Families do not cause eating disorders
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that stem from a combination of genetic, biological, psychological, and societal factors. While family dynamics influence a person's wellbeing, eating disorders are not caused by families. Blaming families oversimplifies the illness and gets in the way of the support that's actually needed. Understanding the multifaceted nature of eating disorders is essential to providing effective care.
Families are the key to healing.
Family-Based Treatment, sometimes called FBT or the Maudsley Method, is the leading evidence-based treatment for adolescents with eating disorders. Instead of stepping back, you step in.
In the early stage, you take an active role in helping your child eat enough and stop harmful behaviors, the same way you would show up if your child had any other serious medical illness. You don't need any special training. That's my job, to coach you through exactly what to do and how to do it.
As your child gets stronger, control over eating shifts back to them, gradually and at their pace. Treatment then turns toward the normal work of being a teenager: independence, friendships, growing up.
Most families meet with me weekly, together, for several months. The timeline depends on your child, but the goal is always the same: your family back to itself, with food no longer the thing standing in the way.