The Maudsley approach involves three phases.  The first is highly focused on the eating disorder and focuses on refeeding and weight gain.  A family meal occurs early in the first phase.  The parental alliance is empathized during this phase and the therapist sympathizes with the parent’s difficulties.  The therapist requests united action from the parents during directed toward refeeding.  This phase also involves realigning the person with the sibling subsystem.

The second phase begins when the patient is gaining weight and eating with minimal struggle.  The goal of this phase is to assist the family in returning control over eating back to the person.  The final phase begins when the patient achieves a healthy weight; in females this is a weight necessary for menstruation.  In this phase, therapy turns to more general issues of adolescent development and the ways they have been affected by AN.  This can include a focus on increased personal autonomy, parental boundaries, and parental focus on the life changes that occur as children mature.  The therapy is designed to take place over a year, with initial sessions weekly, then biweekly during phase two and monthly during phase three.

Feel free to call me to discuss further. I am experienced and trained in a variety of treatment methods.  Contact a licensed mental health professional or your family doctor if you have concerns about an eating disorder. Prairie Owl Psychology & Counselling is waiting to help with all your Edmonton psychologist needs, call Today.