Stepping Up To the Plate
A Parent's On-Line Guide to Facilitating their Child's Eating Disorder Recovery
A Webinar Series
 

Parents' Five Lecture Workshop Series - to be offered Spring 2011
Parents confronting an eating disorder in their child need not feel lost or frightened.
Eating disorders are difficult diseases to detect and to understand. Even more perplexing is how to respond to them and to your afflicted child. It may feel as though you don't know your child anymore, that she has been taken hostage by the dictates of an eating disorder. What might have started out as benign enough quirks or habits around eating and weight management may have turned into dangerous and lethal dysfunctions that impair your child's capacity to learn, to interact with others, and to develop and mature healthfully.

Shed your guilt. As a parent, it's easy to feel that whatever bad happens to your child is a result of your having done something wrong. Parents are not to blame for their child having an eating disorder. There is a lot they can do, however, to heal their child once afflicted, or even to prevent an eating disorder that may be developing.

You can rectify the problem, NOW, and for the future. You've heard that eating disorders cannot be cured, that "once anorexic, always anorexic" Don't believe it.
When parents learn how to respond and leave no stone unturned, when help is optimal and support is forthcoming, eating disorders are completely curable in 80 percent of cases.

If there was ever a time when you needed to step forward and to act "parental," it is now. Your child's eating disorder has compromised her perspective, judgment and ability to survive. It is up to you to take a stand, at least until such time as your child can regain his or her own emotional balance.

As a parent, you need to learn to
      -  Become knowledgeable.
      -  Become proactive.
      -  Take charge in an intelligent and appropriate way until such time as the child is capable of resuming self-care, self-regulation and self-control.

The sooner you define the problem, the sooner you will be able to find lasting solutions. Early problem recognition and sensitive and knowledgeable parental participation in recovery are two of the most significant factors in achieving a timely and sustained recovery.

This workshop will provide you the know-how, impetus, permission and confidence you need….in yourself, in your parenting, and in a convoluted recovery process… to parent your child effectively through this most pivotal and transformational time.

This workshop will give you insights into:

• Your child, who may be struggling with an eating disorder or on the verge of developing one.

• The eating disorder itself, and its implications for your child and family members who suffer the effects of the ordeal of disease and recovery alongside of her.

• Your own self, as the mentor and advocate that you need to become for your child, her recovery, and her professional team.

The workshop series describes why, and how, you as a parent need to be involved in your eating disordered child's recovery efforts. It will help you prepare yourself to take action by teaching you what you need to know, and to do, to help your child. It will teach you to become an astute observer of your child; the first step in your diagnosing your child's eating disorder is defining the problem as the first step towards resolving it. It will help you to become a more effective parent; to bond with, and to separate healthfully from, your child. When brought to a successful outcome, the eating disorder recovery process results in your child getting her self back; and the family getting their child back.

Stepping Up to the Plate:
The Power of Enlightened Parenting in Healing Your Child's Eating Disorder

Parents are invited to participate in all or chosen segments of this five part Webinar series. The fee per segment is $40 for a 90 minute segment, each segment consisting of 45 minutes of didactic lecture presentation and 45 minutes of questions and answers.


Session One
Facing the Challenge:
Preparing yourself to prepare your child to heal

Segment goals:

• To prepare parents to know how to identify what they see in their child.

• To help parents gain the skills they need to confront the afflicted child and bring the child to professional care.

• To refute myths about eating disorders and misconceptions about parents being to blame in causing these diseases

• Dispelling parental guilt
   

Session Two
Expanding your Eating Disorder I.Q.
Educating yourself prepares you to educate your child

Segment goals:

• To educate parents about eating disorders, their child's experience.

• To educate parents about what to expect in entering the treatment process.

• To inform parents how to secure the most expert professional care for the child and family.
   

Session Three
Treatment Nuts and Bolts

Segment goals:

• Understanding what needs to happen in eating disorder recovery, how, when, and at what pace.

• Understanding what progress looks like.

• Understanding the unique nature of eating disorder change; is your child's treatment as effective as it could be?

• Is there more you could be doing for your child, his or her recovery, to achieve the recovery outcome?
   

Session Four
A Parent's Personal Journey

Segment goals:

• Self-appraisal provides an opportunity for personal growth and a deeper connection with your child.

• To become knowledgeable about how best to support your child throughout the treatment and recovery process; to deal with your child, the disorder, the family, and the professional team.

• What kind of an eater are you? What are your own attitudes about food and weight?

• How well do you communicate with your child? What is your parenting philosophy?
   

Session Five
Recovery and Beyond

Segment goals:

• Recognizing and repairing a stuck process

• When recovery progress looks like failure

• Is anything less than complete recovery good enough for your child?

• Recovery true stories

Contact Abbie to register for the full course or specific segments.