Frequently Asked Questions

Treatment
Why do you recommend so many different therapies?  Isn’t individual therapy enough? 
Eating disorders are complicated illnesses that can be difficult to understand.  These disorders present an array of challenges for treatment including but not limited to:   directly confronting and correcting unhealthy food and weight attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors, discovering underlying psychological reasons for the development and maintenance of the eating disorder, managing medical issues/complications, and identifying and improving interpersonal difficulties.  Over time, recognition by the professional community of the inherent nuances of eating disorders development and treatment led clinicians and researchers alike to the conclusion that effective treatment requires a multidisciplinary team of professionals with expertise in eating disorders.  Treatment guidelines provided by The American Psychiatric Association, Academy for Eating Disorders, National Eating Disorders Association, and National Institute of Clinical Excellence and Health (NICE) all recommend the following modalities of treatment:   Individual Psychotherapy, Nutritional Counseling, Medical Management, Family Therapy for children and adolescents, and adjunctive treatments as needed.
Individual counseling allows the sufferer to explore the underlying reasons that the eating disorder developed, identify and correct the factors contributing to maintenance, learn new strategies for coping, and develop a clear sense of identity.  Nutritional counseling provides necessary education and guidance on healthy eating, weight monitoring, and assistance in normalizing one’s relationship with food.  Family therapy is an avenue of support and education for family members as well as a venue where issues affecting family life, either related to the eating disorder or not, can be discussed.  Medical monitoring ensures that the affected individual is receiving proper medical care throughout the recovery process.


Our family doesn’t have major problems.  Why do we need to go to family therapy?  Does it mean that the family is to blame for the eating disorder?
Family members are an essential part of the treatment team as family treatment has been shown to facilitate recovery in adolescents.  While it is important for an adolescent or adult to have her/his own individual therapy, it is also important for the family to take part in the process, for it is within the family environment that the person with the eating disorder must learn to effectively communicate and thrive.
The recommendation for family therapy is not based on the premise that families are to blame for the development of an eating disorder.  There is no single reason that an individual develops an eating disorder.  There are a variety of factors that come together to contribute to these illnesses which include genetic vulnerability, individual personality characteristics, and environmental stressors.  Family therapy serves several purposes.  First, these illnesses can have devastating effects on family life.  The family therapist can assist each family member as well as the family as a whole in coping with thoughts, feelings, and attitudes regarding the eating disorder.  Further, the family therapist can provide education to the family on how to deal with specific issues that may or may not be directly related to the eating disorder.  Finally, family therapy is the place where the family can learn how they can support recovery and take care of their own needs in the process.


Is it true that an eating disorder never really goes away?
Complete recovery from an eating disorder is possible.  It is true, however, that some people struggle with an eating disorder throughout their lives while others experience symptoms that come and go.  Factors that may assist in recovery include:  early detection and initiation of treatment, a motivated individual, family support, and comprehensive care from a multidisciplinary team of professionals who specialize in eating disorders treatment. 


Financial
Do you accept insurance?
Due to the limitations placed on in-network providers of care, we are considered out-of-network providers.  Invoices are generated at each visit detailing the services provided so that reimbursement can be obtained, if someone wishes to do so.  In some cases, individuals have negotiated single-case agreements with their insurance company so that they may be reimbursed at in-network rates.  If you are interested in pursuing this option, please ask the staff person you will be seeing for instructions on how to do so.


Do you accept credit cards?
Yes, we accept Visa and MasterCard.