Background: Evidence indicates that competent involvement of clients’ male loved ones (MLOs) improves outcomes and increases treatment efficiency. However, MLOs remain under-utilized or untapped natural resources for professionals. Professionals and programs will get evidence-based strategies to reduce barriers to healthy MLO involvement in treatment--including barriers unintentionally erected by professionals themselves.
- Present data on efficacy of Male Loved One (MLO) involvement in prevention and treatment of eating disorders.
- Discuss research data on the intentional and unintentional barriers which tend to inhibit healthy MLO involvement, including habits reinforced by professional training and practice.
- Analyze a case study (including voices of MLOs and treatment providers) detailing a successful intervention with MLOs of clients in treatment for eating disorders.
- Analyze a case study (including voices of MLOs and treatment providers) detailing how a variety of treatment providers and one large treatment program successful changed their MLO-related practices and strategies.
- Interactive analysis of provider practices which, according to research, diminish or eliminate barriers to healthy MLO engagement in therapeutic interventions.
- Hands-on participant practice (through role play) with 2-4 of these strategies.
- Feedback on role play
- Discuss how to analyze MLO-related strategies, and adjust for specific treatment and family-constellation environments.
Research indicates that involvement of men in a patient’s family improves treatment outcomes and contributes to a helping professional’s efficiency. However, fathers, stepfathers, and other men in families remain underutilized or untapped natural resources for the patient and practitioner.
This workshop gives professionals and institutions concrete strategies to reduce and overcome the barriers that inhibit the healthy involvement of male loved ones (MLOs) in our patients’ treatment for eating disorders—thereby improving the patients’ well-being, and our own professional effectiveness.
The workshop provides participants with:
- research data supporting the value of engaging and mobilizing men in families
- research data on the intentional and unintentional barriers which tend to inhibit healthy MLO involvement, including habits reinforced by professional training and practice
- guidance on how to use effective strategies to engage men in families
- a case study (including voices of MLOs and health care providers) detailing a successful intervention with patients' MLOs, a number of eating disorders treatment providers, and a large, multi-state eating disorders treatment program.
- practical methods to involve MLOs who live at a distance from your patients
Our goal is to provide eating disorders treatment professionals with the skills to
- Identify and explain the research-based barriers inhibiting healthy involvement by fathers, stepfathers, relatives, and other male loved ones (MLOs) in adolescent therapeutic interventions
- Analyze their personal practice and institutional practices for policies, habits, attitudes, and other factors that tend to suppress and/or limit the engagement, involvement, and utilization of MLOs to support patients' motivation, treatment compliance, and recovery.
- Develop and implement specific tactics to mobilize and utilize patients' MLOs as active, health-endorsing resources; analyze implementation success, and adjust for specific treatment and family-constellation environments.
The session includes hands-on practice through role-playing, ongoing interaction, case study analysis, and curricular materials that providers can use immediately in their practices and programs.
Dr. Pamela Carlton is an Adolescent Medicine specialist in private practice. Her practice is focused on providing medical treatment and care coordination for adolescents and adults with eating disorders. Dr. Carlton was clinical faculty in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford where she developed and directed their Adolescent Eating Disorder Parent Education and Support Program. Dr. Carlton’s book, “Take Charge of your Child’s Eating Disorder: a parent’s step-by-step guide to defeating anorexia and bulimia” was named by Library Journal as one of the best consumer health books of 2007.
Joe Kelly, BS, consults with eating disorder professionals on engaging the clients’ male loved ones (MLOs) as treatment and recovery resources. He also coaches MLOs to support recovery. His 10 books include the best-seller "Dads & Daughters®" and "The Body Myth: Adult Women and the Pressure to Be Perfect" (with Margo Maine, PhD). He contributed chapters to "Prevention of Eating- and Weight-Related Disorders" and "The Encyclopedia of Diversity in Education." He co-founded New Moon Girls magazine and the nonprofit Dads & Daughters, served on the Eating Disorders Coalition board, and was The Emily Program’s Fathering Educator.
