Initial Consultation Contact

Our first contact is focused on information gathering from both you as the client as well as us, the consultants. We ask for a general overview of your concerns and reasons for contacting Northside. We use our initial session with you to clearly outline what our services entail and how we support you in determining the best treatment options for yourself or your loved one. Our goal during this first contact is to ensure that you understand both our process as well as the services we offer. Additionally, we hope to provide information about possible treatment options both local and distant that might be available to you and an overview of costs associated with treatment placement.
After this initial information is gathered, we will together make a decision whether to proceed forward with the assessment phase of our process.

Assessment

During this phase of our process our goal is to thoroughly understand you, or your loved one’s treatment needs so that we may ultimately make a treatment path recommendation that has the highest likelihood of “best fit”. We ask for your permission to speak to not only family members and the individual but also any other relevant people you believe can help contribute information relevant to your loved one’s specific needs (i.e. current therapist, dietician, primary care physician). We ask that you be prepared to speak about yours or your family member’s eating disorder history, including previous treatment stays, as well as current presentation of eating disorder symptoms and behaviors.

For our clients under the age of 18 we prefer to meet your child in person whenever possible. We hope to gain a better understanding of eating disordered behaviors from their own perspective as well as gauge their readiness for change. There are times, however, when meeting our minor clients in person is not in the child’s best interest in the case of behavioral or safety concerns. In these cases, we will rely heavily on a parent’s report and feedback from any existing treatment team to make initial recommendations.

For our clients over the age of 18, we strongly prefer to have them as involved as possible from the initial contact through the treatment selection process. Our experience has indicated that high investment in the process from the outset empowers them and provides them the opportunity to begin making decisions towards their recovery. We understand that there are situations in which an individual is unwilling to participate, and we will do our best, along with loved ones, to build a positive alliance and increase motivation for change.

Our ultimate goal during the assessment phase is to gather enough information that we may offer you and your family highly personalized options for treatment. Options based on you or your loved one’s unique needs as well as options that take into consideration financial resources and current insurance coverage.

Recommendation

After completing a thorough assessment of you or your loved one’s treatment needs, we begin the process of researching all appropriate placement options. During this phase, we are looking for the “best fit” solution options with the purpose of setting you or your loved one up for a successful start towards recovery. Based on the several factors, including the severity of the current eating disorder behaviors, we might recommend a treatment center with multiple levels of care. Or, we could dive into our deep network of eating disorder professionals around the country to connect you with a local outpatient treatment team. We spend time with you during this recommendation phase weighing all the options together and support you and your loved ones through the decision-making process.

Support

Once through the recommendation and selection process, we continue to offer support services. We assist you with any admission processes by sharing with you what to expect and in most situations communicating directly with a programs admissions department. If choosing a treatment center placement, we can also assist with travel or transportation arrangements to help ease the transition process into treatment. Finally, as the individual transitions out of the therapeutic placement, we help you locate eating disorder specialists and professionals in your area who can continue to follow and support your loved one through the recovery process.

Additional support for parents, other family members, or spouses is available during their loved one’s treatment stay through our Family Support services. Our Family Support services option is designed to help an individual’s loved ones prepare for life post treatment. We provide education and resources about supporting a loved one through the entire eating disorder recovery process.