I’m a feeding therapist, not a counselor!
In a follow-up to our previous post on helping parents not pressure, I (Jo) introduced some ideas from the field of counseling and psychotherapy, and anticipated a common question I sometimes hear from supervisees, “This sounds a lot like therapy - isn’t it a little...
Working with Pressure Series – part 1
You’ve shared with parents why pressure is unhelpful; you’ve explained that the idea that pressure makes eating harder and outcomes worse is underpinned by research; you’ve highlighted common feeding practices which can be experienced by children as pressure; you’ve...
“Help! My preschooler is obsessed with food!” Food Preoccupation in Pediatric Feeding
Food preoccupation is one of the most common challenges I've seen over the years (in addition to avoidant eating). How do I define food preoccupation? Food preoccupation is when a child’s interest in (or seeking of) food gets in the way of the work of childhood...
Juice Isn’t “Bad” and May Be Good For Children With Feeding Challenges
Nutrition Note Series: Katja Rowell MD, Grace Wong RD, Jo Cormack PhD, Jennifer Berry OT Different foods or liquids can prove helpful for a child on their feeding journey. But a caregiver or clinician's fear that foods are “unhealthy” or even “dangerous” can mean...
Amy and the Magic Carpet: Assumptions in Pediatric Feeding Mean Missed Opportunities
Shared with permission, identifying details changed by Jo Cormack PhD A few years back, I worked with the family of a ten-year-old girl with a very limited diet - let’s call her Amy. Amy is autistic and has quite a few sensory differences. She goes to a local school...
Answering Your Questions: on “overfeeding”
This series features questions asked during webinars (that we weren’t able to get to), questions we have been emailed, or questions from social media. The following is intended to offer general information that may be helpful to consider in similar scenarios....
Spotlight on: RFPro’s Jo Cormack PhD, MA MBACP
Who is Jo? Dr Jo Cormack is both a clinician and researcher, specializing in the perspective of parents of avoidant eaters. She works extensively with feeding professionals, both through her small group seminar program and clinical supervision. Many of you will know...
“We tried not persuading him to eat and it didn’t work.”
Instrumental no-pressure is a concept that I developed while I was analysing the data in my doctoral study of parental feeding practices. It is one of those findings that didn’t make the final cut. The thing with the kind of qualitative research method I used (very...
Spotlight on: Bonnie Searle, pediatric dietitian and PhD candidate
Who are you? Combining the skills and experience gained in teaching with a passion for food and health I completed a degree in Nutrition and Dietetics with First Class Honours. Areas of special interest include eating behaviours in children. I am combining clinical...
Helping Parents with Holiday Meal Stress with Avoidant Eaters
Holidays can be hard for parents and children, especially when children are not "typical" eaters. Helping parents anticipate challenges around holiday meals, and brainstorming ways to make things easier can make a big difference in overall stress and even eating....
