Behavioral Feeding Therapy

Mealtime can be a source of stress for many families, with children often experiencing difficulties such as picky eating, food aversions, or sensory sensitivities. These challenges can lead to frustration, anxiety, and tension around the table, making it harder for families to enjoy meals together. At Wildflower Behavioral Health, we offer compassionate and effective behavioral feeding therapy to help children develop healthier eating habits, expand their food choices, and create positive mealtime experiences for the whole family.

Why Behavioral Feeding Therapy?

Behavioral feeding therapy can be helpful for families because it provides structured, evidence-based strategies to address and manage feeding difficulties, particularly in children with picky eating, food aversions, or sensory sensitivities. This therapy helps families by:

1. Improving mealtime behavior: It teaches children appropriate eating habits, reduces food-related anxiety, and encourages a positive relationship with food.
2. Increasing food variety: It introduces new foods in a gradual, non-stressful way, which helps children expand their diet and try a broader range of foods.
3. Reducing mealtime stress: It offers parents effective tools to manage mealtime challenges, reducing power struggles, frustration, and mealtime tension.
4. Addressing underlying issues: It helps identify and manage underlying causes of feeding problems, such as sensory issues or behavioral concerns, making meals more enjoyable for the entire family.
5. Promoting family unity: It encourages collaborative efforts between parents and children, leading to more positive, supportive mealtime interactions.

Overall, behavioral feeding therapy provides families with practical strategies to foster healthier eating behaviors, improve nutrition, and create a more harmonious mealtime environment.

Services Offered

Services are offered for a variety of conditions, such as Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), Pedatric Feeding Disorders (PFD), food selectivity, food refusal, liquid dependence, and challenging mealtime behaviors. Services are provided for children and adolescents ages 2 - 16. 

When initiating services at Wildflower Behavioral Health Services, a comprehensive evaluation will take place in which developmental, medical, and feeding history is gathered, and a meal observation is conducted. Therapy will be offered when indicated and recommendations will be provided to families. Therapy goals will be established in collaboration with the family and services may vary in frequency (weekly, biweekly, monthly). Caregivers are an important part of treatment. Although Dr. Sassman will be working with the child some, most of the support offered will include parent training so recommendations can be implemented in the child's natural environment. 

Dr. Sassman offers both in-person and telehealth services for families. She is licensed in both Missouri and Illinois.