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With treatment centers in Arizona and Virginia, Remuda Ranch provides inpatient and residential programs for women, girls, and boys suffering from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, and related issues. Its Christian programs have been offering hope and healing to patients of all beliefs since 1990.
In 1996, the Remuda LIFE Program (RLP) was founded to meet the needs of patients who had been discharged home to outpatient care directly from the Remuda Ranch inpatient facility. These patients expressed a desire to bridge the gap between these two experiences, and the RLP provides a residential facility designed to assist in this transition. Residents live in one of several homes on a protected cul-de-sac, close to community amenities, and receive care from staff on site.
Individuals who are medically stable in their eating disorders are admitted into Remuda Ranch’s Remuda LIFE Program. And these include patients who suffer from binge eating disorder.
Darcy Tucker, LPC, LAMFT, director of clinical services for the Remuda Life Program, provides insight into Remuda’s program for binge eating disorder, or emotional eating, as Remuda refers to the condition.
“LIFE stands for ‘living independently, functioning effectively,’” explains Tucker. “This is the desired outcome for every resident within our program. RLP provides the opportunity to experience the “every day” triggers of life and habitual response patterns, while practicing recovery skills within a realistic, home-like environment.”
According to Tucker, the emotional eating program was added when it became clear there was a population of those who had eating disorders that did not meet the traditionally recognized diagnoses of anorexia or bulimia but suffered greatly and needed therapeutic intervention equally as much.
The Remuda LIFE Program offers a healing environment for women and girls to begin their process of recovery. Residents participate in a cognitive-behavioral, biblically-based program for healthy eating and a balanced lifestyle. Each resident is treated by a multidisciplinary team of professionals, a registered dietician, a primary care provider, and a psychiatric provider. Residents experience a variety of innovative therapy techniques, totaling 20-25 hours a week, to discover what is causing the disordered eating and to develop the confidence to overcome it. Individual therapy sessions are provided. Family therapy may be included, if indicated. Being in a residential setting allows the unique experience of being exposed to triggers while receiving the support from peers and staff to transition from eating-disordered coping mechanisms and habitual responses to recovery-based behaviors.
The multidisciplinary team treats from a bio-psycho-social-spiritual framework. Skills training includes cognitive-behavioral and dialectic approaches, along with Exposure with Response Prevention. Nutrition assessment and education are key. As most eating disordered patients have additional medical or psychiatric problems, such as depression, anxiety, substance abuse, or trauma, RLP’s professional team is prepared to help them address each area and build the foundation for lifelong recovery.
From the first day patients arrive, Remuda’s professionals communicate with the outpatient providers. They continue this communication through the resident’s discharge and after discharge, as needed, to support continued recovery.
RLP encourages residents to continue individual therapy and meetings with a registered dietician in aftercare, as well as meetings with primary care and psychiatric providers, as indicated, for a year after discharge. During the experience at RLP, they will have discovered structure and experiences such as attendance at church, bible studies, community support groups, or volunteering, all of which support their continued self-care and recovery.
Those interested in the Remuda Life Program, or any of Remuda’s programs, can contact the Admissions Department at (800) 445-1900 for additional information and to begin the admissions process.
More information is also available at www.remudaranch.com. |
