Remuda Ranch (and Twins!!)

From time to time, we have reps from eating disorder treatment centers that stop by our office, or meet with us over lunch to tell us about their facilities, treatment modalities, etc... And because we specialize in treating eating disorders, we often end up referring a fair number of clients to treatment centers, so it is helpful to spend time with representatives so that we have good information and know the kind of service and treatment that we are recommending to our clients when we refer them somewhere. One of my favorite places (shameless plug because I did contract work there for awhile) is Carolina House- www.carolinaeatingdisorders.com. Check it out- it is fabulous!! I will share more about the Carolina House in another post, but for now, I want to share a little about Remuda Ranch. A rep from Remuda stopped by our office today and I wanted to share a few things that stood out to me.

First, I love that Remuda Ranch is a Christian based treatment center. While they accept clients of all faiths, their therapists are all Christians. About 3 years ago, Remuda was bought out- while they have loosened up on some of their Christian focused rules (they no longer require chapel attendance, for example), they still maintain a Christian focus, which I think is great. Second, they admit teenagers!! It is difficult to find residential treatment for eating disorders (especially locally) for teenagers and adolescents. Hospitals, like UNC, will admit teenagers, but for many parents, the thought of having their child in a residential type setting is easier to handle than having them in a hospital. Also, I was astounded to learn that Remuda will admit patients as young as 8 years old! It is SO sad that girls as young as 8 years old are struggling with eating disorders. The rep that came to our office, Michele, said that they got a call recently about a 7 year old needing treatment. How devastating.

Remuda, aside from individual/family/group therapy, offers equine therapy, as well as canine therapy. They also place a large focus on life after treatment and offer an equivalent of a sober living facility/halfway house program called LIFE for clients who have completed treatment. There are currently two locations in the US- Arizona and Virginia. To learn more about the different treatment and programs offered, visit Remuda's website at www.remudaranch.com.

Remuda Ranch was recently in the news (http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS118833+13-Oct-2009+PRN20091013) reporting that they have seen an increase in the number of twins that are suffering from eating disorders. I remember watching an episode of Intervention awhile back (great show on A&E that makes me cry every time I watch it) that featured a set of identical twins that were struggling with anorexia. If you aren't familiar with the show, the family of the featured people stage an intervention and persuade them to enter into treatment. The set of twins featured on the show went to Remuda in Virginia; when the show aired, they were doing well and were healthy. It was a very moving episode and very inspiring to see them recover.

Hungry Planet: What the World Eats

Peter Menzel, a photographer, and Faith D'Aluisio, a writer, joined together (they are actually a husband and wife duo!) to see how different families around the world eat. I heard about the book that they published, Hungry Planet: What the World Eats, which details their travels and experiences through words and pictures at a conference I was at last weekend. It provides an interesting perspective with regards to cultural beliefs about food. Time Magazine ran an article about this book and posted pictures, most of which can be accessed by clicking HERE and HERE. Hope you enjoy. For more information, check out their website (www.whattheworldeats.com).

Preventing Anxiety in Children: A Familial Approach

I recently came across an article detailing a study that looked at anxiety prevention which I enjoyed (I work with children and teens that deal with anxiety as well as their families) and thus, wanted to pass on this article of interest. A pilot study conducted at Johns Hopkins Children's Center recently looked at anxiety in children who have parents that are anxious. The researchers employed a family approach using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and they found that as few as eight weekly sessions of family CBT therapy were helpful in reducing anxiety. This study used a very small sample size, but the results are significant as far as prevention efforts go. Golda Ginsburg, a child psychologist at Johns Hopkins and senior researcher on this team, reports that children who have parents with an anxiety disorder are seven times more likely to develop anxiety. As a result, in conjunction with what we know about children and anxiety (one in five children in the US develop anxiety disorders), this is helpful information for parents, as well as health care professionals. For more information on this study and to read this article, click HERE.

Effects of Parent's Deployment on Children

A recent study published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics reports that a third of kids who have a parent who has been deployed is at greater risk for developing psychological problems. More research needs to be done, but what is clear is that kids who have a parent who has been/is deployed have been identified as 'at-risk.' Parents of these kids need to be aware of this, as it relates to the support that their kids may need. Not all kids are affected the same way and this study does not mean all kids with a deployed parent will have psychological problems. What it does mean is that parents need to be aware and can aim to prevent such issues by providing a supportive environment, and seeking professional help if needed.

Information retrieved from this article. For more information, follow the link to read the article.