Cooking Therapy - Background

Culinary therapy started during my first encounter with social work. I had just graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and was finding traditional therapeutic language a bit alienating and not natural to me.

Around the same time, I decided to deepen my knowledge of cookery which, until then, had been a much-loved hobby. I enrolled on a course at Tadmor, Israel's premier culinary institute, and worked as an apprentice at some of the finest restaurants in Tel Aviv. During my time in the kitchen I gradually started to understand the important role food plays in our lives; how significant it is in creating relationships, and the natural way one can express creativity through cooking.

I soon discovered that the theory and practice of culinary therapy did not exist in Israel or in any of the other countries where I sought it out. The intuitive connection between food and emotions seems evident, almost taken-for-granted. Certainly, many people I was working with – both in social work and in the kitchen - agreed with me.

So, I decided to take on the challenge of developing this unique field, and started to learn how to develop a methodology for using cooking and food as a form of therapy. I studied everything I could find that might be relevant – including art therapy and special education needs. I also started leading my first culinary therapy group.

The group consisted of a number of blind adults who had recently lost their sight. They were experiencing a severe crisis; they had become dependant on their families, and were deeply anxious about carrying out mundane chores or responding to social encounters. Some of them had withdrawn from normal activities and stayed at home where they felt safe. Their quality of life was poor. The culinary therapy group was aimed at bringing these issues to light and dealing with them collectively. I wanted to find ways to help the participants participate in normal activities, be independent at home and create new friendships. In short, I wanted to empower them and strengthen their self esteem.

During the year we worked together, both the participants and I learned to appreciate the daily miracles we achieved in the kitchen cooking together. Since that first group, I extended the work of culinary therapy to cancer patients who were referred to me by the Israeli Cancer Association; I also started working with children with special needs.

As a life philosophy I try to combine my therapeutic work with research. I really believe that introducing new therapeutic methods requires studying their effects on patients. Therefore I already finished my first study on culinary therapy with children diagnosed with PDD (pervasive developmental disorder) and psychiatric co- morbidity. This study proved that culinary therapy made significant improvement in their functioning. I also started my PhD research of cooking therapy on a large number of cancer patients. Preliminary results show an improvement in eating behavior and quality of life.     

photo: Sigal Buchbot

Culinary therapy is relevant for different kinds of populations, and can be applied individually or in groups. It is aimed at people who face difficult challenges in their lives that diminish their quality of life. Culinary therapy is projective and operates through transference of feelings, so it uses both verbal and non-verbal communication which also suits people who are unable to benefit from traditional interventions or who do not respond well to discursive methods.

Culinary therapy derives from the theoretical perspective of object relations, and focuses on nourishment and the important part it plays in personality development in children and adults. The group format relies on the premises and therapeutic techniques developed in the fields of art therapy and group interventions.

Culinary therapy is relevant for children with special needs because it serves to create a bridge between the children's inner world and the outside world of reality and the therapist. That connection is fortified through the unique characteristics of this therapeutic approach which combines the concrete and the symbolic, and exposes the children to different kinds of communication. It also allows them to process different kinds of transference, specifically the formation of primary relations. In particular, this type of intervention emphasizes elements of play and creativity, as well as sensory stimulation and group dynamics. Handling and preparing food are basic primal occupations, and even the most challenged children can find ways to really succeed in these activities. The product is immediate, the satisfaction is immediate, and the children are very enthusiastic and motivated to participate, which is an essential factor in dealing with children, especially those with special needs.

The culinary therapy support group model developed for cancer patients involves co- guidance with a registered dietitian. The group deals with issues related to healthy diet, making life changes, relationships with carers and hospital personnel, and more. Every meeting we cook a dish that serves as a metaphor for a situation: for example, broccoli is known for its healthy qualities in estrogen balance and is therefore most important for women diagnosed with breast, ovarian or uterine cancer. It also symbolizes feminine qualities and empowerment.

Contact information:

Ayelet Barak – Social Worker (MSW) and chef, cooking therapist.

mazon.laneshama@gmail.com