A Team Approach to Eating Disorders Treatment

Studies indicate that a multidisciplinary approach to eating disorders recovery is associated with enhanced treatment effectiveness and is in keeping with recommended "best practices" within the field. To date, Treatment Notes has touched on the importance of including two key components in ED treatment: medical care and psychotherapy (in my last post, I spoke of the importance of medical assessment and ongoing medical management of eating disorders patients). Let's add to that list...

A multidisciplinary approach to eating disorders may include treatment professionals from a variety of disciplines but should include, at minimum, a mental health professional, a medical doctor, and a nutritionist (look for details about the role of the dietitian or nutrition therapist in my next blog). Although there may be some overlap in the care that is provided by these individuals, each has a central and critical role to play in comprehensive eating disorders treatment.

Other professionals that comprise a treatment team may include:

• A physical therapist or exercise therapist
• A social worker for assistance with life skills
• Other medical professionals, as necessary, from the fields of dentistry, gynecology, endocrinology, and gastroenterology
• Psycho-pharmacologist (may or may not be the chosen physician)
• Experiential therapist for adjunct therapies which may include art therapy, music therapy, yoga, massage therapy, drama therapy, equine therapy, etc.
• Coaches, teachers, and friends who can provide needed support and encouragement
• Professional, paraprofessional or peer support group facilitators

Ideally, each should be familiar with eating disorders treatment. However, by working together as a team, more experienced ED treatment providers can collaborate with those who provide expertise in their respective fields yet may not have a specific background of work with eating disorders.

Details about the various potential contributors to a patient's recovery will be discussed in future posts.

If you have a comment or question that you wish to see discussed in a future post of Treatment Notes, feel free to e-mail mail@drshepp.com. Try to remember to include "Treatment Notes" in the subject line. You can also record your question in this blog; simply type it in the "comments" link below any of the posts that you see in Treatment Notes.

Comments

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[Rerto Jordans]

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