Life Works approach to eating disorder treatment
Eating disorders are complex mental health conditions that typically cause people to develop an obsession with their weight, body shape and appearance. This preoccupation can lead sufferers to interact with food in unhealthy ways, such as starving themselves, eating huge amounts of food in one sitting, or trying to control their weight using harmful methods such as abusing laxatives and making themselves sick after meals. Without specialist eating disorder treatment and therapy, these conditions can become progressively worse over time, can have a hugely detrimental impact on an individual’s mental and physical health, and can even result in death.
At Life Works, our market-leading eating disorder treatment programme combines practical dietetic techniques, tried and tested therapies and a highly skilled multidisciplinary team. Our expert psychiatrists, therapists, nutritionist, dietitian and other eating disorder specialists are dedicated to delivering exceptional support for your eating disorder, providing each and every one of our clients with both one-to-one and group-based interventions. We ensure that you are placed at the centre of your treatment and recovery journey, allowing for an individualised treatment experience and the best possible outcomes. Our specialists will help you to understand the factors that are contributing to your illness, teach you skills and coping mechanisms, and empower you to achieve a full and sustainable recovery. We can also work with your family and loved ones to help them to understand how best to support you.
Our approach to eating disorder support during COVID-19
Empowering you to take control
All of the eating disorder treatment that we deliver at Life Works is underpinned by robust National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, ensuring that the therapy and support that you receive with us is of the highest quality. In addition, our highly trained team are committed to remaining up to date with current research, in order to ensure that their practice is guided by the very latest thinking in the field of eating disorder treatment. Therefore, at Life Works, we are extremely well-placed to deliver outstanding eating disorder treatment, and produce the most positive outcomes for each individual who seeks support with us.
We are able to provide expert treatment for a range of eating disorders, including:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Binge eating disorder (BED)
- Other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED), also known as ‘atypical eating disorders’ or ‘eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS)’
At Life Works, we are able to deliver a wide range of treatment formats and therapy types, whilst ensuring that you receive personalised care and attention. This bespoke approach empowers you to address your unique condition and challenges, regain control over your thought processes and eating habits, and take steps towards the healthy, happy and fulfilling life that you deserve.
This initial assessment consists of dietetic, therapeutic and GP assessments, and provides you with the opportunity to:
- Meet face to face with a member of our highly skilled eating disorder treatment team
- Discuss your unhealthy eating habits and the unique challenges that you are facing
- Begin to develop an understanding of the underlying triggers and potential causes for your eating disorder
- Discuss your individual concerns, needs and options
- Explore the impact that your eating disorder is having on your life as well as the lives of your loved ones
- Talk through the eating disorder treatment programme at Life Works, and how your individual needs can be met as part of this
- Ask any questions that you may have on Life Works’ eating disorder treatment programme
- Take a look around our beautiful rehab centre and meet our specialist eating disorder treatment team
This initial assessment can be scheduled at a time that is convenient for you, and is conducted in the utmost confidence. Ultimately, the aim of our free assessment is to assess your suitability for Life Works’ eating disorder treatment programme, and help you to develop an understanding of the journey that you could be taking towards recovery and wellbeing.
Treatment options at Life Works
We offer a number of different treatment options at Life Works:
Inpatient (residential) eating disorder treatment
The full eating disorder treatment programme at Life Works takes place on an inpatient basis. This consists of clients staying at Life Works on a residential basis for between 28 and 42 days (although this can be longer if needed), to undergo intensive treatment and therapy for their eating disorder.
Inpatient eating disorder treatment provides you with a highly structured environment, as well as the chance to spend time away from your usual living situation in order to remove any negative influences that might be exacerbating your eating disorder.
During inpatient treatment at Life Works, we provide 24-hour support and ensure that your eating disorder is constantly being monitored and reviewed. As well as being supported by our specialist multidisciplinary team during inpatient treatment, we also offer round-the-clock nursing care as well as access to local GPs, in order to ensure that you also receive support for any physical health needs during your stay with us.
Clients can complete a 28 to 42-day stay with us, before taking a step-down in treatment intensity to eating disorder day care or outpatient treatment if either of these options are deemed as being the next best step for you. Alternatively, inpatient treatment at Life Works can also be used as a step-up in intensity from our day care and outpatient treatment options, if it transpires that you need more intensive support for your eating disorder.
Day care eating disorder treatment
Eating disorder treatment at Life Works can also be accessed in a day care capacity. Day care consists of clients attending the centre for either half days or full days, and taking part in eating disorder therapy sessions. Day care treatment can be useful for individuals who do not need intensive 24-hour care for their eating disorder, but would still benefit from some level of structured, ongoing support to help them to manage it.
Eating disorder day care may be used as a step-up in intensity from outpatient treatment, or as a step-down in intensity from our inpatient treatment programme.
Outpatient eating disorder treatment
Outpatient eating disorder treatment consists of you attending Life Works to receive therapy for your eating disorder. These sessions usually last for one hour, take place on a weekly basis, and can be flexible according to your work or personal commitments. This form of treatment is beneficial for clients who need ongoing therapeutic input for their eating disorder, but their eating disorder is not severe enough to warrant more intensive day care or inpatient treatment.
As well as being used as an entry point to eating disorder treatment, outpatient treatment can also be used as a step-down from the more intensive day care or inpatient treatment options.
For more information about the eating disorder services that Life Works offer, download our brochure.
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