Abstract
Working with eating disorders can evoke strong emotional challenges for both parents and professionals. Parents often feel paralyzed by the life-threatening nature of the illness and may hesitate to set boundaries, fearing they may exacerbate the situation.

Professionals dealing with eating disorders can sometimes feel the same emotions, feeling blocked in the therapeutic process, not knowing how to foster change, returning to reward or punishment systems for change, feeling exhausted or useless, or becoming less invested and desperate.

This workshop will explore how professionals can be aware of these underlying emotions and connect again with a hopeful stance. So, they can help parents regain their authority, emotional presence, slowly reduce family accommodations around the disease and foster a clear and supportive family environment.

This workshop is a collaboration between The Netherlands and Belgium and focusses on the courage of professionals working with eating disorders using non-violent resistance. How they can persist and being hopeful and so be an anchor to the parents. Participants will not only learn what to do when working with parents of adolescents with eating disorders, but will also practice skills within the training context. Through role-playing exercises, case discussions and practical demonstrations, professionals will gain confidence in their ability to support parents in navigating these complex challenges.