On this week's 'Parenting' segment on the Moncrieff show, one listener sought advice about her 16-year-old who she believes is hoarding food in his bedroom. 

Joanna Fortune, psychotherapist specialising in Child & Adult Psychotherapy, joined Moncrieff to answer this and other listeners' questions.

The question:

"I have discovered my 16-year-old son has been hoarding food in his bedroom."

"I was doing a yearly clothes clear out and I came across packets and packets of food, mainly sweets and crisps all empty and stuffed into drawers."

"I filled a black bag with the wrappers."

"I asked him about them and he started crying and then refused to speak."

"It was like he regressed in front of my eyes to a younger boy."

Relationship with food

"I told him he wasn't in trouble but when he's ready, let's talk."

"That was days ago and I know he's been avoiding me me."

"I know that I feed him enough and I didn't think that I denied him sweets, but he must think that as he's been buying these out of his pocket money and not telling us."

"Why would he hide this and then be so visibly upset it took me aback?"

"I don't want him to have a bad relationship with food but I fear that horse has bolted."

Joanna's advice:

"It's so hard as a parent to discover something."

"It's almost as though as parents we're predisposed to join the dots really quickly and come to a conclusion."

"I think you've had a shock."

"I think you need to come back on this though and actually I'm going to suggest a conversation while you're in the car or while you're out for a walk."

"It's not so intense as you coming into his room."

"While you're in the car you're just going to bring up, ' I want to go back to what happeneded. You know I think how I approached you about it, I was really upset, I was really worried, I thought there was something wrong and I think that came across in how I said it'."

"'Now that we've had time to have a think about it, I just want you to know that I'm here to listen, I'm here to help and support you in any way I can'."

"What that means is this conversation is rooted in acceptance and empathy."

Comfort eating

"You are not there to demand explanations ... because he may not know."

"It's okay to not understand it because I think he probably doesn't either."

"This isn't about hunger."

"Sometimes emotional dysregulation, how we're feeling in ourselves, how we're feeling about ourselves ... is just too much and we can seek comfort or soothing in something like food."

"It's not unusual to seek comfort in food."

"But if it's at an over and above level ... then it is something I think you guys will need some extra support with."

Main image shows a tin lid of empty sweet wrappers (Roses chocolates). Picture by: ACORN 1 / Alamy