Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, is a way to help people with a broad variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties and generally involves talking to a trained professional. This professional's role is to help their client learn...
Eating Disorders
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Eating Disorders & the Holidays
For many individuals, the holidays are a time of joy and celebration. It is a time to gather with family and friends, catch up on each other’s lives, and share a few laughs. For most people, highlights of the holiday season include the...
When Does Exercise Become Unhealthy?
Getting some exercise can be an excellent way for women to improve their health, however, when struggling with an eating disorder, exercise may play a more complicated role in one’s life. Compulsive exercise is an eating disorder symptom...
What Being a Member of the Avalon Hills Treatment Team has Taught Me
By Rachel RoodLead Dietician Recently, I made the difficult decision to make a career shift. It was a very hard decision given the love I have had for working in a residential setting that truly values helping our patients find...
Letter to Those Struggling: HoldOnPainEnds
We are featuring another guest blog spot from a soulful former patient, Courtney. We are so grateful for her tenacity and commitment to her recovery. Also, that she is able to so eloquently articulate the struggles and speak to us where...
When New Year’s Resolutions Become Toxic
This probably won’t come as a surprise but the #1 New Year’s resolution is to eat healthier, exercise more, and/or lose weight. How many of you have set this same goal on January 1st only to forget about it a week later? For the average...
A Heart for Advocacy
Loreen ThompsonFinancial Coordinator I have been working in the mental health industry for the past 30 years and have worn many hats from an office manager at a thriving outpatient clinic, to admissions, to billing manager, and for the...
Staying the Course in Choppy Seas
Benita QuakenbushOwner / Founder / CEO Eating disorders are a complicated, painful and potentially life threatening. Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of all psychiatric disorders. (Crow, et al, 2009). One of the reasons I...
Eating Disorder Awareness Week
By Jill JensenCase Manager National Eating Disorder Awareness Week has come and gone, but raising awareness about Eating Disorders is something we can do any day of the year. While working at Avalon Hills, I have become more aware of what...
How Neuroscience is Changing Eating Disorder Treatment
Until the later 20th century, much of the scientific community subscribed to the idea that once fully developed, the human brain was static—fixed in its current state and incapable of being changed. However, as scientific...
Landmark Legislation for Eating Disorders Treatment
Tera Lensegrav-Benson, PhDClinical Director Tragically, 17 years ago Anna Westin committed suicide. She was only 21 at the time. I have heard her mom Kitty tell the story that Anna felt so hopeless in her eating disorder that it lead to...
Treat Eating Disorders to Outcome: The Path to Sustainable Success
As with any kind of personal growth, recovering from an eating disorder isn’t a one-time event, but an ongoing process. This fundamental concept informs our unique Treat to Outcome philosophy, which is our commitment to helping our...