About Us
Our History | What are Eating Disorders? | Treatment Philosophy | Frequently Asked Questions
Treatment Philosophy
Eating disorders are often understood to be problems with food and weight. Indeed there is now research to document that there is a physiological component to bingeing, purging and starving. However, that is just part of the picture. At EDRC, we believe that disordered eating is also a way of soothing one's self, coping with emotions, or dealing with complicated relationships. Our first concern with any eating disorder is to make sure that health is restored and that the physiological component of anorexia, bulimia or binge eating is addressed. Additionally, we pay attention to the psychological picture. We are interested in how disordered eating may help someone cope and we are continually developing individualized treatment plans in response to changing needs of our patients.
Overall, we believe that in order to change, you need to address the specific problematic behaviors by changing belief systems and ways of coping as well as by developing healthier alternatives for the binge, purge or starving behaviors. At the same time, we will work to understand what the anorexic, bingeing, or bulimic behaviors have come to mean to you and why they have been so hard to give up.
Our work with families has evolved over time as well. Almost thirty years ago when we first started, we encouraged parents to disengage from the battles over food and helped support them to allow for their child or teen’s independence. Currently, we assess each family situation and determine how the parents can best be of help. For example, some families have found that directly re-feeding their anorexic daughter or son is most helpful in ensuring recovery. For other families, this kind of direct intervention has not been helpful and we will guide the parents to work with treatment teams that support the recovery of their child. We do not believe that one approach works for everyone and we thus guide our recommendations based on our understanding of each individual family.