Eating disorders: Why do I recommend considering the Maudsley approach for anorexic adolescents?

Maudsley’s approach to treating the adolescent anorexic is now receiving more attention in the United States. Many have strong opinions about it and not all of them are positive. I went through my own “growing pains” before fully embracing Maudsley and I’ll talk about that a bit here.

Whenever something unknown starts to make traction in a certain field, eyebrows are raised and gloves can be removed for an all-out fight. There are those who want to hold on to what they know at all costs; some who have an open mind to consider new approaches; and a few who are willing to dive in and investigate.

I was somewhere in the middle category when I started learning about Maudsley. The nutritionist who helped me with all my ED girls found out about it and suggested I look into it. All she told me is that the approach puts feeding in the hands of parents and is showing promising results with teens.

I was totally in favor of giving parents more power. It was just intimidating to think about learning a new approach. I have been doing this for a long time and the more I researched the more I realized that it was going to involve a complete change in the way I think and the way I do the treatment.

Was I willing to commit to the rigors of research and training? What about all the preconceived ideas that I had been taught and had been using for years? Was I really willing to open my mind to this new approach?

Fortunately for my clients I love learning new things. The more I learned about Maudsley, the more excited I became. I jumped with both feet and have been learning ever since.

I encourage you to do the same. If you have a teen with an eating disorder; my recommendation is to consider Maudsley’s approach first. Then go from there. It is not for all families; no treatment is for everyone. But it’s a great place to start!