Episode 66: Navigating Eating Disorders with Your Child

What are eating disorders? What are the signs? How do parents help their children recover? In this episode, Jodi and guest Temimah Zucker discuss the answers to these questions and more, including the differences between eating disorders and disordered eating, how to address the topic using the proper language and the next steps for healing. 

About Our Guest:

Temimah Zucker, LCSW, works with individuals ages 14 and older in New York and New Jersey (virtually at this time) struggling with mental health concerns, and specializes in working with those looking to heal their relationships between their bodies and souls. Temimah is an adjunct professor at the Wurzweiler School of Social Work and a Metro-NY supervisor at Monte Nido. To learn more or to reach her, please visit www.temimah.com or @temimahzuckerlcsw on Instagram.

Show Notes:

7:43: Disordered Eating vs. Eating Disorders

"Ironically, it's sort of a fun fact, people probably think most of eating disorders and they think of anorexia.  And that's actually the least prevalent eating disorder.  The most common is what's called other specified feeding and eating disorders, which is kind of like a mix of different symptoms."

11:50: How to Identify the Signs of an Eating Disorder

"One of the most common misconceptions is you can tell if someone has an eating disorder by how they look. That's completely not true. Even people with raging cases of anorexia nervosa could be at a weight that is quote, unquote, like average or higher than average."

18:13: Purging Behaviors

"You know, like, movement is great movement is beautiful. But it shouldn't be about compensating for what you're eating."

19:13: How to Address Eating Disorders and Next Steps

 "So that's just like preventative, but also being mindful, forever, kind of going forward.  How we talk to ourselves really, really is heard by our kids."

22:13: How to Use the Proper Language

"So starting off with just very caring, neutral language, meaning, I'm noticing this change has been happening recently. Can you tell me more about what's going on?"

25:13: Navigating Resistance to Therapy

"Your goal does not have to be I want to like, get through this. The goal could be like, I want my parents leave me alone. I can help you do that. But only if you show up."

27:43: Last Pieces of Advice

 "It has to be equal parts, like addressing the emotional needs of the person, and how this is really just a symptom of whatever it is they're going through. But also knowing that like you, you have to address it behaviorally too."

Connect with Temimah Zucker, LCSW:
Website
Instagram

Credits:

Host: Jodi Fried
Guest: Temimah Zucker
Editors: Iris Nelson and Ilyana Castillo