Best Eating Disorder Support Groups

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Why We Chose It: This top-notch eating disorder treatment facility brings over 20 years of experience to its free online support groups that you can attend, regardless of whether you’ve been treated there.

Center for Discovery is a well-established and trusted residential and outpatient eating disorder treatment facility. It not only treats a wide range of eating disorders—including binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa—but also offers treatment for teens with substance abuse and/or mental health disorders. Though there are locations across the United States, each is tailored to a specific treatment program. This helps clients receive specialized care.

Center for Discovery hosts a number of virtual eating disorder support groups as well. Meetings take place on a HIPPA-compliant Zoom video conference platform, so attendees can expect privacy (and have the added option to join anonymously).

Center for Discovery offers six different support groups that are free and open to those who have been affected by eating disorders, from individuals to family members and caregivers. Some are only open to alumni of the Center, while others are open to the public. While clinicians are present, these groups are intended for peer support and serve alongside a treatment program. The time and frequency vary based on the group, but with multiple options, it's likely you'll be able to find a group that suits your needs.

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Why We Chose It: Recovery Road is an app that can be used in a self-help capacity and has capabilities such as meal logs, goal tracking, and anonymous peer support messaging.

Recovery Record is an iPhone and Android app developed in Silicon Valley by a team of psychologists and engineers looking to bring eating disorder management into the palm of your hands. The app works in two ways: First, you can keep in touch with your treatment team between appointments through their accounts on Recovery Record Clinician (which is HIPAA compliant). For example, your nutritionist can see your food log directly from the app and can send instant feedback, while your psychologist can share clinical notes from appointments directly for you to view. If you are in the process of getting a care team, the second way to use the app is in a self-help capacity, to guide and track your progress toward recovery.

The free app offers the capability to send and receive messages and virtual gifts to other users. In addition, users can access messages from different members of their treatment team, keeping everyone involved in their care informed.

Recovery Road is packed with additional features, including a place to keep a record of mealtime and concurrent thoughts, coping tactics, and built-in charts to visualize progress. The app is available for download on the App Store or Google Play.

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Why We Chose It: Support groups hosted by the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness are led by two licensed clinicians who report to a clinical director on a monthly basis.

The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness was founded in 2000 by Johanna Kandel. A national nonprofit, the organization serves hundreds of thousands of people around the world, providing education and intervention for people directly affected by eating disorders.

The organization offers free, in-person support groups led by two clinicians in eight states—Delaware, Florida, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Texas—on a weekly basis. Virtual support groups are also available to people recovering from eating disorders, along with their friends and family. There is a specific group for members of the LGBTQ+ community as well.

The Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness is the only national organization to directly offer support groups, and they are open to the public but completely confidential. As with other support groups, these sessions are not designed to replace treatment, instead giving participants a safe space to discuss ongoing issues related to their recovery.

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Why We Chose It: Anyone with an internet connection can join immediately, without having to wait for a meeting time.

18percent was founded in 2007 and is a free support group that lives entirely online. This community is hosted on Slack, giving users the opportunity to talk to people from all over the world in real-time. With channels created for various mental health illnesses, including eating disorders, users can get support with a number of struggles while swapping stories and making friends. When this community started, roughly 18% of people were said to be living with a mental illness. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, that number climbed to 20.6% of U.S. adults in 2019.

Open to people of all ages, users can choose to be anonymous, as email addresses that are used to sign up are not public or shared (though because this is on Slack, it is not HIPAA-compliant).

18percent is not affiliated with any organization and is not clinician-led, though there are moderators available.

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Why We Chose It: While these support groups require pre-screening, they present the opportunity to join others in a space hosted by a world-class treatment facility.

EDCare has been serving patients since 2001, with four locations treating adults 18 years and older. With both inpatient and outpatient options, EDCare solely treats individuals with eating disorders and maintains a world-class research center that collaborates with Children’s Hospital Colorado.

Four of the five support groups require pre-screening and a $30 fee, which can be paid out of pocket or sent to insurance. There's also a free group led in conjunction with the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) that does not require screening. The Cognitive Behavioral Therapy-Enhanced (CBT-E) Group and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Group are both based on traditional therapies and meet virtually.

If you’re looking for a support group that blends in therapeutic methods, EDCare’s offerings help give participants additional coping skills to directly apply to their specific eating disorder treatment.

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Why We Chose It: Alsana offers no-cost groups that serve people of all ages, not just adults.

Alsana is an Eating Recovery Center that has five locations across the country. It offers inpatient and outpatient care—some of which is done virtually—for a number of eating disorders and co-occurring conditions for both adults and, at some locations, adolescents as well.

While treatment through Alsana requires an admissions process, it has offerings for the general public. If you aren’t a patient of Alsana, you can still participate in its free support group that meets online weekly. Open to all ages, this support group is led by an Alsana facilitator.

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Why We Chose It: The oldest eating disorder nonprofit in the country has a weekly support group for adolescents and teens.

The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) was founded in the 1970s, making it the oldest organization dedicated to helping to bring awareness and support to the area of eating disorders. This nonprofit offers free services—including guides and support groups—to help those whose lives are affected by these conditions.

There aren’t many support groups dedicated specifically to young people who are looking for a safe space to discuss their eating disorder. Luckily, ANAD has a free virtual support group that meets on a weekly basis and is aimed at adolescents and teens.

ANAD’s support groups emphasize peer-to-peer connection and are open to the public—though you do have to register before joining a group. Besides the adolescent- and teen-specific group, there are eight other support groups serving various populations, so there is likely a support group that will work for you.

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Why We Chose It: The Eating Disorder Foundation emphasizes the importance of loved ones and caregivers also getting support, with three separate groups designed specifically for them.

The Eating Disorder Foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to being a resource for those impacted by eating disorders. Founded in 2003, it aims to prevent eating disorders through education and research offered to everyone for free.

While the Eating Disorder Foundation is physically located in Colorado, it offers virtual services in order to reach as many people as possible. These services include a number of free support groups, led online by a volunteer facilitator where peers can share their experiences and gain valuable insight surrounding eating disorders.

There are three different support groups for friends, family members, and caretakers of people who have eating disorders, including one aimed specifically at siblings of a loved one. These support groups are for adults ages 18 and older, and they serve as a place to talk through how best to support an individual struggling or in recovery from an eating disorder.

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Why We Chose It: While other associations address eating disorders as a whole, MEDA has offerings for specific disorders, allowing for a more personalized experience.

Located in New England, Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association (MEDA) offers eating disorder support, zeroing in on a variety of specific eating disorders to help people looking for specific resources.

Not only will MEDA help people find an appropriate treatment center or provider, but it also offers support groups for those looking for additional support. It has six different support groups for all genders and ages, including those specifically suffering from binge eating disorder, body dysmorphia, and even friends and family working to support a loved one through treatment. The support groups take place in eight-week increments and do have various fees, though MEDA is in-network with some insurance companies. Financial assistance and scholarships are available on a case-by-case basis.

MEDA’s support groups meet online for participants aged 13 and older. These groups provide the chance to receive guidance from mental health professionals and peers in a safe space.