Proven Treatment for Female and Male Teenagers with Eating Disorders in Central Maryland
If you or a loved one is a teenager suffering from an eating disorder, or other body image disorder we can help. Body Image Therapy Center knows how difficult life can be for teenage girls and boys. We understand that, to mask discomfort or pain, teenagers oftentimes turn to alcohol or drugs, self-harm behaviors or eating disorders.
Our Central Maryland location specializes in eating disorder treatment for teens with programs now available for ages 11 to 18. Also, our Washington, DC office provides eating disorder treatment for ages 16 and older.
When teenagers come to Body Image Therapy Center, they are typically under intense stress. Most often teenagers describe their stress coming from:
- School and a deep perfectionistic need to get all As and feel like a failure if they don’t succeed even if their parents say it’s okay
- Bullying at school and in the community
- Major change in the home such as separation and divorce or moving to a new area
- Hormonal changes in their body associated with their physical development
- Athletic performance and drive to be “the best”
- Social pressure to look and act a certain way
- Trauma, abuse, and neglect
- Underlying mental health concerns like anxiety, depression, OCD, ADHD, and the like
Eating disorders develop as a coping tool to self-medicate and manage these problems. When a teenager is stuck in this disorder, they can’t simply choose a healthy behavior because they were told to.
Body Image Therapy Center wants each adolescent and teen to first feel normal for having these concerns. This is a disorder based on stigma and secrecy which we address first. Next, we educate the teenager on what is an eating disorder, how did it come to be, and how do we treat it. Next comes learning the special skills of self-soothing, mood regulation, and tolerating the feelings that often seem overwhelming. By identifying the thoughts that lead to these emotional and physical feelings, clients start to process what is true versus what is their distorted thinking. All the while, clients are practicing these skills both in our program by eating meals with their treatment providers to challenge their food and body image anxieties and practice in a safe space.
In addition, we are teaching parents one-on-one all the same information, so they can reinforce at home what we are working on in program. For many parents, this is all new information, and they grow emotionally and intellectually right along with their kids.
What Makes Body Image Center Unique
Unlike most programs, Body Image Therapy Center uses personalized eating disorder treatment programs. Also, we are constantly measuring progress using the latest outcomes tools looking at how a teenager is progressing in these seven key areas:
- Body preoccupation
- Body dissatisfaction
- Body checking
- Binge eating
- Bulimia and Anorexia
- Restrictive eating
- Food preoccupation
- Purging
Our goal is not only the total end of eating disorder behaviors, but measurable improvement in how clients feel about their body. This unique approach counteracts eating disorder struggles to better help overcome hurdles encountered with everyday life.
In addition, we are the only program that has our own kitchens. We use professional chefs to provide meals that meet the nutritional and therapeutic needs of the client. Our goal is to give them wholesome meals like what they would get at home or a restaurant. This allows each client to practice the work of meal completion. In addition, we accommodate all allergy, medical, and religious practice needs.
By incorporating total client care including individual therapy, family therapy, nutrition counseling, psychiatry, and medical care, Body Image Therapy Center provides a full-service option to treating teenage eating disorders that has proven to work.
Personalized Eating Disorder Treatment Programs
Our experienced therapists have spent years working with adolescents and teens in a variety of settings, including private practice, group homes, school programs, intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization.
We teach teenagers to help regulate their moods and learn coping mechanisms to deal with their feelings. Our belief is that teens don’t get better on their own, and that family therapy is a crucial part of recovery.
Our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) program in Central Maryland accepts new clients as young as 11 on a rolling admissions basis. This way, you or a loved one can join a group when you need intervention without having to wait for a new group to start.
- Anorexia & Bulimia
- Binge Eating
- Self-Harm Behaviors
- Body Image & Self-Esteem
- Anxiety, Depression and Mood disorders
- Family & Relationships
To learn more about how Body Image Therapy Center can help you or someone you love, call (877)-674-2843 today or CLICK HERE to contact our Intake Coordinator for more information.