Sherri Casseau is a single mother of three girls. She has come into
your office to tell you that one of her daughters, 14-year-old Ann, is bulimic.
"Sorry
to hear that," you say to Sherri. "Now, here's where you've got to be strong."
You
ask Sherri many questions, not the least of which is how Ann is treated at
home. After about an hour, you come up with a number of sore spots, things
that go on regularly in the Casseau home that might be contributing to Ann's
condition. Here are three of them:
- Telling Ann she looks thin or even that she looks good
- Insisting Ann change her eating habits by eating more or eating less
- Telling Ann she's going to an eating disorder counselor
"A therapist must be very skilled at getting to the clients' level
of communication," says Patricia Dewenter, an eating disorder counselor from
Florida.
"This means you need to be able to talk to parents and support
people if you are going to be successful. There is so much guilt and shame
that go along with this, that if you cannot get out what the core issue is,
which will not happen without honest and caring, [and] at times [confrontational]
communication, one will never trust nor get better."
Your job is to
explain each of the above sore spots and suggest a way to correct the problem.