The care that works for you

At Children’s Minnesota, we use tried-and-true eating disorder treatments that are supported by medical studies. Treatment sessions may focus on discussing eating habits, relationships with others (such as interactions via social media), perfectionism, low self-esteem and developing healthy coping skills.

Here’s more information on some of our treatments:

Family-based treatment (FBT) is the leading treatment for eating disorders in children and adolescents. It’s also called the Maudsley Approach. Studies show that up to 75 to 90% of adolescents with anorexia nervosa are fully recovered by their five-year follow-up visit after FBT. This treatment has also been adapted for use in bulimia nervosa and atypical eating disorders, such as ARFID. In FBT, parents are seen as the best resource for their child’s recovery and play an active and positive role in order to help their child to:

• Return to a healthy weight and growth pattern
• Resume healthy eating
• Resume age-appropriate independence with eating
• Return to healthy development

Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) is the leading evidence-based treatment for all eating disorder diagnoses in adults, and has been adapted for use with adolescents. It is designed to produce changes in thinking (cognitive change), and focuses on what is keeping the eating problem going. The therapy is tailored to a specific eating problem. The patient and the therapist will become experts in the eating problem and what is keeping it going, and will work as a team to help overcome the eating problem. The patient will be given tasks to complete between therapy sessions to assist in making changes. Depending on a person’s needs, the patient and the therapist may work on:

• Over-evaluation of shape and weight
• Dietary rules and under-eating
• Being underweight
• Mood-related changes in eating
• Low self-esteem
• Perfectionism
• Interpersonal problems

Additional information on this treatment method is available here.

Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders (UP) is an individual treatment developed to treat anxiety and mood disorders. The UP uses principles and strategies that come from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and from theories of emotion regulation. Therapy is personalized to meet individual needs, and may include several of the following goals and strategies:

• Awareness and interpretation of emotional experiences
• Identification and prevention of problematic behaviors that are driven by emotions
• Identification and interpretation of physical sensations in an accurate and adaptive way
• Exposure to thoughts or situations that trigger emotional responses

The method that’s best for you

We see most of our patients in our outpatient, or clinic program, but if you or your child needs medical care for an eating disorder, we may arrange a stay in our inpatient, or hospital program at Children’s Minnesota. We’re the only hospital-based eating disorder program in the Minneapolis metro to offer immediate inpatient care 24 hours a day for patients who need medical treatment.

During a hospital stay, we will help you or your child attain a more stable medical condition and prepare for outpatient treatment. We’ll also teach you and your family strategies to make positive changes at home.

And as an organization dedicated to family-centered care, we offer many child and family services and resources, such as interpretive services.