Lori Henry's Blog

Here is a list of training for those who want to continue their ARFID training at a more in-depth level. Some of the training covers a lot more than ARFID, giving a comprehensive training in eating and feeding as a whole.

For those of you just coming to this page, I am running an Introduction to ARFID webinar through the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, which you can sign up for here.

In putting together the presentation, I realized that participants would ask for more clinician tr...

I know it can be devastating to learn that your daughter or son has an eating disorder or to suspect that they’re struggling with their relationship to food (and their body). And I hear from parents every week about how they wish they knew what to do.

I’ve written a few articles that I hope will help parents who want to take steps to get their child help but don’t know where to start. Please read through them all and, if it’s your daughter who’s struggling, consider enrolling them in my online co...

I often hear this from parents who have teenagers with eating disorders: they try their best to say the right things when it comes to food, but their teen reacts with an angry outburst or won’t talk to them at all. Eating disorders affect almost every aspect of a person, and their families – and communication is definitely an area that can be deeply affected.

First, know that conversations will not go perfectly, no matter what you say. They may not even go smoothly most of the time. Being able to...

You may be seeing changes in your daughter’s demeanour, like increased emotional outbursts, withdrawing to her room more often, and avoiding situations where she has to eat with the family. You may notice physical changes like weight loss or gain, and lack of energy. Psychologically, she may be having a hard time concentrating, becoming more forgetful and saying negative things about her body.  

Eating disorder diagnoses like anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder or another specified eating di...

You may be seeing changes in your daughter’s demeanour, like increased emotional outbursts, withdrawing to her room more often, and avoiding situations where she has to eat with the family. You may notice physical changes like weight loss or gain, and lack of energy. Psychologically, she may be having a hard time concentrating, becoming more forgetful and saying negative things about her body.  

Eating disorder diagnoses like anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder or another specified eating di...

The most common question I’m asked by parents is, “Does my daughter or son have an eating disorder?” While there isn’t a definitive answer, there are signs you can look out for that will guide what you should do next.

An Eating Disorder vs. Disordered Eating

It can be helpful to think about eating along a spectrum: on one side, a person eats with ease (i.e. they are relaxed, can be social and are flexible around food).

On the other side, a person is stressed or anxious around food. This can lead ...

The most common question I’m asked by parents is, “Does my daughter have an eating disorder?” While there isn’t a definitive answer, there are signs you can look out for that will guide what you should do next.

An Eating Disorder vs. Disordered Eating

It can be helpful to think about eating along a spectrum: on one side, a person eats with ease (i.e. they are relaxed, can be social and are flexible around food).

On the other side, a person is stressed or anxious around food. This can lead to avoi...

This is a guest blog post by my mom about her experience finding out I had an eating disorder when I was 15 years old. I hope it helps other parents know that they are not alone. And that your daughter or son’s illness is NOT your fault! ~ Lori 

I am the proud mom of Lori. I learned the true meaning of unconditional love when Lori told me that she had bulimia and needed my help. All the skills I learned in my 30+ years of being an elementary school teacher did not prepare me for the emotional jo...

This poem is from my book Silent Screams: Into and Out of Bulimia Through Poetry , written when I was a teenager.

(Part one)

As day conspires into night

and the household retires to sleep,

she is left in complete and utter silence.

The journey within reveals

her tortured soul as it awaits its nourishment,

hungrily anxious to devour

the constraint it exercised throughout the day.

The night’s stillness opens doors

into the unexpected,

the dark corners of a young girl’s mind

as she lies in bed, half asleep,

list...

[This blog post was originally published in 2012 and updated September 6, 2024.]

Diet culture has become the norm. It’s infused in the way we speak (“I’ve earned this piece of cake,” “You’re so self-disciplined!”) and in the way we behave (restricting or fasting after eating a large meal, trying to lose weight to attain a “beach body”). Eating disorders are on the rise, with a 107.4% increase in eating disorder diagnoses for Americans under 18 between 2018–2022 (Trilliant Health, 2023). What are ...