Residential, Day & Evening Treatment Centers for Adults with Eating Disorders

Our Philosophy for Eating Disorder Treatment

At first the eating disorder may make the person feel "in control", but eventually, the illness controls them and their life. At times, the eating disorder is viewed as the person's "best friend", because it can comfort them and help them cope with life. At other times, it is their "worst enemy". It pervades all of their thinking and makes it impossible for them to have meaningful relationships and a fulfilling life.

The eating disorder affects not only the individual suffering from the illness, but their family and friends as well. Those close to the afflicted person feel concern for their welfare but, at the same time, feel helpless to do anything that will alleviate the condition. 

Friends and relatives of the afflicted person feel as if they must "walk on eggs", lest they say something that will upset the person and possibly make things worse. The choice often made is to ignore the person's behavior and physical state altogether. They feel caught between the proverbial "rock and a hard place" with the life of their loved one at stake. Eventually, this all feels quite unbearable. For all of these reasons, we strongly encourage the involvement of family and close friends in treatment. The involvement of the referring treatment team is crucial as well. It begins on the day of admission and continues throughout treatment.

A person's deteriorating physical and nutritional state significantly affect their ability to function emotionally, intellectually and socially. Therefore, the core of our program is based on helping them to normalize their eating, decrease their purgative behaviors and become nutritionally and physically sound. Once this basic foundation has been established, we are then able to help them better understand their feelings. 

We see the eating disorder and its accompanying behaviors as a method of coping and the person's best attempt at dealing with life's stresses. Our goal in treatment is to help the person identify their feelings and to help them develop alternative methods of coping that do not adversely affect their physical health and well-being.