Healthy Living Program

Healthy Living Treatment Program Morningside Recovery’s Healthy Living program supports clients dealing with disordered eating, body-image issues, and co-occurring disorders. The program addresses the underlying emotional issues and allows the necessary time to achieve optimal health. Healthy Living offers meal planning and preparation, education, fitness guidance, and therapeutic support in creating and maintaining healthy behaviors surrounding food and body image. Clients let go of their fears and practice new life skills in our open-ended program.

Morningside Recovery’s team draws upon the wide-ranging expertise of our clinicians. Morningside’s individualized programs and treatment tracks focus on specific clinical outcomes that are measurable by changes in client status. We use traditional, experiential and integrative therapies to reach clinically-complex clients. Our full range of services includes an on-site stabilization and detoxification facility, extended care services, academic program, transitional living, and intensive outpatient and aftercare support services.

The Healthy Living track at Morningside is about increasing self-worth and establishing communication skills that are direct, clear, and honest. Clients learn to express feelings and live by rules that are flexible and appropriate to change. The program is a natural link to the larger society and each client’s goals and plans. Healthy Living treatment is customized by the client’s primary therapist, who is an expert on body image and eating disorders. This therapist also directs clients to resources such as Morningside’s academic program, job readiness training, and additional outside support groups.

Male Eating Disorder Treatment At Morningside, many clients recover from the mind-set that they are not loveable for who they are, their authentic and true self. They learn to let go of the false identity they have created in an attempt to be loved according to a particular set of cultural norms or family standards. Under the guidance of our compassionate staff, clients learn to let go of their fears and practice new life skills in our open-ended program. We use traditional, experiential and integrative therapies to reach clinically-complex clients. Men with eating disorders and/or body-image issues exhibit the same types of emotional and behavioral signs and symptoms as women, but are less likely to be diagnosed with what is often considered a stereotypically female disorder. Healthy Living allows men and women healing from disordered eating to gradually increase their exposure to real-life activities.

At Morningside Recovery, disordered eating clients with a co-occurring disorder benefit from a combined approach of medical and psychiatric attention, as well as supportive psychotherapy. If necessary, Morningside’s clinical team works diligently with our psychiatric staff to make sure clients receive the most therapeutically effective medication. We embrace the severity of the disorder, as well as the individual’s specific symptoms, background, strengths, and physical and psychological issues. Our Healthy Living program carefully encourages a healthy relationship with food, exercise and nutrition and introduces constructive ways to cope with stressors and challenges. Healthy Living also incorporates the following ideas:

Disordered eating is symptomatic of deeper, underlying emotional pain.
Research shows that body image and eating disorder treatment is most effective when it is caring, nurturing, and esteem-building.
When a client enters treatment for an eating disorder or body-image issue, any addiction and/or mental illness are treated simultaneously.
Treatment plans are flexible and customized to the client’s individual needs.
Although the mainstream media continues to connect eating disorders with female body image concerns, both men and women can develop long-term problems.
Inappropriate eating behaviors are associated with attempts to control mood.

Testimonials

"Morningside's individualized treatment model addressed all of my needs. I was able to confront all of my pain and trauma."
-Kelli K.
"I got my motivation of life back. I addressed my core issues. I understand at a deeper level where my triggers are. I made new friends and I learned to trust, have compassion, and tolerance. I learned how to slow down and be present in the moment."
Doris K.
"My therapist is wonderful. She's done more work in 30 days than 60 days with my other therapist."
Katie Z.
"I got through some tremendous difficulties from my past and I learned how to manage my depression and anxiety without the help from drugs and alcohol and that's huge"
Rob S.
"It's not a lockdown facility. You have enough freedom to learn from mistakes. The therapists are amazing."
G.S.
"I feel Morningside saved my life."
Julie A.
"I was very skeptical at first, but then I came to love my experience here. I got my health back, and my head is straight. I have a new perspective on life. I'm motivated to live now."
Shamus D.
"I got my motivation for life back. I addressed my core issues. I understand at a deeper level where my triggers are."
Nicki S.
"I think I'm a completely different person. I didn't relapse. I don't have any compulsions. I learned how to love myself."
Anna W.
"I have so appreciated my time at Morningside. I learned a lot. If you actively seek what you need, this program offers everything; it's all here."
Matt V.
"I came in hopeless and suicidal and now I'm grateful and I have a lot of hope. I gained insight into my own life and learned the life-skills to be a happy and a successful person outside of treatment." John P.
John P.