Being a carer of a loved one with an eating disorder can be isolating and lonely.

Collaboration is key to the skills we are teaching and so we have taken up the elephant metaphor given to us by a carer from a New Maudsley workshop. Collaborative care is like being a herd of elephants linking trunks and tails, to jointly care for the young ones. In this metaphor, the carer collaborates with a team of wise others to make decisions and provide care. This illustrates the importance of including friends and family and of course getting information from books and workshops.

We are much like this in our workshops too, supporting each other and sharing experiences, what works for some and not for others as each family comes with a unique set of circumstances. We want carers to come away from our workshops feeling that they are not alone.