The Louisville Center for Eating Disorders is located in Kentucky and offers Partial Hospitalization (PHP), Intensive Outpatient (IOP), and outpatient treatment (including therapy, psychiatry, and nutrition). It treats adolescents and adults of all genders ages 13+. A HAES (Health At Every Size) approach is used. It also treats co-occurring conditions such as anxiety disorders, depression, OCD, and substance abuse.
Any reviews? Please post! You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
They will not help all people ! They will turn you away if you don’t have a bmi of [redacted*] ! They will not accept my grandchild because she can’t reach the [redacted*] bmi required ! What kind of program turns away someone who wants the help?
*number redacting by admin per site rule prohibiting posting BMI numbers
Has anyone done the PHP program here? It’s the first PHP in Kentucky – it would be great to have a review or info about it.
I’ve done PHP and IOP here in 2022 and 2023. I’ve been nervous to write a review but I hope it’s helpful!
I’d say 8-10 is average, I think their max is 15 or 20.
All
Yes!
In PHP and 5-day IOP:
Primary therapist 2x
Secondary therapist 1x
Dietician 1x
Psychiatrist as needed
3 and 4-day IOP:
Primary therapist 1x
Secondary therapist 1x (or sometimes primary 2x and no secondary)
Dietician 1x
Psychiatrist as needed
There’s one main direct care staff member (who is fantastic) and 2 other direct care/admin people
CBT, DBT, ERP
Describe the average day:
8am: breakfast
9am: individual session or group
10am: snack and group
11am: individual session or group
12pm: lunch
1pm: group
2pm: leave
Some groups are only for PHP so when you’re in IOP you might have an hour break where you just chill in the milieu.
A little stressful honestly. You would prepare your food in the kitchen then sit down. You filled out a meal therapy sheet at the beginning and end. They were really strict about rules. No napkins, no long sleeves, hands above the table, taking consistent bites, etc. A dietician or therapist would lead the meal and usually people would just chat or we’d play games.
So IOP had to bring their own food. For PHP, usually lunch was either ordered from a restaurant or was frozen meals provided by LCED, and we brought breakfast. A couple times a week breakfast was provided and we brought lunch. Possibly some days they provided both? I don’t quite remember.
Yes, you were supplemented with Boost for what you didn’t complete. I will say that there is a big culture of completion, supplementing wasn’t super common.
Being stepped up
Vegetarian yes, vegan no
CBT, DBT, exposure, body image, perfectionism, interpersonal group (which is basically a process group), relationships, increasing the positive, some others
Interpersonal
I did CPT with my individual therapist, but I can’t really say for the program as a whole
The amount of individual therapy sessions you get, especially at an IOP level.
In IOP the breaks are kind of annoying. Some days you’d be there for breakfast, have an hour break, have 10am group, another hour break, then lunch. It made for some long days.
Personally I had an alright experience, but I know quite a few people who had very negative experiences here. I would recommend Aster Springs, the other treatment center in the area, over this one.
Depends on the person
I didn’t, but some people did
Unsure
I stayed 4 months but I think 8-12 weeks is typical
There was a good variety. Youngest I saw was 13 and oldest in their 50s. Mostly 17-25 I’d say though.
No phones or Apple Watches at the table
Honestly not a lot. You could email your therapist but they would only really respond during work hours
The therapists and dietitians see people outpatient, but they don’t take insurance for outpatient so it’s cost-prohibitive for most people.
There has been a LOT of staff turnover since I was last there. A lot of people aren’t fans of the clinical director, myself included. She’s a big personality and really likes to overstep. I think that has something to do with why a lot of the staff has left.
It was a beam of hope when there was a specialized treatment center for eating disorders in Kentucky. The LCED currently offers outpatient and intensive outpatient services. There is a morning IOP Monday through Friday and an evening IOP Monday through Thursday. Each day, clients receive three hours of programming, which includes at least one supported meal. However, patients must currently bring their own food for meals (will hopefully change once a PHP can be started). Clients in IOP also meet with a therapist twice a week and a dietician once a week. Other hours of programming are filled with group therapy of various kinds.
I was in the program very early on in its creation so there may be some major changes that have taken place, but I truly believe that the LCED provides the best care they can within the scope of their limited resources. The clinicians care and want what is best for their patients, which is clear through their actions. I won’t say the program is perfect or that it has the capacity to help everyone struggling. It is very important to remember that as an IOP it is not equip to treat patients who need lots of support and accountability.
I walked into the clinic honestly, just to appease somebody. I was told that you generally would spend 8 to 12 weeks in the program. I’ve had bulimia for over 23 years. I was broken. Nothing nobody did was going to bring my wall down. I hated the rules. And I spent most of my time either challenging them or trying to change them. No matter what I did I was always met with compassion and understanding. **** was my therapist and she was amazing and very patient. I was that client who would leave my therapy session and other clinicians would check on my therapist to make sure she was OK because they could hear me yelling. It was rough and it was hell most days. They wanted me to talk, and OMG eat, and reframe my thought process, and use all these skills that I thought were dumb. I eventually realized that my resistance was fear. Once I stopped fighting the process, I began to see real progress. At times I did feel like a child. They had to tell me what to do. If I didn’t need that, then I wouldn’t have been there. The clinic saved my life. I discovered my power, which is my voice. Being authentic with who I am and advocating for myself became something that I was definitely known for. The comaraderie and the support amongst, not only the clinicians, but other clients In treatment was amazing. I mean, where else can you go and everyone clap because you finish your cereal? I finally felt like I wasn’t alone in my battle. **** and **** took me from a dark place and gave me hope. *** and Dr **** were also very supportive. All the tears, yelling, manipulation, combativeness, Frustration, and just a straight up agony of treatment was all worth it. I am very strong in recovery right now, and I’m experiencing things that I never realized I even missed out on. Recovery only works if you do. I was provided with a team that had a voice that was stronger than my eating disorder, until I learned how to fight back on my own. For that, I am forever grateful.
*names removed by admin per site policy