Family Based Treatment:

for Eating Disorders

Parenting a child who is struggling with an eating disorder can be exhausting. All day, you worry about whether your teen will have a good day at school, with friends, at work or at extracurriculars. You find yourself on edge, anticipating phone calls or texts that signal distress— or you anguish about your child’s total unwillingness to communicate with you. After all, your insistence that your child maintain healthy, balanced eating habits has created a monsoon of drama in the home.

Meanwhile, your own health suffers as you lie awake, turning the options over in your head. The strain on you and your family becomes evident, and tensions rise over the stress caused by your child’s eating disorder has caused in the home.

The important thing for parents to know is that you do mot have to navigate this journey alone. Family Based Treatment is a highly-effective, evidence-based treatment for eating disorders— considered the “gold standard” for adolescents. With our Family Based Treatment Model, kids and teens overcome their eating disorders through high-touch, concierge support.

The best part about FBT is that in addition to being highly-effective, FBT is an approach that will give you strength, confidence and hope. The goal of our work is total empowerment of the family, so that you can walk alongside your child in their return to wellness.

Imagine a future where your teen is able to be themselves again. They have more energy, their personality is back, and they genuinely enjoy life. What’s more? Your family entire is back to having more fun and more ease. At Well Supported, our approach is never judgmental or pejorative.

Through our work, parents gain confidence, get direction and most importantly— see their child restored.

About Family Based Treatment (FBT)

Family-Based Treatment (FBT), also known as the Maudsley approach, is a highly effective, evidence-based therapy designed to help adolescents recover from eating disorders and disordered, such as anorexia, bulimia, and binge eating disorder. Unlike traditional therapies that focus on the individual, FBT centers the family as the primary resource in the healing process.

Research has shown that FBT is the most effective treatment for adolescents with eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa. Families who engage in FBT often find that not only does their child recover, but their family relationships also strengthen as they navigate the challenges together.

If you're seeking a collaborative, family-centered approach to treating eating disorders, FBT offers a proven path to healing that empowers parents.

 Treatment Areas:

  • Anorexia Nervosa

    FBT for Anorexia empowers parents to take charge of their child’s nutrition and disrupt restrictive eating behaviors. Through a structured, three-phase process, families work together to restore the adolescent’s weight, gradually return control over eating to the adolescent, and support the development of a healthy self-identity. FBT for anorexia is proven to lead to lasting recovery, with many families finding that their relationships strengthen as they navigate this journey.

  • Binge Eating Disorder

    In FBT for Binge Eating, parents play a central role in helping their child normalize their eating patterns. The treatment focuses on creating a structured environment where binge episodes are interrupted, and healthy eating patterns are reestablished. FBT also helps families address the emotional triggers that contribute to binge eating, promoting lasting behavioral change and supporting the adolescent in developing a healthier relationship with food.

  • Bulimia Nervosa

    FBT for Bulimia focuses on parents taking an active role in interrupting the cycle of bingeing and purging. Through close monitoring of eating behaviors and emotional support, FBT helps adolescents regain control over their eating patterns, reduce purging episodes, compulsive exercise or laxative use and build healthier coping mechanisms. This collaborative approach has been shown to significantly reduce behaviors and support long-term recovery.

What’s Included:

Comprehensive Support

✔ Evidence-based treatment to help your child heal their eating disorder/disordered eating

✔ In-home support services to prepare your child for change and help parents to begin family-based treatment at home

✔ Comprehensive care management. Ongoing coordination and collaboration with your child’s existing care providers (psychiatrist, pediatrician)

✔ Weekly Family Sessions to gauge progress, troubleshoot challenges and discuss issues

✔ Real-time phone coaching for parents

✔ Future planning support services and referrals (return to school, college transitions)

+ so much more

 Frequently Asked Questions

How Much does therapy Cost/do you take insurance?

My rate for Family Based Treatment is cented around a progessively decreasing model. At the start of treatment, I charge $400 per week. This includes constant access to Katherine via phone coaching, four family sessions per month, one individual parent support session and ongoing care coordination and collaboration with your child’s medical providers, school, etc.

After the first 6-8 weeks of treatment, families typically scale down to fewer sessions at a lower rate until symptoms have subsided. For families requiring one-off or follow-up coaching sessions after that time, half hour sessions begin at $150.

As a mental health professional committed to providing access to care for people of all backgrounds, sliding scale pricing is also available. Please inquire about sliding scale. Payment is collected weekly via my client portal.

I do not accept insurance. My clients are self-pay and are entitled to a Good Faith Estimate under the No Surprises Act. Additionally, I provide all clients with a superbill. Superbills can be submitted to your insurance provider for reimbursement through out-of-network benefits.

When Can We Start?

I do not have a waitlist and am accepting new clients at this time. Click “Book a Consultation Call” to set some time on my calendar. After that first call, we can begin sessions together as early as the next day.

How does therapy work?

Family-Based Treatment (FBT) works by actively involving the family, particularly the parents, in the recovery process. The treatment unfolds in three structured phases:

  1. Phase 1: Parental Control of Eating
    Initially, parents take full responsibility for managing their child's eating. They ensure nutritional balance and regular timing of meals and snacks while closely monitoring eating behaviors and interrupting any disordered patterns. This phase is crucial for stabilizing the adolescent’s physical health.

  2. Phase 2: Gradual Return of Control
    As the adolescent begins to show signs of recovery and healthier eating patterns, control over food choices is gradually returned to them. The family works together to navigate this transition, fostering independence while maintaining a focus on recovery.

  3. Phase 3: Supporting Healthy Development
    In the final phase, the focus shifts to supporting the adolescent in developing a healthy identity and coping strategies independent of the eating disorder. The family continues to provide support while helping the adolescent build a life free from disordered eating.

Throughout FBT, the therapist guides and supports the family, empowering them with the tools needed to facilitate recovery. FBT works by harnessing the strength of the family unit to restore health and well-being in the adolescent.

Can I work with you if my child already has a treatment team?

Yes. Family Based Treatment is designed to treat adolescent eating disorders in tandem with your child’s existing medical care team. All children should have a pediatirician whom they see regularly for weights and vitals— but some families may require additional support from other providers including a psychiatrist, a dietician, etc.

If your child already has an individual therapist (or a treatment team that includes family therapy) some providers may have questions about you receiving additional guidance from me, in tandem with their treatment. In advance of our beginning work together, we can meet with your child’s existing treatment team to discuss these matters. Please complete the form under “Book a Consultation Call” to set up a consultation. Meeting via telehealth will give us a chance to discuss further.

A recovery approach

that empowers families.