Refeeding and Its Rewards

Home-based refeeding is hard work, hands down often the hardest endeavor parents will ever undertake on behalf of their child.  I am often on the receiving end of phone calls from parents exploring various treatment options for their ill child.  As discussed previously on this blog, the array of treatment options and often conflicting advice from various treatment professionals can be dizzying. When I explain the key concepts of FBT to parents for the first time, especially the central tenet of home-based refeeding, parents are often taken aback.  They have seen the beast of anorexia first-hand and fear facing its wrath at the introduction of an adequate meal.  My job is to metaphorically take their hand and guide them through the fear, to empower parents to heal their child, and to stare the beast down, once and for all.

The rewards of this are countless.  The return of life being primary among them.

The job is not easy but it is essential..it is the path to recovery.