The key to understanding any mental illness is to listen to those who have been through it. Not only can the voices of those with lived experience of an eating disorder help those who are currently impacted, but they also, importantly, serve to educate the health professionals who will provide care.
The evidence is clear: Services that are co-designed with those who know their own situation will always have the best chance of success.
That’s why the voice of lived experience is being embedded in most new treatment initiatives, including the recently launched and much heralded National Eating Disorders Strategy of 2023 – 2033.
Our guest, Shannon Calvert, experienced a longstanding and severe eating disorder and through the ups and downs of her own journey has since dedicated her life in recovery as a much needed voice and advocate for others.
“Through my own recovery, there were health professionals that didn’t want to do eating disorders or didn’t know how to do eating disorders. It was too complex, too challenging for them. That shifted my perspective in terms of how we can do things differently", she says.
Today, Shannon collaborates with all parts of the sector -- health professionals, researchers, and policymakers to develop person-centered, compassionate and integrated health care for better outcomes for everyone.
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