Eating Disorder Recovery
Eating disorders are complex and affect women, and men of all ages, races, and cultural backgrounds. In order to appropriately treat eating disorders, the approach to treatment must address the individual, family, and environment.
Mindful Springs Eating Disorder program uses multifaceted interventions in order to reach lasting progress.
"Do I have disordered eating or an eating disorder?"
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Our Program Treats:
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is a serious, potentially life-threatening disorder characterized by the restrictive eating, fear of gaining weight, and an unhealthy (low) body weight.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa is also a potentially life-threatening disorder characterized typically by a cycle of over eating followed by compensatory behaviors (self-induced vomiting, laxative abuse, or exercise). Bulimia may also include periods of restrictive eating.
Binge Eating Disorder
Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent binge eating without compensatory behaviors, and often followed by a great deal of shame.
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder characterized by the lack of interest in food. Patients with ARFID are not afraid of weight gain but rather avoid intake based on sensory characteristics of food, or fear of aversive consequences following a feeding (choking, stomach upset, or constipation). This eating disorder can lead to significant nutritional deficiency or failure to thrive.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
Body Dysmorphic Disorder is a mental health disorder that is usually comorbid with eating disorders. Body dysmorphic disorder is a disorder in which the patient can’t stop thinking about perceived flaws. Patients struggling with this disorder may appear to be obsessed about specific body parts and may engage in mirror checking, body pinching, weight checking, and body measuring.
Eating disorders are complex mental health disorders and no two patients look the same. There are many subcategories of eating disorders such as Other specified feeding and eating disorder (OSFED), Rumination disorder, and Unspecified feeding and eating disorder.
If you believe you have an eating disorder it is always helpful to seek professional help.
Our therapists use a multidisciplinary team approach to your treatment. Again, keep in mind no two eating disorder patients are identical, so your treatment plan will be tailored to fit you and your unique situation. Sometimes help from a nutritionist, psychiatrist, or PCP is beneficial and your therapist can make referrals appropriate to you and your unique situation.
What we offer at Mindful Springs
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy for eating disorders is critical to lasting recovery. When meeting with your individual therapist he/she may use concepts from various different treatment approaches. Treatment approaches commonly used among our therapists include:
- CBT Therapy: This approach helps patients to understand the link between thoughts, feelings, and behaviors and then, develop strategies to change maladaptive thoughts that lead to maladaptive behaviors.
- Narrative Therapy: This approach helps patients to externalize the voice of the eating disorder and rewrite the story of recovery!
- ACT Therapy: This approach helps patients diffuse from unhelpful/ unhealthy eating disorder rules.
- Our treatment approach also includes concepts from intuitive eating and healthy at every size.
Family Based Therapy
Our therapists believe that eating disorders do not stand alone. When a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder the entire family is affected. The family systems approach recognizes that to create lasting change for the patient and reach full recovery the family environment must be addressed/explored.
Group Therapy
At some point during treatment most patients are ready to attend group therapy, and find this to be a large part of their treatment process. Group therapy works to remove isolation for those struggling with eating disorders and help patients connect to others who are working towards recovery. Groups offered include:
- Navigating the Road to Recovery — a group designed for those struggling with AN/ BN to learn intuitive eating practices, and address body image issues/ social pressures.
- Binge Eating Recovery Group — a group designed for those working towards treatment for BED.
- Family Treatment Group — a group designed for loved ones to better understand eating disorders and how to support their loved one while still caring for their own mental health needs.