ABSTRACT
Good clinical practice in eating disorder treatment across the age spectrum involves the inclusion of family members. Although for children and adolescents, the term “family” is generally conceptualized as parents or primary caregivers, for some patients, particularly young adults and adults with eating disorders, there may be challenges or contraindications to including parents or primary caregivers in treatment. In consideration of these factors, several treatments are evolving that address the needs, life stages, and desires of the patient, coupled with addressing the need to include support persons in eating disorder treatment. This chapter reviews the evidence for involving alternate caregivers or support persons in treatment for transition age youth and adults with eating disorders. We also provide a brief overview of current evidence-based treatments for adolescents and adults that may have potential for including alternate caregivers and support persons, and discuss considerations related to their inclusion.
