A minority of parents will respond negatively when being informed about their child's eating disorder. This post outlines common reactions & suggested responses.
2. www.eatingdisordersadvice.co.uk
Dealing with difficult scenarios
A minority of parents will respond
negatively when you tell them
about their child’s eating disorder
What negative responses might you encounter?
How could you respond?
3. www.eatingdisordersadvice.co.uk
You’re blaming me for this…
• You may receive a negative reaction from parents because they believe you
are blaming them for the difficulties their child is encountering.
• This can be quite a difficult scenario to deal with
as, understandably, emotions tend to run high when a parent feels they are
being criticised.
• Even if you think there is an element to which the parents are responsible for
the child’s difficulties, it is in no way helpful to convey this information to
parents.
4. www.eatingdisordersadvice.co.uk
You’re blaming me for this…
Useful phrases include:
“No one is to blame for Amy’s illness, not Amy, not us and not you.”
“You are clearly very supportive parents, that’s why we called you.”
“Amy is very lucky to have supportive parents such as yourselves.”
“We’re not interested in attributing blame, we just want to help Amy get
better and we’re sure you can help.”
5. www.eatingdisordersadvice.co.uk
You’re going over the top…
• Students will often go to great lengths to hide the extent of their illness at
home so it’s not that uncommon for parents to think the school is over-
reacting.
• Dieting is very common among teenagers so parents may consider their
son or daughter’s behaviour as normal.
• Many parents will assume that if there was something serious going on
that they would be aware of it.
• Some parents will not understand the serious implications of eating
disorders / disordered eating.
6. www.eatingdisordersadvice.co.uk
You’re going over the top…
Useful phrases include:
“You’re right, not everyone who goes on a diet has an eating disorder, but in
James’ case there are certain warning signs that he’s taking things too far.”
“James may be in the very early stages of an eating disorder but he is far
more likely to recover completely and be able to get on with his schoolwork
and his life if we address his problems early.”
“The reason we’re worried about James is because we’ve noticed that….”
7. www.eatingdisordersadvice.co.uk
It’s none of your business…
• Some parents will be angry that the school is trying to get involved in what
they consider to be personal issues and think this should be left to parents
and that the school’s role is to get their child through their exams.
• Eating disorders can often be seen as shameful and parents may not be
happy working together with the school - you should try to address this
attitude.
• Parents may already be aware of the problem and dealing with it privately
and feel that they already have adequate support.
8. www.eatingdisordersadvice.co.uk
It’s none of your business…
Useful phrases include:
“We’re keen to work with you and support you – we really think we can help.”
“If we all work together to support Sandra, she is far more likely to get better.”
“We’re not trying to tell you how to care for your daughter, we simply want to
offer our support.”