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 …
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 …
TL; DR Including parents in the treatment of children and adolescents with eating disorders is essential for effective recovery. Here are five compelling reasons: 1. Debunked Myths. Historical views blaming parents for eating disorders have been disproven, shifting the focus to inclusive care. 2. Best Practices. Current clinical guidelines advocate for family involvement, emphasizing that …
TL;DR Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is not just for teens; it can be effective for adults, too. Originally designed for adolescents with anorexia and bulimia, FBT involves parental support in meal planning and supervision, which is crucial for recovery. Recent evidence suggests its application extends to young adults and older individuals, with many successfully using it …
Guest post by Dr. Jennifer Johnson What if Your Teen With an Eating Disorder is Sick? One of the most common questions that arise when parents are renourishing a teen with an eating disorder is what to do when they get sick. Parents are sometimes totally overwhelmed when that happens. Some families may back off …
Family-Based Treatment Family-based treatment (FBT) is the leading evidence-based treatment for teen eating disorders. It represents a paradigm shift from older treatments that focused on helping teens become independent from their parents in order to recover from their eating disorders. In FBT, parents are central members of the treatment team. Parents are charged with …
I often write about the importance of including parents in the treatment of adolescents and young adults. My work is informed by my training in Family-based Treatment (FBT). A central component of this treatment is empowering parents to help their ailing children with eating disorders return to health. When asked why families should be the …
Ten Things I Want Viewers of To the Bone to Know “To The Bone,” Marti Noxon’s semi-autobiographical film about her experience as a young adult living with anorexia, was released today on Netflix and has already stirred up much controversy within the eating disorder community. Generally, I do not see things in black and white. …
By Katie Grubiak, RDN Condiments in Eating Disorder Recovery In our work with clients with eating disorders, we help them to reintroduce recently eliminated and avoided foods that present as part of the eating disorder. We notice that as clients (both adult and child) reintroduce foods, it is often the condiments and sauces that are …
My original eating disorder training began in 1991 with learning Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for bulimia nervosa (BN) under G. Terence Wilson, the co-author with Dr. Christopher G. Fairburn, of the treatment approach that preceded CBT-E. In 2010 I underwent training in Family Based Treatment (FBT) for Adolescent Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and became certified in …