F.E.A.S.T. is
“Five Years Strong”
by
Leah Dean, Executive Director, F.E.A.S.T.
In 2014, F.E.A.S.T. Celebrated its 5th year as a non-profit
organization. As the year comes to a close, it is appropriate to take a look
back at our accomplishments, take stock of where we are, and invest in a plan
that will take us forward towards fulfilling our mission.
F.E.A.S.T.’s Mission
is simple:
To support caregivers of loved-ones with eating disorders
by:
·
providing information and mutual support
·
promoting evidence-based treatment, and
·
advocating for research and education to reduce
the suffering associated with eating disorders.
The Dream:
When F.E.A.S.T. was founded in 2009 our five year goal was
to make F.E.A.S.T. obsolete. Our original founding members envisioned:
·
effective, evidence-based treatments for eating
disorders accessible to all
·
treatment in the least restrictive environment
to provide for the patient’s well-being
·
ED issues as part of all parent, health and
mental health discussions
·
Better ED education at graduate/post-graduate
levels across disciplines
·
Information for “at-risk” groups
·
No more stigma
·
Families finding answers
·
Families connected and supporting each other
worldwide
·
EDs are curable
·
Interdisciplinary research and communication in
the health professional community
Five years later, F.E.A.S.T. is still here, staying true to
our
Mission and our
Principles. While our dream is not yet
a reality, progress has been made. The eating disorder advocacy community has
grown, and F.E.A.S.T.’s founding principles have become more widely accepted
and have inspired a new wave of collaboration between families, professionals
and patients.
Our Principles:
·
Eating disorders are biologically based mental
illnesses and fully treatable with a combination of nutritional, medical, and
therapeutic supports.
·
Parents do not cause eating disorders, and
patients do not choose eating disorders.
·
Parents and caregivers can be a powerful support
for a loved one’s recovery from an eating disorder.
·
Blaming and marginalizing parents in the eating
disorder treatment process causes harm and suffering.
·
Patients should receive evidence-based treatment,
when available.
·
Families should be supported in seeking the most
appropriate treatment in the least restrictive environment possible.
·
Food is medicine: all treatment should include
urgent and ongoing nutritional rehabilitation.
·
When the family is supported, the patient is
supported.
·
Siblings and parents are affected by a family
member’s illness; their needs deserve full attention, too.
·
Parents have a unique capacity to help other
parents with support, information, and the wisdom of experience.
·
NEW in 2012: F.E.A.S.T. is committed to a
coalition-building model of advocacy work that requires mutual respect among
caregivers, professionals, and patients.
Over the past five years, F.E.A.S.T. has established many
important working relationships with other eating disorder organizations, and
individuals in the field.
·
We have an Advisory Panel of ED experts and
advocacy leaders.
·
Various F.E.A.S.T. members and volunteers are
active members of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED), and serve on AED Task
Forces and Committees.
·
F.E.A.S.T. participates in the bi-annual US NIMH
Alliance for Research Progress meetings.
·
F.E.A.S.T. is an Adversity2Advocacy (A2A) Ally
Organization (a2aalliance.org)
These relationships have allowed us to partner with other
organizations on special events, outreach initiatives, and to create and
publish important resources for caregivers.
Events:
·
F.E.A.S.T. has hosted three US Conferences, bringing
together professionals, families and patients to share expertise, experiences,
and communicate as peers. (Alexandria, Virginia – 2011 & 2012; Dallas,
Texas – 2014)
·
F.E.A.S.T. partnered with Janet Treasure, the
Maudsley ECHO Project Team and Maudsley Carers to put on a Conference in
Nottingham, England in 2012
·
F.E.A.S.T. partnered with the Butterfly
Foundation and ANZAED (The Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating
Disorders) to put on a Conference in Brisbane, Australia in 2013.
·
F.E.A.S.T. has gathered members for
EDC Lobby Days to visit and tell their stories at US
Legislative Offices, including a special Lobby Day for F.E.A.S.T. Conference
Attendees in November of 2012.
·
F.E.A.S.T. partnered with the AED Family Based
Treatment SIG to organize an
"Ask a Caregiver" Webinar at our 2014
Dallas Conference. This event was livestreamed to more than 100
ED professionals and caregivers around the world. The recorded video has been
viewed over 1200 times.
·
F.E.A.S.T. Board member, Becky Henry worked with
Mothers Against Eating Disorders (MAED), the EDC, and the Alliance for Eating
Disorder Awareness on the planning committee for the M.O.M. (Mothers and
Others) March, in Washington DC. F.E.A.S.T. Founder, Laura Collins, was an
invited speaker for the event.
·
F.E.A.S.T. attends and exhibits at the AED's
Annual International Conference on Eating Disorders.
Resources:
·
In 2014 F.E.A.S.T., BEDA, AED, and STRIPED
worked together with the EDC to revise a 2009 "Talking Points"
document to produce
"Facts and
Concerns About School-Based BMI Screening, Surveillance and
Reporting", a new support document for a "Dear Colleague"
letter sent to the US Center for Disease Control (CDC).
(view PDF)
·
F.E.A.S.T. Family Guide
Booklet Series: F.E.A.S.T.
has brought together teams of eating disorder research and treatment experts to
create a series of educational resources about eating disorders for the general
public. Each booklet answers common questions by caregivers with factual,
evidence-based information.
Other
Collaborations, Successes & Recognitions:
·
F.E.A.S.T. Directors have been invited to
contribute to professional workshops, panel discussions, and write opinion articles
for the professional journal, Advances in
Eating Disorders: Theory, Research and Practice.
·
F.E.A.S.T. Founder, Laura Collins presented:
"Advantages of Brain Disorder Language
from the Patient/Carer Perspective" at an AED
Panel Presentation for the 2012 AED Annual Conference in
Austin, TX. This talk led to the article,
"The term 'brain disorder': a
compass or a map?", which was published in the
journal: Advances in Eating Disorders: Theory, Research and Practice Volume 1,
Issue 1, 2013
·
F.E.A.S.T. Founder, Laura Collins presented:
"Do Carers Care About
Research" at an AED
Panel Presentation for
the 2010 AED Annual Conference in Salzburg, Austria.
·
F.E.A.S.T. raised $14,000 in 2014 for the
Charlotte's Helix genetic database project.
·
Mary Beth
Krohel (2012) and Laura Collins (2014) were both awarded the AED's Meehan/Hartley Award for Public Service
and/or Advocacy.
Looking Forward:
Looking forward, we are excited to see the grass-roots
vision of F.E.A.S.T.’s founder, Laura Collins, inspiring new actions by parent
advocates that support F.E.A.S.T.’s principles. As
an established organization we look forward to identifying specific
opportunities to work alongside the many new ED advocacy groups that are
forming worldwide. As always, we welcome any individuals who agree with
our principles to join F.E.A.S.T. and become one of the dedicated volunteers
working behind the scenes to support our mission, goals, and future plans.
For more information about F.E.A.S.T., please
visit our website at http://www.feast-ed.org and subscribe to our
“Let’s F.E.A.S.T.” Blog at: http://letsfeast.feast-ed.org
