Our Family Is Back - 2nd Edition

Title: Our Family is Back: Multi-Family Therapy for Eating Disorders 

Authors: June Alexander, Ivan Eisler and Julian Baudinet 

My Family is Back describes the multi-family therapy approach that is helping children recover from the eating disorder, anorexia nervosa. Multi-Family Therapy (MFT) is an intensive method involving a small group of families working together towards recovery. Building on previous work that focuses on mobilising family resources as a major agent of therapeutic change, MFT adds a new element: getting groups of families to work together to rediscover their strengths, overcome a sense of isolation, and find a new sense of hope.  

Professor Ivan Eisler and Dr Julian Baudinet explain how MFT therapy works and how it can improve the treatment of eating disorders by improving service delivery and reducing costs.  

Eighteen families bring the science to life by sharing their stories with the narrator, Dr June Alexander. The families are the ‘voice of experience’, providing a long-term perspective and reflection on their participation in MFT. Their stories emphasise the importance of early intervention, family participation and collaboration in overcoming anorexia, the most severe psychiatric illness.  

This book provides: 

·      Strategies for parents/siblings and friends/professionals.  

·      An explanation of the evidence base for this treatment model of care. 

My Family is Back has international appeal for families of children with an eating disorder, health professionals, health care providers and the general public. It introduces the MFT approach in a style that appeals to all. Backed with scientific explanations, My Family is Back is primarily a collection of family stories about helping children recover from anorexia with multi-family therapy. People learn from stories.  

National Strategy Standards and Actions