VINCENT SQUARE EATING DISORDER SERVICE
Systemic Family Therapy: Information for Clients/Families
Why Family Therapy?
The reason for meeting family members is not because they are seen as the source of the problem but because they are needed to help their child to recover. The family is a resource; an ally in the battle to defeat the eating disorder. It is not an opportunity to apportion blame or responsibility. Emphasis is placed on change and how things can be done differently in order that a ‘healthier’ and more ‘normal’ relationship with food can be established.
Equally, families and carers may need help, advice and support to help them deal with the difficulties associated with having a family member suffering with an eating disorder.
Lastly, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE, a government body that reviews research evidence and consults experts in the field) make the following recommendations:
- It is good practice for families of patients of all ages to be involved in the assessment and treatment of patients suffering with an Eating Disorder, and to be kept informed about risks and progress.
- For young people with Anorexia Nervosa, family interventions are the treatment of choice.
What Does Family Therapy Involve?
Family therapy focuses on the relationships between the person suffering with an Eating Disorder and their family. It explores how the family impacts upon the individual, and how the individual impacts upon other family members.
Early sessions will concentrate on practical help and advice in overcoming the eating disorder and any difficulties experienced at meal times.
Later sessions will be concerned with relationship issues with the family and how best to negotiate the difficulties associated with change and ‘normal’ family development.
You and your family will be expected to attend usually on a fortnightly basis for a 60-minute session (which family members and the frequency of the sessions are negotiable). The aim is for your working relationship with your therapist to be a collaborative one. The emphasis will always be what occurs between family members, and that with support and guidance in making changes progress can be made for all.
April 2013
M.Brayford, Family Therapist, Vincent Square Clinic