Caring for Children with an Eating Disorder and OCD:

The underlying components of eating disorders and OCD relate to feelings  of anxiety and a drive for control. For example, a common worry with  eating disorders is a fear of weight gain, which results in unhealthy  attempts to excessively control one’s weight. While a common worry for  OCD relates to anxiety about something bad happening, unless if the  person controls their environment by doing or not doing specific  actions. From a treatment perspective, exposure work targets both of the  underlying principles (the anxiety and the control) by helping people  learn how to systematically face their fears, build their ability to  tolerate uncertainty, and learn to become more okay with not needing to  always be in control. Since exposures are challenging, it is often  essential for parents to be involved in helping their child with the  exposure work.

Ritualistic behaviors are a common symptom that relate to both eating  disorders and OCD. People engage in rituals, because in the moment,  rituals serve to make the person feel less anxious and more in control.  The problem with performing rituals is that they teach the person that  they must ritualize in order to feel better. Moreover, while rituals  “work” in the short-term, they are keeping the eating disorder and OCD  very much alive and in the long lead to a more restrictive and difficult  life. The following are some common types of rituals:

Eating Disorder Rituals Examples

Calorie counting Food avoidance Purging Only eating at certain times of the day Over-exercising

OCD Rituals Examples

Checking Reassurance seeking Safety words or images Repeating actions a certain number of times or until it feels “just right” Washing or cleaning rituals

Since the ritualistic behaviors are a core  component of both conditions, the rituals impact both the person  struggling with the eating disorder/OCD and also their loved ones.  Therefore, it is incredibly common for family members to accommodate  rituals in attempt to help their loved one. Unfortunately, the  accommodation (which is a type of ritual) only serves to strengthen the  underlying symptoms. Therefore, a crucial treatment component is to  first understand the specific rituals the loved one engages in, along  with the ways in which family members are accommodating the rituals. The  next step is to learn how to systematically and effectively work on  reducing the accommodating behaviors and the other rituals.

The aim of this workshop is to provide parents, who have a child  (young, adolescent, or adult child) with an eating disorder and OCD,  with a strong foundational background regarding the underlying  mechanisms that cause and maintain both conditions. In addition,  specific treatment strategies will be covered in detail.

The workshop presenters are Kimberly Glazier Leonte, PhD and Holly  Harmon, LICSW. Kimberly is an OCD specialist, who previously worked at  McLean’s OCD residential treatment facility, and provides continuing  education workshops to help educate therapists on the assessment and  treatment of OCD. Holly is an eating disorder specialist, who previously  worked at Walden Behavioral Care’s inpatient, residential, and  outpatient programs. She previously served as the Director of Education  & Outreach for the Multi-service Eating Disorders Association. For  further background information on Kimberly please click here and on Holly please click here. 

Dates: Selected Saturday mornings

Duration: 9am-12pm 

Cost: $495

If you have any questions and/or are interested in attending the  workshop please contact Kimberly at:  kimberly.glazier.leonte@cvhorizons.com or 978.270.8925. You are also welcome to message us via the RSVP botton below.