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Eating Disorders In Teens

Turning Winds is a premier Therapeutic Boarding School helping teens who are coping with eating disorders find their path through adversity and emotional distress to a life filled with promise, productive living and healthy social engagement. 

When teens are struggling with eating disorders, early intervention and treatment offers their best chance for a successful recovery. At Turning Winds, an academic institute and therapeutic boarding school, we understand that female teens who are suffering from anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa need specialized care, intensive therapy, and an environment that makes them feel safe, while also providing plenty of structure. While at Turning Winds, teens learn the skills necessary to maintain their recovery long after they have returned home.

National And Social Media Helps Fuel Eating Disorders

Unfortunately, today’s teens are constantly bombarded with messages from media and society that strongly imply they must be very thin to be considered beautiful. During a period in their life that is already stressful, this puts them at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder because their weight is one of the few things they have complete control over in their life. And as parents already know when our children reach the teenage years there is nothing more important than control. This is where as parents we need to be alert and understand the complexities of the disorder, eating in this case, that your teen is experiencing.

It is important to understand that eating disorders are complex illnesses that can be devastating, both emotionally and physically. Any teen in requires professional help that not only helps them put an end to this destructive behavior, but also identifies any coexisting mental health conditions, such as depression or low self-esteem, that must be addressed as well.

At Turning Winds, we are committed to helping teens take back control of their life from their eating disorder. With one of the nation’s leading clinical, educational, and operations staff, Turning Winds employs a variety of interventional strategies, including an effective combination of individual, group, and family therapy, designed to give your child and your family the power and tools to do just that, while also preparing them for the future.

Contact one of our consultants for help today!

Turning Winds Recommends The Following National Organization For Parents

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) strengthens the health security of the United States. As the nation’s health protection department, the CDC saves citizens lives, protects, and educatesteenagers and young adults from serious health threats. In these dangers considered health threats include obesity, smoking and tobacco use and sexually transmitted diseases. To accomplish this, CDC conducts salient science practices and offers health education toteens and young adults in your local area, and all over the nation. Fighting against expensive and dangerous health dangers, the CDC responds when these health threats arise.

Help For Parents With Teens Dealing With Eating Disorders

Turning Winds is a top Therapeutic Boarding School offering outdoor recreation and adventure therapy to teens who may be undergoing eating disorders. Teen eating disorders, substance abuse and dependence are often not the only difficulties teenage girls are faced with when their parents ultimately decide that a boarding school may be the best option for recovery. However, there is really never a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to treatment, and the types of therapy needed can be as varied as the teens themselves. For this reason, placement in the proper facility is critical when it comes to a struggling teen’s health and future, and we understand the complexities that teenage boys and girls may struggle with on the road to long-term change.

Please Do Not Wait To Get Help For An Eating Disorder

Nearly 86% of individuals suffering from an eating disorder report the onset occurred before the age of 20. For teens who are struggling with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, therapy and treatment in a safe, beautiful, and peaceful environment often provides the best chance of a successful recovery.

Turning Winds Academy is a therapeutic boarding school and academic institute committed to helping teens overcome this potentially seroius and sometimes deadly condition. We employ a variety of proven therapeutic modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy and existential therapy, in individual, group, and family sessions to assist troubled teens understand their behaviors, while also learning the skills necessary to free themselves from this condition. Our 5:1 staff-to-student ratio ensures that no teens fall through the cracks.

The Need For Treatment For Eating Disorders In Teens

Although there are a small number of individuals who can successfully recover from an eating disorder while participating entirely in outpatient treatment, this is rarely the case. In a residential setting, teens receive the professional therapeutic care, as well as the peer support, that is necessary for learning the effective coping techniques for recovery. At the same time, residential facilities place a significant importance on nutrition and choosing meal plans that make up for any nutritional deficits, while also ensuring they do not exacerbate the condition or prompt a relapse.

At Turning Winds Academy, we believe that keeping troubled teens constantly engaged in therapeutic, academic, social, and physical activities designed to build strength of mind, body, and character are crucial to overcoming an eating disorder.

Eating Disorders And Teens

Seeing your child suffer is one of the most heart-wrenching experiences a parent can go through. Teen girls face so many social pressures and often feel they need to be “perfect”. The media and celebrity hype continuously pound unreachable ideals into young girls’ heads. Unfortunately, these poor girls feel powerless to reach these expected ideals and end up developing eating disorders that place their lives in danger. At Turning Winds, we help young girls on a daily basis, helping them to overcome their eating disorders so they can pursue their dreams in life.

Many teen girls have eating disorders and hide them well so even their parents are not aware. When parents finally realize their daughter is in trouble, they often blame themselves. It is crucial parents are aware of the warning signs they should look for so they will know their daughter is experiencing emotional trauma and needs therapy to overcome the constraints that are preventing her from living a healthy, boundless life. This means not searching for blame but rather healing.

Don't Miss These Warning Signs Of An Eating Disorder:

• Changes in eating by restricting the diet or dieting excessively

• Binge eating

• Hiding food

• Going to the bathroom directly after a meal

• Fluctuations in weight

• Distorted body image

• Using laxatives and diet pills

• Constant stomach problems

• Avoidance of social situations that involve food

If a parent notices any of these signs, an eating disorder could be the cause. It is important young girls receive the treatment they need so their health can be protected and they can learn more effective means of overcoming their life obstacles through healthy means instead of the hyper-control of their diet. Our program, based on the five pillars of change, offers teen girls the tools they need so they can effectively live without limits.

At Turning Winds is here to provide assistance in any way possible and to recommend that parents stay involved in their teen’s life and maintain an active and positive dialogue. Though teens may seem resistant to the idea, deep down they truly appreciate it. While parents cannot always control what their teens do, they are often one of the biggest catalysts to helping them avoid self-harm and other unhealthy means of coping.

Parents Handling Eating Disorders In Their Teens

One of today’s biggest anxieties impacting young girls and boys is emotional fear and distress. This constant fear and emotional distress can cause teens to change their eating habits and experiment in more dangerous activities as well. There is a surge of teens being treated for eating disorders in the last three years according Women’s Health Magazine and the condition continues to get worse. Many teens and young adults are falling victim to this epidemic and it is leading them to make poor decisions that place their lives in danger, such as starving themselves to achieve the perfect body. Parents who are seeking help for their sons or daughters who are abusing substances or self harming must educate themselves on what the various facilities available can and cannot offer their struggling family member.

Teens And Parents Finding Answers To The Eating Disorder Dilemma

Turning Winds offers a safe place for young teens who are hurting due to a eating disorder. It is crucial the underlying emotional and mental health issues are properly treated so the disorder can be fully overcome. We help teen girls realize their true value and guide them in overcoming their preconceived notions about their appearance.

Our Program Focuses On The Five Pillars Of Change That Are Crucial In Overcoming Any Type Of Eating Disorder:

• Building character and life skills

• Focusing on health and overall wellness

• Healing with the beauty of the outdoors

• Individualized therapeutic approach

• Academic achievement

More On Eating Disorders And The Effect On Young Teens

Many teens, especially girls, are highly competitive. Let’s face it, there is a lot of recognition, attention and superficial rewards for girls with anorexic figures. And to tell the truth, these girls (and some guys) are not stupid just lazy. Lazy because they could gain equal attention from superior grades and sholastic accomplishments but those less academically gifted can without any studying at all, become anorexic and be visibly excelling at something.

So What Can A Concerned Parent Do Immediately To Alleviate The Suffering And Danger?

Parents must gently encourage their daughters (and sometimes their sons) to take control when they are unhappy about their physical size and shape.  As adults, we must be extremely careful in our use of language to ensure that are expectations are not misaligned with a healthy lifestyle.  In addition, watch your kids schedules and don’t allow them to be made more stressed out by due dates, consequences and other events that add pressure to their lives.

Turning Winds combines the best of a therapeutic boarding school and wilderness program all in one place. Turning Winds is here to help young girls from learn to love themselves and heal from the inside out so they can graduate from the program and go on to live victorious lives.

A National Organization Available For Struggling Teens

National Assoication of Therapeutic Schools & Programs (NATSAP): NATSAP comprehends that families can find themselves extremely anxious and stressed when their teen or young adult is feeling sad and seeking answers (often in situations that make matter much worse). The website has plenty of detailed information to help parents choose between the various eating disorder treatment options available and which will be most beneficial. NATSAP’s website also offers stories and helpful Q&A’s that parents can ask before they place their child in any formal program. Since they are not a referral or placement organization, NATSAP has a team of volunteers that service and staff programs that are trying to help struggling teens across the United States and Canada.

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