You feel the experience in working with young people and with an eating disorder. The doctors have knowledge and understand the art of involved confrontation. For the ‘patient/client’, it is hard work. Self-reflection, underlying patterns of fear of failure and perfectionism are also exposed and addressed, and it pays off. First change in the mind, […]
A different perspective of eating disorders treatment.
provides therapeutic and solution-focused care to adolescents and adults with eating disorders, including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder.
ASBL Empathie is a multidisciplinary centre for the treatment of eating disorders.
The treatment is concrete, step-by-step, solution-oriented and does not just focus on weight. The focus is on regaining inner strength and rediscovering joy in life. This holistic approach guides the patient towards becoming aware of his/her thoughts, emotions and behaviour, which will give him/her the insight and energy to overcome the illness..
Our approach
Learning the language of the eating disorder.
The therapist helps the patient and his/her environment to know, recognise and cope with the thought patterns of the eating disorder. Understanding and "decoding" the language of the eating disorder by the patient and his/her loved ones facilitates the healing process.
Systemic, involving the environment
The persons who are part of the patient's environment ( family, parents, siblings, school, friends... ) are very closely involved in the treatment. They are also coached intensively so they can better understand and actively support the patient.
Multi-disciplinary
The physician-therapists work closely with people from other disciplines, such as gastroenterologists, nutritionists, paediatricians, drama therapists, mindfulness coaches, et al. Moreover, there is an ongoing contact with the referring authorities, the already treating physician or/and the medical staff in case of hospitalisation.
Our treatment
Individual consultations
Individual consultations with the therapist form the core of the treatment. The therapist assumes the role of coach who helps the patient progress step by step.
Parent or partner counselling
A better understanding of the thought patterns that drive behaviour, helps parents/partners in the daily care of their child/partner. Learning and recognising the language and mindset of the disease is extremely important, so that the home environment can also be experienced as safe for the patient. This can also be done using webinars (see parenting courses).
Our philosophy
Mission
Empathie aims to restore the quality of life of people with eating disorders in a humane and effective way. It wants to do this through patients and their environments:
- giving hope and being able to enjoy life again
- understanding the eating disorder and creating a solution-oriented action plan with them
- providing medical care, therapy and counselling to heal quickly
- raise awareness of the importance of language in communication between the patient and his/her environment
Vision
Empathie aims to address eating disorders effectively in order to increase the chances of better quality of life and recovery.
Testimonies
ASBL Empathie gave us the support and warmth we needed
“Elisa’s weight was plummeting at a furious pace and we realised that we could no longer bear this alone. We also didn’t want to let her go or leave her alone in hospital, we knew what we didn’t want. She was so scared and her thinking was so disturbed. ASBL Empathie gave us the support […]
I am finally becoming aware of what an eating disorder is.
After a series of admissions to psychiatric wards and 2 very long-term admissions to an eating disorder ward spread over about 5 years, I was fortunate enough to end up at ASBL “Empathie”, where I have been receiving out-patient counselling for a year and a half now. I am finally becoming aware of what is […]
Finally no more ‘alone’ talking to my murderous inner critic
After decades of searching, doubting, fighting, struggling, giving up, despairing, causing grief, suffering, Empathie came my way… what a discovery!!! Finally no more ‘alone’ talking to my murderous inner critic, but another ‘wise’ external voice , namely that of Empathie made its appearance…. Initially not very welcome, after all, we had been talking for years, […]
Our team
Dr. Patty Annicq
Dr Patty Annicq is a medical doctor and Solution-Focused Systems Therapist. She also attended several continuing education courses in Nutrition. In 2004, she founded ASBL Empathie and has been coaching patients and their parents/partners with an eating disorder on an outpatient basis ever since.
Rika Van Doorselaer
“As an artist, I believe in the extra dimension that creative activity gives to our lives and our 'being'. Focusing on that little something else, working with colours and various materials, making music, acting, writing: letting something emerge from yourself, surprising yourself. In the creative coaching I give, we work together on plastic artistic projects.”
Nieuw Eetverbond
We work closely with the dieticians of the Nieuw Eetverbond.
Parents
The patient's parents, partner and environment are closely involved in therapy. Parents and partners can also receive individual counselling. Parents and other supporters are then given additional information and tips for understanding the eating disorder.
BOOK:
Purchase of the book ‘Skills-based Caring for a Loved One with an Eating Disorder’ by Janet Treasure is highly recommended.
Support us
Would you like to support our non-profit organisation?
Your donations are tax-deductible from an amount of 40 euros and above.
ASBL Empathie
IBAN: BE25 7370 3583 5782
BIC: KREDBEBB
With free mention : "Gift + name & first name & email address"
Donations received are entirely used to make therapy sessions accessible to patients who lack the necessary financial resources.
Since recently, you can also support ASBL Empathie by shopping online with Trooper, and without paying a penny more!
How does Trooper work?
1. You surf to our Trooper page: www.trooper.be/vzwempathie.
2. Choose the shop where you want to shop and click on the logo. This click tells the shop that you want to support us.
3. You shop and pay as you always do. So you don't pay a penny extra.
4. The shop donates on average 5 percent of your purchase amount to our association.
LC Brugge - in 2022
Ladies Circle Aalst
Linde Dutoit
Publications
The Perception of Persons with Anorexia Nervosa on Quality of Life: an Initial Investigation
Received: 16 March 2015 /Accepted: 14 August 2015 # Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht and The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) 2015 – Abstract Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an illness with a major impact on the individual. Among other things, it affects quality of life, relationships with friends and family, social integration, personal development and […]
Anorexia nervosa: an integrative treatment model – Journal of Psychotherapy 2015 [41] 02 www.psychotherapie.bsl.nl
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an illness with a huge impact on all areas of an individual’s life and their context (Jones et al., 2008). AN patients live, as it were, under the dictatorship of the ‘inner critic’, a strong inner normative voice that constantly reiterates the same disapproving judgements. Stinckens (2001) uses this metaphor to […]
Interesting links
