Treatment

Before any admission to Riverdale we will always meet with you to discuss your needs and make sure our hospital is the right treatment option for you. This pre-admission assessment is usually done at Riverdale by at least 2 members of our clinical team and provides you an opportunity to outline your goals for treatment, discuss our treatment programme, and have a look around the clinic. We would encourage you to come to this assessment with a family member or carer for support.

On admission various members of our clinical team will meet with you in the first week. On your first day you will meet our GP to get a physical examination to check your general health status, and then our dietician to think about an initial diet that can start your recovery. You will meet your nursing team, occupational therapist and a member of our therapies team to discuss your goals for admission and begin to develop plans that work towards these targets.

The clinical team work within a solution-focused approach. Using this foundation we offer a range of evidence based psychological treatments including Body Image Therapy, Family Therapy and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. During your stay we want to know how you think treatment is going. Our clinical team including nurses, therapists, psychiatrist, and dietician will meet you every week in Ward Round to review your progress and help you think about the coming week’s priorities. We will also invite your family and community team to a CPA meeting every 4 weeks to help us all think about your longer term goals and progress towards returning home.

We understand that you might have mixed feelings about moving away from your eating disorder and that change can be frightening. We provide a warm and friendly environment with support to help you feel more confident about change. Our aim is help you return to an independent life as quickly as possible. We encourage you to work closely with your family during your stay at Riverdale and we will support you to start to take meals with them out side of the hospital. As you progress through your treatment you will be able to plan in times where you will go home for the night to test out your new skills. This will also help you to keep in touch with friends and family and as you progress.