NEDA Navigator Guidebook
Not for public distribution. For exclusive use by official NEDA Navigators
6. Whether meeting in person, calling, or emailing, be clear in articulating the
Navigator roles and boundaries (covered in detail in training). This is for your
protection and theirs. It is important that contacts understand your role is never to be
a substitute for professional care, as Navigators are not qualified to provide any
mental health care, and such misunderstanding could delay crucial treatment for
someone. You may need to clarify your volunteer status and time availability in order
to maintain healthy boundaries and avoid feeling drained (role plays provided in the
NEDA Navigator training).
7. If the contact is very upset and/or crying, just listening can be helpful and may be the
best gift you can offer. If the person seems in any way unstable, you need to refer
them to help immediately, even if it means calling 911. This will be very rare. If the
contact indicates they are thinking of attempting suicide or is in immediate crisis, ask
them to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). If
there is talk about self-harming behavior please direct the individual to the Self-
Harm Prevention line at 1-800-334-4357.
If you are unsure about what to do or what you have done, call or email the NEDA
Navigator staff contact, or NEDA Navigator Trainer/Advisor. Most contacts will not
involve this level of intensity.
8. When appropriate, you can help them learn more about other programs that NEDA
offers as well as what current NEDA Network member organizations are in their
region: California
Eating Disorders Resource Center (EDRC), California: http://www.edrcsv.org/
Be You at Be Me, Inc.: http://www.beyouatbeme.com/
Colorado The Eating Disorders Foundation: http://www.eatingdisorderfoundation.org
Florida Eating Disorders Network of Central Florida: http://www.edncf.com
Helping Other People Eat (H.O.P.E.): http://www.hopetolive.com/index.php
COPE Community Outreach for the Prevention of Eating Disorders: http://www.cope-ecf.org/
Georgia Eating Disorders Information Network, EDIN: http://www.myedin.org
The Manna Scholarship Fund: http://www.mannafund.org
Maryland Eating Disorder Network (EDN): http://www.ednmaryland.org/
Massachusetts Multi-Service Eating Disorders Association, Inc., MEDA: http://www.medainc.org
Missouri Missouri Eating Disorders Association: http://www.dahliapartnership.org
New Jersey
Someday Melissa: http://www.somedaymelissa.com
Guidelines for Navigators ▪ Page 2
©2012 National Eating Disorders Association. All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction or other use of this outline without the express written consent of the National Eating Disorders
Association is prohibited.
8