Choosing the Right Eating Disorder Clinic Is Crucial

Choosing an eating disorder clinic in Greater Minnesota can be a challenging and emotional experience. Whether you or someone you love is seeking help in the treatment process, healing and recovery are possible with the appropriate care. Consider the factors below when making your decision for the most successful outcome.

Type and Severity of Your Eating Disorder

Choose a clinic based on the severity of your eating disorder. For example, if you have moderate to severe eating disorder behaviors, you should not seek care at an outpatient-only clinic. However, if you're unsure about what level of care you need, visiting an eating disorder specialist in an outpatient setting is a good place to start to determine the treatment most appropriate for you.

Some programs in Minnesota offer multiple levels of care including hospitalization, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient care and outpatient. Whichever program you choose will ensure you receive the appropriate degree of treatment to match the significance of your eating disorder. In some cases, this means you may receive a referral to a different program that will be more appropriate for your needs. It is important to receive care at the level of care most appropriate for your eating disorder severity to improve outcomes for a successful recovery.

Programs should offer special accommodation for different age groups. Pediatric and adolescent patients should receive care from providers trained to see this population. The same goes for adults.

Approach to Eating Disorder Treatment

For adolescents, family-based therapy is the gold standard treatment for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Another treatment option includes cognitive behavior therapy (CBT).

For adults, cognitive behavioral therapy-enhanced (CBT-E) is the benchmark. Other treatment options for that population include embodiment theory (EAT-ED), trauma therapy, cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure therapy.

Your eating disorder treatment team should inform you of treatment options and include you in an open discussion about options best for you. Trained providers will also make recommendations based on your concerns, history and age.

Appropriate Eating Disorder Credentials and Expertise

Your providers should be licensed and have experience with eating disorder care. For example, you should work with a registered dietitian versus a nutritionist, a psychologist/psychotherapist rather than a health coach, and an eating disorder medical provider rather than a primary care provider.

A multidisciplinary team should be involved in your treatment plan including a dietitian, a mental health and a medical provider. Additional services you should look for in an eating disorder clinic include nutritional counseling, therapy and medical monitoring.

Successful Eating Disorder Outcomes

It's important to understand how your care team measures the success of their program. This should include:

• Remission of eating disorder behaviors
• Decreased eating disorder thoughts
• Improved self-image
• Expanded coping mechanism options

Most people graduate from treatment programs and do not return unless a relapse occurs. Some programs offer ongoing support groups based on diagnosis, which can help you stay in touch with the recovery community.

Make sure your primary care provider is aware of your eating disorder history to ensure it's taken into consideration for future recommendations and treatment options. Your provider also can assist you with finding eating disorder resources and clinics most appropriate for you.