If your child has an eating disorder, or is in recovery, it is very important to “advocate” for his/her needs and find support for them within school. This is the second blog post of four, detailing Walden Behavioral Care’s school psychologist, Tarah Doyle, perspective on getting the help your child needs within the supervision aspects of the transition. One of the most important things you do is to set-up supervision for your child and constantly communicate with the resources at school to understand how your son/daughter is doing.
Supervision
- During treatment from an eating disorder it is imperative that your child continue to stay on-track by completing all of their meals and snacks.
- This can be difficult during the school day if there is no adult supervision. It is strongly recommended that parents set up supervised snacks and lunches for your child at school.
- Get your child’s input about who they would prefer to sit with for supervision (e.g. school nurse, guidance counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, favorite teacher, etc.), and set up a meeting with school staff to discuss expectations and the importance of 100% completion.
- Friends and siblings can be extremely helpful and supportive to your child throughout the treatment process. Despite how supportive these individuals are, it is not recommended that friends or siblings be put into a supervisory role in the monitoring of snack/lunch completion at school.
- Daily communication/correspondence is critical to ensure the child is getting everything they need. You may wish to email what you have packed for your child’s lunch to the individual providing supervision in the morning. Then, that individual can email back what your child did/did not complete that same day in order for you to make an informed decision for your child after school.
The links to other posts will become available as they are published.
About the author
Tarah Doyle, Psy.D., is the lead clinician in the Adolescent Intensive Outpatient Program at Walden’s Worcester clinic. Tarah is a licensed school psychologist who earned her MA/CAGS and her Doctorate in Psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. Tarah has worked with children ranging in age from 2-18 years old, but has a fondness for working with adolescents. Tarah currently utilizes family-based therapy to help adolescents recover from their eating disorders with the support of their families.
