Can you imagine what life could be like if you didn’t have the continual pull of eating disorders bringing you down and hijacking your sense of peace and wellbeing? At Positive Living Psychotherapy, we believe our clients deserve to overcome their eating disorders, learning to love themselves and live a healthier life. Through a shift in mindset and development of positive coping skills, we can take you to a better place in your life’s journey.
Dr. Maureen Keown, Licensed Psychologist
Licensed Psychologist, Dr. Maureen Keown, works with clients suffering from eating disorders to change their thinking in ways that allow them to heal their relationships with food and their bodies. It’s not magic and requires the dedication and commitment from clients, but the results are beautiful for clients who are ready to experience a healthier life.
Experience True Transformation with Eating Disorder Counseling
At this moment in your life, it may feel like you will never escape the pull of your eating disorder. However, Dr. Keown has helped countless clients just like you through caring support and positive psychotherapy techniques.
Her individualized counseling approach is designed to help clients achieve the healing and growth they need to overcome:
- Anorexia nervosa
- Bulimia nervosa
- Binge eating disorder
- Purging disorder
- Restrictive food intake disorders
- And other issues and symptoms that result from disordered eating practices and beliefs
Dr. Keown uses a gentle, caring approach, understanding that each client is in a unique place in their journey. Her goal is to help you feel safe and secure and hopeful as you walk through the proven steps of positive psychotherapy together to overcome your eating disorder.
If you are ready to begin your journey to healing and hope, Dr. Keown is here for you. She’s been working in the field of psychology for more than two decades and is ready to help you rescue your life from the hold of an eating disorder.
Connect with Dr. Keown now to schedule a session, or call 770-552-0333.
Jessica Bassett, Marriage & Family Therapist
Adolescent Eating Disorder
Jessica is trained in Family Based Treatment (FBT) for adolescents with an eating disorder. FBT is also referred to as the Maudsley Approach. It is an evidence based treatment model that is most effective for clients 19 years and younger with Anorexia Nervosa. This method can be used with other eating disorders, as well.
FBT comes from a non-blaming stance. There is no evidence that the eating disorder was caused by any one person or event. We do know that a combination of biological, psychological, or environmental factors may contribute to its development. FBT does NOT include force feeding of any kind.
I will offer support, psychoeducation, and appropriate directives to help you and your adolescent take control of the eating disorder. There are 3 phases of FBT as follows:
- Parents are in charge of weight restoration and will support their adolescent to decrease binge/purge episodes.
- Parents hand control over eating back to the adolescent.
- The discussion of adolescent developmental issues.
The three phases are spread out and can be expected to take 6-12 months. This is dependent on severity of weight restoration required, motivation of the client and client family.
The family is viewed as the BEST resource for helping the client. The treatment team may include collaboration between the therapist, a psychiatrist, Registered Dietician, and the Pediatrician. (If you are a Dietician, Pediatrician, Psychiatrists, or another therapist, please contact Jessica Bassett if you have a client you would like to see would be a good fit or if you would like to work in collaboration with Jessica).
Challenges experienced by families:
- Parents may resist taking time off work.
- Someone must be with their adolescent essentially 24/7 during phase one to ensure that the ED behaviors are not being engaged in.
- Holding parental boundaries can be difficult if an adolescent is determined to engage in the behaviors.
Do whatever is necessary… let your child know that you will not let them choose to be ill.
Documents/information that will be helpful at initial session:
- Growth charts for the adolescent. These can be obtained through their pediatrician.
- Any lab work that has been obtained within the past 6 months.
- Any documentation from previous treatment centers or therapists.
If you do not have this information, I will be happy to contact your providers on your behalf once a release of information has been obtained.
Adult Eating Disorder
Jessica is an Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT-E) therapist. This method is best used with adults and older adolescents with an eating disorder. There are two forms of CBT-E:
- The focused form.
- The broad form.
Your clinician will help determine which form is best suited for your individual needs.
CBT-E is a unique treatment model that can be customized to best suit your needs. There are 4 stages and are spread out over a length of 20 or 40 weeks, depending on the form you are best suited to follow.
Stage one is the most intense period and requires sessions two times per week. Research indicates that the “magnitude of change in the first few weeks of treatment is a potent predictor of outcome” (Fairburn, 2008, p. 24). I fully believe that the momentum gained in this paramount time frame will help provide you with the foundation of your own success.
Sessions become spread out following this stage. I will work in collaboration with you to help you to learn more about your relationship with food, what your goals are, your motivation for change, and how to provide you with the best opportunity for a strong foundation of overcoming this disorder.
Eating disorders typically do not develop overnight, likewise, the recovery process will not occur this quickly either. Change can be downright scary, discovering who you are separate from the eating disorder, introducing yourself to social situations that you may have been avoiding, and learning new ways of accepting and appreciating not only the experiences you have had, but the determination to move forward and learn from all you have been through.
My experience working with eating disorders began in 2017 at a local Residential facility. Soon after I accepted a position with the same facility, but in the Intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization program (PHP).
If you are ready to begin your journey to healing and hope for your adolescent or adult eating disorder, Jessica Bassett is here to help.
Connect with Jessica now to schedule a session or call 770-552-0333.