Family Based Treatment (FBT) is the current leading empirically-supported intervention for adolescents with eating disorders. FBT does not blame the family, but rather encourages the family to come together as a support system. Rather it, empowers parents to manage their chid’s eating disorder through a firm and compassionate focus. The practice coaches parents on how to re-nourish their child back to health, then coaches the family in transitioning nourishment choices back to the adolescent. The ultimate priority is a return to normal development in eating and daily living.

Research indicates that recovery rates for FBT are approximately 75% compared with approximately 30% to 40% for treatment as usual. FBT providers take an agnostic view of cause certainly biology plays a role and beyond that the research does not provide an explanation of why young people develop these deadly illnesses. What FBT providers know is that no one chooses to have an eating disorder and families don’t cause eating disorders.

FBT is conducted in 3 phases and typically lasts 1 year in length.