We are pleased to announce the opening of our new IOP office and support group center. As of July 2012, The Eating Disorder Center of Missouri will now be located at 1859 Intertech Drive in Fenton, Missouri. This new 6,000 square foot facility will feature four large group meeting rooms, a state-of –the art kitchen and dining room and multiple offices for therapists, dieticians and staff.
The expanding IOP program will include two separate options for clients; one track for Castlewood Treatment Center clients and the other for outpatient clients located in the St. Louis area. The IOP program is also extending its existing services and hours to include Wednesdays from 10am to 2:30pm. In addition to the existing dinner option for clients, a lunch option will be added on Wednesday. A free clinical assessment is available and conducted by a licensed therapist for either outpatient services or for participation in our Intensive Outpatient Program.
The Clinical Co-Directors are Heidi Strickler, PhD, LCSW, CEDS, CART, CTLS and Jennifer Edwards, LPC, R-DMT. The staff includes dietitian, Alyssa Salz, MS, RD, LD and 5 therapists. Optional Psychiatric services will be provided as well. The group topics will include eating disorder behaviors, femininity and healthy sexuality, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, emotional regulation skills, meditation, journaling, art therapy, meal exposure and response prevention, nutritional education, expressive therapies, relapse prevention, relationship skills, and social anxiety.
The new support group center will offer support groups for those who struggle with any type of eating disorder and a separate support group for those in recovery from an eating disorder. Support groups for family members and friends will be added based upon interest. All support groups are led by a licensed therapist and offered free of charge. Please check out the website www.edcmo.com or call 636-779-1430 for a schedule of days and times.
Erin McGinty, MS, LPC is a Primary Therapist, Program Director, and the Anxiety Services Coordinator for Castlewood Treatment Center. Erin has worked with Castlewood for the last two years and came to Castlewood with a wealth of experience in the treatment of eating and anxiety disorders. Erin says that she came to Castlewood because she was excited about the multi-dimensional approach that Castlewood uses to treat Eating Disorders. “Having come from a CBT only approach previously, I was excited and eager to branch out and find other equally as effective ways of treating Eating Disorder.”
At Castlewood, Erin co-facilitates eating disorder and community process groups, provides individual therapy to clients, and oversees the delivery of anxiety services. She specializes in the treatment of eating disorders and co-morbid anxiety disorders, and has training in cognitive-behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, and Internal Family Systems. “Erin is an exceptional therapist talented in her approach to both eating disorders and anxiety disorders. She also adds a strong administrative structure and support to Castlewood, ” says Nancy Albus, Executive Director. Erin shared that she “likes working with clients with eating disorders because it is exciting to watch people re-discover themselves in their recovery process. When someone decides they want to recover it is really gratifying to watch them go from a life of deprivation and un-deservedness to a life that is defined by self worth and self compassion. “
Erin has been at the center of the development of Castlewood’s Anxiety Services Track. She feels it is important to work with a client’s anxiety because most people have had anxiety for as long as they remember and it is manifesting in the food. “Anxiety disorders are a risk factor for eating disorders and can keep someone in their Eating Disorder if not addressed.” Upon admission all clients are assessed for Anxiety Disorders, and if an Anxiety Disorder diagnosis is received they have an anxiety consult and individual anxiety therapy. Erin feels that “given the connection between the Anxiety and Eating Disorder, I don’t see how you could not treat the anxiety when it triggers so much of the Eating Disorder.” Castlewood does just that- we treat the Eating Disorder and Anxiety Disorder simultaneously to help our clients address the full clinical picture and achieve a lasting recovery. “Erin has done an outstanding job helping to develop and oversee the anxiety services at Castlewood,” says Dr. Robert Bond, anxiety specialist at Castlewood.
K, a Castlewood alumnus in treatment two years ago shares her success story.
Recovery is the hardest, but best thing I will ever do. It is going to be part of me the rest of my life. Recovery has brought me more happiness than I ever knew existed. I have formed so many lifelong relationships and have made existing relationships so much better. I have found the love of my life and am getting ready to begin a new chapter in my life with him. I could not be more excited and without recovery this could not have been possible. Recovery is not something I could have done on my own. I have such an amazing support system from my therapist to my family to my friends. I was the one who had to make the change, but without the support of these people it would not have been possible. I am so much stronger than I ever thought I could be. Knowing where I was just four years ago, it amazes me how much my life has changed for the better. I questioned if life was worth living, now I thank God for everyday I have and try to live life to the fullest. Not everyday is easy for me. I still have to fight to be where I am. Knowing all I have now with recovery makes me fight even harder. I never want to go back to where I was. I know it is my choice now to stay in recovery and I will do whatever it takes. Life isn’t always easy, but unfortunately that’s life. You have the good and the bad and the good makes it all worth it. Anything is possible if you put your mind to it. Do whatever it takes to recover. Reach out for support and have hope. Pray to God for guidance. Have compassion for yourself and love yourself. Be strong and courageous. These are things I still practice everyday, but now I know its all possible and love has been the key to my success.
Castlewood Treatment Center hosts Family Week every six weeks for our Residential and PHP clients and their support systems. Family Week is a three day long intensive experience involving group, individual and family therapy. The staff provides psycho-educational groups for families to learn about eating disorders, the process of recovery, and co-morbid disorders such as anxiety & OCD. In addition to didactic and educational sessions, families participate in intensive group therapy sessions which help them to identify and resolve problematic family dynamics. Families also meet with our therapy staff individually and as a family to explore how they can best support their loved one in the recovery process.
Family Week at Castlewood is always a time of intense healing as well as a time to develop a sense of community with other families. During our most recent Family Week, families shared that the openness of the other families facilitated increased insight into the recovery process and allowed them to better understand how to support their loved one. One mother shared “hearing my daughter express how she feels about her body and herself was extremely difficult and emotional for me; but it opened my eyes to what her life has been like.”
Family members often share that during Family Week they are able to identify dynamics that must change in order for the entire family to heal. One father shared that “listening to the experiences of other families and clients has led to a better understanding of the disorder and how it is a family issue.” The combination of group and individual family work facilitates this process of family growth.
Castlewood is proud of our Family Week and the healing that occurs on a regular basis at Castlewood. We feel honored to be a part of this process with the families who come through our doors.
