ED Recovery Therapy Cards
A Journey from Disconnection to Empowerment
The ED Recovery Therapy Cards offer a structured yet creative therapeutic journey for adolescents and adults navigating the complex landscape of an eating disorder. Rooted in empirical research and clinical wisdom, this set of visually engaging cards invites clients—and the clinicians who support them—on a path of self-discovery, emotional connection, and personal transformation.
The Journey Begins
ED Recovery Therapy Cards for Clinicians For Use in the Treatment of Eating Disorders For Adolescents and Adults. 60 beautifully designed evidence based cards with drawings plus guidebook designed to promote self-reflection and support recovery from eating disorders (ED).
Understanding Personality
The journey starts with the Personality Trait Cards, which help clients uncover the foundational traits that may have contributed to the development of their eating disorder. Traits such as perfectionism, rigidity and high standards—often seen as faults—are re-examined in a compassionate light. Clients are invited to reflect on how these traits can become allies in their recovery rather than tools of self-sabotage. This first step allows individuals to begin shifting their self-perception from one of judgment to one of acceptance and curiosity.
Meeting the Inner Critics
The next challenge comes in the form of the Inner Critic Cards—those harsh internal voices that reside in the “head space.” These critics undermine confidence, amplify shame, and reinforce the eating disorder. Clients learn to externalise these voices, understand where they come from, and begin to loosen their grip. This process brings awareness to the ways the eating disorder hijacks personality traits and emotions, keeping clients stuck in a cycle of self-criticism and fear.
Discovering Inner Sages
Emerging from this confrontation is a turning point—the introduction of the Inner Strength Cards, or “Sages.” These inner voices reside in the “heart space” and represent the client’s intuition, compassion, and resilience. As clients begin to hear and strengthen these voices, they reconnect with parts of themselves untouched by the eating disorder. Sages offer courage, wisdom, creativity, and hope—qualities that counteract the inner critics and support a growing sense of self.
Integration: Head vs Heart Space
Throughout the therapeutic journey, adolescents learn to observe the inner dialogue between their Head Space—a top-down, detail-focused perspective rooted in logic and analysis—and their Heart Space—a bottom-up, relational and emotionally connected way of experiencing the world. With the guidance of the clinician, they are supported to quiet the voice of their inner critics, strengthen the presence of their inner sages, and embrace the full spectrum of their emotional life. Over time, they begin to integrate their traits, emotions, and inner voices into a more balanced, compassionate, and cohesive sense of self.
The Destination: A Stronger Sense of Self
The ultimate goal of the ED Recovery Therapy Cards is to guide clients toward the development of a cohesive, confident, and empowered sense of self.
These cards transform treatment into a meaningful, accessible, and playful experience—allowing clinicians to meet clients where they are and guide them forward in a way that is both structured and deeply human.