SEDOP Treatment Program

What Makes Our Program Unique From The Start

We focus on stopping the progression of the eating disorder by providing comprehensive medical, nutrition and psychological care and utilizing the support of the patient’s family and loved ones. We incorporate the family and loved ones because research consistently shows that active family involvement in treatment leads to a better chance for full recovery and lower incidents of relapse. Depending on the program, patients receive:

• Daily nursing care
• Weekly appointments with our physician and our psychiatrist
• 1 – 2 individual nutrition appointments per week
• 4 individual and/or family therapy sessions per week
• Psychological testing to identify underlying mood and cognitive issues
• Maudsley-based family meals. (The Maudsley approach is a 3-phase treatment that focuses on using parents as a resource in the re-feeding of adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa.) For more information, visit www.maudsleyparents.org.

Why We Do More Than Just Address The Eating Disorder

If we only address the eating disorder, we are not doing our job. It’s important to understand that once the progression of the eating disorder has stopped, we focus treatment on the underlying biological and psychological factors that contribute to and maintain the eating disorder. Many patients suffering from an eating disorder also suffer from mood, anxiety or substance use disorders. Our team of experts assessed for co-occurring disorders and develops treatment plans that address these issues. Some of the issues we address include:

• Substance abuse (Research shows that as many as half of eating disorder patients have or will struggle with substance abuse at some time during the course of their struggle)
• Anxiety disorders
• Exercise addiction (For a copy of an article about exercise addiction, please email Jennifer Lombardi, MFT at jennifer@sedop.org.)
• Trauma, abuse and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Studies indicate that up to 50 percent of individuals with eating disorder have trauma or abuse histories)

How We Incorporate the Body, Mind & Spirit

Part of the recovery process must include experiencing a number of challenging and healing therapies. It is important that our patients have an opportunity to experience real-world situations that challenge not only the eating disorder, but give them an opportunity to discover what is healing to them. Some of the adjunctive services we offer include:

• Yoga
• Meditation
• Pilates
• Mindfulness training
• Art Therapy
• Therapeutic meals and outings
• Health education and life-skills training