Intake and assessment
OUR ASSESSMENT PROCESS
Getting it right, right from the start, begins with an assessment of an individual’s perceived locus of control as an important first step. How much the individual is changing for themselves versus how much they are changing for others indicates both the value that the individual has in recovery and the perceived degree of control that he/she has over their life (at least in the eating disorder domain). Individuals often fear that if they are honest about both their intent and feelings of ambivalence toward recovery, that negative implications will further erode their locus of control.
It is therefore important for us to understand all aspects of your eating disorder, encouraging complete disclosure about past treatment where the agenda may have been symptom reduction but has led to treatment refusal, an increase in symptoms, dropout and/or relapse.
Prior to your assessment we require that you and/or your doctor complete and return:
• Summary of Physical Assessment (including recent and current blood results)
• Consent to release and obtain information from your treatment providers
Our assessment staff will go through this information and prepare for the first meeting with you.
The purpose of the meeting is to:
1. Confirm your history and physical symptoms of illness
2. Assess risk
3. Identify fears and concerns
4. Identify past or current attempts to change, willingness to contemplate change, active effort to change and level of motivation
5. Explain the TBF approach to treatment and clarify expectations all round
6. Answer questions about the TBF recovery program
7. Allow you to determine whether TBF is the right place for you
We anticipate that this meeting, involving a pre-assessment planning phase conducted by our assessment staff and the 90 minute face to face meeting, will enable you to make a decision whether to proceed with the intake and assessment process. If this is the case, we ask that you commit to a series of meetings so that we can collectively plan your treatment.
The purpose of this meeting is to:
• Identify fears, concerns and expectations for all involved
• Assess the level of investment the sufferer has in recovery and change
• Assess the level of investment the carer/s have in the sufferer’s recovery and to provide advice to the family about the level of support and involvement required
• Identify potential problems that differing levels of investment will create
• Determine core medical, nutritional and behavioural treatment imperatives
• Determine program treatment goals and the broad framework for achieving these
Following this 90 minute meeting and in preparation for Meeting 3, the assessment staff will spend at least 30 minutes preparing a written report to be used as the foundation for planning during Meeting 3.
The purpose of this meeting is to:
• Collaborate on a rationale and outline for Treatment Non-Negotiables
• Spell out the basics of dietetic, counselling, experiential, group and family learning commitments required to achieve a good outcome from treatment
• Establish the basis for and terms of a treatment plan
• Develop plans for transition from inpatient treatment where this is applicable
The purpose of this meeting is to:
• Discuss the next steps for you and your family in terms of treatment logistics
• Review and update your medical information or any other information relevant to your treatment that may have changed throughout the assessment and planning process
• Agree upon final version of Treatment Non-Negotiables
• Sign written treatment/transition plans and agreements
• Complete the formal intake process
Most people with an eating disorder express ambivalence about recovery. It’s not uncommon for us to hear, “I really want to get my life back, but if that means putting on weight, I don’t think I can do it!” We know from research, that readiness to make change is an important predictor of successful treatment outcomes, so we will work on helping you determine your readiness to recover.
Typically we would have up to four meetings with you and your family prior to proceeding to a treatment offering and agreement. If we don’t have what you need, we’ll let you know and help you to look for some form of alternative treatment.
Over the course of these initial meetings we will work through:
• Data gathering: history of the illness, treatment thus far
• Fears, concerns, hopes
• Stages of change and where you’re at in terms of readiness
• Support options – what you have and what you might need
• The Bronte Foundation approach and Treatment Not-Negotiables: establishing agreed guidelines for what will happen in treatment
At the end of this process, you will know if you want to proceed and we will have a firm foundation for treatment, or clarity about what alternatives would suit your situation. To arrange for an assessment please contact our Intake and Assessment staff.
Getting it right, right from the start, begins with an assessment of an individual’s perceived locus of control as an important first step. How much the individual is changing for themselves versus how much they are changing for others indicates both the value that the individual has in recovery and the perceived degree of control that he/she has over their life (at least in the eating disorder domain). Individuals often fear that if they are honest about both their intent and feelings of ambivalence toward recovery, that negative implications will further erode their locus of control.
It is therefore important for us to understand all aspects of your eating disorder, encouraging complete disclosure about past treatment where the agenda may have been symptom reduction but has led to treatment refusal, an increase in symptoms, dropout and/or relapse.
Initial Assessment - Meeting 1
During this meeting we will explore the specific characteristics of your illness, symptoms, eating disorder behaviours and make an initial determination about your readiness to recover. It will also allow us to refer you on at the earliest possible time should we determine that our recovery programs are not ideal for your stage of illness.Prior to your assessment we require that you and/or your doctor complete and return:
• Summary of Physical Assessment (including recent and current blood results)
• Consent to release and obtain information from your treatment providers
Our assessment staff will go through this information and prepare for the first meeting with you.
The purpose of the meeting is to:
1. Confirm your history and physical symptoms of illness
2. Assess risk
3. Identify fears and concerns
4. Identify past or current attempts to change, willingness to contemplate change, active effort to change and level of motivation
5. Explain the TBF approach to treatment and clarify expectations all round
6. Answer questions about the TBF recovery program
7. Allow you to determine whether TBF is the right place for you
We anticipate that this meeting, involving a pre-assessment planning phase conducted by our assessment staff and the 90 minute face to face meeting, will enable you to make a decision whether to proceed with the intake and assessment process. If this is the case, we ask that you commit to a series of meetings so that we can collectively plan your treatment.
Impact of Illness, Motivation & Readiness to Change - Meeting 2
Following the Initial Assessment, you will have expressed a desire to continue with the process of planning for recovery. Based on the summary of this assessment, as produced by our staff, we will need to now determine the appropriate program for your needs based on your motivation for recovery and ability to engage in change.The purpose of this meeting is to:
• Identify fears, concerns and expectations for all involved
• Assess the level of investment the sufferer has in recovery and change
• Assess the level of investment the carer/s have in the sufferer’s recovery and to provide advice to the family about the level of support and involvement required
• Identify potential problems that differing levels of investment will create
• Determine core medical, nutritional and behavioural treatment imperatives
• Determine program treatment goals and the broad framework for achieving these
Following this 90 minute meeting and in preparation for Meeting 3, the assessment staff will spend at least 30 minutes preparing a written report to be used as the foundation for planning during Meeting 3.
Developing Treatment Non-Negotiables – Meeting 3
To ensure that we can build a therapeutic relationship based on mutual trust we need to anticipate potential impediments to recovery and pre-emptively plan for how we might deal with these. We do this because we know that real harm is done to relationships when one party makes arbitrary decisions based on critical events. Given the nature of eating disorders, there are often moments when an intervention becomes imperative to avoid a deterioration in the sufferer’s emotional or physical condition. If we reactively make decisions in these moments, we risk leaving the sufferer feeling unheard, angry and betrayed, therefore advance planning is essential.The purpose of this meeting is to:
• Collaborate on a rationale and outline for Treatment Non-Negotiables
• Spell out the basics of dietetic, counselling, experiential, group and family learning commitments required to achieve a good outcome from treatment
• Establish the basis for and terms of a treatment plan
• Develop plans for transition from inpatient treatment where this is applicable
Commitment to Treatment – Meeting 4
Before proceeding to treatment we need to meet to go over the assessment process to date and ensure that everyone is feeling comfortable, supported and confident that the right choices have been made.The purpose of this meeting is to:
• Discuss the next steps for you and your family in terms of treatment logistics
• Review and update your medical information or any other information relevant to your treatment that may have changed throughout the assessment and planning process
• Agree upon final version of Treatment Non-Negotiables
• Sign written treatment/transition plans and agreements
• Complete the formal intake process
Most people with an eating disorder express ambivalence about recovery. It’s not uncommon for us to hear, “I really want to get my life back, but if that means putting on weight, I don’t think I can do it!” We know from research, that readiness to make change is an important predictor of successful treatment outcomes, so we will work on helping you determine your readiness to recover.
Typically we would have up to four meetings with you and your family prior to proceeding to a treatment offering and agreement. If we don’t have what you need, we’ll let you know and help you to look for some form of alternative treatment.
Over the course of these initial meetings we will work through:
• Data gathering: history of the illness, treatment thus far
• Fears, concerns, hopes
• Stages of change and where you’re at in terms of readiness
• Support options – what you have and what you might need
• The Bronte Foundation approach and Treatment Not-Negotiables: establishing agreed guidelines for what will happen in treatment
At the end of this process, you will know if you want to proceed and we will have a firm foundation for treatment, or clarity about what alternatives would suit your situation. To arrange for an assessment please contact our Intake and Assessment staff.