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Rated 'Excellent' by our patients
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Family therapy is an eating disorder treatment approach that, when appropriate, can play a key role in your personalised treatment plan. It involves both you and your family working with a therapist to explore how relationships and home dynamics may be contributing to your eating disorder and to build a framework that supports your recovery.
Family therapy for eating disorders typically involves you and your close family members participating in therapeutic sessions together, facilitated by one of our specialist psychological therapists.
The focus of these sessions will vary depending on where you are in your recovery, but common objectives include helping family members understand the nature of eating disorders, exploring communication patterns that may inadvertently maintain the illness, and developing practical strategies for supporting your recovery at home.
This form of therapy also provides a space for family members to process their own experiences, which is often overlooked but clinically important. Caregivers can gain a better understanding of what you are going through, receive relevant support, and improve their ability to help you.
Family therapy is offered at ABBI Clinic when appropriate as part of an integrated treatment plan, complementing individual therapy and allowing insights from both treatment approaches to inform overall recovery.
Hear from an ABBI Expert
Consultant Psychiatrist
“Eating disorders affect the whole family, not just the individual. Family therapy gives everyone involved the opportunity to understand what their loved one is experiencing and to learn how to offer support in a way that genuinely helps.
Some of the most meaningful progress I see happens when families start to communicate differently, with more understanding and less fear.”
Want to learn more about family therapy for eating disorders? Find answers to our most commonly asked questions here, or reach out to get in touch with a member of our expert team.
By involving relatives in the recovery process, family therapy can educate relatives about eating disorders, encourage open communication channels, and better prepare your family for supporting you after treatment.
Your clinical needs and family circumstances determine the frequency of family therapy sessions. Some ABBI patients might not require these sessions, though some may respond well to having them regularly throughout their programme.
Eating disorder family therapy sessions can involve you and your family members engaging with guided discussions about the causes or symptoms of an eating disorder, compassionate reflections on the impacts of an eating disorder, and workshops to design practical strategies for supporting long-term recovery.
