Effective Eating Disorder Treatment comes in the form of support from treatment professionals, support groups, and, most importantly, a strategy that will help the person accept one’s self for who they are.
For many teens, eating disorder treatment seems to be out of reach, but the truth is that the recovery from an eating disorder is possible. At Vista Academy teens that struggle with an eating disorder or irregular eating habits receive specialized individual and group therapy around this addictive behavior. All students at Vista Academy work individually with the Fitness Director on developing health exercise and eating habits, with special attention given to those teens struggling with an eating disorder, or body image issues. Like Drug and Alcohol Treatment Plans, Teen Eating Disorder Treatment plans are individualized based on the person but there are a few basic steps in the effective treatment of teen eating disorders.
- First the person needs to accept they have a problem and ask for help, or they need to be approached in a loving way.
- Next, find a specialist who has experience in dealing with eating disorders. Having this support makes the recovery process easier. It’s important to find a professional counselor or nutritionist who specializes in eating disorder treatment.
- Addressing the health problems that may have resulted as a result of long periods of fasting, binging, or purging. Eating disorders, like drug addiction have a incredibly damaging effect on the body and these issues need to be addressed as quickly as the eating disorder itself.
- Finally, a long term treatment plan needs to be in place even if the teen as made strides in their recovery. After a period of growth relapse may occur and the teen needs to be prepared to handle these situations to prevent falling back into old habits.
Individualized Treatment plans are developed for Teens Struggling with an Eating Disorder or Unhealthy Eating Habits
At Vista Academy we develop individualized treatments plan for those teens struggling with an eating disorder or unhealthy eating habits. We understand that in order for our teens to stay on the path of recovery from both drug and alcohol addiction and disordered eating our teens will need to meet regularly with professionals to address the symptoms and destructive eating habits, as well as root causes of the problem such as the emotional triggers that lead to disordered eating and your difficulty coping with stress, anxiety, fear, sadness, and other uncomfortable emotions.
Vista Academy works with teens struggling with unhealthy eating habits and works with a number of ancillary service providers.
Therapy and support groups are a key factor in long term recovery from both eating disorders and drug and alcohol addiction. Being around like minded people going through someone similar to you is a relief when you body, the mirror, and your mind are telling you that you are all alone.
To ensure that each client is maintaining a healthy mind and body, the following treatment options are available:
- Weekly Individual Therapy
- Weekly One on One Counselor Meetings
- Diet and Nutrition
- Fitness plans
- Mindfulness
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Treatment Team Evaluation
- Weekly Psychiatric Evaluations
- Weekly Group Therapy
At Vista Academy we understand eating disorders and how all phases of treatment are crucial. If a resident is either showing signs of or verbalizing an eating disorder, we have many resources in the community we work with to meet client needs.
Vista Academy educates teens about nutrition, the importance of physical fitness, and body image as part of a well-rounded treatment plan.
Understanding Eating Disorders
An eating disorder is characterized by abnormal eating habits that may either involve insufficient or excessive intake of food, and causes the health of the individual to deteriorate. Starting from adolescents and teens, to college students and young adults, to adults, anyone may suffer from eating disorders.
About 5-10 million women, and about 1 million men are affected by eating disorders in the United States. The number is a greater number of women because most women between the ages of 14-35 are completely overwhelmed with food and their body weight. This is one of the most common disorders in the United States affecting about 3.5% of women and 2% of the men.
Holistic Treatment of Eating Disorders and Substance Abuse
When someone who suffers from an eating disorder looks into the mirror they don’t see their own reflection looking back at them. What they do see is an overweight stranger that needs to be drastically altered so they can feel okay with themselves. This psychological dysfunction is tragic and the victims of these diseases take dangerously unhealthy actions to tailor their body to make it look how they want it to. Adolescence is a chaotic time. It is stressful enough making the shift from child to young adult, adding an eating order into the mix just makes things harder.
At Vista Academy, we treat each student individually based on his or her needs. We provide students with consistent communication, comprehensive assessments, and intensive therapy treatment. The treatment team is consistently evaluating the students treatment plans to give each student the best treatment individually.