Challenge courses help women discover their power and heal family relationships.
Eating disorders deeply affect every member of the family, creating tension between family members, disrupting daily routines, and contributing to feelings of confusion, anger, guilt and fear.
Family therapy is at the heart of Mirasol's residential eating disorder treatment programs. Through regular phone or videoconferencing sessions, family members learn how they may be unintentionally supporting the eating disorder, and how to respond appropriately to client behavior changes during and after treatment.
Individual family therapy sessions may be supplemented by a three-day "family camp", when family members and friends come to Mirasol to share the experience of intensive residential treatment with their loved ones.
This program is designed to help all — significant others, spouses, or family members — develop honest and balanced relationships with one another. Participants attend lectures and group sessions that explore their roles in relationships with the client, resulting in healthier interactions, healing, and enhanced intimacy. Family members learn what they can do to help, how to open up lines of communication, illuminate what role eating disorders serve within the family system, how to set boundaries and limits, and how to deal with their own feelings of guilt, anger, shame and helplessness. Family members learn that they cannot do much to change or control a person's eating behavior, but there are many things they can do to develop a new kind of intimacy, respect and relationship with their loved ones.
The client and her primary therapist decide who needs to attend. The women begin preparing for Family Camp from the day they arrive at Mirasol. Through individual and group therapy, they learn to use affirmations and "when you ... I feel" statements to build self-esteem and assertiveness.
During Family Camp, parents experience residential treatment along with their daughters, sharing meals and participating in workshops on mindful eating, nutrition, neurofeedback, family dynamics, psychodrama and adventure therapy. Family camps are highly individualized according to the client's needs and interests, but the core of the program is creating opportunities to practice new ways of communicating.
Even if they come from families with strained relationships, Mirasol clients miss their families — especially if they're in treatment during the holidays.
To comfort both our clients and their families, Mirasol now offers optional "virtual family sessions", using new videoconferencing technology to unite parents and their daughters via the internet.
For more information, call our Admissions line at 888.520.1700.
My experience at Mirasol
was irreplaceable!
Regardless of what happens in the future, I will permanently altered because of what I have learned at Mirasol and especially after my exposure to other programs. I would HIGHLY recommend Mirasol to anyone who is considering residential treatment. Thank you to the staff - I love you all.
