Blog

Cardiovascular Complications of Eating Disorders

Cardiovascular complications of eating disorders are common and can be very serious.  They may present with chest pain.  It is important to determine if this symptom is coming from the heart or from another cause such as gastroesophageal reflux, muscular strain or anxiety.  As patients with anorexia lose weight, they lose muscle mass, both of … Read More

Mindfulness Meditation and Anxiety

By Cliff Hamrick, LPC, Therapist with McCallum Place Austin Mindfulness meditation is an old idea that is gaining new prominence in mental health treatment. Mindfulness mediation is an ancient practice of disciplining the mind so you are now in charge instead of your mind.  To explain how this works, let me use the example of … Read More

Time Management in Adolescents during Eating Disorder Treatment

Written by Julie Rami and Nancy Anderson During adolescence, the brain is growing and building neural pathways faster than any other time in life.   A teen’s capacity to learn is at its maximum but the planning, organizing, and self control skills haven’t caught up yet.   During the school year the tutoring room is very busy … Read More

Dispelling the Myths of Binge Eating Disorder

Written by Cherie Massmann, LPC, NCC It is normal to overeat! In a culture filled with wonderfully delicious food, it is not uncommon to overindulge at times. Having a wonderful entrée or dessert at a favorite restaurant and having a hard time stopping when we know that we are full is quite normal. As a … Read More

College Life and National Eating Disorder Awareness Week

Written by Randall Flanery, PhD, Director of Webster Wellness Professionals National Eating Disorders Awareness Week (NEDAW) has been in existence almost 30 years; and education and outreach activities have been common on college campuses since NEDAW’s inception. The goals of NEDAW- education, early intervention, and starting treatment, are especially relevant for college students who are … Read More

Athletes and Body Image Issues

Written by Ron Thompson, PhD, FAED, CEDS, Co-director of The Victory Program at McCallum Place Sport is a microcosm of society. That is, what we see in society, we will likely see in sport, including body image issues. Unfortunately, those issues tend to be more complex and conflicted for athletes, especially female athletes, than for … Read More

Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

Written by John Rapp, MSW, LCSW Cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) represents a collection of therapies with a unifying philosophy, capable of treating problems ranging from eating disorders to insomnia.  Cognitive-behavior theory posits that while we may not have much direct control distressing emotions, we at least have some control over our thoughts and, in particular, our … Read More

The lesser known eating disorder: Binge Eating Disorder

Written by Cherie Massmann, LPC, NCC Due to the efforts of advocacy agencies attempting to raise awareness about the devastating effects, most people are familiar with the eating disorders of Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. All one would have to do is survey the landscape of popular women’s magazines to at least be exposed to these … Read More

Avoiding Blame and Taking Real Action!

Written by Cherie Massmann, LPC, NCC That day is terrifying and confusing! The day a doctor or mental health providers confirms it – your child has been diagnosed with an eating disorder. Immediately the guilt floods in. What did I do? What didn’t I do? How could I have possibly missed this? Then the blame … Read More