Fear no more: get fierce at Australia’s At Home with Eating Disorders Conference

Fear no more: get fierce at Australia’s At Home with Eating Disorders Conference

Move over Eating Disorders, you undercover bully, invisible master of disguise. Your secret is out. You don’t scare us any more. Vacate, right now. You have been warned. Note this in your diary: Melbourne, May 29-30, 2015. D-Day.  Our message is loud, and clear: We no longer live alone, in fear of you. We stand united. We are fearlessly standing up to you. We are fierce.

The event: Australia’s second eating disorders’ conference for families and carers.

Register: Early bird rate until March 31

Keynote addresses to fire you up:

From Fear to Fierce – Transforming Parents into a Powerful Treatment Ally
Laura Collins, author of “Eating With Your Anorexic” and “Throwing Starfish Across the Sea” (2013), founder of FEAST and international parent advocate.

What Do You Do When…? – Practical Advice for Problematic Situations
Carolyn Costin, clinical director and founder of the Monte Nido Residential Treatment Centre; award winning lobbyist and advocate on eating disorders prevention; author of the Eating Disorders Source Book, Your Dieting Daughter and 8 Keys To Recovery from An Eating Disorder (2011).

A brain-based understanding of eating disorders
Professor Tracey Wade, Dean, School of Psychology, Flinders University, South Australia; award winning researcher and clinician for over 20 years, with over 130 research publications to her name; and
Dr Linsey Atkins, DPsych, clinical psychologist, director of Hope Family Clinic, Melbourne; accomplished in FBT and parent-focused treatment; member of the Institute of Training in Child and Adolescent Eating Disorders.

Pre-conference workshops pack a punch

To all warriors out there:  pre-conference workshops on Thursday, May 28th, offer opportunity for you to fire yourself up, add to your weaponry against ED, ensuring you are ‘all systems go’:

Taking care of yourself – this is your story

Yes, this workshop is with me:-)

Caring for your self is a vital part of helping a child, patient or partner recover from an eating disorder. In fact, science tells us that self- care is imperative for supporting carers in their efforts to cope with caregiving and help with their loved one’s recovery (Ref: Patel, Shafer, Brown, Bulik, & Zucker, 2014).

The diary is an excellent tool to help everyone in the family who is affected by an eating disorder, to take care of yourself. This workshop will be interactive and hands-on. Bring along a pen and notebook. You will learn how the diary can  enrich your role as a carer and your life as an individual.

Participants will acquire skills on getting in touch with their own self, and learn how this in turn can help them get in touch with, and communicate with, the person who has an eating disorder. As someone who experienced an eating disorder in childhood, adolescence and adulthood, and in roles as wife, mother, grandmother and while maintaining a professional career, I appreciate the importance of developing writing skills which enable the practising of self-care — that is, of being part of my own care team.

This morning workshop is followed in the afternoon by:

Making your voice count – sharing your story wisely
Presenter: Lesley Cook.
Would you like to be able to share your experience with others? Perhaps you have thought about sharing to help relieve your own feelings (e.g. stress, isolation)? Or perhaps you have thought about helping other families or raising community awareness of the reality of living with eating disorders?  This is an introductory workshop to help you work out what you would like to do with your story and how to take the next steps. Bring along a notebook and a pen.

Walking on egg-shells? How to reduce conflict and reconnect with your loved one
Presenter: Ross King
Motivational interviewing is a therapeutic technique which all parents/carers can learn, to assist you in communicating with your loved one with less conflict.
This workshop provides an introduction to this helpful technique. The workshop will assist you to understand different styles of care (e.g. kangaroo, dolphin, rhinoceros), work out which is your style and which is more helpful for assisting your loved one to recover. Participants will be coached on how to pick up on the hidden clues as to what may be really going on in their loved one’s mind, and how small changes in language can sometimes make a big difference in motivating the person to change their behaviour.

At the meal table: the really tough love
Presenter: Michelle Robertson

Meal support is a critical element of supporting loved ones with an eating disorder. Learn practical tips on how to support eating, what foods are important for recovery and how much, helpful tips ideas and strategies for mealtimes and more.