Family and Friends

The Family and Friends Support Group is for parents, partners and siblings who are caring for an individual struggling with an eating disorder. The group's objective is to provide an opportunity for families to feel less isolated, to have a better understanding of what it's like to live with an eating disorder, to improve their coping strategies, and to feel supported by sharing their feelings and experiences in a non-judgemental environment. The group is facilitated by Diana Norton, C.C.C

Where: Heartwood House, 153 Chapel St. (corner of Chapel and Rideau)

Cost: $40/person

When: Biweekly, Tuesday Evenings 6:30-8:00pm

Dates: September 21; October 5, 19; November 2, 16; December 7

The Family Support Network provides support to family members who have a loved one living with an eating disorder. The mentors involved in this program are parents, partners, or siblings who have themselves supported a loved one with an eating disorder. Their loved one has now fully recovered. The program involves interaction on a bi-weekly basis between mentor and mentee over a six-month period.

We are currently looking for volunteer mentors who:

- are parents, partners or siblings of a loved one who has struggled with an eating disorder, and who has been recovered for at least 1-2 years

- can commit to communicating biweekly with their mentee, for a period of 6 months

- are resourceful, positive and motivating

- are interested in assisting caregivers in learning about the mental health system and disordered eating*

(* please note: a mandatory training workshop will be organized for volunteer mentors)

Worried about your daughter's body image?

Parents Act Now: An anorexia prevention program for parents is a:

• 6-week online program to prevent the development of Anorexia Nervosa in girls ages 11-16
• For parents who are concerned about under-eating, over-exercising, or lack of expected weight gain
• Includes: information about the development of eating disorders, skills training to support healthy eating and exercise behaviours;
• by addressing warning signs such as under-eating and over-exercising

Contact: Parents Act Now

www.eatingresearch.com is a website created by the eating disorders research team at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London and the eating disorders service run by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. The site contains information about anorexia, bulimia and other eating disorders, support for families and carers, results of research and details of current research projects, and downloadable resources and access to training for GPs, student counsellors and other health professionals.

Mealtimes can be extremely tense and emotional, both for youth suffering from eating disorders and for their families. This DVD (based on the experience of patients and their caregivers at the Eating Disorders Program at BC Children's Hospital) is a "how-to" on providing meal support before, during, and immediately after meals and snacks. Useful for families who are welcoming their children home after intensive or day treatment, or who simply want to support a child who is struggling.

Health on the Net (HON) Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Geneva, whose mandate is to set codes of conduct to ensure that websites are providing reliable health-based information. Abiding websites may display the HONcode seal.

Here are some of the HON code guidelines:

1) Authoritative: indicates the qualifications of the author

Medical advice should be provided by trained and qualified professionals

A touching website from California. Beautiful pages with information for parents, prevention
and inspiring poetry. 

www.andreasvoice.org

This program provides specialized services to meet the needs of Albertan’s, of all ages, a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or an eating disorder not otherwise specified. A continuum of care spanning from promotion and prevention to early intervention, and treatment options are offered.  A referral from a community family physician is required to access treatment.

www.calgaryhealthregion.ca/eatingdis/edhandouts.htm
 

A good starting point with many useful links. This website exists to promote mental health and wellness education and advocacy. www.mentalhelp.net

Central dissemination site for information about eating disorders, books, videos, educational
resources, therapists and programs. 
www.nedic.ca 

Also hosts an adolescent friendly website RealMe that touches on body image and self-esteem
issues. 
www.realme.ca