Tüscher Psychology

Evidence-Based

Mental Health Information, Resources and Support

For Parents of Children and Teens

  • Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment of Eating Disorders (F.E.A.S.T.) is an international non-profit organisation of and for parents and caregivers to help loved ones recover from eating disorders by providing information and mutual support, promoting evidence-based treatment, and advocating for research and education to reduce the suffering associated with eating disorders.
  • Maudsley Parents This website for parents of eating-disordered children provides support and a great deal of information about Family-Based Treatment.

Books

The following are some resources to support family members and friends through the eating disorder process:

  • “When Food Is Family: A Loving Approach to Heal Eating Disorders” by Judy Scheel PhD.
    illustrates how the eating disorder is used as a metaphoric voice — sometimes the only voice available to a person with an eating disorder — when relationships break down. It is a hands-on, working guide to eating disorder recovery that will help families understand causes of eating disorders and the impact they have on relationships. They will learn ways to work together to heal, repair, and rebuild positive interactions. Exercises and examples throughout the book demonstrate what to do that will help the entire family change patterns of communication, establish trust and empathy for each other, and learn how to listen to and understand the person with the eating disorder.https://www.whenfoodisfamily
  • “Eating Disorders: A Parent’s Guide”, by Rachel Bryant-Waugh and Bryan Lask: As an overview of eating disorders in children and adolescents, this book may be a helpful resources to parents who are seeking to better understand the challenges they may be facing as their child recovers from an eating disorder. Authors give brief and practical advice for navigating the recovery process.
  • “My Kid is Back: Empowering Parents to Beat Anorexia Nervosa”, by June Alexander with Daniel Le Grange: Inspired by her own experience with Anorexia, author June Alexander explores the power of family-based treatment in eating disorder recovery. This book shares inspiring stories of other families who have walked this path as well as includes advice from experts and professionals.
  • “Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder”, by James Lock, MD, PhD, and Daniel Le Grange, PhD: Authors give an overview on current therapy and treatment options for an eating disorder as well as suggestions on how families can become involved in the fight against an eating disorder.
  • “My sisters bones” by Cathi Hanauer. Cassie left for college, she’s seemed different—withdrawn, obsessed with studying, and she barely eats. Billie can’t talk to her parents about it; they act as if nothing is wrong, refusing to see the changes in their older daughter.A poignant story of self-discovery, My Sister’s Bones explores the shifting landscape of family, friendship, and love through the eyes of a young girl possessed of a wisdom far beyond her years. In Billie Weinstein we meet a character as funny, vivid, and endearing as any in recent memory, and watch her transformation as she achieves freedom from the seemingly unbreakable web of family ties.
  • “Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder”,  Second Edition, James Lock, MD, Ph.D. and Daniel Le Grange, Ph.D. (2015). This book for parents includes a comprehensive overview of the Family-Based Treatment approach to treatment, written by the developers of the treatment.
  • “Eating with Your Anorexic: A Mother’s Memoir”, Laura Collins (2014). Any parent who is struggling with a child with an eating disorder will find it helpful to read this mother’s account of her daughter’s recovery using Family-Based Treatment.
  • “Brave Girl Eating”, Harriet Brown (2010). Brown provides another excellent account of a family’s struggle with anorexia and treatment using Family-Based Treatment. In Brave Girl Eating, the chronicle of a family’s struggle with anorexia nervosa, journalist, professor, and author Harriet Brown recounts in mesmerising and horrifying detail her daughter Kitty’s journey from near-starvation to renewed health. Brave Girl Eating is an intimate, shocking, compelling, and ultimately uplifting look at the ravages of a mental illness

AED Medical Care Standards Guide Often referred to as, “the purple brochure,” this guide from the Academy for Eating Disorders’ (AED) Medical Care Standards Task Force, is intended as a resource to promote recognition of, and risk management in the care of, those with eating disorders.

Sick Enough: A Guide to the Medical Complications of Eating Disorders Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani has written the go-to resource on the medical complications of eating disorders. In her compassionate bedside manner, she demystifies these confusing disorders and distils into a single source everything that patients, families, and eating disorder providers will want to know.

  • Academy for Eating Disorders: The AED is the main international scientific body for the study and prevention of eating disorders. It provides professional training to therapists as well as education and information about eating disorders research, prevention, and clinical treatments.
  • Gurze/Salucore Eating Disorders Resource Catalogue: Eating disorder books, articles, information, resources, and more.

Both of these tools allow for keeping food records on your smart phone as an alternative to paper food records. They offer additional recovery oriented tools as well.

  • One Gender Cafe “Eating Disorders” http://eatingdisorders
  • ED Matters – Gurze/Salucore is a podcast that provides information for people recovering from an eating disorder, their loved ones, and clinicians.
  • Recovery Warriors is a podcast for increasing the resilience of those experiencing depression, anxiety, and eating disorders. Interviews include everything from body trust and intuitive eating to pregnancy and sports.
  • Overcoming Disordered Eating – Part A and Part B. Patients undergoing cognitive behavioural therapy for eating disorders can use these online workbooks, provided by CCI.
  • The Body Image Workbook: An Eight-Step Program for Learning to Like Your Looks, Thomas P. Cash, Ph.D. (2008). This workbook specifically targets negative body image issues using a cognitive-behavioural approach.
  • The Appetite Awareness Workbook: How To Listen to Your Body & Overcome Bingeing, Overeating, & Obsession with Food, Linda W. Craighead, Ph.D (1996). This cognitively based workbook focuses on strategies to regain normal eating patterns by reducing eating in response to external cues and emotional factors, and increasing awareness of internal hunger and satiety signals.
  • Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works, Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch (2012). This book teaches techniques to develop a healthy relationship with food and replace both dieting and binge eating with “intuitive eating.” This book is extremely helpful for chronic and yo-yo dieters and emotional eaters/binge eaters.
  • 50 Ways to Soothe Yourself Without Food, Susan Albers, Psy.D. (2009). This book draws upon a variety of evidence-based techniques to cope with emotional eating. The techniques are divided into 5 sections: 1) Mindful meditation techniques; 2) Change your thoughts, change your eating; 3) Soothing sensations to calm and relax the body; 4) Soothing yourself with distractions; and 5) Soothing yourself with emotional relationships.
  • Mindful Eating: A Guide to Rediscovering a Healthy and Joyful Relationship with Food, Jan Chozen Bays, MD (2009).

Helping Children to Develop Healthy Body Image and Healthy Eating Habits

There are several books for parents that provide tips and strategies for improving self-esteem and body image in their children. Some of those we recommend to our clients include:

  • I’m Like, So Fat: Helping Your Teen Make Healthy Choices about Eating and Exercise in a Weight-Obsessed World, Dianne Neumark-Sztainer, Ph.D. (2005)
  • Real Kids Come in All Sizes, Kathy Kater, LICSW (2004).
  • 101 Ways to Help Your Daughter Love Her Body by Brenda Lane Richardson and Elane Rehr (2001).
  • No Weigh: A Teen’s Guide to Positive Body Image, Food, and Emotional Wisdom by Signe Darpinian, Shelley Aggarwal, & Wendy Sterling. The book is a teen-friendly guide to eating and body image. It covers important related topics like physical changes of puberty, understanding emotions, stress management strategies, and good sleep and exercise habits. It discusses body diversity and acceptance. Most importantly, it presents a non-diet approach to balanced eating in which all foods are allowed. This is such a critical message for teens.
  • New Moon Girls: This pro-esteem magazine is produced for (and largely by) 8-14 year-old girls. Its website is a great place for girl self-expression.
  • USDA My Plate Clients often seek advice on meal planning. The USDA’s revised meal-planning guideline replaced the old food pyramid with a much more user-friendly plate.

CBT workbooks I recommend to my clients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder include:

  • Mastery of Anxiety and Worry, Michelle Craske, Ph.D. and David Barlow, Ph.D. (2006).
  • CCI’s online workbook What? Me Worry?. Online CBT workbook

OCD

  • Stop Obsessing: How to Overcome Your Obsessions and Compulsions, Edna Foa, Ph.D. and Reid Wilson, Ph.D. (2001). This self-help book utilizes evidence-based CBT techniques from the world’s leading experts for overcoming OCD.
  • Overcoming Obsessive Thoughts, Christine Purdon, Ph.D. and David Clark, Ph.D. (2005). This book focuses on CBT strategies for overcoming obsessive thoughts.

PANIC DISORDER

CBT workbooks I recommend to my clients with panic disorder include:

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