Our Services
Peer-to-Peer Crisis Support
Assistance With Insurance Denials
Placement In Care Facilities
Understanding and Guidance
We offer personalized Peer-to-Peer crisis support, assistance with insurance denials, and help with placement in suitable care facilities. Our approach meets families at their current point of need and guides them towards positive change. We empower families to trust their instincts in the pursuit of saving their loved one’s life. Additionally, we provide tools and coping strategies to help caregivers effectively manage the intense distress often experienced when dealing with a loved one’s mental health crisis.
We offer personalized Peer-to-Peer crisis support, assistance with insurance denials, and help with placement in suitable care facilities. Our approach meets families at their current point of need and guides them towards positive change. We empower families to trust their instincts in the pursuit of saving their loved one’s life. Additionally, we provide tools and coping strategies to help caregivers effectively manage the intense distress often experienced when dealing with a loved one’s mental health crisis.
Peer-to-Peer Crisis Support
Assistance With Insurance Denials
Placement In Care Facilities
Understanding and Guidance
F.A.Q.’s and Resources
What are the signs and symptoms that your loved one might have an Eating Disorder?
Often we notice our loved ones becoming more withdrawn and isolated from friends and family. They stop engaging in activities they use to enjoy. A large amount of energy becomes focused on the way they look and what foods they “can” eat or “can not” eat. Your loved one might start counting calories, move toward “clean eating” or suddenly become extremely picky about food in general. They may be spending more time in the bathroom after meals. Showering more than usual. Often there is an increase of physical activity. A compulsiveness around exercise in an effort to burn unwanted calories. You may experience your love one dropping weight rapidly (This is not always true as eating disorders can exist in any body size).
It is also important to pay attention to how your loved one responds to conversations or concerns you have around their wellbeing. If they shut you down quickly or you feel like you are walking on eggshells around them this is cause for concern. These are all indicators that there may be an eating disorder present.
If my child’s labs are fine does that mean they are safe?
No. Lab values are not a marker of health with eating disorders. Human bodies have amazing mechanisms in place to keep it themselves “balanced” and alive. Many people can go into severe malnutrition with “normal” lab presentation. If you wait for labs to be off your loved one will likely be in critical condition at that point.
My child is over 18. Should I be involved in their care?
Yes. If they could recover from this on their own they would not be inside an eating disorder with little resource to help themselves. Eating disorders are a deadly, isolating disease. Keeping the familial bond intact while working towards remission is an invaluable lifeline.
How do I push back on my insurance if they deny access to care?
Understanding your policy and learning to appeal denials: Click Here
Is it better to aggressively treat my child’s eating disorder or go at a pace they are less resistant too?
The quicker your loved one can get to remission the more likely they are to live a life in remission without relapse.
I have been told that my adult child is too sick for care. Is there anything else we can do?
Yes, no one is ever too sick for care. If you don’t know what to do next reach out to us for help quickly. We will assist you in helping your loved one receive the life saving care they deserve.
I feel like I am walking on eggshells at home anytime I raise concerns about my loved one’s wellbeing. Is this normal? What is the right thing to do in these moments?
First- We always recommend the caregivers find a therapist of their own who has a working knowledge of eating disorders care. When your loved one is diagnosed with this deadly illness, learning to manage your own distress so your loved one can feel theirs is life saving work. However, it is not a skill that comes naturally to us. We have to actively work toward raising the distress threshold our bodies can tolerate. We need outside help to do this. It is hard beyond measure. Having your own therapist will also give you access to skills and tools you need when interacting with your loved ones eating disorder. These skills and tools teach us to model behavior your loved one will need to reach remission.
Our advice, if you feel you are “taking around” or avoiding certain subjects for whatever reasons, odds are these are the exact topics you should be speaking too. Sometimes we need outside help to know how to do this effectively.
The doctor says my loved ones BMI is great, even though they have rapidly loss or gained weight. Is BMI a true measure of health?
No. BMI is not a measure of health. They are just numbers. We are individuals with varying genetics and body sizes. There is no one size fits all for health.
AED (Academy for Eating Disorders)
Association for eating disorder professionals, setting standards of care, research, preventative measures, advocating and annual conference
AED Guidelines For Care
Medical Care Standards Guide
Association For Size Diversity And Health
ANAD
Peer support for eating disorder sufferers
Understanding Emotion Focused Family Therapy
EDF (Eating Disorder Foundation)
Provides free online support groups for sufferers, families and siblings
FEDUP
Fighting Eating Disorders in Underrepresented Populations: A Trans+ & Intersex Collective
NAAFA (National Association of Fat Acceptance)
For over 50 years, NAAFA has worked to make the world a better place for fat people through education, advocacy, and support
Queer Asterisk
Provides a variety of therapeutic services for LGBTQPIA folx who identify as lesbian, gay, bi, trans, queer/questioning, pan, intersex, agender/asexual or non-conforming and their allies
EDPS (Eating Disorder Parent Support) Facebook group
What are the signs and symptoms that your loved one might have an Eating Disorder?
Often we notice our loved ones becoming more withdrawn and isolated from friends and family. They stop engaging in activities they use to enjoy. A large amount of energy becomes focused on the way they look and what foods they “can” eat or “can not” eat. Your loved one might start counting calories, move toward “clean eating” or suddenly become extremely picky about food in general. They may be spending more time in the bathroom after meals. Showering more than usual. Often there is an increase of physical activity. A compulsiveness around exercise in an effort to burn unwanted calories. You may experience your love one dropping weight rapidly (This is not always true as eating disorders can exist in any body size).
It is also important to pay attention to how your loved one responds to conversations or concerns you have around their wellbeing. If they shut you down quickly or you feel like you are walking on eggshells around them this is cause for concern. These are all indicators that there may be an eating disorder present.
If my child’s labs are fine does that mean they are safe?
No. Lab values are not a marker of health with eating disorders. Human bodies have amazing mechanisms in place to keep it themselves “balanced” and alive. Many people can go into severe malnutrition with “normal” lab presentation. If you wait for labs to be off your loved one will likely be in critical condition at that point.
My child is over 18. Should I be involved in their care?
Yes. If they could recover from this on their own they would not be inside an eating disorder with little resource to help themselves. Eating disorders are a deadly, isolating disease. Keeping the familial bond intact while working towards remission is an invaluable lifeline.
How do I push back on my insurance if they deny access to care?
Understanding your policy and learning to appeal denials: Click Here
Is it better to aggressively treat my child’s eating disorder or go at a pace they are less resistant too?
The quicker your loved one can get to remission the more likely they are to live a life in remission without relapse.
I have been told that my adult child is too sick for care. Is there anything else we can do?
Yes, no one is ever too sick for care. If you don’t know what to do next reach out to us for help quickly. We will assist you in helping your loved one receive the life saving care they deserve.
I feel like I am walking on eggshells at home anytime I raise concerns about my loved one’s wellbeing. Is this normal? What is the right thing to do in these moments?
First- We always recommend the caregivers find a therapist of their own who has a working knowledge of eating disorders care. When your loved one is diagnosed with this deadly illness, learning to manage your own distress so your loved one can feel theirs is life saving work. However, it is not a skill that comes naturally to us. We have to actively work toward raising the distress threshold our bodies can tolerate. We need outside help to do this. It is hard beyond measure. Having your own therapist will also give you access to skills and tools you need when interacting with your loved ones eating disorder. These skills and tools teach us to model behavior your loved one will need to reach remission.
Our advice, if you feel you are “taking around” or avoiding certain subjects for whatever reasons, odds are these are the exact topics you should be speaking too. Sometimes we need outside help to know how to do this effectively.
The doctor says my loved ones BMI is great, even though they have rapidly loss or gained weight. Is BMI a true measure of health?
No. BMI is not a measure of health. They are just numbers. We are individuals with varying genetics and body sizes. There is no one size fits all for health.
It's Never Too Late. Get The Support You Need.
If you or someone you know is facing the challenges of caring for a loved one battling severe eating disorders, The Laura Culp Project is here to provide the understanding, support, and guidance you need. Reach out today for support and begin your journey towards healing and transformation.
Our Story
The Laura Culp Project was born from the shared experiences of two dedicated mothers, Joy and Carla, who had both faced the challenges of caring for loved ones battling eating disorders. Their journey began within a peer-to-peer support group on Facebook.
The Laura Culp Project's history is one of empathy, dedication, and a deep commitment to listening closely to the intricate stories of each family. They offer free access to the knowledge, tools, and invaluable experience they have gathered along their own challenging journeys.
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Honoring Laura Culp
Laura Culp has a story much like many of our kids. She was incredible. She was a high achiever, a perfectionist, she excelled in sports and academics. She was compassionate and kind and felt things deeply. She had hopes and dreams for her future. She had a loving family whom she loved back. In her senior year of high school she developed an eating disorder that after 13 years would take her life. Laura’s parents, John and Sandy Culp, were parents much like many of us. They had a daughter whom they loved with their whole hearts. They had hopes and dreams for her future. Her eating disorder wrote a different ending for their family.
We believe that when an entire family is supported, outcomes for those suffering are better. Our intention is to use Laura’s life, and her legacy to set in motion a ripple effect of hope. Hope that there is a better way, one family at a time.
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