decolonize dominant counseling approaches (Singh et al., 2020). Due to its emphasis on relational connection, social justice, and empowerment, RCT has been applied to the treatment of EDs (Labarta & Bendit, 2024; Trepal et al., 2015). Infusing RCT into practice may help counselors understand sociocultural influences that maintain ED (e.g., diet culture, weight stigma, acculturation) and perpetuate feelings of disconnection for individuals who do not conform to prevailing body or appearance standards. RCT also aligns well with counseling’s wellness orientation due to its relational and strengths-based focus, emphasizing resilience over pathology in the treatment of ED (Labarta & Bendit, 2024). Counselor educators can expand beyond traditional ED treatment approaches by integrating culturally responsive theories like intersectionality and RCT into course curricula, thus highlighting the intrapersonal, interpersonal, and systemic components that impact clients with EDs. Collaborating With Interdisciplinary Professionals The counseling profession has recognized the importance of interdisciplinary practice, encouraging counselors to participate in “decisions that affect the well-being of clients by drawing on the perspectives, values, and experiences of the counseling profession and those of colleagues from other disciplines” (ACA, 2014, Code D.1.c, p. 10). The CACREP Standards (2023) also emphasize the need for counseling students to learn about collaboration, consultation, and community outreach as part of interprofessional teams (Section 3.A.3). Indeed, interdisciplinary collaboration provides an opportunity for individual and systems-level advocacy (Myers et al., 2002). The challenge remains in how counselors can balance establishing a distinct professional identity while simultaneously fostering a sense of community among various helping professions (Klein & Beeson, 2022). Researchers have underscored common experiences of counselors within interdisciplinary teams, including challenges with building legitimacy and credibility, especially among more well-established helping professions such as psychiatry or psychology (Klein & Beeson, 2022; Ng et al., 2023). Given that multidisciplinary collaboration is also crucial to ED treatment (Crone et al., 2023; Williams & Haverkamp, 2010), counselor educators must prepare CITs to effectively work within interdisciplinary treatment teams while utilizing their counseling values and training to best serve their clients and advocate for the inclusion of counselors across ED treatment settings (Labarta et al., 2023). Strengthening Counselor Professional Identity Given that EDs are biopsychosocial in nature, effective treatment commonly involves collaboration among various health professions (e.g., medicine, psychiatry, counseling, psychology, dietetics) to ensure holistic, comprehensive client care (Crone et al., 2023). Counselors’ developmental, preventive, and wellness-based perspectives can help provide a strengths-based approach to interdisciplinary collaborations (Labarta et al., 2023). For example, a psychiatrist at a residential facility may focus on assessing a client’s pathology, comorbidity, and changes in symptoms throughout treatment. Although counselors can also focus on assessing client symptoms, their training allows them to provide insight into protective factors that foster client resilience in their recovery process (e.g., social support and cognitive flexibility). Both professionals bring unique expertise, knowledge, and skill sets that provide a distinct conceptualization of the client’s concerns with food or with their body. However, the ultimate goal of the treatment team is to ensure ethical and competent care for the client. Outside of intensive ED treatment, counselors in school settings and community agencies can offer prevention-based approaches to mitigate risk factors leading to the development of EDs. Preventionbased efforts, such as community programs and workshops, are essential to the field of ED, given the alarmingly low rates of help-seeking in adults with lifetime EDs (34.5% for anorexia nervosa, 62.6% for bulimia nervosa, and 49.0% for binge eating disorder), which are even more pronounced among
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