Parent’s Guide:
Top 10 Questions to Ask An Admissions Team About Eating Disorder Treatment
Parents’ Guide: Top Questions to Ask an Admissions Team About Eating Disorder Treatment
As the parent of an adult or adolescent child suffering from an eating disorder, the journey from your child’s diagnosis to them finally seeking care can be a tenuous and stressful time. Once your child has agreed to go into treatment, one of your key roles as a parent is helping them find a facility and a treatment plan that will start them down the path to lasting recovery.
Wherever you are in your child’s care journey, it’s important to evaluate eating disorder treatment facilities using a common set of standards.
Here are ten important questions you should ask each treatment center, why they’re important, and how Magnolia Creek would answer them.
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QUESTION 1: Can you describe the composition of your treatment team and the specific roles and qualifications of each member?
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ASK:
As your child’s care plan comes into focus, it’s important for them to have access to healthcare experts who specialize in their unique treatment needs. By asking about a facility’s treatment personnel and the specific roles within them, you’ll better understand the center’s ability to meet the needs of your child.
At Magnolia Creek‘s residential level of care, your treatment team consists of a primary therapist/family therapist, registered dietitian, psychiatric nurse practitioner, psychiatrist, and medical doctor. In addition to your treatment team, you will also have full 24/7 support from recovery care specialists who will work with you directly during your recovery journey.
QUESTION 2: How do you create individualized treatment plans for adolescents and adults, and what factors do you consider during the assessment process?
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ASK:
Asking this question helps you assess each facility’s commitment to personalized care over a one-size-fits-all approach. By asking about the facility’s approach to treatment, you can determine how they align interventions with the goals and needs of the person receiving care. This ensures a more effective and targeted treatment approach.
Lastly, by understanding how the treatment center creates personalized care plans, you can assess their ability to address the underlying factors of your child’s eating disorder.
At Magnolia Creek: Each client receives an individualized treatment plan. This treatment plan is developed in partnership with the client, their parents (if applicable), and each member of the client’s treatment team. This treatment plan considers the client’s physical, emotional, and psychological needs and involves distinctive and realistic goals that are specific to the client.
QUESTION 3: How do you approach medical stabilization for adolescents and adults, and what measures do you take to ensure their safety during this phase?
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ASK:
This question helps you understand each facility’s protocols for ensuring the safety and well-being of its clients as they undergo the initial phase of treatment. It also gives you insight into the facility’s expertise in handling acute medical issues and emergencies effectively. Asking about safety measures during the medical stabilization phase can help alleviate your concerns and give you peace of mind as your child enters residential treatment.
At Magnolia Creek: In people with more advanced eating disorder illnesses, medical stabilization may be necessary before initiating therapy. Magnolia Creek provides on-site nursing teams who provide initial assessments and determine if any medical interventions are necessary. This may involve addressing any immediate health risks and restoring the individual’s physical health through nutrition and monitoring.
Medical stabilization is an essential first step in the treatment process.
QUESTION 4: Which evidence-based therapies do you offer for adolescents and adults, and how do you determine which therapy is most suitable for each individual?
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ASK:
Each facility offers different evidence-based therapy options that can meet the unique needs of a range of clients. Common therapies include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). These therapies target specific behaviors, emotions, and thoughts related to the eating disorder, and it’s important to discuss your child’s unique therapy needs with each facility’s clinical staff.
Magnolia Creek offers a variety of evidence-based therapies, including dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), expressive therapies, and experiential therapy. While most of these modalities are used within group therapy settings, they can be done within individual therapy as well. The treatment team of each client determines which therapies are best utilized in individual therapy when a treatment plan is developed.
QUESTION 5: How do you incorporate nutritional rehabilitation into the treatment process, and what strategies do you use to help adolescents and adults develop a positive relationship with food?
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO ASK:
This question gives you insight into the treatment center’s strategies for helping adolescents and adults heal their relationship with food and foster healthier eating behaviors and attitudes. These strategies should emphasize addressing nutritional deficiencies, promoting balanced eating habits, and supporting the overall physical well-being of each client.
In the residential treatment program at Magnolia Creek, clients work individually with a registered dietitian to establish a healthier relationship with food. Nutritional rehabilitation involves developing structured meal plans, educating individuals about balanced nutrition, and participating in meal planning and preparation to address any fears or anxieties related to food.
Who We Are
Our all-women’s campus provides a safe place to heal with a treatment team that leads our program in a serene, 36-acre campus overlooking a pond where women can connect to nature, themselves, and one another, unburdened. Located just outside of Birmingham, Alabama, our eating disorder treatment center provides care to adolescent girls (ages 12 to 17) and adult women (ages 18 and older) who struggle with feeding or eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, binge eating disorder, bulimia nervosa, compulsive exercise disorder, diabulimia, other specified feeding or eating disorder (OSFED), purging disorder, and unspecified feeding or eating disorder (UFED).
Dually licensed as an eating disorder center as well as a mental health treatment center, Magnolia Creek can tailor a dual diagnosis program for co-occurring mental health conditions including mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attachment disorder, dissociative disorders, and personality disorders.
Looking for Treatment? As one of the top residential eating disorder treatment centers in the US, Magnolia Creek can help you or your loved one find the path to a better life.
