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5. SUPPORT FOR CARERS AND KEY SUPPORTS
The family and carer team has a range of services and support options for family members, carers and key support people who are supporting a loved one with an eating disorder. The intention of these services is to provide information, support, skills, empowerment and connection for all carers and support people.
Individual coaching:
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Coaching is provided for carers and key support people via the phone, face-to-face or online. Coaching assists in developing an understanding of eating disorders and ways in which the carer / key support can support the person with an eating disorder. Coaching sessions are solution focused and each session aims to collaboratively identify the key issues or challenges a carer is experiencing in supporting their loved one and to provide the carer with practical skills and strategies. Some carers engage in one or two coaching sessions, while others may attend more regularly.
Family coaching:
Family coaching sessions provide an opportunity for a carer and their loved one to collaboratively discuss practical strategies and action plans to enhance the individual’s recovery. Family coaching sessions are also solution focused. The aim of each session is to collaboratively identify the key issues or challenges the individual and their carer / key support are experiencing in the context of their recovery process and to provide the carer and individual with practical outcomes and strategies. This service is available to carers / key supports and clients who are both receiving support from EDQ.
Carer peer mentor program:
This program connects and individually matches carers / key supports who are currently supporting a loved one in their recovery from an eating disorder with a carer mentor who has previously been through this journey and who would now like to provide connection, support and hope for other carers / key supports. The program follows a strengths-based model and recognises the value of a carer’s lived experience specific to eating disorders, and the skills and knowledge developed as a result of their own caring role.
Carer / key supports Help Kit:
The Carer Help Kit aims to provide family members, carers and key support people with information and resources about eating disorders, treatment options and ways to assist those with eating disorders. It includes information about resources that might also be helpful for GPs and other health professionals with clients accessing support for eating disorders.
Fostering recovery workshop:
This is an evidence based one day workshop that assists family members, carers and key support people to increase their understanding of eating disorders and provides practical skills and strategies. It is based on the work of Janet Treasure and includes:
• Understanding the Eating Disorder Mindset • Stages of Change • Carer Responses • Meal Support Strategies • Communication Approaches • Problem Solving Strategies
This program is also run online over three sessions providing state-wide access to the workshop.
Carer / key supports connect group:
The Carer Connect Group is a monthly psychoeducational group that provides a supportive and collaborative environment for family members, carers and support people to come together and connect with each other. The group runs monthly and focuses on different themes / topics each month with information and education provided, including guest speakers. To ensure equitable service provision to rural and remote areas of Queensland, this group rotates bimonthly between in-person and online sessions.
Re-connect events:
These groups run throughout the year and are an opportunity for carers who are currently engaged with EDQ to connect, as well as an opportunity for carers who may be new to EDQ to join a carer group. The intention of these evenings is to create a relaxed and supportive environment for carers / key support people with a focus on carer wellbeing and acknowledging carers’ strengths.
Shared Table:
The Shared Table is a self-paced, online training program to assist carers / key supports in gaining knowledge and skills to improve confidence around meal support. This is a partnership between EDQ, Queensland Eating Disorder Service, and Child and Youth Mental Health Service Eating Disorder Program. It is funded by Metro North Hospital and Health Service LINK Innovation Fund.
40. Ensure safety and facilitate access to support for carers / key supports.
It is crucial to assess safety levels at all stages of involvement with carers / key supports. This includes assessing carer mental health and wellbeing at intake, following up with surveys and tools to assess carer stress and mental health on a quarterly basis, as well as regular reviews of carer / key support wellbeing. It is also necessary to discuss the pros and cons of engaging in services and to provide guidelines for establishing safety and group norms for carer / key support groups.
Ongoing discussions designed to normalise self-care and awareness of the impacts of carer / key supports, burnout, fatigue and stress are also essential to providing quality support for carers / key support people. At times it will be important to encourage carers / key supports to connect with additional supports and options for this should be provided if necessary.
Importantly, those who care for and support people with eating disorders need support themselves 70 . There are multiple impacts on the carer / key support people who support a family member or close contact who has an eating disorder 71 . This can be extremely stressful and the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC) 72 note the high levels of anxiety and depression that have been found amongst carers / key supports.
41. Embed respect for lived experience in carer / key supports services.
Families and carers, where available, are recognised as integral members of the treatment team and receive support, skills and strategies, education and information to enable them to support the person with an eating disorder and to maintain personal good health 73 .
The wisdom and insight that carers / key supports bring must be held with deep respect for their experiences. It is vital that carers’ strengths be both identified and valued, and it is from this point that these skills can be built upon 74 . It is from the lived experiences of these people that many carer / key support services have been developed. Feedback from carers / key support people should also be used to inform the need for future services and their development and implementation.
42. Empower carers / key supports through education and skill development.
Carers and key support people need for information about all aspects of eating disorders including possible treatments, support processes, meal support, and the recovery process as well as how they can access their own support and counselling 75 .
Services provided to carers / key supports must be tailored to their unique experiences and this includes matching their loved ones’ stage of change and treatment modality. These services should be delivered in structured, solution-focused ways that are also responsive to carer / key supports needs. The support offered must be practical and skills based including understanding eating disorders, developing insights into emotional and behavioural responses, and how to put skills and strategies into practice.
Carer groups and workshops provide structured psychoeducation combined with practical solutions as well as creating a sense of connection and community amongst carers / key supports. This is a crucial issue in improving the experience of those caring and supporting a person with an eating disorder. …many of the carers wanted to connect with other carers. For those that had, many gained benefits from doing so, including feeling validated, ‘not alone’, and able to share advice 76 .
We know that providing specific skills for carers and key support people increases their confidence and ensures they can provide support as well as attend to their own needs 77 . It is therefore critical that workers seek to reduce any perceived barriers to engagement in services and empower carers / key supports to work collaboratively to establish the best options available for them and their loved ones.
43. Engaging the community.
An important component of support for carers and key support people includes engagement with the community to increase the visibility and awareness of eating disorders, and the programs offered in relevant services. In a recent survey from the Butterfly Foundation 78 it was reported that one of the biggest barriers for carers / key supports seeking help was a lack of awareness about existing services.
Many carers / key supports are passionate about early intervention and prevention and seek out opportunities to participate in programs such as the education of school students on healthy body image and eating behaviours. Carers / key supports involved in sharing their experiences must be provided with training and support including education around safe and de-stigmatising language.
