How to Spot an Eating Disorder in a Child: A Guide For Teachers & Parents with Gemma Fieldsend and Jessica Parker

This week on the Full of Beans podcast, Han is joined by Jessica Parker and Gemma Fieldsend, co-founders of Cog-Spark, a mental health training and consultancy organisation with more than 40 years of combined experience across mental health, psychology, education and research. Gemma brings extensive clinical experience from senior roles within the NHS, higher education and specialist mental health services, while Jessica's background is in psychology, education and doctoral research focused on eating disorder prevention and early identification. Together, they combine frontline and clinical experience with research to deliver evidence-based, practical training to schools, universities, workplaces and community organisations. As pupils head back to school, this episode focuses on helping educators and parents recognise and respond to eating disorders in school-aged children.In this week's episode, we discuss:Why eating disorders don't have a "look," and can affect any child regardless of background, age or genderEarly warning signs of eating disorders in school-aged children, beyond weightRecognising ARFID and sensory eating difficulties in schoolsHow perfectionism and high achievement can mask an eating disorder in childrenHow to talk to a child when concerned about an eating disorderPractical strategies for schools to support children with eating disordersHow to talk to parents about a suspected eating disorder in their childRemoving blame and shame from eating disorder conversations with familiesWhy joined-up support between schools and families improves eating disorder recovery in children⚠️ Content note: this episode discusses eating disorders, disordered eating, and supporting children and young people. Please take care while listening.Connect with us:Subscribe to the Full of Beans PodcastFollow Full of Beans on InstagramCheck out our websiteListen on YouTube