Tom Wooldridge, PsyD, is a board-certified psychologist, eating disorder therapist, and psychoanalyst in private practice in Berkeley, California. He is also Chair of the Department of Psychology at Golden Gate University in San Francisco. Dr. Wooldridge has years of experience treating children, adolescents, and adults with eating disorders, including working with parents negotiating the complexities of a child in treatment. He has published several books on eating disorder treatment for mental health professionals.
Description
It’s no surprise that eating disorders send parents into a panic. You may feel angry at the eating disorder, at treatment providers, at your child, or even at yourself. You want to “fix it,” but youre terrified of doing the wrong thing. In this powerfully compassionate book, psychologist Tom Wooldridge guides you to take a different path. Dr. Wooldridge explains how eating disorder symptoms are fueled by out-of-control emotions that kids and teens cant put into words, and teaches specific parenting strategies that can help. Guided practices and reflection prompts help you slow down your own emotional reactivity and remain present and attuned, no matter what stage of treatment your child is in or how impossible it feels. Vivid stories illustrate what it feels like to replace control with connection—and how it opens the door to recovery.
Foreword, Susie Orbach Introduction I. Understanding WhataEUR (TM)s Happening 1. Why ItaEUR (TM)s Not Just about Food 2. When Parents Feel Powerless 3. The Role of the Parent in Recovery II. The Emotional Terrain of Attuned Parenting 4. The Hungry Self and the Silent Child 5. Reflection in the Rupture 6. The Unspoken Conversation 7. Grief, Guilt, and the Ghosts of Parenting III. Parenting as Practice 8. Staying Close without Taking Over 9. Repairing the Breaks 10. Attunement Over Time 11. When You Need Help Resources Index