Parents and Families with Judy Krasna from FEAST
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Many listeners have requested episodes focused on parents and families dealing with eating disorders. We usually address the issues from the perspective of those struggling or the clinicians working with them. But families need support too, right?
In our field, we often talk about "lived experience" versus "expert by experience." These are people who have directly dealt with eating disorders, either personally or within their families. Their insights are invaluable, yet they are often underrepresented in the conversation.
When a child is diagnosed with an eating disorder, it’s overwhelming. Support and education for parents are equally important. Finding a community that understands what you’re going through can make a world of difference.
Food is medicine. That’s a core belief at F.E.A.S.T. A malnourished brain cannot engage in effective therapy. The first step towards recovery is nutritional rehabilitation. This means parents need to ensure their child eats, no matter how challenging it may be. Enforcing meal times can strain the parent-child relationship, especially if the child is older.
In this episode, I am joined by Judy Krasna. She emphasizes the importance of balancing firmness with compassion. It’s crucial to consistently remind your child that you love them, even if it feels like they’re not listening.
Judy Krasna is the Executive Director of F.E.A.S.T. (Families Empowered and Supporting Treatment for Eating Disorders). She is a writer and an eating disorder advocate both in Israel, where she lives, and globally. Judy has been an active “expert by experience” volunteer in the Academy for Eating Disorders and has been working for well over a decade to improve eating disorder treatment and to bridge the research-practice gap.
After volunteering for F.E.A.S.T. in multiple capacities, Judy became the organization’s Executive Director in February 2021.
Judy is deeply committed to helping and supporting families of people with eating disorders and to promoting awareness about suicidality in eating disorders, especially after her daughter Gavriella took her own life in 2020 after a prolonged battle with anorexia nervosa. She is also passionate about working with providers to ensure that parents receive the psychoeducation, skills, and tools that they need to support their loved one’s eating disorder recovery.
In this episode, we’re talking about:
The importance of parental intuition and trusting their gut feelings when it comes to their children’s health.
The value of incorporating perspectives from those with lived experience of eating disorders in the field to improve treatment and research.
Overcoming blame and guilt as parents.
The role of parents in ensuring that their child receives proper nutritional rehabilitation as a first step in treatment, as a malnourished brain cannot effectively participate in therapy.
Maintaining support and connection for ongoing support and recovery.
The challenge parents face in balancing supervision and autonomy, especially when their child resents their involvement.
The necessity of parents mandating meals for children with eating disorders.
Maintaining a compassionate approach while being firm in ensuring the child eats.
Comparing eating disorders to an abusive presence that isolates and devalues the individual.
How food is critical medicine for recovery and the importance of ensuring full doses (meals) are taken.
Recognizing that extreme behaviors (e.g., lying, hiding food) are part of the disorder, not the person.
Preparing parents to manage crises such as suicide and self-harm, as part of eating disorders.
The burden on siblings and the importance of their support and involvement.
The benefits of therapy tailored to eating disorders, helping families understand and support each other.
Strategies for supporting adult children with eating disorders, including leveraging external support networks.
Also as a little note - we have a new fun way for you to interact with the podcast! You now have the option to send us audio recordings! Just scroll down in the show notes to find the link. Tell us what you love, and what you hate, or just introduce yourself. Your voice goes straight to me, and hey, if you're up for it, we might even share it with the world.
Tweetable Quotes
"If you feel like your kid is getting sicker, if you feel in your gut that your kid is getting bad treatment and they're only getting worse, find an alternative." - Rachelle Heinemann
"Parents have to be empowered. And the best way to do that is through education. And we believe that nobody should go through this journey by themselves." - Judy Krasna
"The idea isn't control. The idea is restoring someone to health. The idea is making sure that somebody recovers." - Judy Krasna
"If their kid's getting resentful, they're doing the right thing, they're doing a good job." - Judy Krasna
"There's no recovery without weight restoration. It just can't happen." - Judy Krasna
Resources
Judy can be reached at judy@feast-ed.org.
Related Episodes
Episode 119. Eating Disorders Don’t Have a Look
Episode 118. Navigating Parenthood and Eating Disorders with Dina Cohen, MS, RDN, CEDS-C
Episode 111. How To Eat When You Don’t Feel Like It
Episode 102. My Kid's Being Bullied, ARFID, and More *Podcast Listener Questions Answered*
Episode 98. Body Stuff with Dr. Jennifer Gaudiani
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