There Is More to Recovery Than One Hour of Therapy Per Week

The Story Behind Our Eating Disorder Recovery Hugs Kits

One thing I want to emphasize about eating disorder recovery is this: we need less talk, more action. Less intellectualizing, more grounding.

Eating disorders are often surrounded by an aura of complexity and seriousness. While that’s true, it can also unintentionally reinforce the idea that someone needs to be really sick or really complex to seek treatment. That’s a dangerous misconception—it creates a barrier to care.

In 2023, while working on an innovation project through the Australian Clinical Entrepreneur Program – AUSCEP: A 12 Month Program to Nurture Your Clinical Innovation, I found myself wondering: What if we could reimagine what eating disorder recovery looks and feels like? What if recovery wasn’t just verbal and clinic-based, but instead felt like a gift?

I set myself a challenge: take the essential components of evidence-based eating disorder treatment, break them down to their simplest form, and present them as beautiful, tangible tools—tools that could invite my clients to make meaningful changes alongside the therapy sessions conducted in my clinic.

One day, I walked into a café in Subiaco to meet my mentor, Ollie. I hesitantly said, “I’ve got something to show you.” I had modified a HelloFresh box, placing inside it three essential tools for early recovery:

• Food—because nutrition is the foundation of eating disorder recovery.
• A heat pack—to soothe the gastrointestinal discomfort that often accompanies increased nutritional intake.
• Sensory putty—to help manage the anxiety that naturally arises in recovery.

I also included beautifully designed educational cards—concise, engaging resources covering the key information I want every client to know when they start treatment or are thinking about starting treatment. Ollie smiled and encouraged me to start testing the kits in my clinic, which I did.

As we began validating the kits in my clinic, something powerful happened.

Clients—many not only with eating disorders but also anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder—started buying them to support their own recovery journeys. Some returned to purchase more granola, not just because they liked it, but because it felt good to eat it. That’s a step towards recovery.

Others came back to buy putty for a younger sibling who felt they had missed out! Often, adults and young people would play with the putty during our therapy sessions, bringing moments of delight and humour into the intensity of family-based treatment. That’s a step towards recovery.

Image courtesy of Merre Granola – Merre Local, Merre Granola, Merre Meats | merredin shops

Beyond the immediate benefits, the Recovery Hugs Kits have sparked some unexpected yet deeply meaningful outcomes:

1. A Sense of Connection: Working with local farmers in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, Merre, has fostered a sense of community. There’s an implicit message in the kits: The food you’re eating is wholesome and nutritious, lovingly harvested and packed by Western Australian farmers who are now part of your recovery journey.
2. A Shift in Understanding: Many people, including parents, were surprised to learn the facts on our information cards. Many reflected they didn’t know that eating more regularly during recovery often comes with gastrointestinal distress—bloating, fullness, stomach pain. One father said, “If I had known this when my daughter was in treatment, I might have asked her if she needed something for comfort.”
3. More Conversations About Eating Disorders: A father from the Wheatbelt heard about the kits and subsequently sponsored the granola, which is harvested and packed in his local region by Merre. Many discussed the lack of support in regional and remote Australia. After gifting a kit to his daughter, another father told me she had started to talk to him and then sought a referral to an eating disorder specialist, after years of hesitation.

Recovery is not just about the one hour of therapy each week—it’s about the 167 hours in between. That’s when small but powerful moments happen: reconnecting with nourishment, soothing discomfort, embracing connection, and reinforcing self-worth.

The Recovery Hugs Kits are designed to support clients in those 167 hours—or even as a gentle first step for those unsure about seeking help. They are not a replacement for evidence-based treatment, but a complement—blending carefully curated Australian products with clinically informed educational resources to help clients take meaningful steps toward change.

Recovery Hugs – Support at home for eating disorder recovery.

Each kit includes:

✔ A handcrafted Australian clay heat pack for deep comfort
✔ Beautifully packaged granola sourced from Western Australian farms
✔ Sensory putty to soothe anxious hands and minds
✔ Educational cards covering essential recovery concepts

Who Are These Kits For?

✔ Individuals taking steps toward recovery
✔ Carers or support people who may be hesitant to start a conversation about recovery
✔ Clinical services looking to transform the recovery journey for their clients

Recovery is about more than just talking—it’s about shifting behaviours, as early as possible. And sometimes, the smallest, most tangible actions—like opening a beautifully crafted kit filled with tools for nourishment and comfort—can be the catalyst for change.

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Want to learn more? Visit morganpsychology.au/ to explore the Recovery Hugs Kits and how they can support the recovery journey.

Thanks to Lotterywest IdeaStarter, for funding to test and validate these kits outside of our clinic. This funding is made possible by Meshpoints, an initiative supported by Lotterywest and Spacecubed, helping build a stronger culture of entrepreneurship and innovation in Western Australia.