Eating Disorder Recovery Support Services

Meal supports can be transformative for those with eating disorders and also helpful for individuals without an eating disorder that want to change their relationship with food. Meal supports could be right for you if:

• You find yourself struggling to complete meals alone and/or with others present

• You have difficulty trying new foods and having a variety with what you eat

• You are wanting to challenge food rules in a supportive environment

  • IE: “I can only eat before/after a certain time”

  • IE: “I am only/not allowed to eat specific foods/food groups”

• You have difficulty hearing and/or honoring your hunger and fullness cues

• You struggle to find times for meals during a busy day

• You need extra support and accountability in your recovery journey

• You experience conflict and tension when eating with family members

• You want to learn how to best support your loved one at the table

Research shows that meal supports can make a powerful difference in eating disorder recovery. Interventions provided by clinicians during meal time including cognitive behavioral therapy, emotion regulation techniques, positive distractions, mindfulness skills and breathing techniques led to increased meal completion and decreased emotional distress (Watt, Dickens, 2018; Long, Wallis, Leung, Arcelus, Meyer, 2012; Couturier, Mahmood, 2009). It has also been shown that parents being involved in the meal support process and receiving skills training aids in maintaining progress in recovery (Taylor, Blampied, Roglić, 2021). Multiple studies have also shown that meal supports have positive outcomes including increased weight gain, shorter admissions to the hospital, fewer instances of bradycardia, and decreased frequency of eating disorder behaviors ( Kells et al., 2013, 2017; Couturier, Mahmood, 2009; Taylor, Blampied, Roglić, 2021).

Clients and their loved ones will be taught how to identify and challenge eating disorder thoughts via Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills, mindfulness and grounding skills from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and distress tolerance skills and emotion regulation skills from Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. If you and/or your loved one learned these skills during previous treatment, meal supports provide the opportunity to implement these skills effectively in real life situations. By providing exposure and support with challenging food and situations, clients increase their ability to respond to eating disorder triggers and build sustainability in their recovery.

Individual meal support including Food Inclusivity Program: $150 for a 60-minute session 

Family meal supports:

• $150 for a 60-minute session

• $200 for a 90-minute session with additional 30-minute family therapy post-meal

• $75 optional 30-minute parent support sessions available to be scheduled separately from the meal supports

ARFID Exposure Program: $900 for six sessions at $150 each

Before the meal:

You can expect to log onto session with your meal prepared which can be made by you, a loved one, or ordered from a restaurant. 15 minutes is allotted prior to the meal for a check in to support with meal portioning in order to ensure your meal meets your dietitian’s meal plan recommendations, identify potential triggers and helpful coping skills, set intentions/goals for the meal, engage in hunger/fullness cue recognition, and are led by the therapist in a grounding activity. Our team will consult with your dietitian in order to coordinate your care to provide accurate feedback about your portioning for your meal.

During the meal:

30 minutes is allotted to complete the meal, although extra time can be provided if needed. The purpose is to support you with pacing your bites at a reasonable rate. If you finish the meal early, the additional time will be used for a longer post-meal reflection. A therapist will eat with you during the meal and provide prompts to use coping skills, redirections to not engage in eating disorder behaviors and interventions to support completion as needed. Therapist will coordinate meal goals with your dietitian/team to determine appropriate exposures vs. need to focus on meal completion.

After the meal:

The rest of the hour of the session will be structured for a post-meal check in to identify successes/challenges of the meal, current hunger/fullness cues, and needs for continued meal plan completion for the rest of the day. Any eating disorder related thoughts and behaviors that arose during the meal will be processed in a safe and supportive environment. 

Additional family therapy/parent support:

Meal supports can be optionally extended by 30 minutes to participate in family therapy to process family dynamics, resolve conflict, and come together as family. Additionally, the therapist can meet with parents/loved ones separately outside of meal supports to provide counseling services.