The Maudsley approach is meant to be an outpatient treatment where parents play an active and positive role in order to: Help restore their child’s weight to normal levels expected given their adolescent’s age and height; hand the control over eating back to the adolescent, and; encourage normal adolescent development through an in-depth discussion of these crucial developmental issues as they pertain to their child.

The Maudsley Approach opposes the notion that families are pathological or should be blamed for the development of an eating disorder. On the contrary, the Maudsley Approach considers the parents as a resource and essential in successful treatment for an eating disorder.

Phase I: Weight restoration
Phase II: Returning control over eating to the adolescent
Phase III: Establishing healthy adolescent identity