Despite the severe and increasing burden of eating disorders (EDs) on children and adolescents, treatment services are often only accessible after substantial wait times. Given the overwhelming demand for treatment and significant resource limitations placed on health services, meaningfully reducing wait time for treatment is unfortunately not always possible.

To bridge this gap, some health services are providing pre-treatment programs that aim to support parents and prepare them for their child's upcoming treatment. One such program is Strong Foundations, a six session weekly psychoeducation program for carers of children and adolescents on the waitlist for treatment at Queensland's Child and Youth Mental Health Service Eating Disorder Program (CYMHS-EDP).

This project evaluated Strong Foundations to assess its impact on parents' confidence to support their child during their recovery journey. We also assessed the program's impact on parents' depression and anxiety, as well as their child's outcomes during the program.

Given that early symptom change is the greatest predictor of treatment outcome, these promising findings highlight the valuable role of pre-treatment programs can play within the health system. The manuscript for the Strong Foundations evaluation will soon be submitted for peer-review.

Partners/Organisations: Child and Youth Mental Health Service Eating Disorder Program (CYMHS-EDP)​