Two local women have spent years collaborating on a book designed to help those who are suffering or have loved ones suffering from the effects of eating disorders.

Carrie Thiel and Barbi Webber have just released “Surviving Disordered Eating: One Bite at a Time,” a book filled with skills and tools for people with eating disorders to recover from the malady.

The authors first met in 1999 when Thiel, then a school teacher, found out her daughter Claire was struggling with anorexia. Webber, a survivor of anorexia herself, has dedicated her life to helping those suffering from eating disorders.

“We had three hearts joined to create this book,” Webber said. “Even the woman who took the photographs, Annie Crandall, was the first person who chose to help me in high school.”

The strategy Webber used to recover from her life-threatening mental illness is the same one she tells readers in the book.

“Never give up hope,” she said. “Take one bite at a time. I used an apple for myself. Each bite gave me the strength to take another.”

Webber works as a social worker and eating disorder mentor at The Summit Medical Fitness Center in Kalispell. Thiel is a licensed counselor in private practice, changing her career after helping her daughter recover from anorexia.

“I switched my careers because I knew I wanted to work with people and help people with what my daughter had,” Thiel said. “Barbi’s thing is cognitive behavioral skills. I’m more looking at the underlying emotional, social and environmental issues behind the disorder.”

The co-authored book takes a holistic approach toward eating disorders, focusing not just on the biological aspect (including the dangers of binge eating, bulimia, anorexia and others) but also on the mental front.

The authors want those suffering to realize they need help.

“This is not something which goes away on its own,” Thiel said. “What exactly is the best way to treat an eating disorder is still up in the air amongst professionals, but we all know that ignoring it does not work.”

The book is on sale at The Summit Medical Fitness Center and on Amazon.com for $19.95. The authors hope to get it into local bookstores soon.

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.