Dr. Walter Vandereycken did a really interesting study on how both professionals and patients viewed dropping out from eating disorder treatment. It’s something that I’ve definitely observed (patients and staff having different takes on why someone leaves…

Recently, my therapist started leading a group that I’m in. Most people who’ve done any kind of intense treatment (inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, etc), have probably had this experience (myself included) but it’s pretty rare that my therapist now either facilitates or…

Sometimes I think that blankets should be banned in group therapy. Now really, how much are you getting out of group if your head is under the blanket?

This is a danger in all group therapy of being the “best worst”. If you can’t be the best, best you can always be the “best worst”. Anyone who has been inpatient knows what I’m talking about. There are some patients that want to make sure you know that their eating disorder is the worst.

I’ve been in all different levels of treatment with numerous professionals and various treatment centers, and overall I’d have to say that both group and individual therapy are important (and beneficial) in recovery.  With group, there are several people who you can bounce ideas off of, get advice from, relate to, and rely on for support.  I feel like most of the real therapy work happens in individual, though, where you can focus on your specific issues, goals, etc.  I really do think it helps to have both individual and …

(in no particular order)

You measure the cost of things in nutrition appointments (ex: That shirt is one nutrition appointment. These shoes are worth two appointments).
You start dressing like your professionals (or maybe, they starts dressing like you…)
“Treatment” is a recurring event with no end date on your calendar.
You’ve never needed to purchase “Eating in the Light of the Moon” because at some point you have been given a photocopy of every chapter.
In group, no one sits in your seat, even when you’re not there (because you’ve been sitting there …

I have mixed feelings about putting adolescents and adults together in treatment. I have been on both sides of the equation (treatment as an adolescent and treatment as an adult), and definitely have a stronger opinion about it now that I’m older.
Pros:

Adolescents can learn a lot from adults who often have been in treatment before and have some more insight into the disorder.
Adults are (hopefully) more mature and less competitive. Eating disorders in general are competitive… and I’ve just found that when you have a large group of …

I am officially the LAST person to blog about this study, but my thoughts seem to be pointed in a different from the other posts that I’ve read.
The Psych Central article, “Half of Young Adults Have Mental Disorder,” states the following:
“A total of 45.8 percent of college students and 47.7 percent of young adults not in college met the criteria for at least one psychiatric disorder.
The most common disorders in college students were alcohol use disorders (20.4 percent) and personality disorders (17.7 percent), whereas those not in college most frequently …

Group Therapy May Help Memory
“Memory lapses could initially be caused by psychological stress. If the memory lapses are noticed, they can lead to anger and fear. Ultimately, this leads to heightened stress levels, which in turn increase the risk of memory lapses. This vicious circle capturing the sufferers is best characterized by models of somatoform disorders.”
So many studies (of different populations) have proven group therapy to be helpful: cancer survivor groups, alcoholics anonymous, grief & lost groups… there is definitely a lot to be said about sharing your feelings, relating …

Choosing a therapist these days can be like ordering a drink from Starbucks:
I’ll have a grande CBT lite DBT Gestalt-free psychotherapy with two shots of psychoanalysis and breve IPT.
This image came to mind have after dinner with a friend last night. She’s been in therapy for several years, and has decided to switch to someone with “a little more of a CBT focus… who still integrates interpersonal therapy but spends less time talking about family.” Hmm… good luck with that search, Rach.
The reality of it is, there are …