You feel the experience in working with adolescents and an eating disorder.
The doctors are knowledgeable 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 head, then the pounds.
As parents, you are a directly involved party and they know that at Empathy. They work with the context of the family, you are involved and also coached in the difficult process of dealing with the eating disorder and your adolescent.
It is an added value that dieticians are also present under the same roof so that there can be a close relationship between therapist and dietician.
In short: a warm recommendation for all those who choose professional outpatient therapy.

After decades of searching, doubting, fighting, struggling, giving up, despairing, causing grief, suffering, Empathy came my way… what a discovery!!!

Finally no longer ‘alone’ in conversation with my murderous inner critic, yes another ‘wise’ external voice , namely that of Empathy made its appearance…. Initially not very welcome, after all, we had it “right” with the two of us for years, me as fearful slave, my inner critic as mighty ruler!
Empathy invalidated his suppremation, what he had to say was anything but the truth, worse: scathing nonsense!
At the day center, I learned to recognize the false tricks of his strategy, the big lies he made me believe in, the thinking errors I made.
NO, anorexia is not just an immense problem of eating or not eating!
It’s just one of the inner critic’s tricks to keep me in its power, to mold me to its hand, to make me lose my own “self…

Eating in community was a huge challenge for me.
It was made clear to me in a very loving, gentle way that there was nothing “wrong” with eating a delicious, healthy, beautiful salad prepared according to the standards of nutrition. I soon got a sense of “safety,” nothing could happen to me, my inner critic was not in sole charge here, there was another voice that actually encouraged me and did not discourage me … that voice came from the kind people around me. And yes , my inner critic did not give in easily, he offered fierce resistance, did not want to lose me … but with each meal at Empathy his power dwindled, thanks to the endless patience, the great understanding, the touchingly gentle attention …
I had found a safe haven, here I felt strong! (How delicious, tongue-tied a chocolate could be…)
Gradually I expanded my ‘action radius’ (i.e. fighting for sufficient and tasty food) further, what could be done at Empathy had to be possible elsewhere too!
My inner critic was silenced more and more…, yes he is still there, but whether I want to listen to him, that is up to me to decide!

Thank you EMPATHIE, words are too short !

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 have fortunately ended up at the non-profit organization “empathy” where I have been receiving outpatient counseling for about a year and a half now.
I am finally becoming aware of what is “going on” with me and I am especially “aware” of what an eating disorder is.
I realize how hard I have to fight to get it under control. Every day I experience with a lot of trial and error that I am walking the right path while above all it takes a lot of commitment and courage.
And yet, surrounded by the warm people of “empathy,” my immediate family and some friends for whom I have boundless admiration, I realize that it is worth it!
Step by step, I am now detaching myself from that false sense of security that admission gave me.
As a result, I feel that there is still a future for me, which is gradually giving me more breathing room, freedom of choice and, above all, real solutions.
M (age 53)

“Elisa’s weight was dipping at a breakneck pace and we realized that we could no longer carry this alone. We also didn’t want to let her go or leave her alone in the hospital, we knew what we didn’t want. She was so scared and her thinking so disturbed. ASBL Empathy gave us the support and warmth we needed to continue to support Elisa despite our feelings of desperation and helplessness. ‘Together’ we fought with her against her illness with support from the doctors, therapists, family, other girls with anorexia and their parents. It was the most terrible and tearful period in our lives but also a period of intense connection and humility for life. We are so happy that things are better now.”

C, Ghent