Everyone is affected
It’s often been said that when a family member has an eating disorder, the whole family has an eating disorder. Siblings are the silent sufferers and can become the eating disorder’s long-term “collateral damage”.
Here at EDFA, we recognise that the intensity of living with an eating disorder in the family is felt acutely by all members, often for many, many years.
A national sibling support group
EDFA Siblings Support Groups are a safe space to give siblings a voice and acknowledgment for the range of emotions (ie sadness, confusion, helplessness, isolation, loneliness, fear, anger, frustration) and daily struggles of living with a sibling with an eating disorder.
This support will help them to understand what their role as a sibling is.
Date: 2nd Thursday of the month, 7.30pm (Starting March 2021)
Facilitators
Jan Clark (ED private consultant and teacher (M.Ed))
Georgia Harrold, sibling with lived experience and provisional psychologist
Siblings Support Groups are a member only service.
Each participating family will receive a FREE book for siblings aged 7-14 years “The Disappearing Sister”, kindly donated by the author, Elizabeth Cummings (valued at RRP $14.99):
(Postage $6.00 & Support EDFA by purchasing a Baton for $5.00)
What siblings will gain from the group
Siblings will learn that it is not their job to “fix” or take responsibility for their unwell sibling…but they can be there and make a difference…and most importantly, to take care of their own mental and physical health and wellbeing.
Some of the things we hope siblings will take away from our Siblings Support Groups are;
- they have permission and are expected to move on in their own lives…and continue to enjoy the things that bring them joy and purpose, with no shame.
- their voice is as valid as any other voice in the family, and they will be heard and validated in the support group.
Ready to join?
Sibling Support Groups will be held on the second Thursday of every month (starting March 2021) via Zoom. Check the events calendar here.
To reserve a spot for your child:
Parents of siblings under 18
Download and sign the consent form here. Return to admin@edfa.org.au
Siblings 18+
Download and sign the consent form here. Return the form to admin@edfa.org.au
Members need to be logged into their account to access the consent forms. If you are a member, please log into your account here.
If not, become a member for just $25p/year here.
Become a member of EDFA for $25 per year (Australian Carers Only)
EDFA is a proud not for profit, volunteer run organisation.
We invite you to be part of a revolutionary peer support group making positive changes in the Eating Disorder space. Strength in numbers means we are able to affect change and have the collective voice of the carers recognised.
We provide opportunities to connect with other parents and carers who share your experiences… helping you to feel less alone and isolated.
Yearly membership is just $25.
Membership gives access to monthly state-based strive carer support groups, twice monthly education sessions, monthly sibling support, quarterly strive support groups for carers of people with ARFID and Bulimia as well as a group for male carers and access to the members-only National strive Australia page providing connection with & support from fellow parents and carers all over Australia. Members will also receive discounts to eating disorder events and conferences. Daily online support through our striveFacebook pages and the opportunity to connect, share, learn and ask questions is another benefit of being part of our EDFA community.
Your membership helps EDFA with ongoing costs of running a not-for-profit organisation, and importantly, shows Government that families value, need and believe in this type of lived-experience support. Strength in numbers helps EDFA lobby as the collective voice of carers for better services, treatments, access to expert clinicians and specialised ED units, to help our loved ones in their recovery journey and to acknowledge the impact of an eating disorder diagnosis on the entire family unit.
