With a Little Help From My Family: Who is FBT For?

Meal support for Eating Disorder Recovery in Los Angeles, California [Image description: 2 Asian young women eating together] Depicts a potential young adult supporting a friend in eating disorder recovery in Los Angeles, CA via meal support

  Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is the leading evidence-based treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. One of the common misbeliefs I hear is that it’s “only for kids or younger teens.” However, I think it has a much wider applicability. In fact, I would say that my FBT training has significantly improved my …

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When Your Child With an Eating Disorder is Sick….

When your teen with an eating disorder is sick

Guest post by Dr. Jennifer Johnson When parents are renourishing a child with an eating disorder and that child gets sick, parents often don’t know what to do. Some families may back off on feeding every time a child gets any illness, which can be a risky practice. Especially during Phase 1 of Family-Based Treatment …

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Family-Based Treatment Can Help Depression and Self-Esteem Too!

FBT Depression and Self-Esteem

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 and they are charged with guiding and …

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On Empowering Parents—Not Pathologizing Them

Empowering Parents

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), which as a central part of treatment seeks to empower parents to help their ailing children with eating disorders to return to health. When asked why families …

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A Viewing Guide for “To The Bone” Movie

Eating Disorder Film Guide

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. …

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Five Reasons Parents Should be Included in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Eating Disorders

Parents Should be Included in the Treatment of Children and Adolescents With Eating Disorders

I had the honor of presenting a workshop yesterday along with Therese Waterhous, PhD/RDN, CEDRD. and Lisa LaBorde, Outreach Director for Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (FEAST) at the IAEDP Symposium 2016. Our workshop was entitled, From “Worst Attendants” to Partners in Recovery: Empowering Parents as Agents of Change for Children and Adolescents …

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Condiments, the Final Frontier of Eating Disorder Recovery

By Katie Grubiak, RDN, Director of Nutrition Services Katherine Grubiak is a Registered Dietitian with a focus on blending Western & Eastern philosophies regarding nutritional healing.                                     In our work with clients with eating disorders, we help them to …

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For Teens With Bulimia, Family Based Treatment is Recommended

Teens With Bulimia Family Based Treatment

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 …

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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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Parental direction works, but don’t expect your kid to be happy about it: Research on The Family Meal in FBT

Parents charged with helping their children to recover in Family-Based Treatment often wonder 1) how to actually get their children to eat and 2) whether they will harm their children or the parent-child relationship by requiring them to eat. A recent study addressed these concerns by looking at the family meal.         …

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