Susan B. Krevoy Eating Disorders Program

Eating Disorders Support Group

Eating Disorders Support Group

You are not alone in your struggle. This weekly support group oprodives a safe place to explore and heal the issues of disordered eating. I nthe company of those who can relate to your struggle, you will have a chance to listen or talk freely, to learn how others deal with the same challenges, and to learn coping skills that might help you with your day-to-day struggle and the emotions that go with it. You don’t have to be alone in your pain. Let us give you the support that will help you…Read more
Why I Don’t Weigh Myself (If I Can Help It)- By Lee Harmon

Why I Don’t Weigh Myself (If I Can Help It)- By Lee Harmon

I try hard not to weigh myself anymore. It’s not as easy as it may seem, but I find that I am a much more content person if I don’t know what I weigh. When I do know what I weigh, I seem to be more obsessed than ever about numbers. If I am above or below my “ideal” weight it’s the only thing I can think about. So I avoid scales. Sort of.   It’s a bit like trying to avoid alcohol. Even if I am abstaining from alcohol, it still exists…Read more

Social Media and Eating Disorders- By Jamie Zabludowski

Many parents are under the impression that they can save their teens from the attractions of sex, drugs, and pro-eating disorders by simply turning off their televisions or moving to a secluded island. Of course, anyone can use the parental control settings on a TV to block certain commercials and programs, but what about computers? What about social media? It sounds like things are getting a little more complicated to stop kids from binging, purging, and restricting. The “model thin” image is advertised on all different social media platforms. In June 2010, a study by…Read more
Learning to Communicate

Learning to Communicate

Paulson V Veliyannoor, MS Pre-Doctoral Intern/ Clinical Staff Susan B Krevoy Eating Disorder Program Khalil Gibran famously wrote in The Prophet: “In speech, truth is half-murdered.” Well, there is much truth in this statement. Yet the inability to speak may leave the truth fully murdered with its remains leaking through the pores of one’s being. An Eating Disorder is one such leakage which results from, among other things, the difficulty to verbalize one’s needs and feelings. In other words, eating disorder is one form of maladaptive communication. Learning to communicate, then, is one of…Read more
A Cultural Perspective on Gender and Eating Disorders in Group Therapy By: Stephen L Salter, Psy.D

A Cultural Perspective on Gender and Eating Disorders in Group Therapy By: Stephen L Salter, Psy.D

When I began running groups at the SBK Eating Disorders Program, I wasn’t surprised to find I’d be working primarily with women.  I was aware that the epidemic hit women three times harder than men, but I wasn’t sure why.  I knew larger social forces were at play.  After all, The United States fosters more eating disorders than any country in the world.  Many point to the flooding of media images—unrealistic, unhealthy, and grossly underweight ideals of what it mean to be beautiful.  Is it possible to avoid these external influences? Why not…Read more
Non-Hunger Eating and Change

Non-Hunger Eating and Change

Eve Lahijani,, RD Nutritionist for the Susan B. Krevoy Eating Disorder Program Every few months I buy a pot of orchids from Trader Joe’s to decorate my home/office.  However, on this trip to the market, I could not find the exact shade or orchids I usually select.  In turn, I chose a slightly pinker shade of purple. When I brought my orchids home I tuned into my irritation at the fact that the potted flowers did not match the decor on my table – and tuned into my frustration thatthings will not be…Read more
Intimacy and Your Eating Disorder

Intimacy and Your Eating Disorder

By Tracy Pollack, Psy.D. Postdoctoral Graduate Clinical Staff Susan B. Krevoy Eating Disorder Program Being close to someone is not always easy. Closeness may give rise to certain uncomfortable feelings that for some may seem unbearable. These may include feeling unlovable, not good enough, being too much to handle, too needy, or dependent. Vulnerability, expression of needs, and exposing parts of you that you feel are unpleasant are also associated risks that can be extremely frightening. Trust adds another layer of complexity to an intimate relationship. Being intimate with someone requires a certain…Read more

Acknowledging Needs

Mitzen Black, M.A. Psychology Intern Wright Institute Los Angeles Fuller Graduate School of Psychology As a new staff member at the Susan B. Krevoy Eating Disorders Program, I have noticed how much our patients struggle with acknowledging and expressing their own legitimate needs, both to themselves and to others. In this society that encourages self-sufficiency, it can be very distressing when someone realizes needs that require outside help. Working with this program has confirmed to me the importance of learning about healthy dependency in relationships. One person asking for his or her needs…Read more
Growth Through Writing

Growth Through Writing

By :Sandeep Atwal This group allows clients to explore their dynamics, issues, and struggles in a creative and nonthreatening manner. The group opens with the clients receiving prompts by the therapist (prompts usually consist of words, sentence stems, or concepts), the clients write their associations to the prompts, and then they share their writings with the rest of the group. This exercise facilitates access to autobiographical episodic memories. In other words, the writings enable the clients to recall and describe experiences and events from their past and present. This exercise also helps clients…Read more
Nutrition Therapy

Nutrition Therapy

By Eve Lahijani, MS, RD Dietician for Krevoy Eating Disorders Program Nutritional status can be impaired for those suffering from an eating disorder. Erratic meal patterns, restriction, inadequate nutritional intake, recurrent binges, vomiting, etc. wreak havoc on one’s metabolism. In addition, these practices can stress the physiologic system, take a toll on one’s psychological well-being and profoundly compromise one’s relationship to food. The goal of nutrition therapy is to re-establish a regular meal pattern, improve nutritional intake, expand food choices, dispel nutritional myths and finally relearn how to use the body’s signal to…Read more
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