We know you’re probably wondering what to expect if you decide to enter treatment. Center for Change takes a multi-faceted approach to eating disorder treatment. We know that eating disorders are complex illnesses, and each person is not the same. This program is designed to treat each patient as a whole, complex person with multi-faceted issues and abilities. We believe in each person’s innate capacity for growth and healing.

Getting Started

The first step may seem like the hardest step of all, but if you have the courage to take it, you’ll find that hope is real here at Center for Change. Small steps in the right direction will change your life. Let us walk you through the process.

Step 1: Make the Call

Our admission process can start with an email or phone call to 888-224-8250 from the potential patient, the patient’s family or a member of her professional team, such as a therapist, dietitian or medical doctor. A caring member of the admissions department will gather information about the potential client, answer any initial questions, and share important information about the Center and our programs. Our admission staff will also verify insurance coverage.

Step 2: Schedule an Assessment

Once the potential patient’s information has been gathered and the financial aspect has been discussed, the next step is a patient assessment. The assessment is an hour-long interview, either in person or over the phone, conducted by one of the Center’s experienced therapists. The therapist will ask questions regarding the history and behaviors of the eating disorder, its medical implications and how it affects all other parts of the patient’s life. After the evaluation is completed, the assessing therapist will discuss a recommended level of care with our admission staff and the clinical director. We may ask for records from other providers so we can be as informed as possible. We are then able to determine and make a formal recommendation as to which level of care would best suit the patient’s needs.

Step 3: Schedule the Admission

If it is determined that treatment at Center for Change is the right fit, an admissions member will help the patient select a date and time for admission. At this time, the patient will be provided with information about program policies, a recommended packing list (as well as what NOT to bring) and other important information that will be required for the admission process and treatment success.

Destination: Admission Day

On the day of admission, the patient will arrive at a specified time set by the admission staff member and the patient in advance. Once the paperwork has been finished, the patient will then meet with the admissions nurse to go through a standard medical evaluation. The rest of the first day is spent in completing various admissions evaluations and settling into the program. Adolescent patients are usually accompanied to the Center by a parent or guardian on the day of admission, but this does not have to be the case. Arrangements can be made for a Center for Change staff member to pick up an adolescent from the Salt Lake City Airport, if flying alone. Adult patients are welcome to come alone or have family with them. Anyone coming with the admitting patient can generally plan on spending one to two hours at Center for Change to go through paperwork. Once all paperwork is completed, any accompanying family will be invited to say goodbye as their loved one then enters the program. Parents of adolescent patients can expect an update from their child’s therapist. We do have staff available 24 hours a day, and our nurses can update authorized family members on the general well-being of the client, along with any medical or medication updates, as requested.

Basic Criteria for Admission:

  • Adolescent and adult females/female-identifying/trans feminine in Inpatient and Residential
  • Adolescents and Adults of all genders in PHP, IOP, and Outpatient
  • Primary diagnosis of eating disorder
  • Co-existing mental and emotional illness

What Happens Next?

What’s it like inside an eating disorder treatment center? Days at the Center follow structured programming comprised of group and individual therapy, dietary services, recreational therapies, medical evaluation, psychiatric services and monitored meals.

Your Treatment Team

Each patient will have a therapist and dietitian assigned to her by our clinical directors. This team coordinates with our medical and psychiatric staff to ensure that each patient’s unique needs are met. To create stability and continuity of care, the same therapist and dietitian works with a patient during her transition from inpatient to residential treatment and throughout her entire stay at the Center.

You Are Involved in the Process

Residents are actively involved in their treatment, participating in both admitting and discharge evaluations, which give us extensive feedback on how our patients are feeling about treatment. These evaluations also help us understand what parts of the program are most beneficial to the individual recovery process. Our patients also work closely with their team to create a master treatment plan to follow while here, ensuring ongoing communication and understanding during treatment.

Community & Family Participation

Center for Change highly values the community aspect of recovery. Patients will learn to reach out to staff and others in the program and to give and receive feedback and encouragement. Family involvement is also very important here. When possible, families will be involved in the therapeutic process, either in person or over the phone for patients whose families are not able to attend in person. The patient’s family will be given a “family manual” with therapeutic articles to read. Packed with valuable information, these reading assignments will correspond with the patient’s care at Center for Change. In addition, once a month, the Center holds a five-day family week, to which immediate family members 10 years of age and older are invited to attend. Family week includes multi-family groups, educational classes and experiential groups geared to help family members understand what the client is experiencing and how they can support their loved one when they return home.

Four Unique Phases of Treatment

Each treatment program contains many components. Patients advance through a program in four phases. Each of the four phases includes assignments and goals created by the patient and their treatment team. Goal-setting is an important part of recovery, and with the help of their team and support community, each patient will set and seek to accomplish individualized goals.

Center for Change gives clients the tools they need to challenge and overcome their eating disorders and to deal with the stresses of life in a beneficial, healthy way. Our ultimate goal: to help each patient fully recognize and embrace their own strength, worth and capability.