When clients are admitted to the program, they will work through a series of stages designed to help them reach a goal of integrating their newly developed skills into their everyday lives. We hope that with these skills, they will be equipped to deal with the joys and pressures that occur when returning to a full life during recovery.
Step One: Intake, Assessment, and Treatment Planning
Welcoming clients to Avalon Hills is broken down into 3 parts: an assessment, orientation to our program, and an individualized treatment plan. The assessment builds an in-depth understanding of the whole person including what may be driving their use of eating disorders. We understand that treatment is not a “one size fits all”. Through this assessment, we can better understand the client and therefore, better help them.
Step Two: Awareness/Contemplation
Throughout this stage, clients work with our qualified therapists to help identify factors that may have led to their disordered eating. Clients become more aware of their psychological, biological, social, interpersonal, and spiritual needs and how feeding or neglecting those needs can affect their eating habits. During this stage, clients will also participate in a process we call “brain mapping”. Clients undergo an electroencephalograph that measures brain-wave activity. After consulting with a neurologist to interpret the results, the data is then interpreted into a map of the patient’s brain-wave activity and compared against a normative database to determine any potential irregularities. This is what we call the “brain map”.
Step Three: Exploration/Preparation
One aspect of exploration/preparation that our clients participate in is neurofeedback. After building their personalized brain map, each Avalon Hills patient then receives a uniquely customized neurofeedback program. Neurofeedback is completely non-invasive and involves tailoring brain exercises to help people learn to regulate their emotions and gain control over their attention and focus in ways that can lead to improved functioning, a more positive emotional state, and enhanced peace of mind.
Step Four: Action
In this stage, clients have decided that change is necessary and desirable. They are willing to experiment with new ways of thinking, behaving, relating, and coping. This action stage involves activities such as group hiking, yoga, art projects, horseback riding, etc.
Step Five: Transition Management
The fifth state of treatment focuses on preparing clients to leave the safety and predictability of the program and face the challenges that await them when they return home. It is our goal that when they have a new challenge or stressful event and are tempted to relapse, they will resort to the tools they’ve learned in treatment and will return to healthy living.
Step Six: Aftercare
Following discharge, our team keeps a relationship with our clients through phone and/or video calls to ensure continuity of care. Their successes are so important to us and we value these lasting relationships.
If you or a loved one are struggling with an eating disorder, give us a call or visit our website today for more information on our program!
