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Eating Disorders: Family and Friends Education and Support Group
Apr 30, 2024
A place to share or just to listen – in a non-judgmental atmosphere – with people who have experiences helping a loved one recover from an eating disorder. This mutual aid group provides: support and encouragement; information on how and where to get help; insights on books and electronic media; special guest speakers such as therapists and dietitians; and suggestions about how to take care of yourself while helping your loved one.
We are continuing with virtual Zoom meetings on the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings from 7:00 to 8:30. To receive a link to join a meeting, please email us at arthur32@bell.net
2024 Meetings
January 11 – Joy Guthrie, Registered Dietician, will again join us to add to our knowledge about a dietician’s role in helping those struggling with an eating disorder. You will find her insights, strategies, and supportive comments most welcome. Check out her website at www.joynutrition.health.
January 25 – We are fortunate to have Alison Elliott, MSW, join us to describe the connection between ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) and ED (Eating Disorders). Alison has been completing advanced degrees on this topic and she will share some of the latest cutting-edge research. Alison is a therapist with many years of experience and currently has a private practice in Cambridge.
February 8 – Please plan to attend the annual free online FACES of Recovery event (7:00 to 8:30) organized by the Waterloo Wellington Eating Disorders Coalition. Panel members will be those with lived experience, including family members, who will share their journey of recovery. A link for registering will be sent a few days before the event.
March 14 – Victoria Hanson, Dietician, and Bea Powers, MSW, both with CMHA’s Eating Disorders Program, will join us to share current information as well as key therapies and strategies used within the program. Check CMHA’s website for more information – www.cmhaww.ca
March 28 – Sharing and Discussion
April 11 – Katie Dunnigan, MSW, is a registered psychotherapist who specializes in healing those struggling with eating disorders using a Transpersonal Therapy approach; Katie herself found this therapy successful in healing from her own eating disorder. Check out her website at www.katiedunnigan.com
April 25 – Sharing and Discussion
May 9 – Sharing and Discussion. Guest presenter Marg Notar, MSW postponed but will join us in the fall to share her knowledge and experience working with clients, many of whom struggle with eating disorders, using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
May 23 – Maja Brajkovich will be sharing her story of overcoming an eating disorder that she had struggled with from her late teens to her early twenties. Maja will talk about her journey towards recovery and how her personal experiences with different therapeutic techniques have motivated her to pursue a career in psychotherapy, particularly in the field of eating disorders.
June 13 – We welcome Shelley Restall, MSW, individual and family therapist specializing in treating anxiety, stress, trauma and eating disorders. In her private practice, Shelley not only includes CBT and DBT strategies but also EFT-tapping. Shelley will present EFFT (Emotion Focused Family Therapy) strategies, particularly helpful in managing difficult communication. Check out her website at www.shelleyrestallcounselling.com for more information.
June 27 – Cancelled
July, August – One meeting each month TBA
September 12 – We welcome back Marg Notar, MSW, who continues to teach and supervise MSW students at WLU as well as to have a private therapy practice. Marg particularly embraces Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) and will present her knowledge and experiences working with clients, as well as strategies caregivers can consider based on this approach.
September 26 – Discussion and sharing
October 10 – Taylor Ashley, Psychotherapist, will share how she helps clients understand and manage their ADHD, work through trauma, and navigate body image struggles; her expertise is informed by her own journey of treatment for an eating disorder and ADHD; check her website at www.taylorashleytherapy.com for additional information, including her approaches of Internal Family Systems, Somatic work and Polyvagal therapy.
October 24 – We are fortunate to have Betsy Brenner, retired lawyer, author and recovery speaker from Rhode Island, present to us. In her 2021 memoir, The Longest Match – Rallying to Defeat an Eating Disorder in Midlife, Betsy details how her life filled with privilege and also emotional trauma and grief, contributed to her developing an eating disorder in midlife. She will share her healing process and message that it is never too late to be a ‘work in progress’. Check her website at www.betsybrenner.com
November 14 – Our guest will be individual and family therapist, Candy MacNeil (MSc), a very experienced and much sought-after clinician. Earlier Candy worked at Homewood’s Eating Disorders Treatment program but for the last several years has had a private practice based in Guelph and she advocates for family involvement in the recovery process. You will not want to miss her presentation. Her website has a wealth of information – www.whatseatingyou.com
November 28 – Klaasje Prins, Psychotherapist, will share her journey with anxiety, its connection to perfectionism and how this often leads to being in a ‘stuck’ cycle as well as how to navigate getting out through healing from within. Check her website at www.klaasjeprins.com for more information.
December 18 – We again welcome Christina Hyland, PhD, MSW. Her website is www.gutinstinctsnutrition.ca Christina is currently a therapist focusing on eating disorders and brings a special ability to relate to clients given her own personal healing from an ED. We hope to hear more about the helpfulness of ‘experiential healing’ as an important component beyond ‘intellectual learning’ in the recovery journey.
January 9, 2025 – Sadly this meeting will be our last one. About 20 years ago, four moms decided to volunteer running this Support Group since we knew first hand of the difficult challenges faced by families when supporting a loved one with an eating disorder. However, we are encouraged by so many more options now for online family support than existed several years ago. Please send us any feedback you wish to share about your experience with our group over the years. The focus of this meeting will be to chat about what has helped and suggestions we can pass on to others.
We have started a YouTube channel to provide clients with tips for staying on track with recovery through these unprecedented times: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKztylT8IWPK4mFVk55koUQ
Here are some resources from around the globe that may be helpful in maintaining you eating disorder recovery journey through the COVID-19 pandemic:
The Butterfly Foundation:
https://thebutterflyfoundation.org.au/covid-19/
This is an Australian website with helpful ideas about dealing with an eating disorder in the midst of COVID-19
Beat Eating Disorders:
This charity from the UK has additional information about managing an eating disorder through COVID-19
Body Brave:
This Hamilton-based charitable organization is offering online education and support groups for a minimal cost
National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC):
Canada’s support service with headquarters in Toronto is posting links to many helpful resources. They also offer a Helpline Monday to Friday: 1-866-NEDIC-20
Emotion-Focused Family Therapy:
www.emotionfocusedfamilytherapy.org
This website includes resources for parents supporting a loved one with an eating disorder which are particularly helpful with learning communication skills in these difficult, emotion-filled times.
Skill-based Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder: The New Maudsley Method, Second Edition, 2017 by Dr. Janet Treasure
This book is full of many practical suggestions for helping a loved one who is struggling with an eating disorder.