SPECIALIZED CARE FOR EATING DISORDERS
Expert Treatment To Help Restore Your Relationship with Food & Your Body
What are Eating Disorders?
Eating disorders are mental health conditions often characterized by a preoccupation with body image concerns, a disordered relationship with food, and unhealthy eating habits, such as extreme restriction, binging, or purging. These disorders - which include anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and orthorexia - often stem from multiple psychological, biological, and social factors.
Importance of Specialized Care
Specialized care is crucial for effectively addressing eating disorders. Treatment at IMPACT, tailored to your specific needs and goals, can help you achieve recovery by addressing the unique challenges and underlying causes of what you are struggling with.
The team at IMPACT takes a holistic and integrated approach to helping clients recover from disordered eating and body image issues. Our goal is to meet you where you are and we will work with you to heal your relationship with food and your body.
We utilize the Health At Every Size (HAES) ® treatment model, as we believe that weight is not a direct measure of health. We approach recovery using an intuitive eating approach and we believe that all foods are good foods.
Symptoms:
Preoccupation with food, dieting, or body size
Severe restriction of food intake or frequent episodes of binge eating
Purging behaviors, such as vomiting or excessive exercise
Emotional distress related to eating
Significant changes in weight
Diagnostic Process:
Diagnosis involves a comprehensive evaluation. One of our skilled therapists will take a full history and spend time getting to know you and your goals for recovery. We often require a physical exam - typically done by your primary care physician or an eating disorder medical specialist - and also a comprehensive evaluation with a registered dietician/nutritionist. We may ask you to fill out a few surveys to learn more about your specific struggles.
These steps help us identify the type and severity of the eating disorder and any co-occurring conditions. We want to partner with you so you can succeed in your recovery goals. Our clinicians are approachable and dedicated to collaborating with you in your process of healing and transformation.
Our Personalized Approach
Individualized Treatment Plans: Each patient's treatment plan is uniquely tailored to their specific needs, taking into account their personal history, type of eating disorder, and any co-occurring mental health conditions.
Therapeutic Interventions: Our approach includes a variety of evidence-based therapies such as Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), as well as group therapy that respects all clients in their journey. All of our therapeutic interventions are trauma-informed. These therapies help patients develop healthier eating habits, cope with emotional triggers, and build a positive relationship with food.
Nutritional Counseling: We partner with registered dietitians who help clients establish balanced eating patterns and address nutritional deficiencies.
Medical Collaboration: We understand the importance of multidisciplinary care, which is why we work with your medical providers to ensure that any physical complications are promptly addressed, and progress is monitored continuously.
Supportive Environment: Our treatment environment fosters a sense of community and support, helping patients feel understood and less isolated in their recovery journey.
Holistic Care: We incorporate mindfulness practices, stress management techniques, intuitive eating practices, and other holistic approaches to support overall well-being.
Family Involvement: In some cases, involving family members or loved ones in the treatment process helps to create a supportive home environment and equips them with the skills to aid in their loved one's recovery.
Who Can Benefit?
Our team works with children, teens and adults. Our programs support individuals across all genders and age groups struggling with eating disorders, body image issues, disordered eating habits, and related psychological challenges. We also offer psychotherapy for caregivers supporting a loved one with an eating disorder. At IMPACT, we take a Healthy at Every Size (HAES) approach to your care, meaning we focus on creating a more liberated relationship between you, food and your body. We do not believe body mass index (BMI) and weight status are useful measures of overall health.
A Healthy at Every Size (HAES) Model
What is HAES:
At IMPACT, we understand that every body is deserving of respect and care, regardless of size or shape. We recognize that our culture often promotes harmful and distorted ideas about bodies and health, leading many to associate their self-worth with their weight. However, we are committed to a different approach—one that emphasizes overall health over BMI or other outdated metrics. This is why we embrace the Health At Every Size (HAES) model.
HAES is a compassionate, weight-neutral approach that focuses on promoting healthy behaviors for individuals of all sizes. It shifts the conversation from weight loss to overall health enhancement, recognizing that well-being is influenced by a wide range of factors, including social, emotional, and spiritual aspects, in addition to the physical.
Key Principles of HAES:
Weight Inclusivity: We believe that bodies naturally come in diverse shapes and sizes. No one size is inherently superior, and every body is valuable and worthy of care.
Health Enhancement: Our focus is on improving overall health, considering the broad spectrum of factors that contribute to well-being. We encourage our clients to prioritize their health in ways that are sustainable and meaningful to them. Some overarching goals are to prevent weight cycling and to improve body image.
Respectful Care: We are dedicated to providing care that acknowledges and challenges weight bias and discrimination. Our approach is inclusive, recognizing the importance of understanding and respecting the diverse identities of our clients.
Eating for Well-Being: We advocate for flexible, intuitive eating practices that are guided by internal hunger and fullness cues, rather than external diet rules. This approach helps clients reconnect with the joy of eating and nourish their bodies in a way that feels right for them.
Life-Enhancing Movement: We encourage physical activities that are enjoyable and accessible, focusing on the pleasure of movement rather than using exercise as a tool for weight control.
Body Acceptance & Diversity
Our team supports clients in embracing their bodies as they are. We can help in recognizing their body’s natural set point—the weight at which their body feels most comfortable and healthy when not subjected to restrictive dieting or fixation on weight loss.
Our HAES approach is particularly beneficial for those recovering from eating disorders, as it promotes a shift from external rules to internal cues, fostering a healthier relationship with food, movement, and a core belief in your own power and worth.
By prioritizing body diversity, joyful eating, and life-enhancing movement, we empower our clients to focus on what truly matters—your overall health and happiness.
FAQs
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Common symptoms include significant weight changes, preoccupation with food and body image, severe restriction or binging, purging behaviors, and emotional distress related to eating habits.
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Treatment involves a combination of psychotherapy, nutritional counseling, and medical monitoring to address both mental and physical health.
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Treatment duration varies based on individual needs, ranging from a few months to several years, depending on the severity and type of disorder.
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Long-term recovery is possible. Eating disorders can be effectively managed and individuals can achieve long-term recovery. For some clients, ongoing support and maintenance are necessary. Our goal is not only to help you transform your relationship to food and your body and to free you from the mental prison of obsessing about food and weight, but also to help you build a life you truly love.
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