Fredericton woman brings eating disorder patients hope through peer counselling
Body Peace is a support program that aims to fill resource gaps in care
When Breagh Christie was diagnosed with an eating disorder as a 20-year-old, she remembers feeling isolated and overwhelmed. Now, seven years into her recovery, she is part of a new program that offers what she needed back then — a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Fredericton woman has been volunteering as part of a new national peer support program called Body Peace.
Body Peace was launched by Eating Disorders Nova Scotia in partnership with a similar Ontario-based program called Body Brave. Christie said she was excited when she found out the program was expanding across the country.
"That's not something that I was able to access in the early stages of my recovery," she said, about the lack of peer support available in New Brunswick.
"Resources felt pretty scarce at the time. And so when I heard about this peer support program, I just remember thinking, like, 'Oh my gosh, that is exactly what I needed.'"
Body Peace offers support to people anywhere in the country with eating disorders — officially diagnosed or not — free of charge. The service is particularly aimed at poorly resourced areas, such as New Brunswick, where specialized care options are limited.
"When I was scared and overwhelmed at the start of my recovery, I would have loved that. And so recognizing I was at a point in my own journey where I felt like I was able to provide that mentorship, it was kind of a no-brainer," Christie said.
Lived experience is key
Shaleen Jones, executive director of Eating Disorders Nova Scotia, said given the stigma, it's important the program is delivered by people with lived experience.
She says what Christie and the other mentors offer can be summed up in one word: hope.
"Being able to connect with someone who just understands what that experience is like. And there's no judgment, there's no having to kind of explain what's in your head … I think it's really transformative."
Jones says there is a lack of funding for eating disorder services and treatment, which is part of the wider issue of a lack of resources for mental health.
That's why the service is open to people with or without an official diagnosis.
"[We] have the ability to influence and change and support people who are waiting for care, who have done treatment, who need some support," she said. "It's kind of offering the right level of intensity, at the right time."
Jones hopes the program will help people before they get to a stage where they need a more intensive kind of care.
Network of care
For Christie, being able to connect with others who have an eating disorder is part of the larger support puzzle.
"You know, when you receive any kind of mental health diagnosis, it's really important to seek support on all different levels," she said.
Services such as this can help address some of the gaps in provinces that lack specialized treatment options, as is the case in New Brunswick, she said. But Christie said professional support should still be a part of that network.
"We're not professionals by any means. And professional support definitely has its value and is important."
However, counsellors and psychologists don't always have personal experience," she said, "and their advice can sometimes "feel a little bit empty or lacking in depth."
While Christie considers herself very fortunate to have had access to a psychologist, having a living example of recovery can also have a huge impact.
"Saying that, 'It is possible,' and 'This is what I've done to get to this point and you can do that too,'" she said.
"I think that just has such a huge impact for someone to hear when they're kind of at the beginning of their recovery and maybe feeling overwhelmed or just kind of doubtful — that maybe there is that light at the end of the tunnel."
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