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they don’t have any individual therapy. everything is group. diabetic exchange system.

there is no such thing as individualized treatment there. they have their methods that they have been using for 20 years… so it must work right?

honestly. i got nothing out of this program. i hated every minute of my stay.

When were you there:

April 08 for anorexia

Describe the average day:

wake up at 5:30 for vitals, unless its tuesday, then you get up at 4:30 because tuesdays are weigh-in days.

then there is a walk at 6:30. i never got to go on the walk, because i was always to “ortho static” meaning my heart about doubles when i stand up because of dehydration.

after the walk breakfast was 7:30-8:30.

8:30-9 was “goals and feelings” group

9-10 was time for showers and getting ready

10-12 was process group. that is where you did a lot of the main therapy. would be good for people who do well with group therapy. i am not one of those.

12:30-1:30 was lunch, the you had to sit in the day room for a half hour after lunch and do the “food and feelings” journals

2-4 you had different groups – spirituality, sexuality, trauma, body image, ect

4-5 you had a break for therapy assignments

5:30-6;30 was dinner. then you sat in the day room till 7.

7-8 was exercise group, or some nights OA

8-9 hygiene and assignments

10 lights out.

What were meals like?

they work on the diabetic exchange system. no sugar, caffeine, or white flour. forget any challenges like deserts. those are “off limits” I asked. the told me they were bad. seriously that is what they told me. i wanted to challenge some of my fears around sweets. not allowed. only 2 condiments at each meal.

I want to offer my opinions.

First of all, my insurance only covered 30days max. The length of stay was way too short for me. Keep that in mind.

Also, everyone has different needs. Just because my opinion is one way does not mean it is this way for all.

The food- it tasted good. It was not close enough to real world food for me though. I found it so challenging to adopt those food habits in my real life. Everything is no sugar and such. They did not offer challenge foods. A person could leave there with an intense fear of all cake still.

The staff- they were understaffed. Some staff were so amazing, such as dear Navid. Some staff were awful, such as a nurse who mad fun of gentle eating. Some staff were still active in their ed.

The therapy- due to the high client/professional ratio, individual time is almost nonexistant. Some things were so insightful. But they did not teach me how to deal with urges. I got sick of “go journal.”

Behaviors- it is SO up to you if you choose to or not to engage in behaviors. I watched people and once hid food, it is easy to steal things to self harm with, and so on. You have to be proactive in your recovery.

The love there- AWESOME

The enviroment- blehhhhh

The best thing I took away from there is

1. I learned how to connect with people

2. I learned that my voice mattered

Would I go back? No.

Meal examples – I don’t really know….Its a dietary exchange system so you get a variety of foods based on your meal plan that they will help you learn. Like 2 proteins; 2 carbs; 2 dairy; 2 Veggies; 2 fruits; etc…everyone’s meal plan is different. But I had everything from Italian food to Mexican food to vegetarian food to sandwiches to soup; to salads; they really work with you. Its a variety of foods to try and you get to put down like 5 foods you dislike and you don’t have to eat them.

If you don’t finish your meal – alot of people would have to have boost. They call it boosting your meal….They want to make sure you get the proper nutrition….Some people had to drink fizzy drinks – potassium….

They test your blood and keep track of your blood sugar and everything…..They are very good.

They do not do feeding tubes. And they cannot involuntarily commit you there…You come in voluntarily…unless you are court ordered. But they can keep you up to so many days if you are unstable and you want to leave. I am not sure what that is called. But if you talk to the doctors and tell them you are ready to leave in a week – they will work with you.

After every meal – you have to wait in one of the group rooms for up to a half hour – so people don’t purge, etc….They want you to absorb the nutrients of the food….

When I was there people would not finish meals and they had to boost….No one really broke the rules while I was there. Everyone really wanted recovery. And you did the best you could – and your peers cheered you on to help you. It was REALLY supportive…..If you break the rules – you end up talking to the head staff. One girl got her computer taken away and cell phone for like 24 hours. They did search one girl because they suspected drugs…I mean if you mean business and are there for the program and really focus on the program – you will be fine…The staff is there to help you. And they are really great.

You can’t go on the walk if you don’t get at least 90% of your food eaten (I think) for like 3 days in a row….but your not really locked in the place. You can go outside with the smokers on smoke break and see outside…and they have a nice patio that alot of people hang out on….

its really a good place. You have a voice there….

What sorts of food were available or served? honestly. i always ate the same thing. peanut butter sandwich for lunch, turkey sandwich for dinner. so i don’t know. i’m picky.

Did they supplement? How did that system work?

yes, they did. i was on it. you are given a week to try to get your eating up to 100%. if you do not, you are put on “sliding scale”, meaning you get the rest of what you don’t eat in a boost. like if you eat 60% of your meal, they give you the 40% in a boost.

What privelages are allowed?

cell phones during nonprogram hours. laptops are okay, and they have internet for you to use.

Does it work on a level system?

no.

What sort of groups do they have?

look above.

What was your favorite group?

yoga. or spirituality… haha because sometimes that was meditation… aka nap time.

What did you like the most?

the nurses… excluding “nurse hatchet” .

What did you like the least?

no individual therapy

Would you recommend this program?

no. not unless you REALLY like group therapy.

What level of activity or exercise was allowed?

walk in the morning if you were medicaly cleared. some exercise groups.

What did people do on weekends?

family group

Do you get to know your weight?

no

How fast is the weight gain process?

don’t know

What was the average length of stay?

it all depended on insurance

What was the average age range?

there isn’t one. 18 and above.

And as for diet coke – No soda is allowed….You can have hot chocolate instead of tea at night….I mean, its one month or a bit more out of your life…And the goal is to get the most out of EVERY minute….

Now by sugar coating it – Well,  the intake phone person….I had my moments of thinking that what she said was not true or too good to be true….I think every person is different. Make a list of the questions you want.

and you are there voluntarily – You can leave when you want if its not against medical advice. AMA….

The initial intake person said to me – is YOU HAVE A VOICE HERE. And we did.

You have to surrender and that is SUPER hard.

Surrender and trust the staff. I had a hard time.

And yes there is drama…You never know who you will be with – but if you go to the staff and tell them what is up all the time – They will help you be more comfortable…and the drama is usually over something silly….or someone disruptive and they will not tolerate people not following the rules.

And there is a complaint and suggestion box that gets read all the time.

I went. I did the program. And I am thankful for EVERY minute I was there. I made friends for life there. I was scared there. But it got better. You have to work the program.

A typical day for me was:

6 AM – Vitals
7:15 Breakfast
—> ppl go on a walk here….I usually showered at this time
Meds for me
10-12 – two groups back to back
12:15 Lunch
2-4 Process Group – Like being in therapy…really intense
4:15 Snack
Meds for me
4:30-5 – Assignment work time (you will get assignments to do)
6 – Dinner
7:15 Yoga, Nia, Exercise, OA Meeting, EDA meetings
Meds for me
8:45 Tea Time/Closing
10 – Bed time

Saturday and Sunday – the groups are more FAMILY groups. People have their families come. And there is more free time.
Some of the groups also have art therapy.

Some of the Group names –
Relapse/Coping
Food And Feelings
Anxiety Management
12 Step
Community Meeting
Art
Menu Planning
Body Image
Emotional ID
Addictions
Family Groups

And ALL groups are mandatory and you have Process Group EVERY afternoon.

You get yanked out alot from the dietitian, psychiatrist, or if you have to go off site to a doctors appointment.

Its actually a really good program. VERY GOOD STAFF.

But like I said before – You have to focus on yourself there…Because you will meet people from all over the USA and that have all different kinds off issues.

As to the sugar – they let you have splenda and brown sugar and honey.

The meals are actually really good.

It prepares you to set up good habits for when you go home.

Everyone is there for you. I was there with an awesome group of men and women of all ages. And I miss them ALL. And we made our own fun….

There is also movie night once a week.

And there is plenty of time to sit in the sun….And there are smoke breaks for those who smoke….

Weekends are more laxed – so a salon even came in and did peoples hair and waxing and stuff.

It was a nice stay. It was like a dorm.

There is no individual therapy. I felt deceived by the intake person. They do use a lot of sugar free foods mean sf hot chocolate and diet coke. They don’t have items such as cookies or cake. If you are on a high calorie diet you have to eat a lot of volume to get in your calories. I did 100 percent of what was asked of me and I still felt it was not a good program. All patients are over 18 so even if they are forced there if they choose to continue to act on ed behaviors they should be asked to leave when it is extreme.

I would never recommend Rader to anyone. The only thing that I think was good about it is that they offer to work with patients that have all eating disorders – anorexia, bulemia, and overeating. Unfortunately, the program doesn’t actually provide much treatment!

– In my experience, groups that were scheduled frequently didn’t take place.

– Feedback in groups was frowned upon and labeled as ‘crossfire’. That wasn’t cool with me as if all I get when I share something difficult with a group is a beat of silence and then a prompt from the group leader for the next person to share, I might as well talk to my cat.

– Very little individual therapy. I think patients were scheduled to see the doctor about twice a week. This time was to include medication review and a quick ‘how are you’ as opposed to true talking about issues.

– Behaviors were rampant and permitted. It became very common to mash and mince all of the food and mix it into one bowl, dip a spoon in and lick bit by bit. Staff never said a word.

– Although I was there with anorexia, I was discouraged from completing my meals. I was told that doing so would be encouraging people to be a member of the clean plate club and that was wrong.

– I explained to the director when I voiced concern since my dietitian at home had prescribed way more calories than I was being given at Rader and had also needed more in previous IP stays, he told me I was wrong, whipped out a calculator and said that I only needed maybe 1500.

– The early morning pre-breakfast walks were required for all patients, even those with a history of compulsive overexercise or those that were very underweight provided they had been cleared by the exercise therapist. One day a woman passed out on our walk which makes me think she wasn’t truly medically stable.

I left AMA after 6 days at Rader and upon my return home was immediately admitted to the hospital in worse physical and mental status than before I’d gone there.