UNDERSTANDING THE DISEASE AND GETTING HELP FOR YOUR LOVED ONE
"Our daughter told us that when she entered the partial hospitalization program, it was the first time she began to realize how sick she was. Being out of school, sports and away from her friends began to make her angry at the eating disorder." Sue & Phil
- Participation of family members and friends is critical to ongoing recovery and relapse prevention.
"Our daughter told us that when she entered the partial hospitalization program, it was the first time she began to realize how sick she was. Being out of school, sports and away from her friends began to make her angry at the eating disorder." Sue & Phil
How do I get help for my loved one?
How can The Healing Connection help my loved one?
What can my loved one expect during treatment?
Does my loved one have an eating disorder?
How do I best support my loved one?
How do I get help for my loved one?
The first step is to contact our office manager for an initial phone screening. Our phone number is 585-641-0281.
The purpose of the phone screening is to ensure The Healing Connection can provide the correct level of care for your loved one and to offer assistance in obtaining insurance benefits and a primary care provider if necessary. If it is determined that The Healing Connection cannot provide the appropriate level of care for your loved one, we will work with you to find alternative treatment options.
Additional requirements for intake evaluation:
How can The Healing Connection help my loved one?
Treatment at The Healing Connection is informed by the following values:
Family and Relationally - Based: Recovery from eating disorders occurs in the context of connections. Because eating disorders are diseases of disconnection (disconnecting the patient from her/himself and others, and disconnecting the family/supports from others) all patients and families have a need for a recovery community that may or may not exist before treatment. The staff at The Healing Connection help patient/family members identify these people in preparation for discharge and engage these community-based supports in treatment and discharge planning as indicated.
Individualized: Patient and family are considered part of the treatment team and collaborate with the team to design an individualized treatment plan based on a comprehensive assessment and grounded in evidence-based treatment protocols and principles. The treatment plan is continually revised, based on the changing needs of patient and family during treatment.
Developmentally Appropriate: Eating disorders commonly occur in adolescence and young adulthood but can begin in mid-life or later. They serve different purposes and meet certain needs for individuals across the lifespan. The Healing Connection staff carefully assess the developmental needs of patients and families and use these to inform treatment planning and delivery. This approach capitalizes on patient and family strengths and personalizes care.
Health-Focused: Eating disorders are important to understand on a spectrum that ranges from healthy eating practices, weight management, and body image to unhealthy eating practices, weight management, and body image. The Healing Connection staff work with patients and families to define their idea of health and the health practices they have successfully used in the past that could assist them in the present. In preparation for discharge, staff assist patients and families to identify their strengths and ways to remain empowered to provide for their own health and self-care in the community.
Evidence-Driven: Treatments delivered at The Healing Connection are reflective of best practices informed by the best evidence available from clinical trials and contemporary clinical wisdom. Both the American Psychiatric Practice Guidelines and the NICE Guidelines inform programming. Additionally, The Healing Connection conducts outcome research with patients and families to continually improve its own programming and add to the knowledge base about evidence-based treatment in the field.
Comprehensive, Coordinated, and Continuous Care: The Healing Connection provides comprehensive care that is responsive to the patient's physical and mental health needs. Staff collaborate closely with the patient's primary care provider throughout the program stay and collaborate with the patient's outpatient team to ensure smooth transition to community living. Since transitions are especially difficult for individuals with eating disorders and their families, coordinated care is essential to facilitate seamless movement from one level of care to the next. Additionally, The Healing Connection is an affiliate of the Western NY Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders (WNYCCCED) one of three NY State Department of Health-funded CCCED's. The Healing Connection collaborates with other providers in the WNYCCCED such as Golisano Children's Hospital, Harmony Place at St. Joseph's Villa, and Buffalo's Women and Children Hospital and with providers in the other NYCCCED's such as The Outlook at NY Presbyterian Hospital, Albany Medical Center, and Four Winds Hospital to ensure continuity of care for patients and families.
Specialty-Trained and Expert Multidisciplinary Staff: Eating disorders are diseases of disconnection that are created and maintained by complex biological, psychological and sociocultural risk factors. Therefore, treatment at The Healing Connection is delivered by an expert and specialty-trained multidisciplinary staff committed to interdisciplinary collaboration. The Healing Connection includes doctorally and master's prepared, experienced therapists, psychiatrists, a registered dietitian, a meal-time psychiatric technician, chef, and office manager. We also collaborate with experienced, certified teachers from BOCES who provide tutoring for adolescent patients. The WNYCCCED case manager provides case management for patients and families.
Participation by Recovered Individuals and Family Members: The experience of treatment and recovery, the challenges to expect, and advice for navigating the road of recovery are best articulated by those who know these things firsthand. The Healing Connection involves recovered individuals and family members in its programming so that patients and families can benefit from the practical wisdom of others who understand the illness and recovery process. Connections with recovered individuals and expert personal carers are very helpful in recovery.
Back to Top
What can my loved one expect during treatment?
The Healing Connection programming runs from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, and offers the following services:
Does my loved one have an eating disorder?
General Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eatingdisorders.php
Anorexia Nervosa Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/anorexianervosa.php
Bulimia Nervosa Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/bulimianervosa.php
Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/ednos.php
Binge-Eating Disorder Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/bingeeatingdisorder.php
Addition information can be found here -
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/information-resources/general-information.php
Back to Top
How do I best support my loved one?
Hope and Healing in recovery always occur within a context of connections. These connections include:
The Eating Disorder will do all it can to sever these connections, leaving the vulnerable individual completely or primarily connected to itself.
We can best support our loved one with the eating disorder by never closing the door on the possibility of connection with that person. We cannot fully control whether the sufferer will walk through that door and accept our invitation to connect and work together in recovery. This is especially true of adults who suffer with the illness, but is also true to a certain extent with adolescents. Parents of adolescents have a responsibility to ensure their child receives treatment, even if it is by objection. However, bringing our loved ones to treatment does not automatically mean they are ready to partner with us for recovery. While we can't control an adult's or adolescent's decision to partner with us for recovery, we can greatly influence this decision by being available and willing to answer the knock at the door, when the person has accepted our invitation.
It is difficult to watch our loved ones struggle and wait for them to accept this invitation. Therefore, carers need to always attend to their own needs and feelings as they bear witness to the recovery process of others. We are no good to those who need our care, if we do not care for ourselves. We best support those we love when we attend to our own needs and feelings and nurture our own connections with ourselves and others in the world. The illness causes stress and strain for patient, family, and friends because it hopes to create disconnection, conflict, and isolation. The best thing we can do is fight back by strengthening all our connections - physical, emotional, and spiritual. This approach helps the patient do the same. The illness needs to be sent away and by standing together as personal and professional carers, we help the patient experience the courage and confidence to do this. The staff and I at The Healing Connection are committed to working in partnership with you to accomplish this task.
Mary Tantillo PhD PMHCNS-BC, CEO/Clinical Director
Please see the topics below that address how to best support your loved one. Each topic is addressed more fully on the Eating Disorders Recovery Center of Western NY Website http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org. Instead of recreating the information on this website, the links to the various topics are also listed below:
What To Do When You Are Concerned?
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/what-to-do.php
Approaching Your Loved One With Concerns
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/signs-of-an-eating-disorder.php
Expressing Concerns: What To Say
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/getting-help.php
Pitfalls
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/pitfalls.php
Causes and Myths
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/causes-myths.php
Recovery
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/recovery.php
Reactions of Carers
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/reactions-of-carers.php
Seeking Professional Treatment
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/seeking-professional-treatment.php
Levels of Care
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/levels-of-care.php
Treatment Goals
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/treatment-goals.php
Professional Treatment Standards
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/professional-treatment-standards.php
Information for Schools
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/for-schools.php Back to Top
How can The Healing Connection help my loved one?
What can my loved one expect during treatment?
Does my loved one have an eating disorder?
How do I best support my loved one?
How do I get help for my loved one?
The first step is to contact our office manager for an initial phone screening. Our phone number is 585-641-0281.
The purpose of the phone screening is to ensure The Healing Connection can provide the correct level of care for your loved one and to offer assistance in obtaining insurance benefits and a primary care provider if necessary. If it is determined that The Healing Connection cannot provide the appropriate level of care for your loved one, we will work with you to find alternative treatment options.
Additional requirements for intake evaluation:
- A physical exam within the past 30 days
- Lab work within the past 2 weeks
- Insurers also commonly require authorization from a Primary Care Physician.
How can The Healing Connection help my loved one?
Treatment at The Healing Connection is informed by the following values:
Family and Relationally - Based: Recovery from eating disorders occurs in the context of connections. Because eating disorders are diseases of disconnection (disconnecting the patient from her/himself and others, and disconnecting the family/supports from others) all patients and families have a need for a recovery community that may or may not exist before treatment. The staff at The Healing Connection help patient/family members identify these people in preparation for discharge and engage these community-based supports in treatment and discharge planning as indicated.
Individualized: Patient and family are considered part of the treatment team and collaborate with the team to design an individualized treatment plan based on a comprehensive assessment and grounded in evidence-based treatment protocols and principles. The treatment plan is continually revised, based on the changing needs of patient and family during treatment.
Developmentally Appropriate: Eating disorders commonly occur in adolescence and young adulthood but can begin in mid-life or later. They serve different purposes and meet certain needs for individuals across the lifespan. The Healing Connection staff carefully assess the developmental needs of patients and families and use these to inform treatment planning and delivery. This approach capitalizes on patient and family strengths and personalizes care.
Health-Focused: Eating disorders are important to understand on a spectrum that ranges from healthy eating practices, weight management, and body image to unhealthy eating practices, weight management, and body image. The Healing Connection staff work with patients and families to define their idea of health and the health practices they have successfully used in the past that could assist them in the present. In preparation for discharge, staff assist patients and families to identify their strengths and ways to remain empowered to provide for their own health and self-care in the community.
Evidence-Driven: Treatments delivered at The Healing Connection are reflective of best practices informed by the best evidence available from clinical trials and contemporary clinical wisdom. Both the American Psychiatric Practice Guidelines and the NICE Guidelines inform programming. Additionally, The Healing Connection conducts outcome research with patients and families to continually improve its own programming and add to the knowledge base about evidence-based treatment in the field.
Comprehensive, Coordinated, and Continuous Care: The Healing Connection provides comprehensive care that is responsive to the patient's physical and mental health needs. Staff collaborate closely with the patient's primary care provider throughout the program stay and collaborate with the patient's outpatient team to ensure smooth transition to community living. Since transitions are especially difficult for individuals with eating disorders and their families, coordinated care is essential to facilitate seamless movement from one level of care to the next. Additionally, The Healing Connection is an affiliate of the Western NY Comprehensive Care Center for Eating Disorders (WNYCCCED) one of three NY State Department of Health-funded CCCED's. The Healing Connection collaborates with other providers in the WNYCCCED such as Golisano Children's Hospital, Harmony Place at St. Joseph's Villa, and Buffalo's Women and Children Hospital and with providers in the other NYCCCED's such as The Outlook at NY Presbyterian Hospital, Albany Medical Center, and Four Winds Hospital to ensure continuity of care for patients and families.
Specialty-Trained and Expert Multidisciplinary Staff: Eating disorders are diseases of disconnection that are created and maintained by complex biological, psychological and sociocultural risk factors. Therefore, treatment at The Healing Connection is delivered by an expert and specialty-trained multidisciplinary staff committed to interdisciplinary collaboration. The Healing Connection includes doctorally and master's prepared, experienced therapists, psychiatrists, a registered dietitian, a meal-time psychiatric technician, chef, and office manager. We also collaborate with experienced, certified teachers from BOCES who provide tutoring for adolescent patients. The WNYCCCED case manager provides case management for patients and families.
Participation by Recovered Individuals and Family Members: The experience of treatment and recovery, the challenges to expect, and advice for navigating the road of recovery are best articulated by those who know these things firsthand. The Healing Connection involves recovered individuals and family members in its programming so that patients and families can benefit from the practical wisdom of others who understand the illness and recovery process. Connections with recovered individuals and expert personal carers are very helpful in recovery.
Back to Top
What can my loved one expect during treatment?
The Healing Connection programming runs from 11:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and from 11:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays, and offers the following services:
- Individual therapy
- Nutritional assessment, counseling, and meal planning
- Structured supervised mealtimes (lunch, dinner, and afternoon snack) that are prepared by an on-site cook
- Group therapy (eating disorders psychoeducational, cognitive-behavioral, skills training, relational, and art/movement/dance therapy groups, yoga, and availability of substance abuse psychoeducation/ cognitive-behavioral skills groups)
- Family work (individual, parenting group, and multifamily therapy group)
- Psychopharmacological evaluation and medication monitoring
- Case Management
- Access to recovered peers and family members who present or participate in various program groups
- Tutoring for adolescent patients during the school year
Does my loved one have an eating disorder?
General Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eatingdisorders.php
Anorexia Nervosa Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/anorexianervosa.php
Bulimia Nervosa Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/bulimianervosa.php
Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/ednos.php
Binge-Eating Disorder Information
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/bingeeatingdisorder.php
Addition information can be found here -
http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/information-resources/general-information.php
Back to Top
How do I best support my loved one?
Hope and Healing in recovery always occur within a context of connections. These connections include:
- the connections we have with ourselves (being aware of and empathic toward our own genuine thoughts, feelings and needs)
- the connections we have with others, and
- the connections we have with the world and universe around us.
The Eating Disorder will do all it can to sever these connections, leaving the vulnerable individual completely or primarily connected to itself.
We can best support our loved one with the eating disorder by never closing the door on the possibility of connection with that person. We cannot fully control whether the sufferer will walk through that door and accept our invitation to connect and work together in recovery. This is especially true of adults who suffer with the illness, but is also true to a certain extent with adolescents. Parents of adolescents have a responsibility to ensure their child receives treatment, even if it is by objection. However, bringing our loved ones to treatment does not automatically mean they are ready to partner with us for recovery. While we can't control an adult's or adolescent's decision to partner with us for recovery, we can greatly influence this decision by being available and willing to answer the knock at the door, when the person has accepted our invitation.
It is difficult to watch our loved ones struggle and wait for them to accept this invitation. Therefore, carers need to always attend to their own needs and feelings as they bear witness to the recovery process of others. We are no good to those who need our care, if we do not care for ourselves. We best support those we love when we attend to our own needs and feelings and nurture our own connections with ourselves and others in the world. The illness causes stress and strain for patient, family, and friends because it hopes to create disconnection, conflict, and isolation. The best thing we can do is fight back by strengthening all our connections - physical, emotional, and spiritual. This approach helps the patient do the same. The illness needs to be sent away and by standing together as personal and professional carers, we help the patient experience the courage and confidence to do this. The staff and I at The Healing Connection are committed to working in partnership with you to accomplish this task.
Mary Tantillo PhD PMHCNS-BC, CEO/Clinical Director
Please see the topics below that address how to best support your loved one. Each topic is addressed more fully on the Eating Disorders Recovery Center of Western NY Website http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org. Instead of recreating the information on this website, the links to the various topics are also listed below:
What To Do When You Are Concerned?
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/what-to-do.php
Approaching Your Loved One With Concerns
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/signs-of-an-eating-disorder.php
Expressing Concerns: What To Say
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/getting-help.php
Pitfalls
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/pitfalls.php
Causes and Myths
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/causes-myths.php
Recovery
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/recovery.php
Reactions of Carers
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/reactions-of-carers.php
Seeking Professional Treatment
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/seeking-professional-treatment.php
Levels of Care
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/levels-of-care.php
Treatment Goals
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/treatment-goals.php
Professional Treatment Standards
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/professional-treatment-standards.php
Information for Schools
http://www.nyeatingdisorders.org/eating-disorders-carers/for-schools.php Back to Top