The Avalon Hills Eating Disorder Program treats and assists adolescent females and adult women in overcoming the full range of eating disorders. We are differentiated as one of the only remaining privately-owned residential eating disorder programs with a CEO and founder who remains committed to advancing the field of mental health.
People are often surprised to learn that our world-class eating disorder program is located in Logan, Utah, however, our proximity to some of the most beautiful natural mountain scenery provides opportunities for outdoor experiences that promote hope, healing, and self-reflection. We believe that stepping outside of one’s typical environment can be an important step in the direction of change and healing.
Another defining feature of our treatment center is our Treat to Outcome mentality. Treat to Outcome is our commitment to positive treatment outcomes that are sustainable when our clients return home. We pioneered this concept to stop the revolving door of care among clients who so often cycle in and out of eating disorder treatment.
We have found that too many approaches to eating disorders focus on diminishing eating disorder behaviors before discharge, without getting to the bottom of what causes the behaviors. People binge, purge, restrict food, or even starve themselves for a reason. We know that eating disorders can occur alongside other issues and we work hard to pinpoint and treat those as well. Our approach is client-driven, based on each individual’s needs.
As part of our patient assessment, Avalon Hills uses individualized psychotherapy to navigate and pinpoint the underlying problem at hand. The human brain is “neuroplastic” and can therefore grow and change in response to mental activity experience and interpersonal interactions. We use psychotherapy to better understand the brain and understand how to change brain patterns in our patients.
Applied neuroscience is an emerging field aimed at translating the latest findings from brain science into interventions to help human functioning. Avalon Hills, with the assistance of Dr. Ed Hamlin, one of the leading figures in neurofeedback, has pioneered the applications of this science to help our clients with eating disorders. 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.
Whether it is through family therapy, neurofeedback, mindfulness, body image work, group therapy, or animal therapy, we are always working to help our residents understand that they can change in deep ways of their own choosing.