STEP 1: SCHEUDLE CONSULTATION
Does your relationship with food impact your activities, relationships and self-esteem?
How? Schedule a consultation with a therapist to begin treatment for and eating disorder.
STEP 1: SCHEUDLE CONSULTATION
STEP 2: COMPLETE ASSESSMENT
STEP 3: ATTEND SESSIONS
Eating disorders are serious mental health problems. Eating disorders commonly cause a person to negatively evaluate themself based on their perception of their weight, shape, size and control over them. Eating disorders occur for variety of reasons which range from trauma to genetics. Take concerns about eating disorders seriously and schedule a consultation today.
An untreated eating disorder may lead to serious medical problems,
dissatisfaction with life and more however, it doesn't have to be that way.
Eating disorders are a serious and sometimes deadly mental health problem. There are a varity of eating disorders and the most commonly known ones are:
While those are the most commonly known eating disorders, there are several others.
Eating disorders are pathological and in some instances, a perosn may not meet criteria for an eating disorder yet still have a problem with their relationship with food. We call this "an eating problem" and we treat this too.
Eating disorders are among the most serious and dangerous mental health problems. Eating disorders carry with it one of the highest prevelance rates attempted deaths by suicide at about 26% and approximately 10,200 deaths each year (Arcelus, Jon et.al., 2011).
Eating disorders often cause a significant impact on the person's life. We've treated people who have lost jobs to the eating disorder, relationships and their health. Medical complications for people with an eating disorder are often serious and impact the whole body.
Eating disorders are commonly underdiagnosed and this is particularly true for males. Two reasons why eating disorders may be underdiagnosed is because other symptoms e.g. depression, may be more easily identified. Secondly, many clinicians are not trained to assess for an eating disorders.
Each eating disorder has it's own unique cluster of symptopms and must have psychological, physiological and occupational/social impairments. In general, a person may wish to look out for:
There are many other symptopms of eating disorder many of which are physiological. Given the propensity for eating problems to cause significant harm, you should speak with a qualified professional regarding you experiences as soon as possible.
The honest answer is that mental health professionals do not know why eating disorders happen. Some factors which contirbute to the development of eating disorders are:
As you can see, the list varies and there isn't one good answer for why eating disorders happen to people. What we can say is that treatment with therapy is effective.
There are a varity of free, self-assessments which you can do to help you determine if you may be dealing with an eating disorder. Examples are:
* Complete the CIA AFTER the EDE-Q 6.0
There are a varity of other assessment tools however, you should know that many of these tools are not intended to provide a diagnosis yet they are wonderful starting points.
Eating Problem | Eating Disorder |
---|---|
May be distressing however, generally has a low impact on a person's day-to-day experience. | Are often greatly distressing and their impact is pervasive across various day-to-day functions. |
Commonly seen in people who have dieting behaviors and strict food rules. | Could occur in people with little to no dieting behaviors and/or food rules. |
Behaviors are generally not helpful and have little consequence unless taken to an extreme. | Can have a dangerous effect on a person's physiological health and might even need hospitalization. |
May or may not co-exist with other mental health problems yet, there's a focus on body size, shape etc. | Are commonly accompanied by a pathology of depression, low self-esteem and perfectionism. |
Eating behaviors aren't generally performed in secret, eating in public and emotions tend to be tolerable. | Eating behaviors are generally done in private, secret and may be experienced with shame and guilt. |
Whether you believe you have an eating problem or an eating disorder, we're here to help. Schedule a consultation below to get started today.
Treatment Overview
The treatment of an eating disorder looks different for every person, while still sharing common elements of treatment across the board.
Treatment starts with an evaluation session where the therapist will collect important information about your experiences. Next, you and the therapist will build a treatment plan and then treatment sessions begin.
The content of treatment sessions vary depending on the treatment plan and what you bring to session. Moreover, There's no definitive length of time you can expect to be in therapy however, we like to tell our clients to anticipate 16-28 sessions.
If you'd like more information on the kinds of therapies you may see, how treatment planning works or even when therpay may be "completed" please visit the other tabs.
Types of Therapy
There are a varity of therapies for the treatment of eating disorders. The kind of therapy used in session ought to be a decision made between yourself and the therapist. Here are some example therapies you could be treated with:
Irrespective of the kind of therapy used you may also be taught various skills and concepts in sessions which are often useful for the treatment of anxiety. Some examples of those are:
There's a lot more we could share however, if you'd like to know how treatment is planned and set into motion, read the Planning tab.
Planning Treatment
The development of a treatment plan is how you and your therapist will know what direction to take therapy. There are a variety of ways that treatment planning can be done with some being fomalized and others more casual. Regardless of how treatment planning is conducted it's a good idea to ensure that you treatment plan will include several of the following:
The treatment plan, important as it is, is not set in stone. In fact, items on the plan can be added and removed. In fact, it is possible that a client terminates care even before the treatment plan is completed. The take away as that the treatment plan acts as a guide. To learn more about the outcome of therapy, please read the outcome tab.
Therapy Outcome
We hope that therapy ends because treatment was successful and appropriate outcomes were achieved. The outcomes of therapy are different for every person and when it comes to the treatment of eating disorders, some examples are:
Certainly, there are many other positive outcomes, we understand that there are reasons therapy may end. Practice polcies may change, providers leave and the "therapist-client fit" is not the best and life just gets in the way sometimes.
We aim to help our clients achieve their therapy goals to the best extent possible and improve their life.
The first step is to schedule a free, 15-minute consultation to share what's going on and to decide if we're a good fit for you.
Step two is to attend your intake session. At this session, we will ask questions to learn more about your experiences.
The final step is to attend your regularly scheduled sessions so that you can begin to address what's happening in your life.
Learn the skills therapists want you to know.
The Mental Health Jumpstart is a 3-day course designed to teach you about some of the essential skills and concepts to jumpstarting your mental health care without a therapist.
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Medical Disclaimer
The contents of this website are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.