- Individuals with eating disorders and their family/friends said ‘one professional’ could make a real difference in eating disorder care and treatment. 
- This ‘good’ professional, regardless of whether they belonged to primary or secondary care services, was characterized as someone they can trust, and build a strong therapeutic relationship with, who is respectful and empathic.
- This ‘good professional’ needed to be available and consistent and have a sufficient understanding, knowledge and experience of eating disorders. 
- At the same time, the ‘good professional’ needed to remain authoritative, reflecting confidence and professionalism and setting meaningful and appropriate treatment goals. 

Sub-theme: Ideal Characteristics Care Professionals

- According to individuals with eating disorders and their friends and family, the ideal setting for this treatment to take place was in a safe and supportive environment – somewhere that feels ‘like home’, considers the individual with eating disorders as a ‘whole person’, and offers a ‘collaborative’ approach to treatments individualized and client-focused’ offering consultative and directional care.
- It is suggested that a combination of ‘autonomy and direction’ equals ‘balance and success’ in eating disorder treatment. Some professionals also supported this ideal system, suggesting that although eating disorder experience, skill and knowledge are important in the treatment of eating disorders, building strong relationships with individuals with eating disorders and their family/friends, and delivering care holistically can have a greater impact of helpfulness than any type of treatment provided.

Sub-theme: Ideal Characteristics of Treatment Settings

- One of the issues raised by non-eating disorder specialists was that eating disorders is both specialized and complex in nature.
- Eating disorders are considered ‘rare, chronic and require intense care, high levels of treatment and high demand from health professionals’.
- Overall, specialist eating disorder care was considered the gold standard in eating disorder treatment. Unfortunately, this was not only often unobtainable, but emphasis as a ‘best’ care ultimately undermined other agencies, treating them as mere stepping stones to specialized services rather than potentially beneficial alternatives.

Sub-theme: Complexity, Specialization, and Responsibility of Eating Disorder Treatment

- The second dominant theme is the ‘expectations of care and appropriate referrals’. 
- This theme entails two subthemes. This looks at the ‘ideal’, and the functions and barriers surrounding the assumed best’ eating disorder service.

Arizona State University

One study examined the current literature on the experiences and perspectives of those across healthcare interfaces for eating disorders, to include individuals with eating disorders, people close to or caring for those with eating disorders such as family and friends, and health professionals.

Subjective Experiences of Eating Disorder Treatments 

Johns, G., Taylor, B., John, A., & Tan, J. (2019). Current eating disorder healthcare services - the perspectives and experiences of individuals with eating disorders, their families and health professionals: Systematic review and thematic synthesis. BJPsych Ppen, 5(4), e59. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjo.2019.48

Current eating disorder healthcare services – the perspectives and experiences of individuals with eating disorders, their families and health professionals: systematic review and thematic synthesis

- The first dominant theme that emerged from the literature is the help-seeking process and the primary care setting. 
- This entails two subthemes and describes the process of individuals with eating disorders and family/friends of those with eating disorders seeking professional help in primary care settings, and the professional role of the primary health professionals in this process.

Theme: The Help-Seeking Process

Theme: Expectations of Care and Appropriate Referrals

- The third theme that emerged in the data is collaboration versus opposition in the treatment of eating disorders. 

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