Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) has been established by a group of Australian parents and supports who have cared for and treated a young person with an eating disorder, to advocate for the needs and roles of other parents during this experience. Parents and families of children under 18 years are seen by the service system to be vital to treatment and recovery, but not necessarily equipped or supported to be a part of this process. Parents and families of adult children over 18 years have an even less clear mandate and yet have a vital role to play in their family member’s well being and recovery.
Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) acknowledges that not all parents and families are prepared to access their own resources and support or capable of playing a central role in the treatment and recovery of their family member with an eating disorder. However, it is best practice for all parents and families to be given the option and support to maximise their role in the care team. Such collaborative approaches result in better long-term outcomes for our loved ones, more resilient families and less impact on our health system.
Eating Disorders Families Australia (EDFA) sees parents and families of people with eating disorders as parents, carers, siblings, extended family or significant others.
Want to understand what it is like to care for someone with an eating disorder?
Gregg and Sarah Brown, parents of a young person who is recovered from an eating disorder, made this amazing video documentary for EDFA featuring 3 families telling their story of the impact of the eating disorder on their family and what they needed to do to support their loved one. To view this video go to https://youtu.be/anDnIvu4FjI
Access Peer Support
Learning and hearing from others who ‘get it’ and can provide helpful practical advice is a key to being able to support our family members effectively. EDFA ‘get it’ and are here to work on providing increased opportunities for people to connect in face to face settings, as well as online. For more information, click HERE
Can you help us with your time or skills please??
Eating Disorders Families Australia is a volunteer, not for profit organisation, supporting & advocating for parents & carers as they battle to save their loved one from an eating disorder, which are potentially life-threatening mental illnesses.
EDFA has two exciting initiatives requiring support with marketing communications/graphic design and administration.
- TBT-S :Following the success of our Temperament Based Treatment with Supports (TBT-S) training around Australia in 2019 , EDFA will offer this training again in 2020 & wants to encourage & support more clinicians to apply the TBT-S methodology & so will need more people to help get this off the ground by joining our committee….
Skills needed include:
- Marketing; writing material for websites, social media, promotional flyers etc
- General administration and logistical arrangements. Tasks such as arranging accommodation, venues, minute taking.
If you are ready to contribute in this way, please contact the Portfolio Leader, Gordon Brockway, at gordon.brockway@edfa.org.au who would be delighted to hear from you!
- Strive Carer Support Groups :EDFA are planning to expand on their successful Melbourne Eating Disorders Parent Support Group, by training facilitators to run local support groups in each state.
Help needed including:
- Parents or carers with lived experience of caring for someone with an eating disorder (who is currently well) to volunteer to be trained as support group facilitators to run monthly meetings (as part of the EDFA team) to support other parents & carers as they navigate the difficult road to guiding a loved one towards recovery.
- Brochure drop, fundraise in your local area
If you feel you would like to give back to support other carers, be a voice of hope & encouragement & are willing to be trained as a facilitator, or can help in any other way. please contact Christine Naismith at christine.naismith@edfa.org.au
Of course, we need funding to support our initiatives, so please become a member of EDFA for just $25 per year ( https://www.edfa.org.au/members/become-a-member/individual-membership-application/ )or consider making a donation to our volunteer, not-for-profit organisation ( https://www.edfa.org.au/support-us/make-a-donation/make-a-donation/ )
JK Rowling // "Fat’ is usually the first insult a girl throws at another girl when she wants to hurt her.
I mean, is ‘fat’ really the worst thing a human being can be? Is ‘fat’ worse than ‘vindictive’, ‘jealous’, ‘shallow’, ‘vain’, ‘boring’ or ‘cruel’? Not to me; but then, you might retort, what do I know about the pressure to be skinny? I’m not in the business of being judged on my looks, what with being a writer and earning my living by using my brain…
I went to the British Book Awards that evening. After the award ceremony I bumped into a woman I hadn’t seen for nearly three years. The first thing she said to me? ‘You’ve lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you!’
‘Well,’ I said, slightly nonplussed, ‘the last time you saw me I’d just had a baby.’
What I felt like saying was, ‘I’ve produced my third child and my sixth novel since I last saw you. Aren’t either of those things more important, more interesting, than my size?’ But no – my waist looked smaller! Forget the kid and the book: finally, something to celebrate!
I’ve got two daughters who will have to make their way in this skinny-obsessed world, and it worries me, because I don’t want them to be empty-headed, self-obsessed, emaciated clones; I’d rather they were independent, interesting, idealistic, kind, opinionated, original, funny – a thousand things, before ‘thin’. And frankly, I’d rather they didn’t give a gust of stinking chihuahua flatulence whether the woman standing next to them has fleshier knees than they do. Let my girls be Hermiones, rather than Pansy Parkinsons."
#harrypotter
#jkrowling
Minters, Butterfly House team up to address eating disorders
National firm MinterEllison has provided “whole of firm” pro bono support for the first national residential eating disorder treatment facility.EDFA is excited to announce the launch of our next monthly parent/carer support group, ‘strive’ in Bendigo, Victoria starting Wednesday 25th September. Come along & meet others who truly understand what you are going through & feel supported in this battle. You are not alone!
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