If your teen (or young adult) has an eating disorder—including anorexia or bulimia—you may feel helpless, worried, or uncertain about how you can best support them. Our monthly parent support group— based on principles of FBT—can help. Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is the leading treatment for teens with eating disorders and it centers the role of …
![Family having dinner and unhappy in FBT [Image description: family of 2 adults and two kids and the teen girl looks very unhappy about eating] Represents a potential family in California doing FBT for their teen's eating disorder](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/pexels-cottonbro-studio-6603140-1024x682.jpg)
In Family-Based Treatment (FBT), we charge families with nourishing their teens back to health through meals at home. Because FBT is a parent empowerment model, parents are often given little specific guidance about how to do this. If you are like other families with whom I’ve worked, now that you understand this important point, you …
![Should you let your teen become vegetarian [Image description: purple scrabble tiles spelling "vegetarian" above a plate with raw vegetables]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/IMG_07351-1024x767.jpg)
By Katie Grubiak, RDN, Nutrition Illumination and Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D. We acknowledge that vegetarianism can offer benefits for both individuals and the environment. We also recognize that vegetarianism is embedded in some cultures and religions, and most children and teens raised in these cultures thrive. This article does not aim to debate the ethics of …
This was first written by Katie Grubiak, RDN in 2015 and published on a national blog site. It has since been removed and is posted here with permission by Katie Grubiak, RDN, dietitian for people of all ages at Nutrition Illumination Katie’s Six Tips To Make Halloween Fun–and Help Raise Intuitive Eaters Halloween is a …
![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 …
As we have written elsewhere, we believe Family-Based Treatment (FBT) is a complete treatment for teens with eating disorders. Most teens will not need (or want) additional therapy. The one area where we think teens could use a little more support is in developing a strong anti-diet stance to stand up to weight stigma …
![Individual therapy in FBT [Image description: photo of a teen seated and facing an adult] Represents a potential teen client in therapy for an eating disorder in Los Angeles, California](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/priscilla-du-preez-F9DFuJoS9EU-unsplash.jpg)
When I am working as the Family-Based Treatment (FBT) therapist for a teen in eating disorder recovery, their parents will often ask whether the teen should also see a therapist individually. Unlike other therapy situations, in FBT there is no expectation that there is both an individual therapist and a family therapist. It’s there in …
![What Parents Need to Know About Diet Culture [Image description: a larger woman smashing a scale] Represents a potential parent of a teen receiving eating disorder counseling in Los Angeles, California](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/bodyliberationstock-51970_ccexpress.jpg)
Parents and Diet Culture Many parents experience guilt when their teen is diagnosed with an eating disorder. Nearly every parent can point to a time they themselves dieted, opted not to have a dessert they really wanted, expressed a preference toward thinness, or discouraged their child from keeping eating. You may have done things to …
![Just say no to kids' diets in Los Angeles, California [Image description: purple scrabble tiles spelling "Just say no to kids diets']](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/IMG_00192-1024x754.jpg)
Updated July 2023. Previously published in 2019 as a response to the Weight Watchers Kurbo app for kids. In January 2023, the American Academy of Pediatrics released guidelines for treating children and teens in larger bodies with “intensive health behavior and lifestyle treatment”–what I call a diet. In case you are tempted to go down …
A Family-Based Treatment (FBT)-approach Halloween can be scary for teens with eating disorders for the wrong reason: the candy! Most teens with eating disorders are only willing to eat a restricted range of foods. Expanding this range is an important goal of treatment, with the reintroduction of fear foods being a key step. Candy tends …