At Westwind, you participate in an intensive, 12-hour/day treatment program which includes all meals and snacks. The main model of therapy is a problem-solving/skill-building approach. We use a cognitive-behavioural method, an approach designed to teach a different style of thinking about the things that might create or perpetuate problems. It is complimented with solution-focused therapy techniques as well as in-depth exploration of family dynamics, body image, abuse, relationships, and personal issues. As an added feature, you have the option of participating in spiritual counselling, if that is something you are interested in exploring.In regard to individualized treatment, developmental issues are also taken into consideration, depending on the person's age. As well, each person's history is unique and requires a different emphasis and approach. We spend a fair amount of time on issues that are related to feelings about oneself, and how important it is to express one's feelings more directly, rather than through external methods such as restricting or purging food, and concern about weight and body shape. (More on treatment program components) (More on therapies that work and those that don't)
Our goal is to offer a superior program with more effective results than many current psychiatric adolescent programs or hospital based eating disorder programs for adults. Our program offers the following benefits:
1.) Our approach is collaborative rather than imposed. There is no need to conform to standards set in order to obtain privileges or avoid consequences, as we work with you to set goals that are realistic, acceptable and achievable. Programs that are enforced against a client's will often invite recidivism.
2.) We deal only with eating disorders whereas many other treatment facilities deal with many other behavioral and emotional disorders.
3.) Staff in our facility are much better prepared and trained to deal specifically with eating disordered clientele than a hospital setting or other more general mental health centers.
4.) The fees are substantially lower than most private clinics, as we are smaller in size and have less overhead in terms of maintenance, administration and staffing costs.
5.) Most clients may put on weight in the hospital because they are forced to, but they lose the weight after discharge because the eating disorder and underlying issues have not been dealt with adequately, nor have appropriate alternative behaviours been sufficiently well established. In many instances, health care dollars from public systems or insurance companies do not allow a client to stay in a hospital any longer than medically necessary. An eating disorder may need two to three months before significant change and stability has occurred, and in some cases much longer. We have no limit on length of stay.
6.) The program we offer deals with all aspects of the disorder, as previously mentioned, ranging from weight concerns, body-image issues, family dynamics, personal/spiritual factors and interpersonal relationships. We also offer psycho-educational sessions specially prepared to address overcoming disordered eating, and provide accurate medical and nutritional information.
7.) As a small facility, we are quite flexible in designing individual treatment programs and meeting individual needs. We can also modify the program as we go, should you have a need that isn't being met.
8.) Our menu planning is collaborative and flexible to meet your needs for that day. Better nutritional choices are our main emphasis. Goals are to:
- reduce fear of food,
- reduce fear of weight gain,
- avoid further weight loss,
- deal with other issues which may be contributing to the eating disorder.
9.) We avoid using measures such as weight or waist measurements to determine how our clients are progressing. We rely on their perceptions and the presence of other related symptoms as measures of change. The reasons for this are:
- to help them become more self-aware of their body and their feelings
- to help them become more honest with themselves and others
- to help them
focus on internal indicators of well-being rather
than
external ones.
More on Treatment Philosophy
Our basic goal in treatment is to stop further development of the disorder, and assist the individual in returning to a healthy lifestyle. We want to focus on harm reduction as an overall principle in addressing the disorder, always moving towards complete recovery. We also want to establish effective coping skills to help reduce possibility of relapse and sustain the progress made in treatment.
Treatment consists of both individual and group sessions. Treatment plans are highly individualized, and are developed collaboratively with the client. The treatment model used is a problem solving/skill building one. We make extensive use of the cognitive-behavioural therapy approach, which is designed to teach a different style of thinking about the things that might create or perpetuate problems. It is complimented with solution-focused therapy techniques as well as in-depth exploration of family dynamics, body image, abuse, relationships, and personal issues. Developmental issues are also given consideration based on client age.
As an added feature, we also will provide spiritual counselling if that is something the client is interested in exploring. This counselling is a non-denominational Christian approach, and is seeker sensitive - ie, addressing issues of concern at a pace and level the client is comfortable with.
In regard to specialization, the staff are well trained and have the experience to deal with eating disorders. We are not a general center attempting to treat many different mental health issues, we are able to specialize our treatment.
Issues addressed include:
*self-worth
*developmental tasks (separation/individuation)
*nutrition education
*awareness of biological/medical consequences
*body image and attitudes toward weight and shape
*appropriate exercise
*stress management
*interpersonal effectiveness
*weight controlling behaviours (such as dieting, purging,
etc.)
As a small facility, we can be quite flexible in designing
individual treatment programs and meeting individual needs.
We can also modify the program as we go, should the client
have a need that isn't being met. We avoid the
"cookie-cutter" approach sometimes encountered in other
facilities, in favour of treatment that meets your needs.
Although we are small in size, we intend to offer a high
quality, professionally run program. There is no need to
conform to a set of arbitrary standards in order to obtain
privileges or avoid consequences, as we work with clients
to set goals that are realistic, acceptable and achievable.
We are attempting to provide a program which focuses on
meeting client needs in a warm, supportive, caring, and
patient environment that is unconditional in its response
to a client's rate of recovery.