Group Therapy

Program Schedule

Groups:

Anxiety Group

In the context of this group, participants will learn to identify their body's cognitive and physical response to anxiety and recognize situations in which chronic worry interferes with daily activities. By monitoring anxious symptoms, sharing experiences with group members, and practicing new techniques outside of session, participants will develop a set of skills to manage anxiety. Through imagery and relaxation, they will increase their repertoire of ways to comfort and soothe themselves.

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Art Therapy Group

Another form for identifying and expressing feelings is through art therapy. In this group, participants will utilize art to communicate more fully with themselves and other group members. They will be asked to express a theme such as comfort or anger through some form of art. Time will be saved for talking about feelings about images with others in the group.

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Behavior Therapy Group

This group is a skills-oriented group focused on developing behavioral skills that are specifically useful for decreasing bingeing and purging symptoms. The group also focuses on stages of readiness to change an don developing strategies that increase your motivation and desire to change eating disordered behaviors.

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Body Acceptance Group

This group employs both psychoeducational and experiential techniques to help members increase their appreciation of their physical selves, decrease obsessive concern about physical appearance, and enhance their awareness of their bodies as the instrument through which we all work, play, create and relate. Emphasis will be upon broadening self-image to include more than simply physical appearance. back to top

Children's Group

This group is designed for ACE participants aged 9-12. The children's group is an activity-oriented group focused on developing age-appropriate social and problem-solving skills. The activities will encompass both individual and group work to promote healthy behavioral changes and a positive self-image.

Cognitive Therapy Group

Most of us have learned ways to talk to ourselves that may inhibit our growth, healing and well-being. This group helps the participant to learn the automatic nature of his/her thoughts and ways they may be incorrect or based on past experiences which are no longer current. The patient will learn to monitor and control his/her mood by learning to modify self-statements about food, self, and others.

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Connections

This group is separated into an introductory, skills-based group and a longer-term, process group to help apply skills to daily living. The groups are designed to help individuals who are ready to eliminate the symptoms of binge eating or compulsive overeating by exploring the relationship between feelings and food. Participants gain awareness of ways food is used to meet needs and identify ways to break the cycle of symptoms.

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Emotions Management Group

Many individuals with eating problems have lost the ability to identify and express feelings. In this group, skills are taught for healthy emotion management (anger, grief, anxiety) and the opportunity is given to practice this expression within the safety of the group. Participants in this group often share intense feelings and help others develop plans for expressing feelings outside the program.

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Experiential Group

This group involves exercises called "initiatives", which involve group problem-solving and cooperation. These initiatives are designed to address individual and group issues, achieve personal growth/awareness, and promote behavioral changes. During participation, issues and roles may emerge which are explored in group discussions. The primary responsibility of the group is to establish and maintain physical and emotional safety in which personal risk-taking is appropriate. As the group increases its ownership and responsibility for building group safety, greater physical and emotional challenges can be attempted.

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Experiential Yoga Group

This group uses gentle Hatha yoga and yoga nidra (meditation/relaxation) to integrate themes of recovery into a yoga practice focusing on breath work, postures and body awareness. Participants identify intentions for each group such as balance, flexibility, acceptance or being gentle with yourself. Often what shows up in this practice (our reactive patterns and judgments) has implications for the over all recovery process. Gaining insight and awareness into our self defeating patterns will help us transcend our misperceptions and achieve greater self acceptance.

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Family Support Group

A free support group where parents, spouses and other adult family members of patients, can meet to get support and ideas for helping their loved one through recovery from other family members and staff at ACE. Family members also receive tools for taking care of themselves in order to be of the best help to their loved one. This group is free to families and loved ones of current ACE patients.

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Lunch Outing Group

This group takes place once a week at various local restaurants in order to help increase comfort with menu selection and eating in a restaurant setting. Group members select where they would like to dine the following week, and members meet at the restaurant with the therapist. If a participant is under 18, a parent or guardian must sign a permission slip allowing their child to go on the outings, and parents/guardians need to arrange for the child to drive themselves or otherwise provide appropriate transportation.

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Meal Process Group

During the evening, participants of ACE will have a meal together. They will be asked to bring a meal with them which may be heated in the microwave. They will eat their meal with a therapist and other ACE participants, after which members will talk about their feelings regarding the meal. Participants are encouraged to speak openly about any feelings so that they will not carry them home with them that evening. The goal is for a relaxed, healthy eating experience.

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Mindful Eating Meal Process Group

This meal group is partnered with the Connections Group. You will practice mindful eating in a supportive setting and reconnect with your body’s cues for hunger, fullness and satiety.

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Mindfulness Skills Group

This skills-based group is designed to help participants learn and practice mindfulness skills in two primary domains:

Interpersonal Skills focus on increasing awareness of interpersonal style, examining currently held myths about relationships, and learning the most effective ways of relating interpersonally.

Emotion Regulation Skills focus on developing effectiveness in identifying, coping with and expressing emotion, and learning skills related to tolerating distress. Additionally, participants learn specific strategies to build and experience positive emotions. Participants are educated on the physiology of emotions and how to increase control within the emotional realm.

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New Patient Orientation


New patients coming to treatment often need help from family or loved ones, and the Saturday orientation allows your support system to become informed and acclimated to their role in your treatment. The structure of this time is both educational and interactive. Questions are welcomed so families can voice their need for direction in the process of supporting you in a journey of recovery.

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Nutrition Group

The nutritionist leads this group to both educate about physiological aspects of eating and dieting and to help in personal meal planning. The patient may be asked to bring a proposed meal plan to be discussed in order to help determine what meals to bring to ACE for meal process group.

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Positive Focus Group

In this group, participants will work on identifying and building unique strengths. It is based on the belief that there is a "wonderful you" inside of everyone that needs to be developed. Participants struggling with an eating disorder may not be focusing enough on their unique strengths and talents. They will be encouraged to talk about their positive characteristics and to focus on doing things that bring a sense of pleasure, creativity, or self-esteem.

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Recovery Skills Group

This group is designed primarily for people in the Day Program to educate them on various topics regarding one's eating disorder. There is evidence from research that education about eating disorders is an important component of the treatment process. This group will include the use of live, videotaped lectures, and practical application activities.

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Relaxation Group

Many people with eating problems find it difficult to relax. This group gives the participants the opportunity to relax several times a week during the program as well as teach them how to utilize these skills during the stressful times of everyday life. Oftentimes, individuals with eating disorders use food, or the abstinence from food, as a way of calming themselves. They will be taught healthy ways to relax, such a breathing exercises, muscle relaxation, and the use of imagery for relaxing.

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Self-Care Group

This group places emphasis on taking time in one’s life to focus on healthy strategies to make life enjoyable. Examples of topics discussed are: Time management, healthy relationships and how to deal with difficult emotions like anger more effectively.

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Self-Expression Group

This group is a dynamic group, which utilizes various creative media to explore issues related to eating disorders. The creative process challenges you to express yourself in new ways, often making difficult topics easier to discuss. You will develop a vocabulary of symbolic images that allow deeper processing. In each group session, individuality is considered in determining the various topics, from which you may choose. Through artistic media and writing exercises, you will gain confidence in self-expression and self-knowledge.

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THRIVE Group

(The Healthy Recovery Involves Vitality in Eating)

This group is for participants who fear the loss of control of their eating through binging. They will participate in learning to feel in control of their eating without feeling (or being) deprived. Opportunities are provided to teach healthy eating habits and to develop new methods of self-care. This is a very structured group with handouts and suggestions for homework between groups. This group comes with a manual and reading materials.

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Transition Group

This group is designed for ACE participants aged 12 to 20. The Adolescent Group encompasses aspects of all the groups at ACE with a focus on how particular issues specifically apply to individuals in this age range. In addition to providing a safe, therapeutic atmosphere to explore individual issues and develop new skills, emphasis is placed on understanding the various functions that eating problems may serve, learning new coping mechanisms, understanding and improving family dynamics, and developing more effective ways of relating interpersonally.

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Weekend Planning Group

This group focuses on coping skills and problem-solving skills as well as planning and preparation for activities outside of ACE. You will be encouraged to brainstorm healthy activities in which you can engage during the weekend and after hours, particularly self-soothing activities. Group discussion will also address barriers you face outside of treatment that impede your recovery and strategies you can use to overcome these dilemmas.

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Women's Process Group

This group is for adult women over the age of 25 years who are working on challenges related to their eating disorder and mid-life issues. The group focuses on improving relationships with one's self and with others. Specific issues include trust, grief and loss, relationships, and self-esteem. The group provides a safe environment for women to learn to integrate personal growth with relationships and career.

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