COLLABORATIVE STRENGTHS-BASED BRIEF FAMILY THERAPY WITH EATING DISORDERED CLIENTS

This workshop presents the application of the Collaborative Strengths-Based Brief Family Therapy approach to the treatment of eating disordered clients, both in individual or couple therapy with adults and in family therapy with adolescents. The focus will be on how to empower eating disordered clients to recover their lives from the tyranny of the eating disorder, and how couple partners and family members can help in this fight. Collaborative Strengths-Based Brief Family Therapy operates from a client resource and systems orientation and integrates the best elements of other compatible family therapy approaches, positive psychology interventions, mindfulness meditation practices, art therapy, expressive writing and drama techniques, and biological interventions. As a result of attending this “hands-on” practice-oriented workshop, participants will leave being able to:

• Understand the biological, cognitive, behavioral and relational ‘traps’ of different eating disorders
• Instill hope and increase the expectations for change with couples and families
• Liberate clients, their partners, and families from the clutches of the eating disorder and empowering them to conquer it
• Harness positive couple and family power and resourcefulness to disrupt unproductive, problem-maintaining relational interactions
• Learn major therapeutic experiments and rituals that strengthen couple and family relationships and resolve eating disorder difficulties
• Establish successful collaborative relationships with involved helping professionals from larger systems

The workshop format consists of the following: information-rich didactic presentation, extensive use of videotape examples of major therapeutic tools and strategies, skill-building exercises, and live couple and family case consultations. This workshop can be offered in a one to three-day format.