When people think about eating disorder treatment, residential care is often the first thing that comes to mind, and for some people that’s exactly what’s needed because having that level of support can make a huge difference, particularly during the earlier stages of recovery. But not everyone needs twenty-four-hour care, and not everyone is at the same point in their recovery, which means there isn’t really one approach that’s going to work for everyone.
The thing is, life doesn’t just stop because someone’s working on their recovery. After all, people still have jobs to get to, friends to see, families to spend time with, food shopping to do, birthdays to attend, and all the other little situations that most of us don’t think twice about but which can feel very different when someone’s trying to rebuild their relationship with food and with themselves at the same time.
That’s one of the reasons outpatient treatment can be such an important part of the recovery process because it means people can get specialist support but still do their everyday lives as well, and that’s exactly what Eating Disorder Solutions‘ outpatient facility in Weatherford, Texas, is designed to help with.
The programme supports adults across the Dallas-Fort Worth area who need structured eating disorder treatment but don’t necessarily need residential care, and what makes the approach especially great is that so much of it is focused on helping people build confidence in situations they’ll eventually have to face outside treatment as well, because recovery doesn’t stop the moment a therapy session ends.
Recovery Has To Work Outside Treatment
One thing that’s easy to forget when talking about recovery is that eventually people have to take what they’re learning and use it in real life – that might mean going out for a meal with friends, attending a family gathering, walking around a supermarket, going on holiday, or dealing with all the little situations that can feel overwhelming when food has become a source of anxiety.
Those situations might sound fairly ordinary, but they’re also the situations people have to get through every day, which is why they’re such an important part of recovery in the first place, and so that’s one of the things that makes the outpatient approach make so much sense because people aren’t waiting until treatment ends before putting those skills into practice. Instead, they’re continuing to live their lives and also receiving support along the way.
Not Everyone Follows The Same Path
Recovery is rarely a straight line – some people might start with residential treatment and then move into outpatient care, and others might begin their recovery journey through outpatient treatment from the start. Some people could even need extra support at certain points and less support at others. So in other words, the reality is that people change throughout recovery, and their needs can change as well.
That’s one of the reasons it helps to have different levels of care available because treatment can adapt to where someone is at that particular point in time rather than expecting everyone to follow exactly the same route.
It Can Feel Less Lonely
Eating disorders can be incredibly isolating, and the truth is that a lot of people spend months or even years feeling as though no one really understands what they’re experiencing, and even when friends and family are supportive, it can still feel difficult to explain thoughts and behaviours that don’t always make sense even to the person experiencing them.
What can help? One thing is group therapy, and here the outpatient programme includes psychoeducational groups and process groups where clients can learn more about recovery while they’re also spending time with people who might be facing the same challenges, or at least similar ones. The fact is that sometimes hearing someone describe a thought you’ve had yourself can be so reassuring because it reminds you that you’re not the only person dealing with it.
It’s About More Than Food
When people hear the words “eating disorder”, it’s easy to just totally focus on food, but the reality is that food is often just one part of a much bigger picture, and there can be anxiety, depression, perfectionism, trauma, body image concerns, obsessive thoughts, low self-esteem, and all sorts of other factors involved, which is one of the reasons individual therapy is always going to be such an important part of treatment.
At Eating Disorder Solutions, clients work with a primary therapist to explore some of the issues that might be contributing to the eating disorder in the first place, and at the same time they’ll be developing healthier ways of dealing with difficult situations because the reality is that recovery isn’t just about food – it’s about everything that comes with it as well.
How does it work? Eating Disorder Solutions uses evidence-based approaches including CBT, DBT, and EMDR, which means someone’s treatment is built around methods that have been widely researched and used within eating disorder care. The evidence is there that it’s going to work, so why reinvent the wheel?
Rebuilding A Relationship With Food
Of course, food still plays a massive role in recovery, and a lot of people going into treatment have actually developed fears around certain foods, strict eating rules, or habits that have been part of everyday life for a long time, and changing those things is isn’t as easy as just one day deciding to think differently. If only that were the case. But that’s why nutritional counselling is such a crucial part of the whole programme.
Working with registered dietitians gives clients ongoing support as they work through challenges, adjust meal plans, and gradually build a healthier and more balanced relationship with eating, and because that support is happening at the same time as therapy, it helps make both the practical and emotional sides of recovery are being worked on together.
Confidence Comes Through Practice
For a lot of people, mealtimes can be one of the most stressful parts of recovery – it’s one thing to talk about food during a therapy session, but it’s something else entirely to sit down and actually face situations that might have caused anxiety for a long time, after all. That’s why the supported meals and snacks included in the outpatient programme are such a useful thing to be able to be involved in.
Rather than being left to deal with those moments totally alone, clients have opportunities to practise eating in a supportive environment while they also get plenty of guidance and encouragement from clinicians.
The owners and authors of Cinnamon Hollow are not doctors and this is in no way intended to be used as medical advice. We cannot be held responsible for your results. As with any product, service or supplement, use at your own risk. Always do your own research and consult with your personal physician before using.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.
