Is the Healing Your Relationship With Food program for me?

This program is designed for adult men and women who are normal, under, or over weight and are struggling with how they relate to food. Answering the following questions may give you the answer.

Do you find yourself with:

Continued failure and discouragement from dieting
Shame, guilt, and self-loathing following eating
Avoidance of social activities due to worry about food and/or body shame
Eating to manage emotions
Secretive eating
Worry and preoccupation about gaining weight
Sexual, verbal, mental, and/or physical abuse in past or present
Physical problems due to excess weight or yo-yo dieting
Poor and/or inconsistent body image
Caring for others more than yourself
Eating when you are already full

What is the program?

This is a unique non-restrictive approach to resolving the compulsions underlying the eating disorder. It is designed for people who have had enough of dieting and feeling hopeless and heavier as a result. This is not a weight-loss program. However, group members often find weight-loss does occur slowly over time as a result of resolving underlying issues and working with the program guidelines. This approach works well with use of a nutritionists and exercise programs eventually, when the time is right for the participant.

What are the program goals?

Provide a safe, supportive, and confidential environment
Coping skills to deal with emotions and stress without relying on food
Address the underlying issues to provide lasting change
Increase self-esteem and acceptance
Reduce preoccupation and break the compulsive cycle of overeating
Offer effective ways to expand your life and explore dreams and hopes
Let go of food as your "significant other"
Address and treat depression (if needed)
Ways to utilize ongoing support outside of the program

What does the program consist of?

The Primary program meets once a week for 10 consecutive weeks for a 3- hour session. It will include:

Interactive lecture
Written outline and manual for participants with all lecture material
Small group activities
Video clips illustrating points from the lecture
Written homework assignments
Visualization exercises
Interactive group activities
Group support and discussion time
Resource guide
Access to support outside of the program time
Individual sessions on request for additional support

The Aftercare program meets once a week for 1 1/2 hours for as long as you need to stay. It is less intense and less structured than the Primary program. The average stay in aftercare is about 5 months. This phase of the treatment offers on-going support from other group members from the Primary program, and reinforcement of what was learned. Most people use this phase to let the information and new way of relating to food "sink in" and they are able to build enough trust to work on those issues underneath the eating disorder. Aftercare begins immediately following completion of the Primary program.

What is the content of the Primary Program?

Week 1: Getting started, new guidelines for eating
Week 2: Discovering the function of your compulsive overeating
Week 3: Untwisting distorted thinking
Week 4: Self-care and support system
Week 5: Anger, boundaries, and spiritual nourishment
Week 6: Healthy bodies at any size
Week 7: Acceptance of self and body
Week 8: Addressing underlying issues from childhood
Week 9: Breaking the compulsive overeating cycle
Week 10: Wrapping up, understanding stages of recovery

What are the times, dates, and costs of the program?

There are four sessions per year of the Primary program Aftercare is on-going. The Primary program sessions are on Wednesdays, from 6:30pm to 9:30pm.

Aftercare sessions are on Thursdays, from 6pm to 7:30pm or 7:30pm to 9pm (depending on your preference).

The Primary program sessions are as follows:

Fall: Early October
Winter: Early February
Spring: Early May
Summer: End of July and tentative depending on enrollment

Program Costs:

Initial assessment: Free, if you sign up for the program (plan about an hour)

Primary program: $75 per session (due in check or cash before each session)

Aftercare program: $35 per session (due in check or cash before each session)

How do I get started in the program?

Contact me by phone or email (see home page for links and contact information) to set up an assessment.
Schedule an appointment with your primary care physician to have him/her give you medical clearance for the program (physician form will be given to you at the assessment session)
Clear your schedule for the eight weeks for the nights of the program
Prepare yourself for a very different approach for making lasting change

Healing Your Relationship With Food

Eve Cribbs, LMSW