Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)

For Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are a giant wrecking ball in a family system, creating chaos and confusion. It is normal for parents and caregivers to feel at a loss, angry, scared, and alone when dealing with a loved one who has an eating disorder. The good news is, with the right support, parents and caregivers can become the best advocates and a force for positive change in their loved one’s recovery.

Emotion-Focused Family Therapy is about re-establishing the strong emotional bond between parent and child, a bond which the eating disorder often tries to undermine, and tapping into the tremendous power for healing. As a parent of a loved one who is sick, your therapist will provide coaching and support, and will review “advanced caregiver skills” focused on how to best coach your loved one.

Your therapist will also help you identify and work through emotional “blocks,” or those things that get in the way of being the best version of yourself as a parent. Your child or teen may not be fully ready or motivated to change their eating disorder, but you can still make a positive difference in steering them toward recovery.