TriCity Family Services offers eating disorder program

Submitted by TriCity Family Serves

TriCity Family Services has introduced its newest program: Family-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders.

The Family-Based Treatment program is a family-centered outpatient approach to treatment of children, teens and young adults that struggle with an eating disorder.

The agency’s counseling services and prevention and early intervention programs are designed around families because if one family member is impacted by anxiety, depression, or an eating disorder, the entire family is affected by it.

The approach recognizes that parents are the best resource for their child’s recovery and empowers them to take an active role in resolving disordered eating and restoring weight. This method utilizes a team approach that includes the therapist, the family physician and school personnel all working with the parents to ensure a full recovery of the child.

It recognizes that patients who suffer from eating disorders may not know that they are ill, and they may be ambivalent about accepting treatment. The therapist helps families understand that they did not cause the illness, nor did their child chose to have it.

The program consists of three distinct phases: first, with the help of the therapist, parents assume control by providing the type and amount of food needed to restore their child’s health.

Second, once weight has been restored and disordered eating resolved, the child learns to resume healthy eating patterns and maintain weight independently.

The third phase is when the adolescent re-establishes a healthy identity and families can restore relationships. The therapists believe that eating disorders are treatable and that everyone has the ability for a complete and full recovery.

For more information about the new Family-Based Treatment for Eating Disorders program at TriCity Family Services, call (630) 232-1070 or visit tricityfamilyservices.org.