Eating Disorder Therapy for Teens
Proven Care tailored to fit your teen’s needs and your life as a parent
EVIDENCE-BASED Therapy FOR TEENS
Your teen is not themselves. They’re withdrawn, isolating. Food has become a topic that ignites conflict and you don’t know how to help. You’re afraid that anything you do or say makes things worse.
Please know that we are here to provide evidence-based tools to help your teen heal and reach full recovery.
Research tells us that even severe eating disorders in teens can be treated at home, especially when caregivers are given the tools to support recovery.
Eating disorders in adolescents require a different approach to care than treatment for adult patients. There are clinically proven therapies that are designed specifically for adolescents.
Teens operate within an environment that can be modified and enhanced to support recovery. Parents benefit from evidence-based education and bolstering so they may be involved in and supportive of their child’s full recovery.
Columbus Park offers different treatment tracks for teens, based on each individuals’ unique needs.
Specialized Eating Disorder Treatment for teens
Adolescent Treatment Structures
Adolescent Track 1
This treatment structure is the most common track for adolescents at Columbus Park. It’s designed for teens with eating disorders like anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), or disorders of eating that don’t fall into a diagnostic category. In this structure, the teen typically receives targeted individual therapy while parents are engaged in the process, receiving education and coaching to support their child. Sessions are typically 50-60 minutes, meeting 1 to 2 times per week. This very time efficient model does not involve extensive programming and consists of a streamlined treatment team so as to maintain a manageable structure for families as the teen continues to engage in their lives. This treatment track is appropriate for even severe eating disorder presentations as long as the teen is medically stable.
Learn more about Family-Based Treatment (FBT), Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT–E), and Adolescent-Focused Therapy on our blog.
ADOLESCENT TRACK 2
This treatment track is designed for teens who present with disordered eating alongside concerns like self-harm, suicidal thinking, emotional deregulation, chronic interpersonal conflict, and/or other complicating factors. There are specific, evidence-based approaches structured for these more complex eating disorder presentations in teens. This track typically involves a minimum of two services per week and generally does not exceed three 60-minutes sessions. Treatment is streamlined so as to be both effective but manageable as the teen remains engaged in their lives throughout. Parents are almost always invited into treatment and given critical skills and guidance for supporting their child effectively. Treatment focuses on increasing harmony at home and empowering parents to set necessary limits to keep their child safe. Treatment reduces crisis and increases harmony and effective communication within the family system.
Learn more about our Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT–A), DBT–Family-Based Treatment (FBT) Integration, and Parent Management Training (PMT) on our blog.
