Early engagement and treatment

Early engagement

The first meeting is usually arranged within three weeks of intake. In the two weeks prior to the first meeting, families are engaged in our ‘early engagement’ phase.

During this important early phase, families are provided with information and education that supports readiness for treatment. This includes:

• orientation to the service and what to expect;
• contact with our lived experience team members; and
• addressing any worries and deciding who can activate greater support if needed prior to the first meeting.

Commencing treatment

There is evidence demonstrating that treatment of an eating disorder at the earliest possible opportunity improves the likelihood of a good outcome significantly. 

The First family/network meeting is a two-hour consultation that brings together the young person and their family/network with the team of professionals. This initial meeting aims to:

• develop a shared understanding of the problem;
• building an agreed-upon treatment plan, and
• generating a healing dialogue.

This collaborative meeting helps get treatment off to a fast and effective start. It often results in a shorter and easier subsequent course of treatment. A physical health check of the young person is undertaken prior to the session and information about the current physical state is provided to their family.

Community treatment

Treatment in the community is typically a family/social network-based therapy that aims to restore the health and wellbeing of the child or young person as a priority.

All treatment for the eating problem is provided by EDP. Young people and families are asked to pause their involvement of other health professionals previously engaged for help with the eating problem while working with us.

The community treatment is clinic based and whilst clinicians can provide some coaching to families in between sessions, the contact is usually weekly. In addition to the weekly treatment meetings, there will often be other contacts for physical health monitoring, dietetic consultations, as well as education and support provided by our lived experience team.

In our treatment approach, hospitalisation of the young person is limited to managing medical safety and instability, is short term and works towards allowing the young person to return to the care of their family.

Brief intensive in-home treatment

The brief, in-home treatment can be provided to some families when the community treatment needs to be strengthened. The EDP wrap around team will form a mini-team including a mental health clinician, dietitian and family/youth peer worker who work with families and case managers to support the ongoing clinic-based treatment a family are undertaking.

This is a time limited (two weeks) goal-oriented treatment package that may be considered when there is a need for a step-up intervention for families and improve treatment outcomes in the community. The in-home work allows a family to have more in-depth assistance with their current concerns and for in-situ work to be done with the family on specific goals relating to eating and managing meal times.

Multi-Family Therapy Group for adolescent anorexia nervosa

Multi-Family Therapy (MFT-AN) is an intensive, four day group treatment which is attended by the family and the young person experiencing anorexia nervosa.

MFT-AN emphasises:

• Bringing together families with shared experiences
• Focusing on the impact the problem has had on family life
• Rediscovering family strengths and resilience to enable parents to take a central role in tackling their child’s eating problems
• Learning new skills and useful ideas to support their family member towards recovery.
• A collaborative process with health professionals and other families in the group
• All family members attend the MFT group over four days and a pre-group information night.

Please note this group is dependent on the nature of the families being treated at any one time.  It is also dependent on infection control guidelines as determined by The Alfred.