Parents of children with eating disorders – it’s not your fault

Parents of children with eating disorders – it’s not your fault

The 2013 ‘At Home with Eating Disorders’ conference, Australia’s first gathering of carers for people with eating disorders, will end the blame game that has held parents responsible for their children’s illnesses.

The carer’s conference, held in Brisbane from 23rd to 25th of May, will bring together national and international experts to recast the role of parents as a critical part of eating disorders treatment.

Almost 914,000 Australians were suffering from a clinical eating disorder in 2012, facing an average treatment lifespan of more than 10 years. This is a long time for the sufferer’s family to feel isolation and helplessness, especially when coupled with the overwhelming burden of societal misjudgement.

There is increasing evidence to support parents playing a crucial role in the management of eating disorders for children and adult sufferers. The Brisbane conference will seek to end the stigma, and help carers to build the necessary skills, knowledge and resilience to play an active role in their loved one’s treatment.

Speakers include:       

Professor Janet Treasure – Eating disorders treatment specialist from the South London and Maudsley Hospital and Kings College London.

Professor Daniel Le Grange – Director of the Eating Disorders Program and Professor of Psychiatry from the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Chicago.

Professor Cynthia Bulik – Professor of Eating Disorders at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine, Professor of Nutrition at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, and director of the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders.

Professor Stephen Touyz – Professor of Clinical Psychology and Honorary Professor in the Discipline of Psychiatry at the University of Sydney.

Dr Warren Ward – Director of the Eating Disorders Service at the Royal Brisbane Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and Secretary of the Australia & New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED).

Dr Andrew Wallis – Deputy Head of the Department of Adolescent Medicine, and Head of Family Therapy for the Eating Disorder Service at the Westmead Children’s Hospital, Sydney.

The conference is jointly presented by Butterfly Foundation, FEAST, Eating Disorders Outreach Service (EDOS) and Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders (ANZAED). See you there!

Date:               The Conference opens at 9.00 am, 23 May 2013

Venue:             Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital Education Centre