Category: <span>Adults</span>

In 2019, 9.5 percent of adults received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). About 11.1 percent of children ages 3-17 received treatment or counseling in the same year, reports The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF).

Americans respond positively to counseling is good news. Counseling helps patients identify goals and solutions to their emotional turmoil. Our family counseling services in Westport do the same, teaching families how to deal with conflicts that affect their relationships as well as emotional and mental well-being.

What Is the Goal of Family Counseling?

The goals of counseling are very specific to each patient, or in this case, to each family unit. But the aim of counseling, in general, is to help a family achieve harmony and restore or establish a trusting relationship with one another. At the very least, counseling can help them find closure on long-standing issues that are preventing them from moving past hurts and disagreements.

Even the most loving of families can have major disagreements that cause long-term conflicts between members. Sometimes the problem is due to an unpleasant event, like a serious illness or addiction. Stressors like these can take a toll on all family members, affecting their mental and emotional health and causing rifts in the family dynamics.

By undergoing therapy together, clients can learn how to resolve family conflicts, such as grieving a loss or letting go of unrealistic expectations of one another.

Types of Family Conflict

Below are the types of family conflict that our counselors often help clients with:

• Financial problems – Money is one of the most common causes of fights between family members, whether they have too little or too much of it.
• Tensions arising from the family business – Siblings and family members who work together to keep a business afloat are prone to disagreements. It can be challenging to prevent the animosity from spilling over to family matters.
• Friction between in-laws – Friction emerges when two families come together because they have different collective habits, interests, traditions, and beliefs.
• Conflicts between siblings who own or pass over responsibility for aging parents – Siblings fight over who should take responsibility for their parents when there are opposing opinions and disparities in resources (i.e., one can afford a private nurse while another cannot).
• Conflicts between step-parents and step-children – Children can have varying reactions to their parents who remarry. Some are indifferent while others develop hostile feelings towards their step-parent or step-siblings. These negative emotions are converted into hurtful words and actions and cause even bigger fights in the family.
• Disagreements over the child-rearing methods between divorced parents – Separated parents who don’t see eye to eye about their children’s upbringing will inevitably get into arguments. Their open hostility and disagreements take a toll on children, especially young ones and teenagers.

Resolve Family Conflicts through Counseling

Family counseling is not an overnight solution, but it is a good start and a healthy way to resolve conflicts in the family. There are several ways to approach family counseling, and they include strategic family therapy and CBT or cognitive behavioral therapy.

As a behavioral center, the Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health uses CBT to teach families skills and habits that help them communicate better with one another. Apart from resolving existing issues, we also empower them to prevent future conflicts that may lead to divorce.

Get counseling from highly trained marital and family counselors and therapists in Westport. Request an appointment today.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer. This season is a perfect time for some fun in the sun. Many of the country’s beaches are open to the public.

Not everyone, however, is looking forward to the new season.

Apart from the ongoing global pandemic that’s limiting everyone’s fun, summer is a dreadful season for people with eating disorders and those undergoing eating disorder treatments.

Here’s why summer may be a difficult time for individuals with disordered eating:

The Influence of Social Media

During summer, social media users are bombarded with ads containing the seemingly perfect summertime photos of beautiful men and women. These pictures may show models flaunting their branded swimsuits, partying with friends, and having a grand time at the beach or pool.

Unfortunately, these images may evoke desires for unrealistic body figures, social comparisons, and feelings of isolation or missing out. These could trigger depression or relapse for people with eating disorders. Individuals with this condition may think that their body will never be good enough to achieve the “ideal summer body” that they see on social media.

Swimsuits and Body Image

People often associate the words “summer” and “beaches” with less clothing. The pressure to wear bikinis, swimming trunks, tank tops, and board shorts may trigger a range of eating disorder symptoms for men and women with binge eating, bulimia, and anorexia. They may feel ashamed of how their body looks and turn to harmful food behaviors, such as crash dieting, to achieve the figure they want.

The Transition to an Unstructured Schedule

This is most applicable to students who follow a highly structured schedule. When people are on summer vacation, they have more time on their hands to do just about anything.  The lack of a structured schedule may affect the healthy routines of people recovering from eating disorders. They can, for instance, forget about following set meal plans.

On the other hand, a summer chock-full of fun activities and trips may be detrimental to people with eating disorders. The stress of doing too much may cause a relapse, anxiety, or depression.

How People with Eating Disorders Can Cope During Summer

Summer fun and relaxation is still possible even for individuals with these conditions. If you’re worried about summer derailing your recovery-oriented goals, take note of these guidelines:

• Spend time with people who love and trust you. They can serve as your go-to persons and support beams when summer becomes too stressful for you.
• Determine what you’re going to eat ahead of time if you’re attending summer parties or gatherings.
• Lay off social media pages and magazines. As much as possible, avoid looking at photos, articles, or posts that feature bikini selfies and “beach-ready bodies.”
• Maintain a structured schedule even if you’re on summer break.

If you need further assistance, The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health is here to help you break free and live free from eating disorders. We offer a range of treatment programs, such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), for patients of all ages in Westport. Our team of psychiatrists will help you manage your condition and walk with you on your journey to long-term recovery.

Schedule an appointment today by filling out our contact form.

The number of people suffering from eating disorders continue to grow in the US. According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), over 30 million Americans of all genders and ages struggle with an eating disorder. Why Integrate Nutrition Education and Therapy?

Women are more susceptible to eating disorders than the opposite sex. Studies prove that females are more likely to experience extreme body dissatisfaction. This is caused largely by societal pressures on women, holding them to higher standards of beauty. These standards are often too high, causing girls to have warped perceptions of themselves.

Body Dissatisfaction

Body dissatisfaction starts at an age earlier than most people would expect. Almost 46 percent of American adolescents have negative perception of their bodies. This mindset can persist until they’re 30. Eating disorders aren’t the only consequence of a negative body image. The risk for poor mental health, obesity, and other serious problems also increase.

This is why it’s important to establish a positive relationship with food early on. Healthy habits make the patient feel more at peace with how, what, and how much they eat, helping them spot toxic practices or thoughts immediately.

A healthy relationship with food is also integral to different kinds of eating disorder treatments. It helps break the mindset of associating self-worth with eating habits and weight.

The Importance of Nutrition Education

Many eating disorder therapies involve dietitians, nutritionists, and other similar professionals. They help the patient better understand their condition as well as unpack and analyze their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding food and weight.

Together, the medical professionals and the patient will develop a concrete plan to establishing habits that allow the latter to eat normally again. This means being free from guilt, fear, anxiety, obsessive thinking, and compensatory behaviors (excessive exercise or purging) before, during, and after eating.

Nutritional therapy also covers proper diet and exercise. The patient will learn to choose the food they consume based on its nutritional value, balance diet with exercise, and maintain a healthy weight without risking overall well-being.

Nutrition education also involves some degree of psychotherapy. It helps the patient relearn the internal cues for hunger and fullness. These biological responses may have been suppressed for patients of eating disorders, especially those who force themselves to starve, purge, or overeat past the point of comfort. Relearning these natural cues is important to establishing regular eating habits.

The goals of nutrition education are summarized in the following:

• Work toward a healthy weight in a healthy way
• Recognize how the eating disorder and the unhealthy habits that come with it cause nutrition issues and physical conditions
• Practice meal planning
• Establish a regular eating pattern – three meals a day with snacks
• Eliminate extreme dieting, purging, starving, and bingeing behaviors
• Correct or mitigate health problems due to obesity or malnutrition

The first step to getting better is asking for help. Whether it’s you or your loved one, work with a professional who can help unpack, analyze, and address the eating disorder.

Overcome Eating Disorders at the Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health

The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health (CCBH) in Westport provides a range of treatments for those with eating disorders. Our team works with you to gain the capacity and confidence to manage the symptoms of your conditions. By evaluating your specific conditions and needs, we’ll create a nutrition education plan that replaces your unhealthy eating habits with positive ones.

Begin healing with us today. Set an appointment with us by filling out our contact form or calling 1-888-745-3372.

Eating and anxiety disorders are the leading cause of death among the elderly, according to recent data from nutrition magazine Today’s Dietitian. The magazine also stated that anorexia nervosa is a significant factor among those fatalities. This is contrary to popular belief that eating disorders mostly occur in adolescents and teens.

Understanding the Disorder

Treatment of eating disorders should be taken seriously. The article noted that body image, a common cause of eating disorders in teens, isn’t much of a concern for the elderly. Instead, their anorexia is caused by both physical and psychological factors. These include changes in their sense of smell and taste, deteriorating brain function, and grief caused by the death of a loved one. These problems could escalate into more serious ones like depression. It may cause them to reject food either as a way to seek attention or to actively commit suicide.

A Prevalent Problem

A recent study published in International Psychogeriatrics showed that majority (over 88%) of the elderly with eating disorders had anorexia. The study also showed that these disorders usually came later in their lives. The researchers reviewed 48 papers about eating disorders among people over the age of 50. It showed that death was common among these cases, as there was a 21% mortality rate across all the studies observed.

The discussions above have shown that eating disorders, especially anorexia nervosa, are very serious illnesses that the older population suffers. Here’s what you can do to help your elderly loved one deal with their condition.

Let Them Open Up and Offer Support

If your elderly loved one has an independent spirit, they might not ask for help outright. Based on a research paper that detailed the physical factors that contribute to anorexia, these may include problems like eating alone, difficulty in getting and cooking food, and even ill-fitting dentures. Issues like these often hinder older adults from enjoying their meals.

You’d often hear your loved one say that they’re not hungry or they’d take a few bites and say that it’s enough. If this happens way too often, ask them if they’re having problems eating or preparing their meals. If they don’t acknowledge their problem, let them know that you’re there for them if they need any help.

It’s better to have them open up to you than to interrogate them about their eating habits. Intrusive questions that lead to arguments could cause them to spiral further into their disorder. Just make sure to keep your lines of communication open.

Getting Professional Help

When your loved one finally acknowledges that they’ve been skipping meals, you should get professional help immediately. Mayo Clinic suggests asking for help from a psychologist first to schedule therapy sessions. You should also see a psychiatrist for their medication.

A physician and a dentist should give your loved one checkups for any physical issues that might have emerged from their disorder. Ask their doctor to recommend a dietitian in Westport that can provide a nutrition plan for your loved one.

Anorexia is a frightening illness that some older adults have to deal with. It’s difficult to see them suffer despite your efforts to provide them with tasty meals. Remember that eating disorders are often accompanied by mental illness such as depression. Show your loved one that you care and are doing your best to understand. Let them know that you’re with them through their journey towards a healthy mind and body.

Getting Much-Needed Therapy

Eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia are often difficult to treat without therapy. The Center for Cognitive and Behavioral Health gives comprehensive treatment plans for patients with these conditions. The plans are made to help people manage their desire to binge or their lack of interest in eating.

It’s our goal to provide a safe and comfortable environment that supports your loved one’s mental healing. Know more about our holistic approach to therapy by contacting us today.