6 Ways Parent Coaching Can Help
A Guide for Parents Supporting Teens with Eating Disorders
Parenting a teen with an eating disorder is a uniquely challenging experience. As a parent, you are often thrust into unfamiliar and overwhelming territory—one filled with medical concerns, emotional distress, and uncertainty about how best to help. It can feel isolating and confusing, leaving many parents asking, “What do I do? What do I say? Am I making it worse?”
In my years of working with teens and families as an eating disorder therapist, I have witnessed how vital parental involvement is to a teen’s recovery. However, I also know that supporting a teen with an eating disorder is not intuitive. This is where parent coaching comes in—a resource that is often overlooked but can be a powerful addition to the treatment process.
Many parents wonder, “Is parent coaching just therapy for me?” While coaching and therapy may sound similar, they serve distinct purposes. Parent coaching focuses specifically on equipping parents with tools, education, and strategies to better support their child’s recovery journey, as well as their own well-being. Unlike traditional therapy, which often delves into a person’s deeper emotional landscape and history, coaching is practical, collaborative, and action-oriented.
Here are 6 ways parent coaching can help when your child is struggling with an eating disorder.
1. Parent Coaching Provides Education About Eating Disorders and Recovery
One of the most significant benefits of parent coaching is the education it provides. Eating disorders are complex illnesses that involve biological, psychological, and social factors. For parents who are new to this, it can feel overwhelming to understand what’s happening and why. Parent coaching offers clear, digestible information about eating disorders, helping you make sense of the situation and empowering you to respond with confidence.
Through coaching, you’ll learn:
The different types of eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, ARFID, etc.).
How eating disorders affect the brain, body, and behavior.
The role of nutrition, medical stabilization, and therapeutic support in recovery.
Having a clearer understanding of the illness helps you approach your teen’s behaviors—such as meal refusal, irritability, or denial—with compassion rather than frustration.
Education is the foundation for informed, effective parental support.
2. Parent Coaching Helps You Learn How to Respond to Challenging Behaviors
Parenting a teen with an eating disorder can bring out intense emotions—for both you and your child. When your teen refuses to eat, lashes out at the dinner table, or expresses hopelessness, it’s easy to feel helpless or triggered. Many parents are left unsure of how to respond without unintentionally escalating the situation.
Parent coaching offers practical tools and scripts to help you navigate these difficult moments. A coach can work with you to:
Practice calm, compassionate responses during emotional mealtimes.
Avoid unintentionally reinforcing eating disorder thoughts and behaviors.
Set boundaries while maintaining connection.
For example, instead of reacting with, “Why can’t you just eat? Don’t you see how this is hurting you?” parent coaching might help you shift to:
“I know this is hard for you. I’m here to support you, and we’ll get through this together.”
Small shifts in language and tone can make a significant difference in your teen’s willingness to engage and feel safe in recovery.
3. Parent Coaching Reduces Parental Anxiety and Overwhelm
It’s no secret that parenting a child with an eating disorder can take a toll on your mental and emotional well-being. It’s common to feel anxious, exhausted, and unsure if you’re doing the “right” thing. Parent coaching provides a space to focus on you—your emotions, concerns, and needs—as you navigate this challenging time.
While coaching is not therapy and doesn’t address deeper emotional wounds, it normalizes your experience and provides support for the day-to-day struggles. A parent coach helps you identify what’s in your control, what isn’t, and how to manage your own stress and triggers as you show up for your child.
This guidance can help you feel grounded, confident, and less alone—ultimately enabling you to parent more effectively.
4. Focuses on Strengthening the Parent-Child Relationship
Eating disorders often bring conflict and strain into parent-child relationships. Teens may feel misunderstood, criticized, or ashamed, while parents feel frustrated, scared, and at a loss for how to connect. Unfortunately, this disconnect can make recovery even harder.
Parent coaching places a strong emphasis on rebuilding trust, connection, and communication between you and your child. You’ll learn ways to:
Validate your teen’s emotions while holding safe recovery boundaries.
Use supportive, non-judgmental language to encourage open communication.
Show your teen that you are on their team, even when they’re struggling.
When your child feels seen and supported by you, they are more likely to accept help and engage in treatment. The parent-child bond is one of the most powerful tools in recovery, and coaching helps you nurture it.
5. Parent Coaching Teaches You How to Support Meals and Recovery Goals at Home
Mealtimes and food-related situations are some of the most challenging aspects of eating disorder recovery for both teens and their families. Parent coaching equips you with specific strategies to support recovery at home, where much of the day-to-day work happens.
A parent coach can help you:
Plan and structure meals in a way that feels supportive and manageable.
Respond to meal-related anxiety, refusals, or outbursts.
Create a recovery-focused environment that encourages safety and trust.
Having clear strategies takes the guesswork out of meals and allows you to show up as a consistent, calm source of support for your teen.
6. Parent Coaching Offers a Collaborative and Holistic Approach
Parent coaching doesn’t replace therapy for your teen—it complements it. Eating disorder treatment often involves a team approach, including medical providers, therapists, dietitians, and more. Parent coaching fits into this model as a collaborative support for you.
Your parent coach can:
Help you understand treatment goals and your role in supporting them.
Guide you in finding the best treatment options for your teen and your family
Collaborate with your teen’s providers to ensure consistency and clarity.
Offer tailored guidance for your family’s specific needs and challenges.
By working alongside your teen’s treatment team, parent coaching ensures that you are informed, supported, and actively contributing to your child’s recovery in a meaningful way.
Final Thoughts…
Parent coaching is not about blaming parents or suggesting you’re “doing it wrong.” Quite the opposite—it’s about recognizing that eating disorders are complex and that you, as a parent, deserve tools, support, and guidance to help your child heal.
Unlike therapy, which often focuses on emotional processing and deeper exploration, parent coaching is practical and action-focused. It gives you a roadmap for supporting your teen while also helping you care for yourself during a challenging time.
Recovery from an eating disorder is not linear, and it requires patience, compassion, and teamwork. Parent coaching equips you to be a steady, informed source of support—someone who can show up for your teen with confidence and care.
If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “Am I helping or hurting?” or “What do I do now?”, know that you don’t have to figure it out alone. Parent coaching is here to guide you every step of the way, helping you support your child’s recovery while strengthening the bond between you.
Your role as a parent matters deeply in this process, and with the right tools and support, you can help your teen move toward healing and hope.
If you’re navigating the challenges of supporting a teen with an eating disorder, parent coaching could be the additional support you need.
Reach out to learn more and take the next step in feeling empowered on this journey.
Other Professional Services Offered:
Whether you're contemplating starting a group practice or navigating other challenges in the eating disorder treatment field, support is key to success. At Edie Stark Consulting, we are experts in eating disorders, specializing in empowering professionals, parents and media professionals as they navigate all things eating disorders.
Through our four pillars of expertise, we provide:
Business Consulting: Build a thriving, values-based practice that supports both your clients and your lifestyle.
Clinical Consultation: Access ethical, inclusive, and social justice-oriented guidance for your eating disorder work.
Parent Coaching: Navigate your child's recovery with compassionate support and tailored strategies.
Media Consultation: Partner with us to create accurate, inclusive, and impactful media representation of eating disorders.