OUR VALUES

Equity Matters

Project HEAL exists as a resource for all people struggling with disordered eating in the United States. We believe that equity is a restorative process, not an event. In contrast to equality, equity is aimed at a just distribution of resources that acknowledges inherent inequity in our existing systems. Equity is not a punitive process, nor an inversion of the existing hierarchy. In order to create a world where everyone can experience the eating disorder healing they deserve - regardless of age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, size, health, ability, or financial means - we strive to ensure that Project HEAL’s limited resources are leveraged to create the most meaningful impact for those the system is most egregiously failing. We use an intuitive, individualized, case-by-case approach, and intentionally prioritize those who have been excluded from or harmed by the eating disorder field due to biases like racism, weight discrimination, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, healthism, and classism. 

Healing is Possible

We believe that healing from an eating disorder is possible with access to resources and opportunities. Project HEAL has intentionally chosen to use the word “healing” rather than “recovery” because recovery implies a regaining of something that was lost. We believe that both the eating disorder experience and the healing process fundamentally change a person as well as the communities to which they belong, so instead of aspiring to return to a former “normal,” we encourage an embrace of the tools and growth that eating disorder healing offers. We acknowledge that far too many do not have access to the resources, support, or safety that are required to heal - and even when they do, healing is nonlinear and unique to each individual. We deliver services through a harm-reduction lens, recognizing that traditional treatment is not designed for everyone, and we connect beneficiaries to care that is least likely to harm them and most likely to empower their progress towards their desired healing outcomes. We are committed to both the long-term vision of changing what eating disorder treatment can and must be and the promise to save as many lives as we can in the meantime. 

Your Body Is Yours

We believe that every body is valuable, worthy, valid, and deserving of care, respect, and safety. Bodies have no relative, intrinsic, or hierarchical value, and yet we grapple daily with the deadly impacts of existing in a society and a healthcare system that imposes hierarchical values on bodies based on systems of oppression. We are committed to taking actions that push back against systems that make it less safe for some people to be fully embodied than others. Beyond body positivity, Project HEAL aligns with body acceptance and body liberation movements. We are actively working to unlearn and resist value systems rooted in white supremacy, fatphobia, gender binaries, diet culture, and perfectionism. We thank our bodies and our minds for their fortitude in the face of systems that encourage this never ending tradition of violence against the self. We work to actively build pathways to healing that radically accept the diversity of the human form and create space for the celebration, enjoyment, and appreciation of all bodies.

We’re Better Together

Eating disorders thrive in isolation, and we believe that the true healing of ourselves, our bodies, the eating disorder field, and our society at large can only happen in the context of connection and community. We believe that our mission is not possible without collaboration and collective action through partnerships, research, advocacy, fundraising, and education. We actively work to diversify the eating disorder field and advance accurate representation of eating disorders. We acknowledge that in our efforts to create access to a broken healthcare system, we too can perpetuate harm, and we want to be held accountable to acting in alignment with our values. We invite feedback and commit to evolving and improving as the needs of our community change. As eating disorder rates continually climb, Project HEAL’s onus to help more people access eating disorder treatment grows. With the support of our community, Project HEAL can more effectively achieve our vision of a world where every person with an eating disorder has the resources and opportunities they need to heal.