Eating disorders clinic

The clinic treats a variety of eating disorders typical of children and adolescents: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and avoidant restrictive eating disorder of childhood (ARFID).

The clinic provides the full range of treatments that have been proven to be effective in these disorders: individual psychological therapy, family therapy, group therapy, movement therapy and dietary counseling for the patient and family.

The clinic specializes in the following types of treatment:

Group therapy for children and youth with picky/ restrictive eating and their parents

Treatment for children is provided by a multidisciplinary treatment team at the clinic. The goal of the treatment is to gradually expose the children to new types of food and larger quantities of food in an experiential way, which gradually turns eating from a threatening experience into a more pleasant experience, by expanding the children's coping abilities in this area and creating change. Group therapy allows support from teammates.

In addition, the parents participate in the group under the guidance of a dietitian and psychologist. The group is psycho-educational and supportive, and aims to give parents information about the problem and tools to help them and the children deal with the difficulties of food exposure.

Focused family therapy for adolescents with anorexia nervosa (FBT)

The treatment lasts about six months, and its role is to empower the parents so that they can help their children gradually return to normal and independent eating. The treatment is scientifically proven to be one of the most effective treatment methods for anorexia nervosa. The parents, the patient, and the siblings participate in the treatment. In addition, the patients receive separate psychological treatment that allows them to deal, with the support of the therapist, with the difficulty surrounding weight gain.

Group therapy with a cognitive-behavioral approach for teenage girls dealing with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

The treatment lasts about a year, and combines psycho-educational aspects with cognitive-behavioral interventions. The therapeutic work is based on filling in eating diaries, in order to make the preoccupation with eating and weight less automatic, define problematic behaviors and establish control over them. In addition, work is being done on identifying and changing the cognitive distortions associated with the eating disorder.

Psychoeducational groups for parents whose children are dealing with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa

The parents participate in a psycho-educational and support group, in which they receive guidance to change attitudes towards food and weight and eating habits in the family. The weekly group meetings also make it possible to discuss the emotional difficulties that arise in the family following the child's eating disorder.

Individual psychological treatment

It is possible through psychology and its purpose is to accompany the patient in understanding the mental origin of the eating disorder and in dealing with the emotional difficulties accompanying the eating disorder such as body image and social and family relationships.

Individual handling of the movement

The treatment is provided by movement therapists, on a weekly basis, and is based on the concept of the connection between body and mind. At the basis of the treatment, the assumption that the eating disorder is an alternative psychosomatic organization for dealing with the self in the world. Thus, the intervention in the actual body and its movement constitutes an essential platform for change and healing.

The clinic operates in conjunction with the department of eating disorders for children and with an adolescent clinic.