We incorporate a comprehensive team approach in working with psychologists, licensed professional counselors, clinical dietitians, adjunct therapist, and exercise physiologist. Mental health professionals also incorporate Psychological Testing, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and a Family Systems Approach to treatment. The dietitians and exercise physiologists use the resting metabolic rate test, nutrition analysis, and meal therapy to treat the formal eating disorder. patients may also pursue counseling for depression, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorders.
Our Methods for Treating Eating Disorders
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT)
Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) is a powerful and thoughtful approach to therapy. We find that CBT is especially effective with patients at Walker Wellness Clinic because of its focus on distorted thoughts, extreme beliefs and polarized thinking. A core feature of CBT approach is for the patient to analyze her thoughts, beliefs and assumptions that typically lead to depressive or overwhelming feelings. Through constant challenging of the patient’s belief system, the therapist helps the patient replace dysfuntional or inaccurate thoughts and beliefs with more productive and healthy ones.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Dialectical behavioral Therapy works well with patients who struggle with an eating disorder because it balances change and acceptance. This allows patients to accept their past while striving for change for a better future. DBT incorporates distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness and uses these critical components to show patients how to effectively deal with their often times intense emotions in a constructive and respectful manner.
Family System Approach
Family therapy is a critical component of a patient’s recovery from an eating disorder. The family system approach implies that everyone in the family must make change in order for the one person (the patient) to get better. Family therapy involves examining the communication styles of the family as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the family. Assessments can be given to help the family identify these critical components and once established, the family strengths can be used to foster interactions that support and encourage change. Different combinations of the family system may also be studied. For example, the mother – father dyad is an essential piece to a healthy family and therapy with only these two members is recommended at times.