How to Assess Anorexia – Understanding the Adolescent’s Relationship with the Eating Disorder
A practical, developmentally informed tool to help clinicians explore how anorexia functions in the life of the adolescent beyond symptoms alone.
Included free:
- A 1-hour recorded training
- The Life & Anorexia Worksheet (PDF)
- Structured clinical prompts for use in session
Why This Training Matters
Assessing anorexia nervosa is not only about weight, behaviours, or risk markers.
Often, what determines engagement is whether the adolescent feels understood in how the eating disorder:
- protects them
- organises their identity
- manages anxiety or emotional overwhelm
- provides certainty or control
Without understanding this relationship, treatment can remain surface-level or oppositional.
This training introduces a structured way to map that relationship safely and collaboratively.
What You’ll Learn
In this 1-hour session, you will learn how to:
- Introduce the worksheet without increasing defensiveness
- Explore the five stages of the relationship between the young person and their AN
- Gather clinically meaningful information to inform treatment planning
- Open psychological access while maintaining medical priorities
The goal is not to confront the eating disorder, but to understand it so that change becomes more possible.
What’s Included
✔ 1-Hour Recorded Training
A clear explanation of how to use the Life & Anorexia framework in practice.
✔ Downloadable Worksheet
A structured clinical tool you can use in session.
✔ Guided Reflection Prompts
Language you can use immediately to support collaborative assessment..
Who This Is For
This free training is designed for clinicians working with adolescents experiencing:
- Anorexia nervosa or atypical anorexia
- Strong attachment to the eating disorder
- Ambivalence about treatment
- Rigid perfectionism or identity fusion with illness
- Family tension around recovery
It is suitable for psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, family therapists, and other clinicians experienced working in the field of eating disorders.
Clinical Use Only
Anorexia nervosa is a serious and potentially life-threatening illness that requires coordinated medical monitoring and specialist, multidisciplinary care.
This training and accompanying worksheet are developed for use by qualified clinicians with experience in eating disorder treatment. They are intended to support psychological formulation and engagement within a comprehensive treatment framework.
This resource is not a standalone treatment, and it is not designed for use by adolescents, parents, or carers outside of professional clinical supervision. It is not a substitute for medical assessment or specialist intervention.
If this framework resonates with your work, you may also be interested in:
- ED Recovery Therapy Cards – A structured yet creative tool to externalise traits, manage inner critics, and strengthen inner sages.
- ED Therapy Cards Course – A Practical Guide for Clinicians – A comprehensive training on using the cards safely and effectively in treatment.
Maria Ganci
Start the free mini course
This mini course was developed for clinicians experienced in treating eating disorders. Anorexia Nervosa is a life-threatening illness and treatment should always involve a team of professionals, in particular a pediatrician or General Practitioner to ensure medical stability.
A thorough assessment of the young person’s mental state should always be undertaken prior to using this tool and clinicians are advised to use their clinical discretion when using this tool.
Disclaimer: All care has been taken in the preparation of this course. No responsibility can be accepted from the misinterpretation of this work.
