Teen eating disorders can cause serious health problems for children under 18 years old who are in a crucial stage of physical and mental development. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers has provided cutting edge mental health, substance abuse and family treatment since 2002. Youths 13 to 18 years old come from southern California, big cities like New York City, Chicago and international countries. It is natural for people to be self conscious about appearance. Unfortunately, youths take it too far and it becomes a matter of life or death.
Three main types of teen eating disorders:
Anorexia, a condition in which the youth refuses to eat adequate meals out of an intense, irrational fear of becoming overweight.
Bulimia, an act of overeating and then purging the food by vomiting or using laxatives to prevent weight gain.
Binge Eating, the youth may gorge on food without purging.
Another of teen eating disorders to look for is Orthorexia Nervosa, an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy foods.
Visions has three programs that use a multi-modal approach to treating complex issues in youths. Residential Treatment, Outpatient Counseling and Visions Adolescent Day School provide clinically – based treatment options tailored for teen eating disorders, drug addiction and troubled youth. Parents or guardians of the child are encouraged to participate in the treatment process.
Visions Residential Treatment is located in the hills of Malibu, California. A Mediterranean style dwelling with a home-like setting conveys a sense of warmth and security on a 25 acre gated community.
Patients stay between 45 to 90 days depending on the severity of symptoms in teen eating disorders. Male and female quarters are separate with two in each room under the watchful eyes of a day and evening staff. Crisis intervention is available on a 24 hour basis.
A Medical Doctor specializing in mental health and teen eating disorders performs the initial diagnosis. A Program Director supervises all counseling services. Psychologists conduct psychological tests upon admission. A Licensed Therapist and Counselor work with the patient throughout the treatment process. A Registered Dietitian plans appropriate caloric intake meals and provides counseling. An Equine Therapist uses horses to help the child in identifying and recognizing feelings. Art Therapists aid in creating interpretive art for use in the treatment plan.
Other treatment members involved in teen eating disorders rehabilitation as needed:
- Psychiatrist
- Supervising Nurse
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Visions teaches each child to actively become involved in the community including peer groups. The resident helps in determining additional treatment goals like examining psychological conflicts, pursing educational and vocational interest, and exploring new interest.
Visions teen eating disorders program sets the following objectives:
- Encourage and motive the youth to achieve and sustain abstinence.
- Assist the adolescent in identifying situations that prompt eating disorders.
- Help in developing new, more effective problem-solving strategies.
- Assist with recognizing and acknowledging the existence of destructive behaviors in their lives and the impact on family, friends and the future.
Each resident partakes in three hours of individual schooling on weekdays using a personalized curriculum. An Activities consultant leads patients in a “tailor-made” physical fitness program 5 times a week for 1 hour. The residential program includes family-focused therapy for a minimum of five hours a week.
Family Passes are a unique reward for well behaved youths. Sunday and Monday are designated for outings to museums, movies, beach, go-cart racing, community service, ropes courses and rock climbing.
Visions Residential is a private pay program and full payment is required from the family. Our team will assist with insurance benefit verification & utilization review.
Visions Outpatient Counseling has two Los Angeles locations that administer solution-based programs for teen eating disorders. The outpatient treatment center meets the child’s objectives on an individual, group and family basis.
1st Step Program
- Introduction to the beginning of a recovery process.
- Guides parents through the child’s new lifestyle.
- Helps integrate youths and families into everyday life after long term treatment.
Visions’ Intensive Outpatient
- 2nd step of recovery process.
- Address existing psychiatric and/or therapeutic needs of patient.
- Develop a firm foundation of support within society.
Sessions are 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM with Wednesday for rest. The child is able to continue with regular activities during the day and go home to the support of family in the evening. Each adolescent is assigned a personal counselor who works directly with them throughout treatment for teen eating disorders.
Visions objective for teen eating disorders rehabilitation:
- Identifying Problems – Visions aids the adolescent in recognizing situations that bring on a relapse.
- Coping Mechanism – The youth is assisted in identifying unhealthy coping mechanisms.
- Problem Solving – A therapist and the child work together to develop new and effective coping skills.
- Control – The teen engages in activities that allow for a feeling of independence.
- Confidence – A highly skilled professional guides the child to look inside oneself to find positive attributes for gaining a sense of self-worth.
- Social Skills – The youth is taught to form social relationships by being in a controlled environment with peers who have similar problems.
The Discharge Plan is developed by the Counselor with input from the adolescent and the treatment team. The Treatment Team begins development of the patient’s Final Discharge Plan and Continuing Care Plan upon admission into the teen eating disorders program.
Visions Outpatient works out of network with insurance. We will provide the following services to our Outpatient families: Benefit Verification, Pre-Authorization, Utilization Review, Billing & Collections.
Visions Alumni Program, The Fourth Dimension, is open to patients completing Residential Treatment and Outpatient Counseling in teen eating disorders. Adolescents are encouraged to attend aftercare and self-help groups twice a week. Individual sessions are offered for a fee. The Visions Alumni Coordinator makes support calls for relapse prevention.
Annual Alumni Events:
- Winter Ski/Snowboard Trip
- Alumni Family Weekend
- Alumni vs Staff Softball Game
- Knott’s Scary Farm Night
- Magic Mountain
Visions Adolescent Day School provides a safe and comfortable environment for students unable to function in a traditional school. The program has open enrollment offering remedial to honor level education. School hours are 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM with tutoring available after hours.
Other program highlights are:
- WASC Accredited Curriculum (Western Association of Schools and Colleges)
- Individualized Educational Planning
- Direct Access to Teachers
- 3 to 1 Student to Staff Ratio
- Individualized 1 on 1 Instructions
- Random Weekly Drug Testing
Masters Level Clinicians and Certified Counselors are on-site to constantly support mental and emotional health of students with teen eating disorders. Weekly individual counseling sessions provide student with opportunities to discuss their progress, challenges and struggles. Visions graduates who sought out higher education were able to continue on to esteemed colleges and universities.
Visions has maintained the original founding clinicians while adding dynamic team members for continued program growth. Services of highly skilled professionals allows a successful treatment outcome for teen eating disorders. Visions Adolescent Treatment Centers diverse team include family, previous treatment professionals, teachers, community experts and Visions trained personnel.
Some signs to watch for in teen eating disorders are change in eating habits, lack of energy, rushing to the bathroom immediately after eating and avoiding social gatherings that serve food. Trust Visions to guide the adolescent through difficult times during and after treatment.
Please click below to schedule your consultation or call us at 866-889-3665.
Originally posted on June 4, 2014 @ 2:24 pm
