Choosing an eating disorder recovery center is a big step. It not only shows a client is ready to seek out the help they deserve, but it also shows the client is making a commitment to that help and support. In light of that big decision, it is very important to find the right center. Many people search for the one that is closest to them, especially those with school or work responsibilities that necessitate day treatment; but in some cases, it may be necessary to travel to get the correct combination of mental, physical and emotional treatment. There are some important factors a client should consider when choosing a recovery clinic for eating disorders.
Clients Should Be Seen as People First
A prominent consideration is that the facility or center looks at the individual as a person first and a patient second. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate among all mental health disorders, and additionally there can be severe co-occurring medical complications. This can lead to a strictly clinical approach by many facilities which does not take into account the client’s emotional and psychological treatment needs.
Recovery clinics that take a person-centered approach to helping their clients recognize that people who seek help are more than their disorders. Seeing someone solely as a disorder does not help treat the entire person. Instead, clients need to be seen as people with passions and a life outside of the disorder. This is the essence of holistic treatment; it recognizes that simply treating the symptoms of a disorder fails to treat the whole person.
A Fully Recovered Staff Fosters Understanding
When a client looks for an eating disorder treatment clinic, they want to locate the one that is going to provide them access to staff who understand what they are going through. Having a clinic with a fully recovered staff can provide this level of understanding as the client has the opportunity to work with people who have been where they are. No one understands a journey like an individual who has already experienced something similar. For individuals who need help with an eating disorder, this level of understanding can be a vital part of an empathetic program designed to assist an individual to become fully recovered. Clients may also tend to open up more easily to individuals who have had similar experiences, which may be beneficial to the individual.
Residential and Day Treatment Options Are Important
At the right eating disorder recovery center, there will be both residential and day treatment options to be considered. Many clients choose the residential approach for its more intensive care options, but day treatment can be a beneficial option for those stepping down from a residential level of care or those who need more support than individual therapy can provide. For those clients, outpatient or day treatment options can provide support on the road to recovery.
The right eating disorder treatment center for you or a loved one will examine all options before deciding on a particular treatment pattern. It’s important to consider the social, emotional, medical, and even financial situation the individual needs. The best eating disorder treatment facilities will employ, for example, day treatment group sessions for a college student suffering from anorexia nervosa who doesn’t have the ability to take time off from school. On the other hand that same student may be experiencing severe physical symptoms which would require intensive residential care or even inpatient hospitalization. In that case, the right treatment center would strongly suggest the needed residential program.
In closing, it’s relatively easy to determine what to look for in the right treatment center. It’s the one who treats you or a loved one as a person rather than a collection of symptoms, and designs the correct, empathetic treatment plan for your needs. With the right approach, this can make the difference in a full recovery.
