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The Benefits of Aftercare Services in Eating Disorder Recovery
Contributor: Jennifer Hahs, MA Director of Aftercare at Timberline Knolls Residental Treatment Center
Recovery is a process, often a long and challenging one. This should come as no surprise; eating disorders, be it anorexia, bulimia, or binge eating disorder, do not develop overnight, and as such, they cannot be eradicated in a handful of weeks, or even months.
The first step is usually outpatient therapy; if that fails to garner positive results in a reasonable amount of time, residential treatment is often recommended. The individual spends several weeks away from home, optimally in the care of a multi-disciplinary treatment team of eating disorder professionals.
During that time, the person learns new strategies to cope with the feelings and emotions that have fueled the disorder. These healthy tools and skills will serve as the foundation for sustainable recovery in the future.
Implementing an Aftercare Plan
At discharge, an aftercare plan must be in place. This should be considered a non-optional component of comprehensive treatment. Returning home without a solid plan is simply setting that person up to fail and the odds of relapse escalate dramatically. She hasn’t practiced the new skills long enough for them to become habitual.
When confronted with the stressors and triggers associated with home life, she could easily default to what is comfortable and familiar: eating disorder behaviors. To be successful, she needs continued structure and accountability in order to utilize and strengthen skills. If she falters, qualified professionals are available to get her back on track.
An aftercare plan may include spending time at a transitional or step-down program. This could be a partial hospitalization program (PHP) or day treatment program close to home. From there she may step-down to an intensive outpatient program (IOP), before transitioning to an outpatient level of care.
The identified patient is not the only one who requires ongoing care. Psychoeducation for families is also an important component to aftercare. Parents, spouses and siblings are in the process of learning, growing and changing as well.
Understanding Appropriateness of Aftercare
Despite the need, sometimes an individual cannot move to a transitional program and must return home immediately. In that case, a treatment team needs to be in place prior to discharge. This should include a primary care physician, therapist, preferably with eating disorder experience, a registered dietician, and a psychiatrist, if medication is a component of treatment. In addition, applicable support groups should be part of the plan.
Although many wish it were the case, recovery is never just about getting treatment, then returning home, fixed. Recovery is a long-term proposition that necessitates embracing an entirely new way of life. If given the time and effort it requires, this new life can be filled with abundance, joy, and importantly, freedom.
About the author: As the Director of Aftercare, Jennifer Hahs provides leadership to the process, planning, and implementation of an appropriate individualized post-residential plan of care. She supervises a team of Aftercare Specialists in coordinating with the interdisciplinary treatment teams to secure an aftercare plan for every resident at Timberline Knolls.
Prior to joining Timberline Knolls, Jennifer worked as an Adolescent Therapist at Cambridge House in Muncie, an Adolescent and Family Therapist at Hamilton Centers and a Women and Children’s Counselor at the Crisis Center of South Suburbia.
Jennifer earned both her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology from Ball State University in Muncie, IN.
The opinions and views of our guest contributors are shared to provide a broad perspective of eating disorders. These are not necessarily the views of Eating Disorder Hope, but an effort to offer discussion of various issues by different concerned individuals.
We at Eating Disorder Hope understand that eating disorders result from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. If you or a loved one are suffering from an eating disorder, please know that there is hope for you, and seek immediate professional help.
Reviewed By: Jacquelyn Ekern, MS, LPC on February 23, 2017.
Published on EatingDisorderHope.com
