Treatment of Eating Disorders

Barnes & Klatt specializes in the treatment of all eating disorders including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder and compulsive and emotional overeating.

Although there are biological and psychological components to the development of an eating disorder, eating disorders are social issues, not personal failures. We live in a culture that worships thinness and a culture of disordered eating. Parents do not cause an eating disorder and those suffering do not choose an eating disorder.

An eating disorder is a form of compulsive behavior that serves the purpose of soothing oneself or distracting oneself from something that is painful or intolerable. Eating disorders are used when healthy coping mechanisms are not available or do not work effectively. Eating disorder behaviors interfere with the development of healthy coping mechanisms (ones which lead to personal development, growth, and mastery of new challenges). With enough repetition these destructive behaviors take on a “life of their own”, are no longer under the voluntary control of the person.

Comprehensive treatment includes working in a collaborative manner with other health care providers to include a combination of psychotherapy, nutritional, and medical modalities. Both individual and family treatment is utilized as appropriate. Psychotherapy includes evidenced- based treatment including: cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, mindfulness skills, and motivational interviewing.

The following groups are available:

• Intuitive and Mindful Eating Workshop
• Body Image Workshop

Intuitive and Mindful Eating Workshop

Philosophy of Treatment:  This workshop is for women and men 18 and over.  Traditional dieting has an 80 to 95% failure rate.  Intuitive eating rejects the dieting mind-set and teaches you to honor your hunger and satiety, make peace with food, while honoring your overall health.

The workshop teaches the foundational tenets of intuitive and mindful eating.  It provides tools to learn how to track hunger and satiety.  Participants will also enjoy a savory meal in order to practice mindful eating.

Body Image Workshop

Philosophy of Treatment:  This workshop is for all women who want to enhance their connection to their whole self.  The primary goal is to assist participants to develop respect of their natural shape and learn to replace negative thoughts and feelings with positive, affirming and accepting ones.

For most women, our bodies are intimately linked with poor sense of self.  Body attitudes become self attitudes.   The workshop focuses on the power and significance of inner acceptance, because until you love and accept yourself, unless you feel beautiful inside, you will not see your outer beauty.  Believe it. and enjoy it! If we truly live in and accept our bodies, we are able to connect more acutely to our cues of hunger and satiety and respect our needs.  As a result, we can make loving changes and refinements to appearance as we may be ready.  The inner shift of acceptance must precede the outer change.