Blog

Fertility and Pregnancy in Bulimia Nervosa

Written by Tamara J. Aitken, RN, MSN, Kimberli McCallum, MD, CEDS, FAPA, and Ginger Nicol, MD Bulimia Nervosa: The Basics Individuals who suffer from Bulimia Nervosa (BN) struggle with recurrent episodes of binge eating, followed by compensatory behaviors to reverse or avoid weight gain. Binge eating is defined as consumption of a large amount of … Read More

Ecotherapy with Eating Disorders

Written by Cliff Hamrick, LPC, McCallum Place Austin In his book, Biophilia (1984), biologist E. O. Wilson suggested the biophilia hypothesis, which states that humans have a natural affinity towards other living systems. These living systems include large systems such as forests, oceans, and fields, but can also include smaller systems such as leaves, feathers, … Read More

Dr. Laura Bumberry is now Certified in Family Based Treatment

April, 2015 Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to announce that my colleague, Dr. Laura Bumberry, has completed certification as a Family Based Treatment (FBT) provider. As you know, FBT is an evidence-based treatment and the treatment of choice for adolescents with anorexia nervosa; recent research suggests it is also efficacious with adolescents struggling with bulimia … Read More

Male Runners and Eating Disorders

Written by Ron A. Thompson, PhD, FAED, CEDS Eating disorders are more prevalent in “lean” sports than “non-lean” sports. Lean sports have traditionally included weight-class, aesthetic, and endurance sports. Distance running has been included with endurance sports, although the term “endurance” has recently been replaced with “gravitational.” Gravitational sports are those in which moving the … Read More

Self-Soothing Techniques when Feeling Traumatized

Written by Cristina Smugala, LPC When a person experiences trauma, their body decrease the ability to control their emotions. As Mollon’s research suggested, the experience of trauma deregulates the individual’s ability to regulate emotional experience and manage physical arousal (Mollon, 2005). This process may leave the trauma survivor very attune and vulnerable to any emotional, … Read More

Dance Movement Therapy

Written by Daisy Thompson, LMSW, LCDC-I “Dance first. Think later. It’s the natural order.” -Samuel Becket According to the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) dance movement therapy (DMT) is a well-established psychotherapeutic intervention which is based on the empirically supported concept that body, mind, and spirit are interconnected, and that the psychotherapeutic use of movement … Read More

2015 NEDA Awareness Week

NEDA Awareness Week 2015 is Here! The St. Louis Planetarium was lit up for Eating Disorder Awareness Week! #NEDAwareness McCallum Place Eating Disorder Centers will be observing the National Eating Disorder Association’s Awareness Week February 22-February 28, 2015.  NEDA’s week-long event encourages and promotes eating disorder education, events and outreach in local communities to help … Read More

Starting the Conversation—College Life, Eating Disorders and Comorbidity

Written by Stephanie Bagby-Stone, MD When it comes to struggling with an eating disorder, college is a high risk time. The median age of onset for most eating disorders occurs during these years.2 Studies on college campuses report that nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have disordered eating or unhealthy weight … Read More

Healing Self Judgment with Improvisation

Written by Rachel Makorsky, LCSW, Therapist at McCallum Place Austin Many of us have experienced self-judgment and self-critical thinking. It does not feel good. For clients suffering from an eating disorder, self-judgment can be a common challenge. Currently at McCallum Place Austin, we facilitate an innovative group called “Therapeutic Improvisation.” The rules, skills and lessons … Read More