https://www.waldeneatingdisorders.com/
Walden Behavioral Care is an eating disorder treatment center that offers inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), and intensive outpatient (IOP) at multiple locations in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Georgia, as well as virtual treatment nationally. They treat children, adolescents, and adults of all genders, including a specialized program for children ages eight to 11 and their families.
This page is for reviews of their IOP and PHP program. For reviews of their inpatient and residential, as well as a few PHP/IOP mixed in, click here: Walden Behavioral Care – multiple locations
Walden offers in-person PHP and IOP for both adults and adolescents (aged 12-18) at their Waltham and Westborough, MA locations, as well as adolescent in-person PHP at their Middletown, CTlocation.
They also offers virtual PHP and IOP for patients residing in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Road Island, and Vermont. Walden offers virtual IOP for patients residing in Alabama, Louisiana, and Maine. Walden offers the Rainbow Road virtual PHP and IOP for adults in the LGBTQ+ community who reside in Minnesota
Along with a traditional virtual PHP and IOP, Walden also has a few specialty virtual IOPs in some states:
- Free to Be: Adult Binge Eating Disorder IOP
- Rainbow Road: Adult PHP/IOP for LGBTQIA+ Community
- GOALS: Adult IOP for Competitive Athletes with Eating Disorders
- B’SHALOM IOP: Virtual IOP for Jewish Adults
- Adolescent Virtual IOP with Family-Based-Treatment (FBT)
- ARFID-IOP: Virtual IOP for children and adolescents ages 10-17 with ARFID
- Adolescent Beyond Body LGBTQ+ Virtual IOP Group
Any reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
im currently in waldens virtual php if anyone has qs!!
I have a ton of questions, but first, did you do adult or adolescent?
Adolescent! Ask away.
hey, is it for ED or mental health? What is the program like, the structure, groups, etc? Do you think they’d be flexible and willing to work with me on accomodations? I have chronic illness and also prefer to take recovery at a slower pace.
Would you be willing to do a review? I’ve been hearing a lot about Walden’s adolescent virtual PHP lately and would love for the site to have your review! That way people who visit the site down the line can see it too! (I’d pin it to the top of the page so it’s easy to find.) We have a template with a bunch of questions, but you can answer as many of them as you are comfortable with or just write a review freestyle!
Here is the template—
Ideas of things to answer:
Describe the average day:
Yes, absolutely! I’ll send one in soon 🙂
Weekly w/ NP
Weekly w/ parents and RD
Weekly solo w/ clinician (therapist)
Also you are required to get weekly blood work, weights and vitals. For me this meant going to my doctors office another 2x a week since i did it on different days.
Describe the average day:
Looking for experiences with [walden’s] rainbow road virtual iop
*admin note: thread moved here from client general forum
Hi! I spent a month or so doing Walden’s rainbow road this past spring ’23 – I thought it was strong in a HAES, trauma-informed, neurodivergent/mental health spectrum encompassing way, and of course very LGBTQ friendly as advertised. I did get kicked out eventually – but primarily due to complicating physical comorbidities that were not ideal for accommodating virtually. I have a hard time finding treatment that fits my needs and is willing to accept me (severe mental health issues being primary, plus ADHD/autism, eating disorder, and medical issues only semi-related to ED, along with past trauma from psych treatment), and the Rainbow Road team tried really hard to make the program work for me, and they didn’t shut me down when I advocated for myself. I was upset when I had to leave, but in hindsight I do understand it, and they made it clear that they would welcome me back if I wanted to return and if we could work out some solutions – I’d recommend for sure, I just wish they were in person!
Full Review
When were you there? – I spent 4 months there this year (2023)
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)? – adult PHP for 3 months and stepped down to a modified 5-days-per-week IOP for about 1 month
How many patients are there on average? – it varies widely but they have a bad habit of stacking admissions, so that one week there will be like 8 people and the next week there will be like 15-20.
Do they treat all genders / Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people? – the majority of adult clinicians were cis-female as were the majority of patients. There were maybe 2 men there the whole time I was there and 1-2 nonbinary folks. However, they were very inclusive (as far as I saw) and always asked for / used preferred pronouns. I never heard of anyone feeling unsafe. I will also note that the size diversity among patients and clinicians was awesome.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, nurse, etc? – in PHP you see a nurse practitioner 1x per week, dietitian 1x per week, clinician (social worker or counselor) 2x per week. They do weights/vitals Mondays and Thursdays, and bloodwork every Tuesday.
What is the staff-to-patient ratio? – each clinician seems to have 3-5 patients or so at a time. There are usually 2 staff members on a meal and 1-2 running each of the groups. Each person has an individual clinician, dietitian, and NP assigned to them.
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, ACT, exposure therapy, somatic experiencing, etc.)? – very heavy on DBT but CBT and intuitive eating also made appearances. I was pleasantly surprised by how trauma-informed they were.
What were meals like? – while at program you eat breakfast (9:30am), AM snack (11am), and lunch (1pm). There are usually 2 staff members on meals. Meal coaching is much lighter in the adult program than in the adolescent program but each clinician has their own style. They will come sit next to people who are visibly struggling (crying or ignoring their food) but the same people tend to get all the attention every time… and if I’m honest, it’s always the really frail looking girls with “typical” AN.
What sorts of food were available or served? – in general we were expected to bring our own food but there are lots of snacks and food items there on a given day (bagels, yogurt, cheese sticks, peanut butter, applesauce, etc) that you can use if you want to or need more than what you brought. They use the exchange system and meals were always checked by a clinician against our written meal plans and we might be asked to add exchanges from program items depending on what we brought. On Wednesdays we had “shared snack” which was a surprise item brought by the dietitians that we were all expected to eat.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? – you only had to have supplements if your individual dietitian put them on your meal plan. Based on observation it seemed like most people didn’t need to supplement.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? – if you didn’t finish a meal your food “carried over” to the next meal. If you didn’t finish everything by the end of the day (2:15pm) you were expected to stay until 3pm or until you finished your food for “carry over.” If you don’t finish by 3pm you have to take home what you didn’t finish but there’s no follow up on it.
What sort of groups do they have? – we had DBT groups, writing for recovery, expressive therapy, psychoeducation, and nutrition group. We also had one virtual “elective” each day from 11:15-12. It was annoying to have to bring devices and do Zoom for this hour each day because the wifi never worked properly and the point of my choosing this program was to be in person, but I appreciated that they tried to give us more options for programming.
What was your favorite group? – Writing for Recovery was always my favorite in-person group, but if you don’t like to journal you may not like it. My favorite virtual group was Chronic illness — this doesn’t apply to everyone but if you have a chronic illness I highly recommend it.
If applicable: Is the program trauma-informed? Yes, they were very mindful of triggers and used a codeword for them; they also always warned us about unexpected noises, etc. Some clinicians may be less knowledgeable than others but my individual clinician was more than prepared to deal with my trauma.
What did you like the most? I LOVED my clinician – unfortunately people’s experiences here tend to vary according to who their individual clinicians are. Some clinicians have reputations for being tougher on meals or quicker to send patients to higher LOC which can make it harder to succeed in treatment. Luckily the clinician I was paired with was amazing! She had a deep understanding of DBT and trauma, and was someone I felt very comfortable with. She made sure to involve my mom and partner in my care, and was a huge advocate for me to be able to stay at the PHP level for as long as I did without needing to go to resi.
What did you like the least? – Hated virtual electives…this is one of the only places for in-person PHP, what’s the point in making us virtual for an hour a day?? Treatment is very weight restoration focused, at least at the PHP level; as long as you gain, you won’t be considered for resi, which I at times found frustrating. The staff try their best to moderate conversation but there was a LOT of treatment bashing behind clinicians’ backs. Certain patients loved to brag about not gaining enough weight and being sent to residential, which fostered a very competitive environment, at least for me as someone with AN who was never visibly “underweight.” I found it very easy to get sucked into that negative mindset and it definitely presented a challenge for my recovery, but if you’re able to shut that out it will help you so much not just here but in any ED treatment environment.
Would you recommend this program? Ultimately yes, I would recommend the program. It made a huge difference in my recovery for me personally but that was largely due to my good fit with my clinician. I would say go into it prepared to self-advocate heavily because your experience can vary widely if you get matched with someone you’re not a good fit with as your individual therapist. If you don’t get a clinician you click with, advocate for having your clinician switched. At the end of the day you’re paying for your care, so you should get what you want out of it. I knew people who did this and were successfully able to switch!
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? Depends on your clinician and medical stability. I was not allowed any but I had heart issues related to one of my meds. Most people were allowed to do one short walk each week or something along those lines.
Do you get to know your weight? They want you on viewed weights at some point before you leave program but you won’t start viewing your weight until they decide you’re ready to handle it. If you want to see it from the beginning you will need to heavily self-advocate.
If applicable: How fast is the weight gain process? Plans are designed for 1-2 lbs per week and I would say that was accurate.
What was the average length of stay? – they say 2-4 weeks. My impression is that they are moving more strictly toward adhering to that. When I came in I knew people who were there for months (and so was I TBH) but as I was leaving clinicians were starting to say things like “you’re going to resi because this is a 2 week program,” sadly… I don’t have any tea but if I had to make a *wild guess* I think this might be due to pressure from management.
What was the average age range? – the age ranged widely from 18 to people in their 60s. Most of us were in our 20s.
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)? Phones are allowed only on breaks and not during meals. We had to bring electronics every day for the virtual elective hour.
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours? My clinician was reachable by email but you shouldn’t go into it expecting to be able to get crisis support on off-hours. The clinicians work 5-day weeks and it’s an outpatient program. They’ll be reachable but if you have safety issues they’re probably going to recommend a higher LOC because it’s unrealistic to ask your therapist to be available 24/7.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? I already had providers when I came in so this was not relevant to me, but they will provide you with referrals if needed.
I’m debating about Walden’s adult virtual program. Is it good? Can I do rainbow road at PHP or is it IOP only? Anything I should know about Walden’s virtual program before committing to it?
Has anyone (or is anyone) doing the adult virtual php and is willing to answer some questions for me?
My daughter has been in a residential program and now cleared for PHP. She is eating well, but I am worried about her need to address the emotional issues that seem to be driving her AN. We plan to do PHP at Walden, either Westborough or Waltham. So first, any perspective on the positives or negatives of either of those facilities. Second, any feedback on the groups. I am worried that they just hand out a worksheet and you are done–which is what happened at her last facility. She needs the group sessions to help her fully recover. thanks in advance for any insight you can provide.
Any info on the Georgia (Alpharetta, GA) location? not sure if it’s separated by adult vs adolescent, but I’d be doing an adult track
it looks like they do php & iop. if there’s a need for resi, would they recommend the local monte nido (sandy springs) location or a Walden location (one of the Massachusetts ones)?
any info is appreciated 🙂
There’s a Walden resi in Georgia now that they refer to if a HLOC is needed!!
Hey! I only see the MN one?https://www.waldeneatingdisorders.com/locations/georgia-locations/
i know they used to have a dif resi, but not sure if it closed down or not :/
I attended Walden’s in-person PHP program in Massachusetts at the Waltham site April-May 2023. Happy to answer any questions!
Thank you. I am considering the in-person PHP for my 17 yr old daughter–we don’t live near, so would have to travel and find accomodation. Can she and I live together in an apartment and then she can go to the daily sessions from there? Also, how is the meal coaching–as refusing to eat beyond the very basic tiny menu she has become accustomed is her biggest issue? And how are the therapy sessions as is seems there is anxiety and dangerously low self-esteem at the root of this? Not sure if you can even answer these questions. But if you can, thank you!
It really depends on the location. Some are great with meal coaching and some aren’t.
If you’re open to traveling, UCSD has a phenomenal program and they offer housing/apartments. They’re very used to people traveling for care
Thanks for the tip on UCSD. I presume you mean University California San Diego, right?
Hey! I just finished the virtual adolecent PHP. I can answer any questions you may have about that. I highly, highly recommend it. Let me know :))
thanks. How did they help you through meal coaching virtually? And also what therapy did they provide as so much of my daughter’s eating issues are wrapped up in self-image, anxiety issues, etc.
Hey! Meal coaching virtually was something I was definitely skeptical of as well. The clinicians are very good at checking in (normally one chat mid-meal if they don’t observe you struggling, then depending on your response they will send more) If they do see you struggling or observe a behavior they’ll send you a chat to check in. some will directly say the behavior they observe and others will increase the frequency of check-ins. I’ve found the meal coaching to be very, very helpful. My ED is also wrapped up in those things. Walden doesn’t do any specific body image group which kinda stinks but it does come up frequently and it is suggested a lot so maybe in the future!! 4x DBT a week 1x CBT, journaling for recovery (my fav), weekend planning/review. also 1x a week individual session w assigned clinician, 1x a week w NP, 1x a week family session (dietician , clinician, parents)
Lmk if you have any more questions
thanks so much for your reply. We have an evaluation tomorrow, so will be able to ask loads of questions then. Wishing you great success in your recovery.
I attended the adult php program so I cannot speak to much of the adolescent aspects they had. I will say you could get an apartment and commute to the program daily though.
I know from what I saw on the adolescent side is that it had a lot of good parent involvement. I would recommend calling Walden’s help line to ask more about that!
thanks so much. We have an evaluation call with them tomorrow. Good luck. Hope you are doing well and the program was what you needed!
Hi! I’d love to know like everything about your experience! Looking at PHPs in the Boston area and would love to hear what you thought of Walden’s PHP
Hi there! Walden’s php in Waltham was definitely super helpful in getting me out of crisis. It felt like they were very focused on weight being the main goal of treatment and that made it difficult for me to find long term success in the program. But overall they provided good structural basis and skills if you need that in a Php program right now.
Thank you! Did you find groups helpful? What were meals like for PHP? How were the clinicians? How strict were they about meal completion?
For adult or adolescent? Virtual or in person? There’s also Renfrew.
You can’t do Klarman PHP without going to Residential first, and Klarman 12 hour PHP is the same as residential just sleeping at home. It’s usually for a week after your residential stay.
Those are the 3 programs available in the Boston area.
Wondering about adult PHP at Walden and Renfrew, just coming from residential out in CA and am back home (Boston) so wanting to know more about both but it sounds like you were recently at Walden so wondering about that! How strict they are, meals, groups, population, etc
has anyone done Walden’s virtual PHP recently? I’m starting next week and would love to know what to expect.
Has anyone recently done Walden’s virtual php or iop?
Did you end up doing it?
Got accepted then insurance gave pushback so I ended up finding a different iop virtual program HPA Livewell out of Albany NY which has been amazing
Can you do a full review on HPA Livewell? I’d love to hear more about what you liked about the program.
I’m also interested in hearing more about your experience with HPA Livewell—glad to hear you found it so helpful! The virtual option sounds convenient, but 16 hours is a lot, even from home. Wondering if they focus equally on all types of eating disorders or if the treatment is designed to support some more than others. And how does the shared meal work online? What aspect of the program has been most beneficial to you? Etc. Also, what is the evaluation and admission process like? Do you have to meet a certain level of severity to qualify? Etc. Wish they offered a little less intensive outpatient option that met for, say, two hours a day for 5 days a week.
looking for experiences with rainbow road
Any reviews or experiences with any of Walden’s specialty virtual IOPs?
Is adult IOP in person? Do you bring your own food? Can anyone provide a recent review of adult IOP or PHP?
What IOP are you looking at (location)? Some IOPs are back in person and some are still virtual.
Waltham, Peabody, Dedham.
I’m not positive about Peabody but pretty sure they are back in person. Waltham is in person. Dedham is only resi and IP, they don’t offer IOP/PHP. I went to a different location, but from what I know, yes, you bring your own food!
Thanks. If you’re comfortable, could you review the program when you have time? I‘d like to know how it works and what to expect. It’s nerve-wracking to sign up for something and not know anything about it.
Do PHP and IOP do anything together? I’m hoping to do IOP. My doctor recommended PHP, so I’m interested in reviews of either/both.
Of course! Totally get that it’s nerve wracking. I’ll share my experience, but note it is a different location than you listed, so things might be a little different.
There is day IOP and night IOP. Day IOP is either breakfast, group, and snack; or snack, group, and lunch (I think). Night IOP is 2 groups & dinner, I think. Day IOP merges in with PHP, which is 8:45-2:30.
Weights and ortho vitals are twice weekly. Labs once weekly. You meet with a psych NP 1x/wk, a clinician 2x/wk, and an RD 1x/wk.
The day looks like:
8:45-9:30 breakfast
9:30-10:30 group (CBT, weekend review, DBT, expressive therapy, nutrition)
10:30-10:55 break
10:55-11:15 snack
11:15-12:15 elective group (each location has a group, so you can pick from 4-5 groups and then you get to meet different people too! HAES was my fav, but there was home for the holidays, family skills, ambivalence, expressive arts, ARFID, process for each ED, etc)
12:15-12:45 break
12:45-1:30 lunch
1:30-2:30 group (DBT, CBT, relapse prevention, weekend planning)
Let me know if you have any questions, I’m happy to answer them 🙂
Yeah, I get that it could be a little different because I’m considering a different location. So people being there own food for IOP, but not for PHP? sounds like only night IOP is an option for me. I can’t eat as close to together as those meals and snack because of a digestive condition. I could get thrown out anyway as I’ve never eaten in front of non-family members in years and have no idea if I’ll be able to do it. Would they allow me to bring my own supplements to replace with if needed? I can’t have ensure (bacterial infections, oral health issues). I have low sugar vegan supplements if I need them.
Do they work well with your outpatient providers? Like I can’t tolerate med changes. What I have works for me (migraine and seizure), can’t be changed or I wouldn’t be able to drive or tolerate light/sound at all. I’d leave treatment if med change was forced.
do you know what hours night IOP runs roughly? What’s a range of how many weeks people attend? Do people stop seeing their outpatient providers or still see them? I see a trauma therapist and wonder if they’d allow me to continue with her since Walden addresses ED. I don’t have an RD or ED therapist outpatient.
Sorry, I worded it weird — people bring/make their own food for IOP and PHP! I think in person occasionally does food exposures with restaurants (depending on location), but generally, you bring your own food and heat it up there.
Walden is generally pretty good about letting you do whatever supplements. You might need a dental note explaining the low sugar, as well as vegan (although they will allow dairy free). They offer boost, ensure, Kate Farms, in multiple flavors (including boost breeze / ensure clear) and reg/plus. They’d probably let you bring your own, but you’d have to ask your RD.
It depends on the treatment team, they do require you sign ROI for communication with OP team. I’ve heard mixed things. I will say I told them upfront that my neurologist will be handling my migraine medication, end of story, and they respected that. I know other people have had different experiences, but generally I think *physical* meds are left to OP teams, psych meds sometimes get changed. Although, for IOP, you don’t see an NP, so it might be different (I was in PHP). In IOP you don’t see an NP or RD, so you’d continue with your OP team for those things.
Night IOP is M, W, Th.
5:30-6:30 is group (weekend review/creative expression, CBT, DBT).
6:30-6:45 break/meal prep
6:45-7:30 dinner
7:30-8:30 group (DBT, psychoedu, weekend planning/relapse prev)
I’m not sure how many weeks, I’d say somewhere between 4-12 weeks generally, depending on things like insurance, compliance, step up vs down, how much it’s helping.
People typically see their OP providers, Walden encourages it. You should try to schedule on a day you don’t have IOP (i.e., T or F) because insurance typically only covers one or the other per day. Walden would help you find an OP RD since you don’t have an RD in IOP. If you do PHP, you’ll meet with an RD once a week.
I hope this helps! Let me know if you have other questions 🙂
Is PHP 5 days a week? What hours? My trauma therapy is M/Th, Therapist doesn’t work Fri, can’t be changed, so idk…
My insurance doesn’t typically cover an OP dietitian. I’d have to get a prior authorization, and don’t know if it would be covered. I don’t have an OP ED therapist either.
Does Walden PHP/IOP force people to change meds? I get that treatment because I did not respond to any medication or Med combo over a 20+ year period. Ketamine doesn’t mix with some psych meds. I don’t take any besides a sleeping one.
im not vegan. It’s gluten free/dairy free/soy free and prefer certain fruits, veggies, and don’t use condiments unless digestive friendly. If I don’t stick to that I have bathroom troubles, can’t leave the house, etc. I haven’t done the full low FODMAP elimination and reintroduction b/c of restriction, logging/tracking, and need to weigh/measure foods…it’d be safer to have a dietitian to do it with.
about supplements, is Kate farms a low sugar supplement? It’s not only oral health bacterial infection, also small intestine bacterial infections. It’s very painful, need antibiotics to resolve.
PHP is M-F with an optional Saturday. It’s 8:45 to 2:30, with two 30min breaks.
If you do PHP you don’t need an OP team per say, I think you do for IOP though.
IOP def doesn’t force med changes because you don’t see an NP. PHP didn’t in my experience, with the exception of people on stimulants for ADHD (that was case by case).
I imagine you would need to have a note from a GI to continue with that diet or to use special supplements, because it can sometimes be the effect of long term restriction of those foods, so they want to know if it’s ED related from a professional. If you can get a note though, I think they would follow it so long as you meet all your exchanges!
Thanks for explaining. That’s very helpful. I’d need the note. My GI it’s not from ED and dietary adjustment is necessary to manage it. The foods I’m told not to eat aren’t things I restricted during ED.
As of September 2021, Walden Behavioral Health is owned by Monte Nido. However Walden’s name won’t change. Here is an article about the acquisition:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210913005248/en/Levine-Leichtman-Capital-Partners-Portfolio-Company-Monte-Nido-Affiliates-Acquires-Walden-Behavioral-Care
Long story short, don’t go here.
Staff was cold hearted and just not good. I was literally told ” it doesn’t matter if you’re here or not my paycheck is still the same”. I was not properly stepped down through levels of care, and ended up in the hospital multiple times while in their care.
I learned more Ed tricks there than I did skills to cope…
do not recommend…
ended up going to center for discovery and because of them I’m now in a strong recovery…
Location: Atlanta, Georgia (as Atlanta Center for Eating Disorders/ACE)
When were you there: April-July 2016
How many patients on average? A LOT but average group had about 10 people.
Does it treat both males and females? Yes! There were actually a lot of guys.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? Weekly individual and family but I only saw a dietitian 3 times the ENTIRE time I was there. Also, a psych and MD are not provided through the program.
What sorts of food were available or served? You get to bring your own meals and snacks.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? If you didn’t finish, you could boost, but usually the meal group leaders didn’t care that much. I was only told to boost once because I was with [name redacted]. (I didn’t end up boosting)
What is the policy of not complying with meals? They really didn’t care that much. It was pretty up to you to follow your meal plan, so you didn’t get sent to residential.
Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes, because you could bring your own food, you can pretty much do whatever with it. My best friend was vegan there.
What sort of groups do they have? They had all sorts of groups like teen process, nutrition, DBT, anxiety, art therapy, motivation.
What was your favorite group? There was one where you did these experiential exercises that were basically giant metaphors. Then, we processed how each person did it and how it relates to how we act in everyday situations. It was my favorite and I actually looked forward to it every week.
Would you recommend this program? I loved my ACE family but it was super casual. I’d only recommend this if your motivation is high and if you’re gonna be proactive in your recovery.
Do you get to know your weight? I actually refused to be weighed the entire time. So I had no idea but neither did the staff.
What was the average length of stay? Most people stay 2 months in the IOP but there were some people who stayed for what seemed like forever.
What was the average age range? There were kids in middle school all the way up to people who could be my grandma.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? A lot of my friends were staying at the Ronald McDonald House, but they’re working on the ACE house for people to stay at.
When were you there: summer 2014 and 2015
Was it coed?: Yes, and there were also some nonbinary people there too.
Describe the average day:
8:00 – Arrival and Weights & Vitals (morning IOP starts)
8:30 – Breakfast Prep
9:00 – Breakfast
9:30 – Group
10:30 – Snack Prep
10:45 – Snack
11:00 – Group (afternoon IOP starts)
12:00 – Break (morning IOP leaves)
12:30 – Lunch Prep
1:00 – Lunch
1:30 – Group
2:30 – End of the Day (afternoon IOP leaves)
What were meals like? In the adult program you make your own meals. The kitchen gets to be a little crowded when there’s a lot of people, but the staff try to send people in a few at a time to avoid that. Everyone starts eating at the same time – staff included – and you play games, talk, and/or listen to music.
What sorts of food were available or served? You could bring in just about anything and have it checked out by the dietitian. They had some basic staples available, like bread and nuts and cheesesticks, and they had all types of beverages, (not soda or anything caffeinated though.)
Did they supplement? How did that system work? If you didn’t complete a snack, you were given one Boost. If you ate 50% or more of a meal, were given one Boost. If you ate less than half of your meal, you were given two Boosts. You had extra time to drink your supplement, but if you didn’t finish it, you could still go to groups.
What privileges are allowed? You get a midafternoon break, which is really nice. Sometimes we were allowed to lead to groups if we wanted. If we needed to take some space, that was okay too.
Does it work on a level system? Nope, although there was PHP and then there was a choice of morning, afternoon, or evening IOP.
What sort of groups do they have? Mostly CBT and DBT, but also nutrition group, family issues group, art/expressive therapy, body image groups, yoga once a week, and weekend planning/community meetings on Fridays.
What was your favorite group? I think it really depended on who was running the group. Most of the staff were really great, but there was a couple who were kind of condescending or rude, (although the main culprit of that left her job right before I left, so maybe things are better now.)
What did you like the most? The other patients were really great, and there was a strong sense of community. Most of the staff were also extremely kind and good at their jobs. The staff were also very flexible and open to suggestions.
What did you like the least? There was one case manager who broke confidentiality and contacted someone really negative/harmful in my life, all because I’d had a panic attack and she thought I was going ‘crazy’ and was “manipulative for throwing a tantrum when I didn’t get what I want.” I made sure to request a different case manager when I went back during the two times I was there in the summer, and they allowed that with no problem.
Would you recommend this program? Yes, but you have to want to get better. If you don’t want to recover, this program won’t be able to do much for you.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? We did yoga once a week, but everyone’s outside exercise allowance was different.
What did people do on weekends? We had weekend planning on Friday and weekend review on Monday.
Do you get to know your weight? Nope!
How fast is the weight gain process? Fairly slow for PHP and IOP. It’s different for resi but that’s a different story
What was the average length of stay? It differed for a lot of people, but I’d say 1-2 months of PHP and 1-2 months of IOP.
What was the average age range? In the adult program, it’s 18 and up. Sometimes there was elderly (65+) people, but that wasn’t as common. Mainly it was people 19-30, I’d say.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team? There is a weekly aftercare/’alumni’ group that’s mainly to talk about how things are going in the outside world. They do try and set you up with a treatment team and possible support groups (and there was one case worker who would even help people with resumes/job finding, but she left.) The first summer I was there, I refused to get outpatient help anyway, but the second summer I had an outpatient treatment team, and Walden would check in with them/exchange notes (if you signed a release) once a week.
They no longer supplement, now they do “caryover” which you eat the portion uneaten in the next meal
Location: Atlanta, Georgia (as Atlanta Center for Eating Disorders/ACE)
On a positive note, ACE is good for people who’ve been through recovery before or who have minor (mostly controlled) ED related behavior because it can help get you back on track with meal group and individual. I would recommend ACE only if you are somewhat stable and capable and motivated for your own recovery and you want it and are ready. The motivation and rule following has to come from the patient. There really isn’t any severe monitoring. It’s just a place to go to keep yourself accountable not for for true intervention.
I was disappointed when I went there. The facility needs major renovation and the treatment team does not communicate with each other. There isn’t enough monitoring nor is there enough true intervention for the patients. People get away with all kinds of behavior and group is a joke, no one talks and you can get away with no talking. I felt there were “favorites” among the clients and the place lacks true intervention steps towards recovery. The meal prep is stressful (you’ll know what I mean if you go). The kitchen is beyond small. After a few weeks, the community settles in to a sort of sad group presence. It’s just depressing and the leaders don’t do anything to change it. The leadership team lacks true leadership for group. In fact, I got worse there which I think was due to a lack of attention. No one knew when I was coming, appointments ran late, group NEVER started on time and was always boring, Meals were very uncomfortable and never started on time, no one asked how I was doing. It was like I was an inconvenience quite often and when I didn’t show no one called me. The kitchen is gross and the meal rooms are gross.