What can patients expect from Ellern Mede Inpatient eating disorder treatment? 

Do you ever wonder what sort of experience you would have in inpatient eating disorder treatment? Individual therapy? Group therapy? How would it work to help you overcome an eating disorder?

At Ellern Mede, patients report that yes, inpatient eating disorder treatment does work. It gives them their life back, with every bit of individual or group therapy one step closer. Therapy input comes in the shape of psychiatry, psychology, dietetics, nursing, occupational therapy, activities, and peer and staff support that wraps around you, forming an army to support you in your fight against the voice of the eating disorder. Every patient has their own bespoke treatment plan, devised by our multidisciplinary team for your specific needs.

We measure the effectiveness of all our inpatient therapies and treatments. We also offer Ellern Mede inpatients an Art Therapy Group, which is something many of our patients find particularly helpful because they can find ways to express themselves without words. Here, we share the results of recent patient experience from this group.

Creative Art Group’s proven success in treating eating disorders 

Sally Sayers, Art Therapist, and Ezgi Kilinc, Assistant Psychologist, facilitate this group. Evidence shows that art therapy has unique advantages because patients can explore self-understanding, while containing feelings that might otherwise overwhelm them. (Killick, 1997). As patients begin to represent their state of mind through artwork, they become able to think and talk about feelings they would otherwise repress. (Magagna, 2012).

This research has involved 11 patients, of which 9 are female, and 7 are in the 15 – 16 age bracket. All were diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa and benefiting from inpatient treatment with Ellern Mede. This is a semi-open group, with new patients enrolled on a continuous basis. Around six attend at any one time, given that some may be on home leave and attendance has been consistent. Four patients have been discharged from hospital and have given their post-therapy feedback on the Creative Group. Feedback is being gathered through a Hopes and Goals form, a feedback form, and CORE-10.

Patients were given the option to write a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 3 hopes / goals. Among those hopes the patients expressed were:

• “boosting my confidence”
• “be able to express myself in better ways”
• “a distraction from life on the ward”
• “to have a creative outlet”
• “using art as a way to express the way I feel”
• “to have a space where I feel I belong and feel understood”

Pre and Post Group Feedback Questionnaires were completed by patients who had completed this group work and were ready to be discharged.

Narrative comments received from the patients who completed the feedback is also of interest. Here's what patients said in answer to the question: “What have you found the group useful for?”

• “talking at the beginning and creating images and writing”
• “art therapy has helped me take my mind off stuff. Even if my week or day was bad, art therapy helped. It has kept me busy when on and off the ward, especially when I was in Lask ward. I have always been anxious about joining groups and art therapy has helped my confidence to join an art therapy group near home once discharged”.
• “having a space that’s safe, calm and creative”.
• “a quiet, open, calm space, with no judgement and kind people. And freedom to do whatever felt helpful”.

Here's a picture thank you card one patient gave us because they were spending more time at home on home leave as they prepared for discharge from inpatient eating disorder treatment: A snippet of what it said is "I wanted to write this because I am missing art therapy. I really enjoy it and I want to thank you for making the space so comfortable and inviting. It has been a privilege."

Ezgi Killinc comments: “Ellern Mede has a proven track record of obtaining excellent recovery for patients. Now we can show that this particular therapy has great outcomes. The comparisons with past group feedback show an increase in patient satisfaction for the Creative Group, which is an indication of great patient commitment.”

At Ellern Mede, we understand that coming into inpatient eating disorder treatment may seem formidable, but actually, through early intervention and effective treatment, not only do you get your life back, you actually make real friendships along the way, mend relationships with your family, and while yes, it's hospital, it's not like any other hospital. It's like home for a while.

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Created on Sep 25th 2019 00:24. Viewed 576 times.

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