Eating disorders require treatment and there are thousands of people in the U.S. who have made it their life’s work to make treatment more effective, make recovery easier and readily available. There are very strong organizations related to the treatment and care of eating disorders that help patients and families not only find a path to recovery, but also resources to stay healthy and keep those who remain in recovery on the right path. This 5 part series will focus on some of the resources available to patients and families that help make a difference in the treatment of eating disorders:

Eating disorders – including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder – affect as many as 5 million Americans every year. While eating disorders typically affect females, males make up as much as 25 percent the total population of people with eating disorders.

Some of the most powerful experiences our patients have during their treatment stay are in our art studios, the fitness rooms or on our ropes course.

Experiential therapies are a hallmark of Rogers Memorial Hospital’s residential and inpatient programs. Our patients not only work with master’s prepared clinicians and board-certified physicians, they also work with highly trained experiential therapists who facilitate treatment not just through talk, but also through non-verbal means of expression.

Tina Szada, ATR-BC, an art therapist at Rogers’ residential Eating Disorder Center in Oconomowoc, recently participated in a mannequin art competition that illustrates the power of a non-verbal treatment experience.