This is an automated transcript of episode 1 of the New Plates Podcast
"1 new plates podcast.mp3"
[00:00:48] Welcome to the first episode of the New Plates podcast about how parents and treatment providers collaborate when an eating disorder strikes. I'm Laura Collins Lyster-Mensh you probably already know me. I've been writing about speaking about rabble rousing about how families especially parents play a pivotal role in eating disorder treatment. And mental health care in general. Just as we do with any health care issue I have 14 years of being alongside families and working with other advocates and professionals to get parents included empowered and effective. I have seen the best and the very worst outcomes. The evidence is clear that working with families improves treatment. But fact is right now in 2016 most treatment is still individual. Why is that. So this podcast is about when it works and how. You'll hear from some of the very finest treatment providers thinkers advocates researchers and families. I've met them and I want to share them with you. I'll give you news action alerts inspiration and lots of fresh ideas. And here's the rules we will assume that parents are doing the best they know how. We will assume clinicians and clinics are doing the best they know how and well assume that everyone can do better together if they know how. But that's enough introduction: let's get on to the good stuff and if anything or anyone mentioned interests you check out the show notes for the podcast for links at circummensum.com. One of the first things I did when I decided to start doing consulting formerly was I accepted an invitation to an event in New York City.
[00:02:40] The topic was neurobiology and treatment. The geek in me was very excited. The podcaster in me was overjoyed. There were three psych conferences going on in the city and you couldn't start a Broadway kick line without knocking over a brainy psychologist. I want to thank Dr. Walter Kaye at UCSD for the invitation. I want to thank the National Eating Disorders Association for sponsoring the event which was put on in conjunction with the Eating Disorders Research Society meeting. So you may ask why I a parent need to be attending scientific presentations. Well that's another theme for me. Parents aren't clinicians but we have a right and responsibility to know as much as we possibly can about the science and eating disorder diagnosis of your loved one is your involuntary but I hope willing registration in a college level course on things like neurobiology nutrition health care policy insurance appeals and psychology. There are no Cliff Notes. There is no pass fail. And also no excuses. And here think about this since eating disorders involves so many areas of expertise. Just for example nutrition development psychiatry adolescent medicine psychotherapy. Just for a start there really isn't anyone in those fields whose training is sufficient across disciplines. So every specialist and researcher out there is him or herself a lay person when it comes to the other fields. So we as parents are both as qualified and responsible for braining up on the various areas of research. We're not outsiders. We're part of that team.
[00:04:26] So it was lousy with thinkers in New York and although I wasn't attending all the conferences I took advantage of the opportunity to grab some of those best clinicians and thinkers in hallways and one on Times Square. You'll hear that to ask them a question that is at the foundation of this podcast and of my consulting work. Why include families in eating disorder treatment and why do parents need to make sure we're included. There were some patterns to their answers several like Dr. Mark Warren chief medical officer at the Emily Program spoke of the need for 24/7 treatment support and how that makes families especially parents a vital part of the team.
Mark Warren: [00:05:13] So when you work with families you feel like you've got treatment not always happening in your office. It's happened everywhere all the time. And when that happens the treatments more likely to work.
Laura Collins Lyster-Mensh: [00:05:27] Dr. Lauren Muhlheim a psychologist and director of eating disorder therapy L.A.
Lauren Muhlheim: [00:05:36] Work goes so much faster than work some kind of magic in a session that will convince a child to eat.
[00:05:41] I also talked with Professor Janet treasure from King's College London south London and Maudsley Hospital.
Janet Treasure: [00:05:48] We're told in the world we have to share task management to make as many people as possible in order to make cost effective interventions.
[00:05:59] And as I say these parents are so motivated so keen to do something that they all purrfect at task management sharing with us.
[00:06:12] Others emphasised how obvious it is that patients can't be taken out of the context of their families.
Craig Johnson: [00:06:19] Dr. Craig Johnson chief science officer at eating recovery center said about 90 percent of the cases said in which he does mean the binge eating disorder between the ages 12 and 24. How in the world do you not include families?
[00:06:37] And Dr. Julie K. O'Toole the chief medical officer at Kartini clinic there's no other way to treat eating disorders.
[00:06:47] Children are embedded within their family.
[00:06:50] Professor Janet treasure also added.
Janet Treasure: [00:06:53] Well parents have huge levels of motivation of wanting to help their child so that's incredibly important.
[00:07:02] Dr. Lucine Wisniewski, chief clinical integrity officer of the Emily program said.
[00:07:08] I think the question really is why not work with families whether it be a child or an adult.
Jim Lock: [00:07:14] And this from James Lock director of the Stanford child and adolescent eating disorder program. Broke it down quite movingly. Because children are always in families. If they're lucky. As children. And. Their. One thing. That. Will. Damage. Your life.
[00:07:31] It's. Really damaging. It's. Absolutely. Parents are the most fundamental resource in their life. To not involve them in decision making around the care of their child. This. Is. disrespectful of parents not recognizing the real. Relationship. That exists between. The.
[00:08:00] Children. And the love there that will inform everything.
[00:08:04] And. I noticed as I was talking to different people that the word love came up a lot and I was glad to hear it.
Mark Warren: [00:08:13] Dr. Mark Warren said the next great reason to work with families is that the whole notion of family therapy is that love can have an impact. We know that love isn't enough but we count on the love of parents for their children to make therapy work. And we know that as good as a therapist may be well never loved the patients the way a parent can love a patient
Lucene Wisniewski: [00:08:35] Dr. Lucine Wisniewski: really who loves. That person more than their family? It's still the family context that this person is coming to with. So I really can't imagine a scenario where I would say oh don't include the family as part of how you think about the circle of love around the patient.
[00:08:59] Perhaps the most important reason and the one that family should care about the most is this success licensed psychologist Dr. Sarah Ravin said it this way.
Sarah Ravin: [00:09:14] Well the research is actually very clear on this one the treatment approach is that involve families in a positive and empowering way are a lot more effective than approaches that treat the patient in isolation.
Julie O'Toole: [00:09:26] Dr. Julie O'Toole added.
[00:09:30] If you treat the patient in a vacuum with out including the parents you're very likely to fail in the long run.
[00:09:40] And I also want you to hear what my friend Jenny Shaeffer the well-known author and motivational speaker said on this topic in my personal recovery.
Jenni Schaeffer: [00:09:49] I never would have gotten better if my family would not have been involved in treatment So we hear a lot about eating disorders they find destroy families but we don't hear about is how recovery can bring families together. My family is stronger now, happier now. My parents did not.
[00:10:05] Did not cause my eating disorder and they did a lot to help me, and my brothers. And I'm so grateful to that. Thank you mom dad.
[00:10:15] I also asked my question of some other experts parents of eating disorder patients who've been on the other side of the table and access care alongside their children both young and adult. Lisa Conn spoke of the power of relationship and the why work with families.
Lisa: [00:10:35] Because I'm the one who loves my daughter and that's the best way for it to be done. And it worked for us.
[00:10:43] Katie the parent of a daughter diagnosed at 10 now 16 in solid recovery.
[00:10:50] The main reason why families need to be involved is that we are the one who are the main team. We are the one taking them home and doing the nitty gritty hard core day to day minute to minute second to second work. Dieticians and therapists and psychiatrists do not sit at the table with them. They are not sit outside of the shower in the toilet. They do not sleep with them at night to stop them from exercising. They do not see the nuances like we do day today. They don't go to the school every day to ensure that lunches go in. There are many reasons why families need to be involved. We need to be empowered. We are the first line of defense against eating disorders.
[00:11:34] And finally I asked a parent who has the experience of being at the table in two roles. She's been there as a parent and as a professional. Belinda Caldwell the incoming executive director of feast and a care consultant at the Victorian center of excellence in eating disorders said this.
Belinda Caldwell: [00:11:53] Involving families is critical to getting a good outcome in eating disorders. Families can provide a whole range of nuanced information to show that the treatment is more appropriate but more importantly families can be there 24/7 to ensure that the person has anorexia or eating disorder. Behaviors are contained at home until such time that the person can contain them themselves.
[00:12:19] So what is my own answer to this question. I've been a parent on the frontlines of seeking care and I've lobbied and worked with professionals in the field for many years. My answer is that I realized I was probably asking the wrong question. The question isn't really why include parents. The question has become Why work with clinics and clinicians who are not yet working collaboratively with families.
[00:12:53] Thank you for joining the first new plate's podcast episode. You can subscribe to this show through iTunes and all other podcast apps or just listen in for free. Any time you like on the Circum Mensam website. Sign up for reminders of new episodes and news at the same website Circum Mensam .com Circum Mensam is a consulting firm that assists professionals and clinics in working with families successfully and toward better outcomes for eating disorder patients. If your program event literature or training could benefit from expertise on parent involvement. Contact us today. I want to work with you. You're welcome to contact me. Laura Collins Lyster-Mensh at L-M at circummensam dot com and add your voice to the podcast by leaving voice messages at the site as well. And now I know that you listen to podcasts. I have a recommendation. While you're waiting for episode 2 of new plates go catch up on the eating disorders recovery podcast with Tabitha Farrar. Great content and style. See this show now it's a link to Tabithafarrar.com