Lessons That Save Lives:

                       What Schools can do; Educators as Advocates for Eating Disorder Recovery

86 percent of eating disorders occur in children under the age of twenty. There is a far greater likelihood that early warning signs of these secretive diseases will appear in school and at home before they do in the at the doctor's or therapist's office.  It is critical that school professionals understand that eating disorders are less about food and more about how a student attempts to confront and respond to stress, anxiety and the exigencies of life.  The earliest warning signs may be seen in a student's affect, thinking, mood, capacity to learn, and work ethic - even before they begin to take their toll in physical appearance. Recognizing and defining early disease are the first steps in prevention and healing. Opportunities for prevention around athletic training and sporting events are particularly critical.

                                   Creating Alliances for Recovery through the Schools:

                                                      Involving Parents in Constructive Ways

This workshop explores the proposition that promoting appropriate, empowered and proactive parenting during a child’s eating disorder recovery empowers parent, child, the recovery process, and the parent/child relationship, while preventing relapse. This address discusses the school professional's role in mentoring parents of eating disordered children to become a proactive and integrative part of a multi-disciplinary treatment effort. Educators are responsible for educating parents so that they can in turn be responsible for educating and mentoring their children in recovery.

Psychotherapist Abigail H. Natenshon has specialized in the treatment of eating disorders with individuals, families, and groups for the past 35 years. She is the author of When Your Child Has An Eating Disorder, A Step-by-Step Workbook For Parents And Other Caregivers, and is currently writing Doing What Works: A Professional Guide to the Treatment of Eating Disorders.  Her work can be reviewed further at www.empoweredparents.com, www.empoweredkidZ.com, and www.treatingeatingdisorders.com.