Bloch Behavioral treats adolescents with eating disorders through outpatient Family-Based Treatment (FBT) — sometimes referred to as the Maudsley method — or outpatient enhanced cognitive therapy (CBT-E).
FBT is a form of family therapy that empowers parents to manage their child’s eating disorder through a firm and compassionate focus. The practice coaches parents on how to re-nourish their child back to health, then coaches the family in transitioning nourishment choices back to the adolescent. The ultimate priority is a return to normal development in eating and daily living.
FBT is the current leading empirically-supported intervention for adolescents with eating disorders. It has been found to be effective with individuals under the age of 18, who have been ill for less than three years. The treatment is conducted over the course of one year on average. More information on FBT can be found here.
CBT-E has shown promising results as an alternative to FBT, and has recently been recommended for youth with eating disorders when family therapy is either unacceptable, contraindicated, or ineffective. More information on CBT-E, as well as a comparison between FBT and CBT-E, can be found here.
We always work from a Health At Every Size® (HAES®) perspective, meaning we work with people of all sizes to find compassionate ways to nourish, respect, and accept their unique bodies. You can learn more about HAES® here.