Background: “The Role of Family Therapy and Education in the Treatment of Eating Disorders” will highlight the novel treatments and educational formats for families that have produced some of the most interesting advances over the last decade in the field of eating disorders.
I. Brief history and literature review of Family Therapy and Eating Disorders
a) Structural
b) Systemic
c) Maudsley
d) Family Based Treatment
II. The Family Institute at Eating Recovery Center
a) Family Education Modules
b) Integration of various treatment models for intensive treatment settings
c) Innovative use of technology for increased support among families
d) Post graduate training opportunities in Family Therapy
III. Teaching modules
a) Examples of teaching modules currently in use at The Family Institute
Novel treatments and educational formats for families have produced some of the most interesting advances over the last decade in the field of eating disorders. This workshop will have three sections. The first will review the history and recent research findings regarding various types of family therapy used in the treatment of eating disorders. The second will be a description of the recently developed Family Institute at Eating Recovery Center. The Family Institute is a resource that is dedicated to developing teaching modules for family education delivered through Family Week and other emerging venues for dissemination. The integration and application of treatment models, including Structural, Systemic, Maudsley and Family Based Treatment in intensive treatment settings and “new thinking” regarding the use of technology to enhance families finding support among themselves. The final section will be examples of teaching modules currently in use for Family Week and for parents that are attending the Family Institute during the discharge phase of their child’s intensive treatment.
Craig Johnson has been a leader in the field of eating disorders for more than 30 years and is the Chief Clinical Officer at Eating Recovery Center in Denver, Colorado. He is a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oklahoma Medical School. He has formerly held faculty appointments at Yale, University of Chicago and Northwestern University Medical Schools. He was the Founding Editor of the International Journal of Eating Disorders and a founding member of the Academy for Eating Disorders and the Eating Disorders Research Society. He is also Past President of the National Eating Disorders Association.
Dr. Cindy Pikus has treated children, adolescents and adults with eating disorders for more than 17 years. Dr. Pikus received her Bachelor of Arts degree and doctorate in Clinical Psychology from UCLA. She currently serves as Clinical Director of Adult Inpatient and Residential Services and Associate Chief Clinical Officer at Eating Recovery Center in Denver, Colorado. She brings to this position her extensive experience and expertise in working with eating disorder patients in multiple treatment modalities and at multiple levels of care.
