Support for Families, Parents and Loved Ones
If you are worried about a child, partner, sibling or friend with an eating disorder, this page is for you. It covers what eating disorders can look like from the outside, what might help and what doesn’t, and how to begin accessing specialist support, for them and for you. Towards the bottom of the page, there are also a number of resources that we recommend most often to families.
What you May Be Noticing child have an eating disorder?
Eating disorders are often secretive. The person experiencing one may not yet recognise what is happening, or may feel too frightened or ashamed to talk about it. Families and loved ones are often the first to notice that something has shifted.
Things people commonly notice include:
You do not need to be certain before seeking advice. If something feels different or concerning, a specialist conversation can help you make sense of it.
eating disorders support for families
Why It Can Feel So Confusing
Eating disorders are rarely about food in the way they appear from the outside. For many people, restricting, bingeing, purging, or rigid food rules come to serve a function: managing overwhelming emotions, creating a sense of control, or feeling safe in moments of distress. That is one of the reasons they can be so hard to interrupt. The behaviour is meeting a need, however harmful the method.
This is also why arguing with the behaviour rarely works. The person is not choosing to be difficult, and they are not being defiant. Eating disorders are recognised mental health conditions, not character flaws or a lack of willpower. Separating the person from the illness, internally as well as in how you speak, tends to help everyone involved.
A few principles that consistently hold true:
Early Priorities
If you are at the beginning of this, the areas below are what we would typically prioritise within specialist services. They are listed in roughly the order they need attention.
There is no perfect script, but some approaches reliably help and others reliably make things harder.
What Tends To Help
What Tends To Make Things Harder
If your loved one is not yet ready to accept help, that is common, and your own support and learning still matter. You do not need their agreement to seek information or a parent consultation for yourself.
Looking After Yourself
Supporting someone with an eating disorder is one of the more demanding things a person can do. It is normal to feel worried, frustrated, guilty, frightened, or exhausted, often all of those in the same week. None of that means you are doing it wrong.
Sustaining your own wellbeing is part of sustaining your support. That might mean:
Carer support is not an optional add-on. It is part of effective treatment.
treatment Options for Families
Treatment for an eating disorder is shaped around the individual, their age, their condition, and what they and their family find most helpful. Most people benefit from a combination of approaches.
Family-Based Treatment (FBT) and Family Therapy
For children and adolescents, FBT is the first-line evidence-based approach. Rather than treating the young person alone, FBT positions parents as the most important resource in their child’s recovery, with the clinician guiding the family week by week. Family therapy can also be helpful for adults, and siblings, partners, and parents may all be involved depending on the situation.
Being offered family therapy is not a comment on your family. It does not suggest the family is the cause. It draws on the strength of your relationships to support recovery and reduce the eating disorder’s grip on everyday life.
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy supports the person directly, exploring the emotional patterns underneath the eating disorder, building coping strategies, and rebuilding a healthier relationship with food and their body. The London Centre offers a range of evidence-based individual therapies including CBT-E, MANTRA, SSCM, CFT, EMDR, DBT and Schema Therapy. The right approach depends on the person and is agreed at assessment.
Parent and Carer Support Sessions
We offer sessions for parents, partners and other family members, regardless of whether your loved one is in treatment with us. These sessions offer psychoeducation about eating disorders, practical advice on how to respond at home, and a chance to process the emotional toll of supporting a loved one. They can be a one off or a series depending on your needs. If your child is over 18 we will not share specific details of their treatment with you unless they have agreed to this beforehand.
Preparing for a First Appointment
It is common for the person you are bringing, and for you, to feel nervous before a first appointment. A few things help:
If you are a parent enquiring for a younger child, we usually offer an initial parent consultation so you can speak freely about your concerns before your child’s assessment.
Support for Families and Loved Ones at The London Centre
Where appropriate, and with the individual’s consent, we work alongside families and loved ones throughout treatment. This may include offering guidance on how to respond to eating disorder behaviours at home, providing information about the recovery process, and helping families understand how to support without losing themselves in the process.
Family or carer participation is part of the normal treatment of under-18s. For adults, participation is a personal choice and a matter of consent. Either way, you don’t have to wait until your loved one is in treatment to get help for yourself.
To arrange a parent consultation or to discuss next steps, please book an appointment below.
Recommended Resources
The resources below are ones we regularly recommend to families. They are evidence-informed, practical, and grounded in approaches used within specialist eating disorder services.
Key Organisations (All Ages)
FEAST (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment)
A leading international organisation offering evidence-based support for parents and carers. Includes forums, practical guides, and structured support rooted in Family-Based Treatment (FBT), alongside resources for those supporting adult children. FEAST also offers support groups specifically for fathers.
Beat
The UK’s main eating disorder charity, offering helplines, online support groups, and guidance for carers supporting both young people and adults.
For Parents of Children and Adolescents
For Carers of Adult Children or Partners
Many of the organisations above, particularly FEAST and Beat, offer resources specifically for those supporting adults, where autonomy, boundaries, and consent are central to care.
For Families Affected by ARFID
ARFID (Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) is a recognised eating disorder involving strong avoidance or restriction of food for reasons other than concerns about weight or shape. Because ARFID is less widely understood than other eating disorders, families often struggle to find information. The resources below are the ones we recommend most often.
Recommended Reading
Core texts:
Skills-based Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder, Janet Treasure, Gráinne Smith & Anna Crane Grounded in the New Maudsley approach, this is one of the key texts for carers. Practical, evidence-based strategies around communication, boundaries, meal support, and emotional regulation.
Anorexia and Other Eating Disorders: How to Help Your Child Eat Well and Be Well, Eva Musby A practical, compassionate guide grounded in evidence-based approaches, particularly useful for parents supporting recovery at home.
Help Your Teenager Beat an Eating Disorder, James Lock & Daniel Le Grange A core text on Family-Based Treatment (FBT), offering structured, practical guidance for parents supporting adolescents.
Further reading:
Eating Disorders: A Parent’s Guide, Rachel Bryant-Waugh A clear, accessible overview of eating disorders in young people.
Survive FBT, Maria Ganci A skills-based manual designed to support parents undertaking Family-Based Treatment.
My Kid is Back, June Alexander A lived-experience account offering insight and perspective for families navigating recovery.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Eating Disorders in Young People: A Parents’ Guide, Riccardo Dalle Grave and Carine el Khazen A parent-focused guide to understanding enhanced cognitive behaviour therapy for young people with eating disorders. It explains the treatment model and offers practical guidance on how parents can support their teenager’s recovery, including creating a helpful family environment and supporting CBT-E strategies at home.
ARFID-specific reading:
ARFID: Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, A Guide for Parents and Carers, Rachel Bryant-Waugh A dedicated, practical guide for families navigating ARFID.
Food Refusal and Avoidant Eating in Children, Gillian Harris & Elizabeth Shea A clinically grounded book on avoidant eating in children, useful for parents and professionals.
The Picky Eater’s Recovery Book, Jennifer Thomas A guide for adults and older adolescents with ARFID and selective eating.
Support for Siblings
Siblings can feel overlooked while also being significantly affected by changes within the family. Support for siblings tends to focus on helping them understand the illness, maintain their own wellbeing, and navigate their role within the family.
FREED, Practical Guides Accessible, practical guidance for early-stage eating disorders. Resources on managing more challenging periods (such as holidays or disruptions to routine) can be helpful throughout the year.
Additional Practical Resources
Support for Carers’ Own Wellbeing
Caring for someone with an eating disorder can be demanding and, at times, isolating. Accessing support for yourself is part of being able to provide consistent, sustainable support over time.
When to Seek More Urgent Support
If you are concerned about immediate risk, significant physical deterioration, fainting, or concerns about safety, seek urgent support:
Start your journey
Take the First Step
Whether your loved one is ready to begin treatment or not, support and guidance are available, for them and for you. If you would like to talk to us about what you’re seeing, or arrange a parent consultation, contact us. You do not have to navigate this alone.
