Family Therapy Program

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When an individual is battling an eating disorder, their family is also heavily impacted. At Magnolia Creek, we know the family’s role in the treatment process is a vital part of recovery. Additionally, research shows that rates of recovery are significantly higher for clients whose families participate in the treatment process. We view each client’s eating disordered behavior as holistic instead of individual, so we make it important to not place blame but to identify contributing factors to the development of the eating disorder, process them, and look for opportunities for change.

Our family therapy program provides education, advocacy, and therapy for the family members of our clients. Upon admission, each client meets with their family therapist to establish family and relationship goals, identify family members, and to learn more about their childhood, past relationships, and their eating disorder behavior and mental health. The family therapist then calls the person(s) the client has identified as her support system for an introduction to family therapy and sets up the first family session via telephone, Skype, or in person. It’s vital to have someone other than the client provide their perspective of the presenting problem(s) to aid in treatment planning.

Communication Do’s and Don’ts

Odyssey Behavioral Healthcare’s AVP of Clinical Services, Kate Fisch, LCSW, discusses the communication do’s and don’ts in the eating disorder world.

Family Therapy Components

Therapeutic Models

Change happens when clients and their families choose to challenge their status quo. At Magnolia Creek, we believe families have a choice to either maintain any type of dysfunction or recreate a healthy balance. Both the client and their loved ones can discuss the presenting problem(s) in a safe space of vulnerability while expressing their thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Our family therapy program provides education, coaching, advocacy, and therapy to help create change using the following therapeutic models.

Family Workshops

Each family workshop is a two-day, intensive process. Participants are required to attend both days to minimize disruption and to maximize the full benefit of the workshop. Among other things, the family workshop provides eating disorder and mental health education, communication and boundary setting techniques, interactive group sessions, and family therapy sessions. Each night, family members and clients have “homework” designed to stimulate self-exploration, therapeutic discussion, and conflict resolution. Additionally, workshop participants share meals with their loved ones, participate in private family therapy sessions, and have an opportunity to meet staff members.

Whole-Person Approach

Treatment for eating disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions at Magnolia Creek takes the whole person into account. We consider each woman’s personality, history, goals, and relationships during treatment. We strongly believe that having a support system available after treatment is key to maintaining recovery. For this reason, our family therapy program is a core part of our treatment process.

If you’d like to learn more about our family therapy program or our other treatment offerings, our caring staff is ready to help. Call us or fill out the form to get started today.

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