In her insightful piece, Dr. Lauren Muhlheim uses a zip-lining experience as a metaphor to illustrate how parents can support their children with eating disorders during family-based treatment (FBT). She highlights key strategies that can ease the anxiety surrounding mealtimes, akin to facing the fear of jumping from a plane.
Physical Placement: Parents sitting close to their child at mealtimes provides essential support.
Confidence: Calm and confident parents inspire trust, making it easier for teens to eat.
Validation: Listening to children express their fears without arguing helps relieve anxiety.
Reassurance: Empathizing with their fears is more effective than overwhelming them with information.
Togetherness: Family presence during meals creates a supportive environment, helping teens face their fears collectively.
Ultimately, like zip-line attendants, parents can foster a nurturing space that encourages recovery. By focusing on empathy and support rather than engaging with fear-based thoughts, families can aid their teens in overcoming eating disorders.
At EDTLA, I often explain to parents that for a youngster suffering from an eating disorder, a meal can feel dangerous. Like jumping out of an airplane. A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to (almost) live out this metaphor on a family vacation. This experience led me to reflect on the experience of both the teen and their support team.
Despite the excitement I had felt when we initially planned the activity, when I saw the length and height of the zip lines, I had misgivings. I imagined that this is how many of my patients must feel before many meals. Imagine, though, that they face this fear up to six times daily!
During the zip-lining adventure, I felt most comfortable going after my children and before my husband. Even though once I was on the zip-line, I was alone. Rushing through the air at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour, so fast my eyelashes were blowing into my eyes – somehow taking the plunge in this order made me feel like I was snugly nestled between them.
The calm and assurance of the line attendants was comforting. They knew what they were doing. At every single end of each of the eight lines, I felt compelled to tell the attendant who secured or unstrapped me exactly how terrified I was. I was relieved when they joked and told me they knew I would be fine. I also felt supported when my kids received me at the end of each line. They reminded me that the next one wouldn’t be any harder. Knowing that my kids and husband were there with me and that we were doing it together made this fear something I wasn’t facing alone.
So, how does this apply to supporting a young person with an eating disorder?
During the zip-lining adventure, I felt most comfortable going after my children and before my husband. One of the basic premises of family-based treatment (FBT) is that the support of the family during mealtimes provides a supportive environment for recovery. Parents often find that sitting at the table on either side of their adolescent during mealtimes provides additional structure and support. It is an act of love to support a child through a meal when they are terrified.
If the zip-line attendants had expressed hesitation or anxiety about what they were doing, I probably would have refused to go. Calm and confident parents inspire trust in their children, making it easier for them to eat. As an FBT therapist in Los Angeles, I often remind parents that they may have to fake it until they feel confident.
At every single end of each of the eight lines, I felt compelled to recount my terror to the attendant who secured or unstrapped me. I didn’t need to hear any response in particular. It just relieved me to express how scared I was and to know that the attendants heard me. When parents hear their child say he or she doesn’t want to eat, it is more helpful to simply hear it and stay calm than it is to get upset and try to argue or reason.
If the zip-line attendants had tried to reassure me by giving me detailed factual information about the strength of the lines and so on, my attempts to parse this information in my state of anxious activation might have only increased my anxiety. Parents can empathize with the fear and express confidence that their adolescent will be okay. “I know you are scared. I know you can do this.” Parents know their youngster and know whether joking will work. It is usually best to avoid getting into the content of the fear. Such as how many calories are in the food, why they need fats in their diets, etc.
I also felt supported when my kids received me at the end of each line. It reminded me that the next one wouldn’t be any harder. Knowing that my kids and husband were there with me, and that we were doing it together, made this fear something I wasn’t facing alone. The presence and support of parents, siblings, and extended family during and after meals is critical.
At the end of my zip-lining experience, my nerves were spent, and I felt exhausted. But I was happy and proud that I had faced my fear with the support of my family. In the far more essential activity of eating, families can provide similar support to make fears bearable. They can provide an environment that allows teenagers with eating disorders to recover and flourish.
Parents usually get the best results when they are like the zip-line attendants. Calm, empathizing with the fear, and never engaging the source of the fear (in this case, the eating disorder). Avoid getting pulled into the content of the eating disorder thoughts. When your adolescent says they are worried about the caloric content of food, think about what they are really expressing. Their anxiety about eating. It is much better to empathize with how scared they are than to debate whether food is healthy for them (spoiler alert: it is).
Like ziplining, supporting your teen through eating disorder recovery can feel scary at first. But with the right harness and guidance, families can move forward with strength and confidence. Family-based treatment (FBT) gives parents a clear, evidence-based framework to take charge of meals, helping restore nutrition, rebuild trust with food, and steady the path toward recovery.
You don’t have to face mealtime battles or uncertainty alone. Through FBT, families receive structured coaching, practical strategies, and ongoing professional support to navigate resistance, manage anxiety, and stay steady in the face of fear. At Eating Disorder Therapy LA, our Los Angeles–based therapists specialize in FBT for adolescents with anorexia, bulimia, and related eating disorders, helping parents build the confidence and skills needed to lead recovery at home. Getting started is simple:
Helping your teen face meals during eating disorder recovery can feel as intimidating as stepping off a zipline platform. But with the right support, families can move through that fear with steadiness and purpose. Family-based treatment (FBT) equips parents with practical tools and structured guidance to lead at mealtimes, support weight restoration, and help their teen build a safer, more trusting relationship with food.
At Eating Disorder Therapy LA, we provide comprehensive, evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents, college students, adults, and caregivers. Our clinicians specialize in addressing the full range of eating disorders and related challenges. In addition to FBT, we offer therapy for Anorexia Nervosa, Atypical Anorexia, Bulimia Nervosa, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), and Binge Eating Disorder. We also treat concerns such as excessive exercise, body image distress, and phobias related to swallowing, choking, or vomiting.
To meet families where they are, our Los Angeles–based practice offers flexible options. Including online therapy and eating disorder group therapy. We also provide Small Group FBT and ARFID consultations, and professional speaking, training, and educational programs. Additionally, we offer school-based services and clinical supervision for therapists seeking advanced expertise in eating disorder treatment.
For further insight and education, we encourage you to explore our eating disorder blog and Dr. Muhlheim’s books. When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder and The Weight-Inclusive CBT Workbook for Eating Disorders (available in 2026). To connect with our team, please call (323) 743-1122 or email Hello@EDTLA.com. We look forward to supporting your family as you lead recovery with courage and confidence.
Dr. Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., FAED, CEDS-C, is the founder of Eating Disorder Therapy LA and a licensed psychologist specializing in evidence-based treatment for eating disorders across the lifespan. Her work emphasizes family-based treatment (FBT), particularly guiding parents to take confident leadership during challenging moments like family meals. An approach central to effective recovery. As one of the few FBT-certified therapists in Los Angeles, she supports families in restoring nutrition, strengthening resilience at home, and helping teens return to healthy development. Dr. Muhlheim treats anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, and related concerns. She is the author of When Your Teen Has an Eating Disorder and The Weight-Inclusive CBT Workbook for Eating Disorders. She also developed one of the only FBT training programs for dietitians. Licensed in California, Indiana, New York, and Oregon, with a Florida telehealth license, she is widely recognized for her leadership in family-centered, weight-inclusive eating disorder care.
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