Six Ways To Support Your Teen With Their Eating Disorder: Help For Parents And Caregivers 

For caregivers or parents, watching your adolescent suffer from an eating disorder can be painfully distressing and overwhelming. The journey to recovery can be challenging, but as a caregiver, your support can make a significant difference in your child’s recovery process.  

Below, we’ve broken down necessary eating disorder help for parents or caregivers whose child may be suffering. These tips can provide support in their recovery process.

• Educate Yourself: Developing a deeper understanding of eating disorders is critical to your ability to effectively support your child. Educate yourself about the different types of eating disorders, their symptoms, and potential treatments. This knowledge will help you better comprehend what your child is going through and how you can best support them.
If you are unsure that your child is suffering with an eating disorder, take our quiz., and our team members will review the results with you.
• Reach Out To Professionals: Oftentimes with an eating disorder, help for parents could benefit from professional intervention in addition to support from family members. Consult with healthcare providers specialized in eating disorder treatment.
to develop a comprehensive treatment plan tailored to your child’s unique situation. Our team at Inner Haven Wellness can help you better understand your child’s symptoms with a complimentary phone assessment. One of our compassionate team members can advise you on the appropriate level of care for your child once the assessment is completed. You can reach us by clicking here.
• Avoid Blaming and Shaming Your Child: Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions, and a common misconception is the symptoms are a choice or a phase. Avoid blaming or shaming your child for their behavior, as this can exacerbate feelings of guilt and worthlessness. Instead, encourage open and transparent communication with your child. Create a safe space in their environment where they feel comfortable discussing their feelings and struggles without judgment. Listen actively, validate their emotions, and communicate your support.
If a child feels comfortable enough to discuss eating disorder help, parents or caregivers can take proper next steps.
• Promote Self-Acceptance in Both Your Child And Yourself: Cultivate a neutral body image environment at home by refraining from making negative comments about your own weight, appearance, or food. Avoid restrictive diets, compensatory behaviors or excessive exercise regimes that may inadvertently reinforce disordered behaviors. Though you may not have an eating disorder, help for parents can come from how you view your appearance. Instead, share your own experience with individuality, self-love, and acceptance.
• Understanding Triggers and Minimizing Exposure to Them: Seek to identify and understand triggers that may be difficult for your child to navigate. Work together with your child to minimize exposure to these triggers. As your child works with a professional to develop healthy coping strategies, you can reinforce them at home.
• Care for Yourself: For parents supporting a loved one with an eating disorder, help can be emotionally draining and overwhelming at times. To stay committed to being a source of support and encouragement for your adolescent throughout their journey to healing it is important to care for yourself and your own mental wellbeing. While caring for a child with an eating disorder, help for parents can come from friends, family, or support groups to navigate this challenging time effectively. In addition, at Inner Haven Wellness we offer multifamily groups for caregivers and parents to connect, learn, and share in the process together.

Supporting an adolescent through an eating disorder requires patience, empathy, and ongoing support. It can be overwhelming and challenging to see your child suffer. A vital role in navigating eating disorder help is for parents to educate themselves, seek professional help, avoid blame and shame, promote self-acceptance, understand triggers, and tend to their own needs.  

We know this can be a difficult time and our team members are here to help you in this process. Feel free to contact us by clicking here, and one of our compassionate team members will contact you within 24 hours.