Do you accept members and mentors with all types of eating disorder issues?

This is a common question - and the answer is YES. We have members who self-identify as anorexic-type and  bulimic-type, as well as those who self-identify as suffering with binge eating disorder and eating disorders not otherwise specified. We also have members who self-identify that they have suffered with more than one type of eating disorder.

Our mentors also represent the full spectrum of eating disorders. While we cannot make any guarantees as far as any individual member's ability to match with a mentor who meets their criteria for a mentor, we do add new mentor volunteers all the time, and are happy to report that we are able to offer both females and males the opportunity to match with a same-gender mentor as well.

Why can't family members or professionals join MentorCONNECT?

MentorCONNECT is a community designed specifically to support recovering persons and facilitate mentoring matches.

We currently have no services geared towards the needs of professionals or loved ones, although we do have a separate website, eatingdisordermentoring.org, where we share information about mentoring-based services that are low- or no-fee that can offer insight and support to the greater community of those who are supporting recovering persons.

Because MentorCONNECT is a private, confidential community, for these reasons we do not permit persons who do not fit our membership criteria to join the community, even for the purposes of vetting or viewing our members-only Forums in advance of encouraging a recovering or recovered person to join.

THIS POST has more information about how we moderate our community to ensure it stays private, safe, confidential, and recovery-focused at all times.

How specific can the matching criteria get in terms of shared diagnosis, geographic proximity, faith, etc?

While many mentees join MentorCONNECT in hopes of being able to match with a recovery mentor whose profile closely conforms to specific criteria such as a shared diagnosis, close geographic proximity, a shared faith background, a closeness in age, or other factors, we have found that the more specific a prospective mentee's match criteria are, the less likely it is that the aspiring mentee will be able to make a mentoring match on MentorCONNECT.

However, we do get new mentor volunteers quite frequently, and our mentors come in with past experience with all different types of eating disorder issues, including anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified. So with patience and diligence on the mentee's part, often a successful and satisfactory match can be made in time.

The one criterion that is strictly enforced on MentorCONNECT is that all approved matches must be same-gender only (cases of LGBT individuals who wish to make a mentoring match with a mentor of the opposite gender will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.)

Why do I have to read a book to join at the Mentee level?

The book "Beating Ana: How to Outsmart Your Eating Disorder and Take Your Life Back" is the first book written to describe the efficacy of adding a mentor to a recovering person's support team.

The first 31 pages and completion of an exercise in the chapter entitled "The First Step" are required prerequisites for all Mentee level applicants.

This is because we have found that mentoring matches work much better when both participants are informed about the Mentor Model that MentorCONNECT uses. Match participants have also reported that they have found it very helpful to have a foundational understanding in place about how mentoring can be useful and how to take a mentor's support before making their match.

The book is applicable for all diagnoses - from anorexia and bulimia to eating disorders not otherwise specified and binge eating disorder. It describes how a mentoring partnership can work, gives examples of the types of questions a mentee might ask a mentor, offers guidelines to pick a mentor or be a mentor, and uses actual correspondence between MentorCONNECT founder Shannon Cutts and five of her longtime mentees to do so.

MentorCONNECT maintains a small book scholarship program for Mentee level membership applicants who have a true financial need and cannot afford the book. If this describes you, then we invite you to EMAIL us to describe your financial situation and request to be added to the list to receive a free copy of "Beating Ana".

PLEASE NOTE: If you are presently unwilling or unable to complete the required reading from "Beating Ana" before applying at the Mentee level, we warmly invite you to apply as a General Support level member instead.

How do I find my way around the members-only website (Forums)?

The MentorCONNECT Forums, which is the members-only private website that only registered MentorCONNECT members have access to, offers a number of useful and supportive recovery benefits to our members.

Once you have accepted your invitation to join the Forums, you will be invited to create your own personal membership page. MentorCONNECT staff will review your page and then you will be approved to start participating.

Once inside the Forums for the first time, there is a lot to do! The first thing you should do is watch this helpful introductory video tour.

Next, you should make sure you are thoroughly familiar with the Forums Agreement tab information so you know the guidelines for participation.

After you have completed these two activities, you can choose from a number of additional activities, including writing a personal blog post, reading and responding to other members' blog posts, joining an online discussion group, participating in the Monday night chat support groups, and registering for upcoming free special events with recovery experts.

You can also make new recovery friends and access the telecast podcast feed to listen to past monthly teleconferences.

If you have any questions you can always use the contact information displayed on the Forums home page to contact one of the Forums Moderators and ask for extra help navigating the Forums.