Caregivers United
Online program for parents and family supporting a loved one with an eating disorder
Gain the essential tools, confidence, and peace of mind you need.
YES! SIGN ME UP FOR THE WAITLIST
Created and facilitated by leading Eating Disorder Specialists, Britney Lentz, RD and Jana Spindler, RD, CCC
Walking through ED recovery for your child or loved one can feel like you’re in a forest alone at night, lost without directions – helpless, fearful, panicked.
Once an eating disorder comes into your child or loved one’s life, all that comes to matter is their health. Not only is this incredibly hard for the sufferer, for parents and loved ones it can also come with feeling:
- Fearful about failing your loved one and not providing them with what they need.
- Overwhelmed with how to best support and be there for your loved one.
- Scared about saying the wrong thing.
- Isolated from those around you and a sense that you must do it all alone.
Can you relate?
Most families struggle to really understand the eating disorder and meal support. There’s a real sense of powerlessness, frustration, and burn out.
But here’s the thing… it’s not your fault if it feels like this is getting in the way of helping you loved one. Without a proven roadmap to follow, support, and guidance, it’s easy to get lost in the weeds.
But the good news is – there is hope.
Parents and caregivers are key in their loved one’s eating disorder recovery.
Whether your child or loved one has been newly diagnosed with an eating disorder or has been struggling for some time, YOU can have a significant impact on their recovery. No matter how helpless you feel or how dark things get, recovery is possible. But to help your loved one towards recovery, you will need to have clarity, a full understanding of the eating disorder and treatment, community support, and guidance from experts.
That’s why we’ve created this life-changing program; to show you how to grow broad shoulders to tolerate, endure, and support your loved one as best as possible. To give you the knowledge and roadmap needed to help your loved one reach recovery. All while feeling supported by an online community of people going through a similar journey.
If you’re looking for eating disorder help for parents, family, or loved ones and eating disorder family support, you’ve come to the right place.
“With our Dietitian’s support, we could see a path out of disordered eating. Her guidance gave us, as parents, a role in how we could effectively help our daughter. With her encouragement, we were empowered and no longer felt helpless and alone.”
– Sam B.
Move from a place of stress and uncertainty to a place of clarity and confidence
Before we tell you about this transformative program, let’s talk about who this is really for….
Eating disorders come in all shapes and sizes across all ages, genders, ethnicities, cultures, and sexual orientations. They happen to older individuals, pregnant women, members of the LGBTQ community, and more.
This eating disorder program is designed especially for you: parents, partners, and close family of someone that has an eating disorder.
Caregivers United is not for individuals with eating disorders. Please see us for our individual eating disorder counselling for treatment.
“The dietitians at Health Stand are realistic, down-to-earth, practical and beyond knowledgeable. Therefore, they are absolutely key in the recovery process.”
– Danelle Spence, Registered Psychologist @ Root Psychology
What is Caregivers United?
Caregivers United is a live 6-week online group learning and support program for parents and caregivers of someone with an eating disorder who want to play an active role in their recovery.
Supporting a loved one with an eating disorder requires compassion, determination, and knowledge about eating disorder and meal support. Without community support or guidance, the process can be incredibly overwhelming and isolating.
Let us save you years of frustration and helplessness. You’ll leave this program with a deep understanding of eating disorders and treatment as well as build skills in meal support and emotional coaching to walk with your loved one through recovery. And just as your loved one needs support, so do you – our community of caregivers have your back.
We’ve helped a handful of parents and families of those with an eating disorder. We’d be honoured to work with you too.
Sign Up for the Waitlist
Get notified when this program is open for registration!
“This group program will be invaluable for parents who are navigating an eating disorder with their child. You will learn and be challenged to question what you might have understood about eating disorders, and you will be given tools to lean into the emotional world of your child to help them step out of the world of eating disorders.”
Lois Sapsford, MSW, RCSW Director at Juno House
What can Caregivers United do for you?
Clarity
Peace of mind that you’re doing everything you can for your loved one.
Community
Support from other parents and caregivers so you are not alone.
Knowledge
ED & meal support education in digestible bites taught by leading experts.
Skills
Emotional coaching on how to be there your loved one.
Connection
Re–establish a meaningful connection with your loved one.
Covering the Essential Topics
If you’re looking for eating disorder help for parents or loved ones and have tons of questions – we’ve got you covered!
This curriculum will be taught in weekly sessions on Zoom over 6 weeks. Why are these lessons live instead of self-directed? We feel it’s the best way to get you to the finish line effectively with the extra care and support you need.
Review the curriculum below to discover exactly what you’ll learn in this one-of-a-kind eating disorder family support program.
Week 1: Hope | Introductory Lesson
Feel hopeful through a greater understanding of eating disorders, the role that they play in your loved one’s life, and what to expect on this journey.
- Introduction
- Neurobiological Model of Eating Disorders
- Understanding Eating Disorders
- The Role that Caregivers Play
- The Recovery Journey and What to Expect
Week 2: Physical Healing
Understand the foundation for physical healing through nutrition and medical stability.
- Understand Physical Symptoms and Medical Monitoring
- Recovery Priorities: What to Focus On
- The Science of Food | Foundational Food & Nutrition Knowledge: Meal Frequency, Hunger/Fullness Cues, etc.
- Let’s Talk About Weight
- A Note on Gut Health
Week 3: Nourishment Practice
Develop the specific skills to provide meal support in the renourishing process.
- Division of Responsibilities Lesson
- Meal Support 101 (Before, During, and After Meals)
- Challenge Foods and Other Factors (Holidays and Travel, etc.)
Week 4: Compassion
Learn to become your child’s emotion coach and see the impact of compassion on their recovery.
- The Power of Emotion Coaching for ED Recovery
- Emotional Coaching Practice and Scripts
- Emotional Regulation for Relapse Prevention
Week 5: Emotion Coaching Recap
Find out how to troubleshoot challenging situations that arise during recovery using your expanding emotion coaching skills.
- Special Topics in Emotion Coaching
Week 6: Live Q&A Session with Jana & Britney
Lean on the knowledge of the experts and the rest of the Caregivers United community to support you in a live Q&A session.
“She ‘held our hands’ as we learned how to sit with our daughter as she tried new challenges. She provided multiple resources and strategies that we used to help my daughter – we were fearful of pushing her too hard that she’d shut down, and also fearful of not holding the line and letting the ED gain traction; without our Dietitian it would have been incredibly difficult for us to know what to do. She was such a steadying and encouraging force whenever we had questions or we had a difficult experience, and a wonderful cheerleader when things went well.
There is absolutely no question that our Dietitian was absolutely invaluable to us.”
– Caylie V.
When you join Caregivers United, you will unlock:
Live Education Sessions
Toolkit of Resources
Case
Studies
Conversation Scripts
Q&A
Session
What Our Past Clients & Colleagues Have to Say
Sign Up for the Waitlist
Get notified when this program is open for registration!
Meet Your Eating Disorder Gurus
Jana Spindler, BSc, RD, CCC – Registered Dietitian and Certified Counselor with a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology specializing in complex mental health, sports nutrition, leadership, parent empowerment and emotion coaching.
Britney Lentz, BSc, RD – Registered Dietitian specializing in mental health, adolescent nutrition, digestive health, caregiver compassion and emotion coaching.
Britney and Jana are your ultimate eating disorder mentors and support team. They have years of specialized experience counselling people with eating disorders and have empowered many families how to play an active and helpful role in their loved one’s recovery (even when this can feel incredibly lonely and hard). Firsthand, they’ve seen the impact that the right knowledge, skills, and support can have a loved one’s eating disorder treatment outcome and sustained recovery.
Jana and Britney’s warm and confident presence offers a motivational, supportive, and judgement-free space for members to learn and connect. You’ll never feel alone and confused on your journey with them!
Together they are no stranger to the often dark and overwhelming journey that is entwined with both mental health challenges and the messy rollercoaster ride of supporting a loved one through ED recovery. Jana and Britney bring together approaches and modalities in a way that honors each person’s experience.
“Britney and Jana provide a thoughtful and supportive environment for parents/caregivers to develop an effective approach in their support of someone struggling with an eating disorder.”
– Adele Fox, Director and Registered Psychologist at Adele Fox
You’re not just joining a group program, you’re joining a community in which you will…
Be empowered to support your loved one through recovery.
Gain access to the compassionate, personalized, and credible care you need.
Be guided through eating disorder treatment practices, processes, techniques and strategies.
Join a movement of caregivers who are all on a similar courageous journey.
Confidently learn how to manage the emotional and difficult conflicts coming from the eating disorder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this program right for?
This eating disorder family support program is beneficial to any caregiver supporting someone that has an eating disorder such as anorexia, bulimia, or binge-eating disorder. You might be a spouse, partner, parent, or close friend looking for strategies to support your loved one.
Eating disorders are diverse and may include challenges with restriction, bingeing, and purging. Eating disorders occur in different genders, sexual orientations, ethnicities, and ages. Rest assured you’re in the right place for inclusive care. Some of the fundamental strategies to support your loved one are universal. We will also be covering specific examples relevant to your own situation.
What exactly does this program cover?
The full details about the program curriculum are found above under ‘Covering the Essential Topics’. You’ll see the main sessions (introductory lesson, the 5 key main lessons and plus a Q&A session to ensure we have adequate time to discuss personal questions and meet the unique needs of the group).
The 6 sessions will be presented LIVE on Zoom over the following dates (TBD) over 6 weeks.
If you can’t attend live, no worries! Audio recordings can be sent to those that aren’t able to attend. We will also provide you with cheat sheets for each lesson that contain the key messages you need to know along with worksheets and bonus resources so you have access to everything you will need to be successful.
Is this going to be customized enough for my own unique situation?
Yes! Throughout the program you’ll be able to share your experiences, ask questions, get feedback, etc. Many caregivers of someone with an eating disorder experience similar challenges – our program is general enough that it addresses these challenges but also allows space to talk about unique situations.
What if I don’t like sharing in a group, is this for me?
Yes! Our facilitators will take the lead and will never call you out to share. We encourage everyone to be an active listener, while sharing experiences and comments are optional.
Can I claim the cost of this program on my health benefits?
Some people may be able to claim the cost of the group nutrition counselling by a Registered Dietitian on their health benefits or health spending accounts. Since each plan is different you will need to check with your employer or health benefit company to ask about coverage.
While we don’t offer direct billing you will be issued a receipt you can submit to your insurance provider for reimbursement once the training session(s) have been completed.
What if my loved one gets accepted to a publicly funded program or goes in for residential eating disorder treatment? Will this still be valuable?
While publicly funded programs and residential treatment facilities are sometimes needed, often these programs do little to support caregivers which is one of the reasons we created this program. As your loved one transitions from public health programs or residential care, the role of a caregiver to continue to provide support is essential. This is an ideal time to seek education and support for yourself so that when you’re loved one transitions home, you will feel confident and prepared to help them.
How is this different from nutrition counselling with one of the dietitians at Health Stand Nutrition?
Personal nutrition counselling and the Caregivers United program stand alone, but also work beautifully together.
Caregivers United is an education program and support group designed for parents and loved ones of someone with an eating disorder. It provides loved ones with education to understand eating disorders on a deeper level and build skills in meal support and emotion coaching. The program also adds a layer of community support with others that are going through a similar journey as well.
Personal nutrition counselling on the other hand, offers personalized private support for your loved one and/or for you as caregivers.
If you are seeing a Dietitian on our team currently (or have in the past), rest assured the information in this program will be complimentary to what you have learned or will learn.
To determine what may be the best fit, please contact us.
I’m looking at a few options right now – what makes this program different?
Everything! There is no other eating disorder program for caregivers like this with as many practical examples, systems, resources and strategies that teach not just eating disorder and nutrition content, but addresses how to handle complex situations, gain skills in meal planning, emotional coaching and more. Caregivers United doesn’t just give you advice on what to say, or what to feed your loved one, it also shows you the system of how to do it and more importantly why. We’ll help take the guesswork out of meal planning, navigating complex conversations, and more.
This program was not created overnight. Britney Lentz and Jana Spindler have been developing and researching systems and best practises for supporting loved ones with an ED since they started counselling for eating disorders years ago. The program addresses the top challenges burnt out and overwhelmed caregivers experience, teaches the most valuable skills, and provides community and expert support to help you along the way.
Britney and Jana’s approach is grounded in science, sustainability, and experience on what works after counselling countless eating disorder clients and their families. They translate the complex science of eating disorders, nutrition, meal support and emotional coaching into easy-to-understand, relevant strategies you can use immediately.
When is the deadline to sign up?
This program is currently waitlisted. Please ensure you add your name to our waitlist here so you’ll be the first to know when the program opens for registration.
What are the methods of payment?
We offer payment by Credit Card: Visa, Mastercard, or e-transfer.
Contact us if interested in the price options.
NEED HELP OR HAVE QUESTIONS?
If you have questions about the program, please contact us.
You’re not alone!
Together we can stand tall against the eating disorder.
Contact us to see if this eating disorder parent support program is for you.
Send us a private message. We would love to hear from you.
