Our approach: the Maudsley Model
The New Maudsley Model is a world-renowned approach which provides education, skills and the techniques to help and support carers adopt a more adaptive approach to their loved one’s eating disorder.
The aim of the New Maudsley Model is to help parents and carers feel more confident and empowered in their caring role, to reduce their anxiety, and improve communication lines in the family, ultimately helping them best support their loved one on their path towards recovery.
It aims to do this by:
– Strengthening carers’ beliefs in their abilities to make change possible
– Giving carers the opportunity to express concerns about the illness
– Discussing the basic principles of behaviour change
– Teaching communication skills (ability to express & process emotions)
– Promoting respect, satisfaction and a unified approach within the family
– Teaching the skills of problem solving
– Maximizing carers skills (warmth with limits and boundaries)
– Highlighting factors which may be aggravating the problem
It is an extremely credible and recognized model, used in many countries around the world. It has been available to parents and carers in the rest of the UK for over 20 years, and the aim of fightED is to offer it to the parents and carers of Ireland for the first time.
It is “designed to equip carers with a skill set which enhances communication and is often used in inpatient and outpatient settings by clinicians.” It provides carers with “….the skills and guidance that will best help them support their loved ones on the path towards recovery.”
The New Maudsley Model has been, and continues to be, scientifically tested. Recent results showed significant reductions in carer anxiety and depression, as well as significant increases in carer psychological wellbeing and self-efficacy. Carers also reported an improvement in the wellbeing and eating disorder behaviours of the sufferer.
fightED has selected a group of facilitators who have recently been trained by one of the founders of the New Maudsley Model. These facilitators will roll out this training course for parents and carers across Ireland.