Leading Bulimia Treatment Center

Learn more about treatment for bulimia at The Refuge, A Healing Place

Bulimia nervosa is a complex disease that requires significant drive and dedication to overcome. At The Refuge, we encourage you to discover your inner strength, and we celebrate with you as that drive and dedication begins to grow and shape your future.

When taking the first steps towards recovery from bulimia, it is essential that you receive care that is not only comprehensive in the types of interventions used, but also fully customized to meet your unique needs. No one’s life story is the same. No one’s experiences with bulimia are the same. When you choose to come to our bulimia treatment center, we will learn about you as a person. We will ask you to share your narrative and guide us in understanding what has led you to us, and what we can do to best help you.

You will begin your time at our treatment center by completing a thorough assessment that allows our treatment team to identify the specific concerns you have, the areas of your life that have been affected by bulimia, and the goals that you have for your future. You will work with our clinicians to determine the best approach to your care and, together, we will create an individualized treatment plan that will guide your stay with us.

Why consider receiving treatment for bulimia nervosa at The Refuge

The effects of bulimia nervosa are far-reaching. They extend beyond psychological distress and can include monumentally negative effects on your health. Bulimic behaviors can cause dehydration and electrolyte imbalances, which can escalate into irregular heartbeat and possible heart failure. You are likely to become physically weak and may no longer be able to engage in activities that you once enjoyed.

Bulimia also leads to severe emotional distress. Your sense of self-worth will deteriorate, and you may become ashamed of your behaviors. This sense of shame leads to a desire to remain shrouded in secrecy, ultimately causing you to isolate yourself from friends and family. Sadly, as the emotional distress increases, so does the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors.

Fortunately, however, by coming to our residential bulimia treatment center, you can learn how to overcome the compulsion to engage in these behaviors. You can discover healthy ways of coping with stress and negative urges. You can rediscover the power you have within you to take control of your life and move forwards towards a bright, happy, and healthy future.

Our treatment center’s philosophy and benefits

At The Refuge, we take a three-pronged approach to the treatment of bulimia nervosa. We blend our medical expertise to address the physical symptoms of bulimia, while simultaneously providing clinical, evidence-based psychiatric care. We treat the whole person, not just their symptoms.

We have found that many people who struggle with bulimia have a history of experiencing trauma. Our treatment center’s philosophy is deeply rooted in the belief that if we help our clients unravel their trauma story, we can better understand their bulimia patterns and better equip ourselves to help them find lasting recovery.

We always consider the entire person when we create a treatment plan, involving all aspects of what makes each client unique. We consistently reevaluate our clients to make sure all their needs are met in a supportive atmosphere. As a holistic treatment center, we work closely with each client to guide them on the pathway towards recovery from bulimia.

Types of bulimia treated offered at The Refuge, A Healing Place

The Refuge features a wide range of treatment options for clients who are struggling with bulimia nervosa. When you’re admitted to our residential treatment center, you will undergo a number of assessments in order to make certain our treatment team understands how best to treat you and how to optimally address your struggles with bulimia nervosa. Our medical examination will determine if you are struggling with medical complications, while our psychiatric evaluation will assist our clinicians in diagnosing any co-occurring disorders that may be present.

Your treatment team will take the results of these assessments and work with you and your loved ones to create a plan of care that will guide you as you begin healing from bulimia at our treatment center.

Medication may be used at the beginning of your stay at our bulimia nervosa treatment center if it can help ease or alleviate certain symptoms. The type of medication you are prescribed, and the amount of time you continue to receive it, will be based solely on what’s best for you. Your medication usage will be closely monitored by your bulimia treatment team, and will be modified as needed to ensure you’re receiving the maximum benefit.

Individual therapy is provided at our bulimia treatment center to address personal issues related to your struggles with this disorder. It also serves to identify links between bulimia and any co-occurring disorders that you may be suffering from. Our therapists use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which addresses errors or distortions in thinking. CBT can help you replace maladaptive thoughts with healthier ways of evaluating and responding to your environment. Our other clinical specialties include acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), accelerated resolution therapy (ART), eating disorder intuitive therapy (EDIT), and trauma-informed yoga.

Group therapy is a common type of therapy for individuals who are healing from bulimia at our treatment center. Among its many benefits, group therapy can help you form productive relationships with others who are receiving care for bulimia nervosa, learn to work together to solve problems, and develop healthy ways of processing difficult emotions. While you are in treatment for bulimia at The Refuge, you’ll take part in several types of group therapy. For example, process groups discuss issues related to a common theme or co-occurring problems, such as trauma, substance abuse, or suicidal ideation. Our skills-based groups focus on topics like developing new coping strategies, re-entering social situations, avoiding risks for triggering bulimia relapse, and identifying strategies for dealing with co-occurring conditions.

Family therapy is an important aspect of healing from bulimia nervosa at our treatment center. We understand that your struggles with bulimia may have impacted your family and friends. We also appreciate the important role that your loved ones can play in the healing process. During family sessions, you’ll have the opportunity to discuss how bulimia has affected you, your treatment, and the progress you’ve made. Your loved ones will have the chance to discuss ways in which bulimia has affected their lives as well. They’ll also learn how best to support you during and after your bulimia treatment.

Nutritional support is provided by registered dietitians who have extensive training in the treatment of bulimia, and all programming is reviewed by the attending physician. Our clients attend weekly meetings with registered dietitians to assess their nutritional improvement. Our intensive culinary program is designed to reshape your relationship with food, which will evolve and improve throughout your course of treatment.

Our bulimia treatment center also offers a variety of evidence-based methods designed to complement traditional therapies. Based on need and availability, these therapeutic methods may include the following:

• Detoxification (as needed)
• Psychiatric support and medication management
• Individual, group, and family therapy
• Medical and psychiatric supervision
• 24/7 nursing support
• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
• Exposure outings
• Supportive meals and meal preparation
• Group shopping trips
• Nutritional counseling and education
• Eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR)
• 12-Step education and support
• Therapeutic massage and yoga
• Art therapy

Continuing care and levels of treatment for bulimia nervosa at The Refuge, A Healing Place

The discharge planning process begins very early in your time at The Refuge. We place great importance on documenting your successes during your time in our care, and preparing you to build upon that progress after you have completed treatment for bulimia.

When your stay with us nears its conclusion, you’ll receive a detailed plan to guide the post-treatment phases of your recovery from bulimia. Depending upon your needs, your discharge plan may include a referral to a step-down program or traditional outpatient therapy, connections with community-based services, and information about all other relevant sources of support. In addition, we offer one year of aftercare support via biweekly calls, assistance in finding therapists and support groups, and connections to The Refuge’s robust alumni network.

From the day you arrive on our campus until long after you have returned home, our goal is to ensure that you have access to the help you need to overcome your challenges and truly recover from the symptoms of bulimia.