The role of the educational center in the treatment of an eating disorder

School is one of the primary spaces for socialization and development during childhood and adolescence. It is where we grow, begin to build our future aspirations, establish our first friendships, and find role models in our teachers who guide us every day. When, for health reasons, attendance at school is disrupted, something is shaken in our routine, our dreams, and our identity. This is especially true when academic expectations are typically high and the pursuit of excellence can be a constant challenge.

This is what usually happens to girls and boys who begin treatment in eating disorder units . And now what will happen? Has all the academic effort I've put in so far been for nothing? Are my future plans going to be ruined? What will the teaching staff think of me if there's a change in my performance? And my classmates? What and how do I explain what's happening to me? What will happen to my grades?

Some eating disorder units include a teacher or educational psychologist on their professional team who can address and support these concerns. Nevertheless, only the connection between the hospital and the school provides a reliable solution for these children and teenagers. Their schooling continues, relationships remain, dreams endure, and learning expands.

Accompany with good educational coordination

This essential relationship is what has existed between the Institut Doctor Puigvert in Barcelona and the Eating Disorders Unit at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital in Barcelona, which have coordinated from the outset to offer the best support and educational resources to a student affected by anorexia nervosa. The center has always kept in mind that being a hospital patient does not preclude her from being a classmate, friend, and student.

There is a lot of work to be done: the process of assessing the development of individualized plans, curricular adaptations, raising awareness among the teaching staff, preparing the class group, reviewing materials, etc. But above all, a lot of communication and flexibility are needed since there is no pre-established roadmap.

We cannot predict the duration or evolution of the treatment, nor can we know the worries and anxieties that will arise among the students, teachers, or families. This is perhaps one of the main functions of educational coordination during treatment: to provide support during this period of uncertainty and to take responsibility for addressing the frustrations, resistance, and fears that emerge throughout the entire school community in the face of hospital admission.

The role of the school in providing this educational and emotional support has been fundamental. Noèlia Gómez, a guidance counselor at the Institut Puigvert, has had many conversations with the affected student, aimed at "reassuring her and listening to her, but also showing her that the entire teaching staff is working together to support her through this process." During weekly meetings with the hospital, they discuss the girl's concerns and her needs related to school (homework, any necessary adjustments, etc.). In fact, the entire teaching staff is involved in facilitating her continued studies. "The teachers have been sending her assignments so she can work on them in the hospital and have adjusted exam and submission dates to accommodate her needs," explains Noèlia.

It's a "great collaborative effort involving all the services involved," she emphasizes, but also with the family, who "keep us informed at all times about their daughter's condition and the stage of her illness, always showing complete trust in our professional judgment." In this regard, communication between the school, the family, and the hospital regarding the student's physical and emotional health "has always facilitated a swift response."

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In this coordination, it is important to unify objectives and approaches. Both the person receiving treatment and their family, teachers, and peer group need support, and to provide it, it is necessary to standardize criteria, which is not the same as always giving the same response.

The Puigvert Institute recognizes the importance of prevention and early detection of eating disorders. The role of educational guidance professionals, like Noèlia, is also crucial. They monitor students with specific needs and dedicate time to supporting these students and liaising with their families and health services.

The educator Marcos Santos Gómez speaks of pedagogical tact as "a kind of situational sensitivity, given in an educational situation, from which considerations are drawn for a prudent, balanced, effective action, aimed at achieving the child's well-being" (Gómez, 2013) . And this is what has stood out in this experience of coordination and support; a sensitivity that has consolidated, with professionalism, coherence, and collaborative work, a fantastic educational response.