Skills for Carers

The ‘Skills for Carers’ workshops are full of practical tips, scenarios and case studies. This series is designed to help carers develop self-reflective, care-giving skills to role model confidence, compassion and courage. The aim is to offer attendees the knowledge and ability to be an important part of supporting a loved one.

Sessions are delivered online (via Zoom) and following the first session, the team will close the group to ensure that the parents and carers in attendance can develop a positive peer group through the entire three-week programme.

To find out if workshops are available in your area and/or how you can get involved in upcoming workshops use the button below.

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Intended Outcomes.

Our Skills for Carers courses are free to attend, and are open to any parent, both parents and older siblings with a carers role. The three-week workshop series offer a toolbox of skills for tackling eating disorder difficulties, focusing on warmth, empathy and self-reflection.

  • To gain a greater understanding of eating disorders, signs and symptoms, and the effects they have on an individual.

  • To understand what we mean by ‘rolling with resistance’, and an insight into the different caring styles (New Maudsley Method.)

  • Being able to recognise the stages of change and understand what recovery means with regards to eating disorders.

  • To gain new support tools and strategies that you can use with a loved one in recovery, and the understanding the importance of goal setting.

What is an eating disorder?

This week we lay the foundations for supporting someone with an eating disorder: signs and symptoms, risk factors and understanding recovery.

Caring Styles

Next, we’ll learn more about caring styles, using the New Maudsley Method approach and ‘Animal Analogies’. We will also start to look at the model of communication.

Conflict and Communication

This week we will gain a greater understanding of the importance of communication styles for nurturing a healthy social environment before we look at resistance in recovery and how we can implement change.

Enabling and Accommodating

As we come to the end of our time together we will reflect on how a carer might be accommodating or enabling the eating disorder, and the impact it may have on recovery, with time at the end to review our goals and what we have learnt together.

It has been incredibly useful in helping my daughter. The information given was brilliant and so informative. The facilitators were so knowledgeable and the course has been a great help.

Anon, Skills for Carers Attendee

Being given the opportunity to listen to others in similar situations, this has been very much needed, as well as learning skills from the facilitators. It’s been useful toe to ask questions at any point to ensure we fully understand how to practice the skills learnt. Being able to understand how to address certain behaviours with our daughter when she is struggling and knowing that we are doing the right thing has really helped us as a family.

Anon, Skills for Carers Attendee

It’s a shame it’s only 4 weeks! It’s good having the opportunity to listen to connect with other people who understand what we are going through but who aren’t directly involved with our family, as well as the chance to reflect on ways to tackle tricky situations and improve caring skills. Thank you so much for your help. I feel less alone and a bit better able to cope with the caring task now.

Anon, Skills for Carers Attendee

I just wanted to say a huge thank you to the facilitators, the course was a fantastic help to us and the skills learnt were invaluable. We feel more equipped to support our daughter now.

Anon, Skills for Carers Attendee

Overall an extremely valuable and informative service. I like the understanding that you are not alone,about the ED voice and how best to approach the issue with my daughter.

Anon, Skills for Carers Attendee

The workshops helped me to understand the ED voice and how to choose the right words when taking about it to my daughter. It has really helped me and my husband to understand eating disorders and realise we are not alone.

Anon, Skills for Carers Attendee

It’s great to have the opportunity to gain tips for best supporting our daughter and talking to others experiencing similar difficulties. Thank you for providing a supportive atmosphere where people felt comfortable to share their experiences.

Anon, Skills for Carers Attendee

There is so much to like about these sessions; A closed group, opportunity to ask questions, offered time to chat before or after session if had specific issue.

Anon, Skills for Carers Attendee

First Steps ED are a leading eating disorders charity, providing hope, opportunities to those impacted by eating difficulties and poor body image. Our passionate team work throughout the UK to offer support to children and their families, young people and adults affected by eating difficulties and disorders. We are advocates of early intervention and prevention which is why we offer training and guidance to parents, carers and older siblings who want to learn more in how to approach and support a child or loved one.

As a charity, we are funded by the generosity of people whose contributions allow us to provide these services free of charge. If you want to get involved with us through fundraising, donations and volunteering, please click here.

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