Service details

Treatment and therapy may include education and information about eating disorders, nutritional support and advice, meal planning and management. However our principal therapeutic approach for Eating Disorders is family based treatment as this has the best evidence for promoting recovery for children with eating disorders. 

Family Therapy for Anorexia Nervosa  

This is a therapy model specifically developed for eating disorders. You may come across this treatment model under different names such as FBT (Family Based Treatment), Maudsley Model, Family Therapy for Eating Disorders, etc. Current research and evidence show that FT-AN is the most effective treatment model for young people with an eating disorder and NICE guidelines recommend this as a first-line treatment for children and young people. 

FT-AN is a phased treatment model. There are 4 phases to the treatment: 

Phase 1: 

• Getting to know each other 
• Arriving on the same page for shared sense of purpose for working together 
• Foundations of working as a team 

Phase 2: 

• Managing the eating disorder 
• Re-establishing regular eating 
• Risk management 
• Working towards stabilisation 

Phase 3: 

• Exploring other issues or areas (i.e. individual and family) 
• Working towards independence 

Phase 4: 

• Ending treatment, discussion about future plans and discharge 

Research has consistently found that families are an invaluable resource of support for young people with eating disorders. This is at the core of this treatment model. A family’s love, care and protection of their child knows no bounds and they are experts in their children and know best what can be accomplished. Our job is to combine the family’s expertise with our experience and knowledge on eating disorders to guide you toward a better place. 

Although there is a strong emphasis on working with the family in this treatment model, FT-AN is a flexible model. As a team they will tailor the treatment according to the young person’s needs and personal situation. This may sometimes look like a combination of family sessions and individual sessions, or family sessions in the beginning and more individual sessions later, or family sessions all along. Other professionals from the multidisciplinary team and other input from various therapeutic models will also be tailored into your main treatment. 

When a young person is physically compromised, we will initially work with them and their family to establish a treatment plan focussing primarily on their physical health. This will include dietary management, alongside physical health monitoring of blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, weight, and height in the context of age and developmental stage (not BMI). There is no exclusion criteria based on weight within the service. This treatment is often alongside family-based work, and when required they may suggest individual work with the young person, the parents/carers and siblings as well. 

Intensive Support Pathway 

Where there is a risk of significant physical deterioration that could lead to a hospital admission, the team may consider a young person for a more intensive form of treatment called ISP (Intensive Support Pathway). This would require the young person to be seen more frequently, with appointments being offered in clinic and possibly at home. 

Medical or Specialist Admissions 

Should a young person experience physical deteriorations that compromise their safety in the community, we will seek support from the local acute hospitals to consider a period of physical stabilisation and monitoring. 

Although evidence suggests that recovery is best achieved in the community, in some circumstances, where community-based treatment is not felt to be effectively supporting recovery as expected, we may consider an admission to a specialist eating disorders unit (SEDU). However, we do work to promote and encourage the young person to work towards recovery within their usual environments given these units are not within the local county. 

Whether the team are working with adults or children, with their parents or carers, they will try to take a whole family approach when thinking how best to help the individual or families who access our services. They understand that talking about eating difficulties can be a sensitive and difficult issue to discuss, however, the parents/carers and the young person will have the opportunity to speak individually. 

Information shared with the team will remain confidential, however, there are exceptions to confidentiality. If the team feel that there may be a risk of serious harm either to self or others, we will share that concern with the relevant services to keep your young person/adult safe.