What Is Family Based Treatment?
Our primary approach to treating eating disorders is a therapy modality known as Family Based Treatment or FBT (sometimes referred to as the Maudsley approach to treating adolescents with eating disorders). Research shows that FBT is the most effective treatment path for adolescent eating disorders in an outpatient setting.
While traditional eating disorder treatments often focus on the family’s role in causing the eating disorder, studies show that eating disorders have a strong biological component. Genetic predisposition to anxiety, perfectionism, and obsessive traits can play a role in developing eating disorders. As a result, FBT does not focus on why the eating disorder developed or who is to blame, and instead focuses on how to move forward.
How Does Family Based Treatment Work?
Nutrition and weight restoration are viewed as a critical first step in recovery. FBT maintains that adolescents suffering from an eating disorder are not in control of their eating behavior, so parents must take control over their child’s eating. Parents may be paralyzed with guilt or uncertainty around how to effectively support their child’s eating in the context of a child who is low weight, failing to gain weight at the rate normal to their development, or is engaging in extreme measures for managing weight. FBT equips parents to move through indecision and, alongside the support of an eating disorder therapist, serve as the child’s best resource to overcome their disordered eating. Parents learn to separate the illness from the patient and take action against the eating disorder rather than their child.
As parents focus on feeding their child, the child is freed from the control of the eating disorder. Once the eating disorder is under control, parents return control over eating back to their child and encourage age appropriate independence and autonomy over eating practices. Once the child’s weight has been restored, an eating disorder therapist will address any other mental health conditions that may co-occur with the eating disorder. FBT is a time-limited treatment and as such, teaches relapse prevention strategies to allow children to graduate from eating disorder treatment.
FBT for Eating Disorders
The hallmark features of FBT include:
Agnostic view on the causes of eating disorders: Neither parent(s) nor patient is to blame
While traditional eating disorder treatments often focus on the family’s role in causing the eating disorder, studies show that eating disorders have a strong biological component. Genetic predisposition to anxiety, perfectionism, and obsessive traits can play a role in developing eating disorders. As a result, FBT does not focus on why the eating disorder developed or who is to blame, and instead focuses on how to move forward.
Team Approach
Nutrition and weight restoration are viewed as a critical first step in recovery.As such, FBT involves a medical professional to partner with the primary therapist and follow the teen closely.
Parent Empowerment Model
FBT maintains that adolescents suffering from an eating disorder are not in control of their eating behavior, so parents must take control over their child’s eating. Parents may be paralyzed with guilt or uncertainty around how to effectively support their child’s eating in the context of a child who is low weight, failing to gain weight at the rate normal to their development, or is engaging in extreme measures for managing weight. FBT equips parents to move through indecision and, alongside the support of an eating disorder therapist, serve as the child’s best resource to overcome their disordered eating. Parents learn to separate the illness from the patient and take action against the eating disorder rather than their child.
As parents focus on feeding their child, the child is freed from the control of the eating disorder. Once the eating disorder is under control, parents return control over eating back to their child and encourage age appropriate independence and autonomy over eating practices. Once the child’s weight has been restored, an eating disorder therapist will address any other mental health conditions that may co-occur with the eating disorder.
Time-Limited
FBT is time-limited and as such, teaches relapse prevention strategies to allow children to graduate from eating disorder treatment.
Our goal at Cadence Child & Adolescent Therapy is to achieve recovery and prevent future relapse while also graduating clients out of treatment in a timely manner. The duration of treatment depends on severity of eating disorder and comorbidities, medical stability, weight restoration goals, and family factors.
Questions About FBT?
Cadence Child & Adolescent Therapy provides a safe and supportive environment for you, your child, and your family. Our mental health specialists have many years of experience helping patients of all ages who struggle with eating disorders and other mental health conditions. If you have additional questions or would like to schedule a consultation, you may call our Bellevue office at (425) 658-3200 or fill out our online form.
