TL; DR 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 …
![ARFID and Holidays [Image description: Purple scrabble tiles spelling "ARFID and Holidays"]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IMG_3940-1024x718.jpg)
The holidays are supposed to be joyous occasions where families gather and eat together. But these two particular elements combined—family and food—can be extremely challenging for adults with Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). If you are an adult who has ARFID you may struggle with eating enough overall and or with variety. You may …
![Feeding a Child with ARFID in Los Angeles, California [Image description: photo of a girl eating broccoli and rice and looking unhappy] Represents a child with ARFID in therapy in California](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/686112772-huge2-1024x683.jpg)
Helping a Child with ARFID to Eat Feeding a child with ARFID is challenging and most parents are not adequately prepared. Children with ARFID are not just “picky eaters” and may not respond the same way as other children. Well-meaning advice you may have received—such as, “They will eat when they are hungry,”—often does not …
![Helping Others in Your Life Understand Your ARFID [Image description: 4 friends of diverse sizes and skin colors sitting at a picnic table] Represents supportive friends of a potential client seeking help for ARFID in Los Angeles, CA](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/allgo-an-app-for-plus-size-people-1qS6wnebTsM-unsplash1-3111-21-1024x683.jpg)
If you (or your child) have Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), you may have struggled with how to help others in your life understand this little-known disorder and how profoundly it affects you. ARFID can make eating uncomfortable in social situations if you or a child have ARFID. You may experience people trying to …
![Supporting Child with Eating Disorder Over Holiday in Los Angeles, California [Image description: photo of a Black family preparing a meal together and all the family members are dressed up] represents a potential family supporting a loved one with an eating disorder during the holidays](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pexels-august-de-richelieu-4262010.jpg)
By Carly Poynter, AMFT, staff therapist The holidays are a challenging time to navigate for most people. The holidays are even more challenging for those who struggle with their relationship with food. As we prepare for the holiday feasts and festivities, there are a few things to consider, especially when you have a child or …
![Holiday Eating Disorder in Los Angeles, California [Image description: photo of a family around a festive holiday table eating a meal together] Represents a potential family in Los Angeles, California](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/pexels-nicole-michalou-57788921.jpg)
The holidays are something we should all look forward to and enjoy, but they can be fraught for people with eating disorders. The combination of festive large meals and large gatherings of people who may not be your family of choice, as well as people you have not seen in a while, can be challenging …
What is Emetophobia–Fear of Vomiting? Emetophobia is an extreme fear—or phobia—of vomiting that significantly impacts a person’s life. People with emetophobia may be afraid of vomiting, or seeing or hearing another person vomit, or seeing vomit. In an attempt to avoid vomiting, these people often end up avoiding many situations, activities, and even people they …
![Easing Grief Through Connection (Coping Strategy for the Holidays) [Image description: jar of dimes]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/dimes-smaller-1018x1024.jpg)
By Carolyn Comas, LCSW, CEDS-S Grief can be complicated and a painful process. This holiday season many of us are experiencing the loss of the past year we were supposed to have. For those who have lost someone special, this can compound the difficulty of this year’s holiday season. 2020 has not been easy for …
![Getting ready for school with eating disorder [Image description: drawing of a boy with a backpack and lunch box and there is a purple school bus in the background] Represents a teen or child with an eating disorder in Los Angeles, California](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/My-project3.png)
It’s almost the first day of school, and parents of students with eating disorders have additional concerns to address on top of the usual back-to-school frenzy. Transitions can be tough for all teens—they are especially difficult for those with eating disorders. However, there are some preparations you can make to help things go more smoothly. …
![When You Have Adapted a Health At Every Size Approach and Your Family is Still Stuck in Diet Culture [Image description: photo of a crack] Represents a potential chasm between a patient in California receiving HAES eating disorder therapy and their family still stuck in diet culture](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/crack-3364707_1280-1024x768.jpg)
For many of my patients who have firmly joined the anti-diet camp and embraced a Health at Every Size® (HAES) approach to health, dealing with family members entrenched in diet culture can be a minefield that is tough to navigate. Let me say that I get it! I also have friends and family members who …