Research on the Family Meal in FBT: The Impact of Parental Direction

A family sits around a dining table. What is the impact of the family meal during family-based treatment? An FBt therapist in Los Angeles, CA, explains the effect this time can have on teens during their eating disorder treatment.

TL; DR Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is the leading outpatient therapy for adolescent eating disorders, particularly anorexia. A key component is the family meal, where parents actively encourage their teens to eat, often under the observation of a therapist. Research with 21 families revealed that direct prompts (like urging teens to eat specific foods) were more …

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Is the (Eating Disorder) Treatment Your Child is Getting FBT? A Therapist Explains

Purple scrabble tiles spelling 'How you you know the treatment is really FBT?' Meeting with an experience FBT therapist in Los Angeles, CA, can help you determine that type of treatment your received (and needs).

TL;DR Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is a specialized, evidence-based therapy for children and teens with eating disorders, developed in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s important for parents to differentiate true FBT from general family therapy or other approaches, as not all treatments that claim to be FBT are fully compliant with its structured methodology. Key indicators …

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Presentation at NEDA 2015 conference

Lauren and Katie presenting NEDA 2015

Katie and I had the honor of presenting in the Individual, Family, and Friends track at the National Eating Disorder Association Conference in San Diego yesterday.  The title of our talk was:  Family Based Nutrition Therapy:  Creating A Supportive Environment.  It was a chance to share the way we work to support families who are …

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