11/11/2025
Ottawa, Ontario — Tuesday November 11, 2025
For teens with recent and newly diagnosed restrictive eating disorders, getting help early is one of the most important things for a positive long-term outcome, but those supports aren’t always easily available.
A new study led by Mark Norris and Nicole Obeid tested a 12-session online group intervention program for parents and caregivers of teens with eating disorders, called the CARE Skills Group, to see if it could be an effective early intervention model. The CARE Skills Group offers strategies to help parents and caregivers intervene early to support their child with an eating disorder before they require more intensive clinical intervention or hospitalization.
Showing promise as an early intervention model in community care, the CARE model has now been adapted and scaled for wider use in BC, and future research will explore the model’s impact on weight restoration and satisfaction from participating adolescents.
“We created the CARE Skills Group during the pandemic, when resources were stretched and families needed timely support,” explains Dr. Mark Norris. “Seeing it now expand in BC shows its potential as an adaptable tool to reach more communities and help caregivers intervene earlier and more effectively.”