If you’re caring for someone with an eating disorder, you already know how much your day-to-day responses matter. EMPOWER-ED is a short, practical online program that walks you through real situations: what to say, what to try, what tends to help.
Project EMPOWER-ED was built by researchers at Lurie Children’s Hospital, Mayo Clinic, Northwestern, and Boston University in partnership with FEAST. We’re sharing it because it’s grounded in something we’ve always believed: families aren’t bystanders in recovery — they’re a central part of it.
What You'll Learn
- How eating disorders shape behavior, emotions, and decisions (and why your loved one’s reactions aren’t personal)
- What you might be doing that’s accidentally making things harder, and small shifts that help
- How to support meals and recovery moments, even the hard ones
- How to respond with both warmth and steadiness when things get tense
- Practical scripts and approaches you can try right away
- How to be more confident, with a clearer sense of your role as caregiver
What To Expect
The program itself takes about 20 minutes. It works on any phone, tablet, or computer — do it in one sitting, or in the gaps of your day.
The team behind the program also asks a few short questions before and after (about 5 minutes each), and an optional check-in four weeks later. These help them keep improving the program.
All of the questions are optional — you can do the program without answering any of them.
Ready to begin?
Questions?
Please contact the program directly at empowerED@luriechildrens.org
Project EMPOWER-ED is not a replacement for professional treatment. Instead, it is designed to support caregivers alongside treatment, during treatment transitions, or while seeking additional care.