THE NUTRITION COMPONENT OF OUR ADAPTIVE CARE MODEL

  Nutrition, Blog

Two people eating brunch

Alsana is committed to the healing power of nutrition as one of the five dimensions of care within our Adaptive Care model.  We love registered dietitians and our collaboration with you is a core foundation of our nutrition programming. My decades of experience within the outpatient level of care give me a front-line understanding of the value of ongoing collaboration and clinical updates when your client is in residential or day treatment care.

I remember how important – actually, how critical – it was for me to share in my client’s treatment process. I needed to be consulted prior to the client being seen by the new on-site team, be informed regularly of my client’s weekly progress related to both physical and therapeutic changes, and be an integral part of the client’s transition plan.

Most importantly, this consistent collaboration was imperative for my client’s recovery and confidence in the transition home, having an assurance that the outpatient team is knowledgeable about the progress made, the challenges faced, and the level of recovery achieved.

Our nutrition philosophy embraces the balance of nourishment and pleasure on both a physical and emotional level. Every client is unique in how this balance is developed. We incorporate specific individual and group challenges, explore the beliefs and values integrated into the eating disorder behaviors, and reduce shame triggers to restore a healing relationship with both food and body.

At our residential level, your client will have two individual sessions weekly and will participate in weekly nutrition psychotherapy groups and eating disorder processing groups with a dual team of both a registered dietitian and a therapist. Nutrition psychotherapy can go deeper into the core beliefs and role of the eating disorder behaviors as both the RD and therapist role model the integration of nutrition and therapy tools in real-time.

Under the direction of our National Director of Culinary Services, Executive Chef Mary Russo and her culinary team, your client will participate in new, positive meal experiences that transform the fears around eating. Clients have weekly opportunities to join a skills lab specific to culinary skills, taste explorations, and meal preparations. These combined experiences gradually change the perspectives and expectations around mealtimes and the eating experience itself.

Our visual guidelines for portioning, using three simple real-life objects, allow your client to move past dependence on weighing, measuring, or counting towards a “perfect imperfection.” They embrace a newly-discovered trust in the body’s ability to heal, nourish, and sustain without an external system of control.

Behind the scenes, your client’s registered dietitian is working closely with the treatment team to ensure evidence-based clinical assessment and support to transition your client through all stages of recovery, and our on-going relationship with you before, during, and after treatment bridges the gap between outpatient practice and higher levels of care.

It is our honor to treat your client, and it is our commitment to do so with a fully collaborative, informative, and open relationship with you. You know your client’s needs best, and we believe that together we can continue the healing work you began and see your client through the vulnerable stages of recovery to a safe return to your on-going care. Thank you for your trust and your partnership.

Warmly,

Tammy Beasley
Vice President of Clinical Nutrition Services

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