Helping Your Child Overcome an Eating Disorder: What You Can Do at Home
This thorough "introductory resource" for parents of children with eating disorders comes from therapists and researchers at the Yale Center for Eating and Weight Disorders, and its frank language, efficient summary of assorted studies, multiple anecdotes and straightforward worksheets will help them both understand their children's issues and create an environment conducive to recovery. In well-organized chapters, the authors present warning signs of eating disorders, offer guidance in understanding their roots, summarize different theories on why they develop and give tips on everything from choosing a therapist (or a particular type of therapy) to shopping for groceries. Communication is key, they maintain, and though parents may not find the "Topics for Family Discussions" easy to broach (dinner table talk with a teenager can be awkward enough, even when one doesn't need to discuss why "our society values physical appearance and thinness so much"), such topics will open lines of dialogue and help parents stop assigning blame on either their kids or themselves. For parents who feel powerless in the face of their child's eating issues, this reassuring guide will show them how to play an active role in helping their child recover healthy eating habits.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.