![Early Intervention with Family-Based Treatment (FBT) for Eating Disorders [Image description: a teen girl sits next to a doctor who is writing notes; depicts a potential teen client with early signs of an eating disorder in California]](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/medium-shot-doctor-writing1-1024x683.jpg)
Originally published on the F.E.A.S.T Blog on August 22, 2014, by Lauren Muhlheim, Psy.D., CEDS, and Therese Waterhous, PhD/RDN Eating Disorders are serious mental illnesses with dangerous medical consequences. Without early intervention, eating disorders may become chronic or even fatal. Parents are often unaware of some of the early signs of an eating disorder. Even …
![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, 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 vegetarianism. Instead, …
![Return to exercising during FBT for teen eating disorders [Image description: drawing of a teen running on a treadmill] Represents a potential teen undergoing FBT for an eating disorder in Los Angeles, California](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/DALL·E-2023-06-08-19.23.06-a-drawing-of-a-teen-girl-wearing-a-purple-shirt-and-running-on-a-treadmill1.png)
Excessive exercise is often a component of various eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, atypical anorexia, OSFED, and subclinical eating disorders. It is a symptom that affects up to 80% of those with an eating disorder (Quesnel et al., 2023). By expending energy, exercise may contribute to the negative energy balance that may trigger …
![Family-Based Treatment with divorced families [Image description: a black and white drawing of a family of 4 with a tear between the 2 parents] Representing a possible family seeking FBT in Los Angeles, CA](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/family-3090056_1920-1024x683.jpg)
A common question is whether Family-Based Treatment (FBT) works with separated and divorced families. The answer is definitely yes! The treatment can be implemented in a variety of family configurations as long as at least one parent or guardian is involved in the treatment. But, there is to date, little written about this. Research does …
![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 …
![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 …
![Externalizing your eating disorder in Los Angeles, California [Image description: a drawing of a girl facing a monster] Represents a potential teen with an eating disorder in Los Angeles, California externalizing her eating disorder](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/My-project1.png)
Externalizing an eating disorder is a therapeutic strategy. Jenni Schaefer’s book Life Without Ed, co-written by her therapist Thom Rutledge, popularized this strategy The book summarizes Jenni’s recovery from an eating disorder. Jenni describes how in her treatment she learned to personify the eating disorder as “Ed,” an abusive boyfriend. As explained in the blurb …
![Parenting During FBT [Image description: photo of one teen pushing another in a shopping cart] Represents a potential family with teens getting help for an eating disorder in Los Angeles, California](https://www.eatingdisordertherapyla.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/jakob-rosen-55MqyzQuZMI-unsplash-1.jpg)
Parenting during FBT is a different type of parenting. Parents doing Family-Based Treatment (FBT) often struggle with “normal parenting concerns” and setting limits while doing FBT. They’re refeeding their teens at home, doing the hard work often done by professional staff at treatment centers, but they still have to parent. It’s exhausting. Their teens who …