What can teachers do to help pupils with eating disorders?

Many teachers that I’ve worked with have felt that helping pupils with eating disorders was either beyond their remit, or something they felt totally unqualified to do. I feel strongly that school staff are in an excellent position to spot and support eating disorders and that with appropriate training, teachers and other school staff can do an excellent job of supporting these pupils, and don’t forget, there are plenty of external sources of support you can draw on as well such as your local CAMHs or charities such as Beat or Young Minds in Schools.

So what can you do to help?

Keep an eye on pupils at risk

Whilst eating disorders don’t discriminate and can affect anybody, there are some pupils who have a higher risk of developing an eating disorder than others. By making yourself aware of the social, family and personality factors that might put a young person at higher risk of developing an eating disorder, you’ll know which pupils you should keep an eagle eye on.

• Social Factors that might put a young person at risk of developing an eating disorder
• Family Factors that might put a young person at risk of developing an eating disorder
• Personality Factors that might put a young person at risk of developing an eating disorder

Spotting the warning signs

Teachers are uniquely well placed to spot eating disorders warning signs which may be hidden at home. PE teachers, in particular often spot the physical warning signs very early on. The earlier that eating disorders are detected and treated, the better the prognosis for the young person involved, so being aware of what to look out for, and responding appropriately if you have concerns can mean the difference between a young person receiving prompt and effective treatment or having a prolonged illness which may never fully be cured.

• Physical warning signs that a young person might have an eating disorder
• 10 warning signs that a young person might have anorexia
• 5 warning signs that a young person might have bulimia

Providing a safe place to talk

School can often act as a safe haven for pupils who are either having a difficult time at home, or just don’t know how to talk to their parents about the issues that are troubling them. If they don’t feel that they can talk to anyone in a safe and supportive environment then pupils will often simply keep their troubles to themselves. By making sure that you make yourself available to pupils who may need some reassurance, support or the opportunity to talk, you are providing something very valuable to young people in need.

During my research, many young people said that they would like to talk to teachers face to face about their problems but that this simply wasn’t possible due to the way things were set up at school. Pupils made simple recommendations like teachers making themselves available in their classroom at a certain time each week, or allowing pupils to book a specific time to have a talk with them somewhere quiet.

Giving a supportive and honest response

It takes a huge amount of courage for a young person to confide in an adult about their problems. How you respond in this situation is critical as the wrong response could make the pupil reluctant to seek help again and lose trust in you. However, if you are supportive and honest in your response then you can end up being a pivotal part of a pupils’ recovery.

• What should you say when a young person confides in you about an eating disorder?

Acting as a bridge between pupils, friends and family

Whilst many pupils would rather you kept their problem to yourself, this isn’t possible as you need to share this information with a pupil’s family in order that they can provide appropriate support. It is often beneficial to have a trusted friend or two of the pupil involved in the recovery process as well. Many pupils will feel uncomfortable sharing details about their eating disorder with friends or family because they are afraid of the reaction or don’t know how to explain it. This is where you can come in and bridge the gap. You may have the initial conversations and hopefully work towards a situation where the pupil, her friends, her family and the school are acting as a team battling against her eating disorder.

Supporting during the recovery process

Pupils who are undergoing treatment for or recovering from an eating disorder usually require additional support in school. It is usually appropriate to revise your academic expectations of them and you should work with the pupil to set up a support system for them which they can call on if they are not managing. This may be as simple as agreeing that they are allowed to leave lessons if they feel uncomfortable and visit the school nurse, or have some quiet time in the school library.

• How and why you should alter your academic expectations for eating disorders sufferers

I hope this has highlighted just a few of the ways in which school staff can provide invaluable support to pupils with eating disorders. If you need additional help in any particular area, please leave a comment to let me know and I’ll do my best to create a helpful post for you.