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Building a Treatment Team
Community Based Treatment
Treatment Team Builder
Build a shortlist or team to meet your needs
Most people with eating disorders can be effectively treated in the community, providing they are medically and psychologically stable.
As with other illness, the GP takes on:
- Medical management
- The role of care coordinator
As care coordinator, it is essential that you provide appropriate referrals to ensure the person is supported by a multidisciplinary team.
When building a treatment team, it is recommended that at a minimum you involve:
- Medical Practitioner (i.e. GP, paediatrician, physician)
- Mental Health Practitioner (i.e. psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, occupational therapist, nurse)
- Additional medical and mental health specialists may also be required. The GP is the crucial link between clinicians.
+/- Dietitian
+/- Specialist psychiatrist, paediatrician, physician
+/- Families/carers
+/- Peer support
+/- Exercise physiologist
Engaging Family & Carers
Families and carers are an invaluable resource in recovery
Unless it is clearly contra-indicated, the person's family and/or significant others should be included in the treatment team and be integrally involved in the assessment, treatment, and discharge planning process.
Their involvement is important for maximising the effectiveness of any treatment plan.
The role of carers and families may include:
- Active involvement in their loved one's psychological therapy (i.e. Family Based Therapy, FBT)
- Providing health professionals with insights into their loved one's progress at home
- Helping negotiate treatment options
- Supporting their loved one to attend appointments
- Offering practical support (e.g. helping with shopping/cooking, giving reminders about medications, financial support)
- Giving encouragement and perspective