Posts Tagged “For Providers”

If you or someone you love is struggling with an eating disorder, you may be wondering where to turn for help. Many people start with a therapist, dietitian, or primary care doctor—but is that enough?

Eating disorders affect the body, brain, and emotions in deeply connected ways. Because of this, recovery isn’t something one provider can tackle alone. Without a coordinated team, critical aspects of treatment can be overlooked—making healing harder and increasing the risk of relapse.

A meal plan alone won’t heal the psychological roots of an eating disorder. Therapy without nutritional support may not help the body recover. And medical check-ins without mental health care can leave emotional struggles unaddressed. To fully heal, all of these elements must be treated together.

That’s where The Emily Program comes in. Unlike general mental health providers, we offer specialized, team-based care designed specifically for eating disorder recovery. Our coordinated approach ensures that every part of your healing journey receives the expert attention it deserves.

Your patient seems to be struggling more lately. More talk about food, more self-judgment and isolation. Their eating disorder behaviors are up and their motivation for recovery is down. They could use some extra support.

Then again, this doesn’t exactly scream crisis. Surely your patient doesn’t need residential or inpatient care yet.

Where to turn?

At The Emily Program, we offer partial hospitalization and intensive day (PHP/IDP) and intensive outpatient programs (IOP) to treat eating disorders; these are early intervention services that help clients recover sooner. These structured programs offer more support than traditional outpatient eating disorder treatment and more flexibility than around-the-clock care. Patients can admit directly to PHP/IDP or IOP, well before 24/7 care is warranted.

Rather than wait until your patient may need the highest level of care, consider how early intervention may help them now. Here are five reasons PHP/IDP or IOP may be right for your patient.

Summer can be a hectic time for families. With vacations planned, camps booked, and social gatherings scheduled, your client’s family may hesitate to seek eating disorder treatment. Unfortunately, these illnesses leave no room for putting off care. The “right time” for treatment may, in fact, be this summer — not because the timing is perfect, but because the sooner an eating disorder is treated, the better. 

Eating disorders are severe, potentially life-threatening illnesses. Adolescent clients are particularly vulnerable to their effects, as they are in a critical stage of development physically, emotionally, and mentally. Therefore, it is critical to get your young clients the help they need as quickly as possible. As a healthcare provider, you play an essential role in identifying the signs of an eating disorder and referring young clients to the right resources. Early intervention is crucial to protecting their overall health and achieving positive treatment outcomes. 

Eating disorder clinicians are guided by ethics to ensure the best for every patient that comes into their care. In general, ethics help clinicians determine appropriate clinical decisions and behavior. They provide a compass for what is “right” and what is “wrong,” although determining that is not usually so simple. Treatment providers will encounter a variety of moral dilemmas in their careers, and ethics can provide a general framework for navigating these situations. 

In this blog, we will cover key ethical principles in the treatment of eating disorders, as well as several dilemmas that the field’s clinicians may face. 

“My patient received a recommendation for a higher level of eating disorder care, but their family wants to hold off until a ‘better time.’ How do I help them understand the risks of waiting?”

Eating disorder clinicians frequently face the challenge of resistance to care. This resistance stems from various factors, such as a fear of the unknown, difficulty acknowledging the severity of the illness, and ambivalence toward the recovery process. The prospect of interrupting life for treatment often only adds to the anxiety.

The reality is that there is rarely a “perfect time” to enter treatment. School and work conflicts, social obligations, seasonal celebrations, and vacation plans will always be there – and they will always conflict with the stressors and disruptions of treatment. 

Underlying the reasons for delaying care is often a layer of denial and feelings of overwhelm, leading an individual or their support system to question whether getting better is truly worth it, or whether it’s the best time to start on the journey to recovery. Regardless of the length of one’s list of obstacles, timely treatment is essential – even when it’s not convenient. 

Referring providers like you are essential to patients’ recovery, as you can kick-start the process. At The Emily Program, we work to maintain a level of collaboration with you throughout your patients’ treatment progression. We are in this together, involving you in the process so you become educated and empowered about these insidious illnesses, helping you ultimately do best by your patients.

If one of your patients or their family is questioning a recommended higher level of care, and you find yourself a little stuck as to what to do next, we encourage you to consider the following to advocate for your patient’s recovery.

Discharging from treatment is a significant milestone — a testament to your eating disorder patient’s hard work and progress in recovery. While this is often a cause for celebration, there is still more healing to do. Providers like you play a key part in guiding these patients toward long-lasting freedom and stability.

As your patient continues their journey toward recovery, they will undoubtedly face a variety of triggers, both new and old. In fact, transitions themselves are a risk factor for eating disorders, and the transition from treatment to “normal life” is no exception. Stepping back into everyday life can also bring forth a set of challenging situations, including inappropriate comments from others and diet culture pressures.

Read on for strategies and insights that will empower you to guide your patients in facing these challenges head-on.

For many, summertime means vacations, long, warm days, and a much-appreciated break from school or work. It is a season of sunshine and recreation. For the millions of people with an eating disorder, however, summer often means something much more difficult than carefree leisure and freedom.

As the school year ends and summer approaches, now is the time to plan for and address the common challenges facing people with eating disorders during the summer. In this article, we discuss some key factors that make this season difficult for those affected by these illnesses and describe how providers and loved ones can help to connect them with support.

Seeking support for an eating disorder is not only okay, it’s necessary. The longer care is delayed, the longer disordered thought patterns and behaviors have to take root and complicate recovery.

Eating disorder treatment and recovery can (and do) look different for everyone. Regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, race, or background, there is a recovery path for anyone. The Emily Program’s day treatment programs are ideal for many individuals with eating disorders because they allow clients to practice recovery skills in their everyday lives while receiving comprehensive, evidence-based treatment at a higher level of care and structure.

The Emily Program is committed to providing evidence-based treatment that meets you at any stage of life. Breaking free from these all-consuming illnesses is possible. Read on to learn how our day treatment programs promote lasting recovery from an eating disorder.