Supporting the Supporters in Eating Disorder Recovery with Harriet Parsons

This week, I’m joined by the incredible Harriet Parsons, CEO of BodyWhys, the Eating Disorders Association of Ireland.Harriet is a qualified psychotherapist with over 20 years of experience supporting individuals and families affected by eating disorders. Alongside her clinical background, she’s passionate about education, advocacy, and making services more accessible and compassionate for carers.Harriet joins us to discuss how services can better support the families, partners, and carers of people living with eating disorders, and why helping “the system around the person” is just as important as direct treatment.Together, we explore:The Pillar Programme and how it builds carer resilienceHow Maudsley Carer Skills can empower families to support recoveryThe myth of the “perfect carer” and why presence > perfectionThe importance of meeting carers where they are emotionallySupporting professionals to better understand the carer experienceHow carers can change their approach to support recoveryTimestamps:04:25 – Harriet’s pathway into ED work and psychotherapy08:10 – Understanding the unique needs of carers13:00 – Pillar Programme: what it is and how it works19:15 – Maudsley Carer Skills & emotional coaching24:45 – Why psychoeducation is game-changing30:40 – What Harriet wishes more professionals knew36:00 – Moving from “fixing” to “supporting”41:50 – Final reflections and words of encouragement⚠️ Trigger warning: This episode discusses eating disorders and caregiving. Please take care while listening.Resources & Links:Visit BodywshyConnect with Us:Subscribe to the Full of Beans Podcast hereFollow Full of Beans on Instagram hereRead our latest blog hereIf you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate, and share the podcast to help us spread awareness.Sending positive beans your way, Han 💛