For Parents

Our inpatient program provides expert and experienced medical care-from initial consultation through treatment and discharge planning. Treatment is comprehensive and includes medical, psychiatric, psychological, and nutritional care. Our staff is specially trained in eating disorder recovery, and many have 20 years of experience in the field.

In addition to the Medical Stabilization team, your teen will have access to the expertise of other specialists at Torrance Memorial Medical Center if necessary. These include cardiologists, gastroenterologists, and nephrologists, all experienced in treating complications that can result from eating disorders.

Learn more about our program>>

Your teen may need medical stabilization if he or she is experiencing any of the following as a result of an eating disorder:

• Weight loss to the point that friends or family are becoming concerned.
• Medical complications related to an eating disorder, such as abnormal blood test results or a very low heart rate.
• Rejection from an eating disorders program because your child’s weight is too low or he or she doesn’t meet other admission criteria.
• Trouble eating because of stomach pain.

Learn more about conditions we treat>>

The first step is to call our office at 310-325-4353 to make an appointment for an assessment. Someone is available to speak with you 24 hours a day. Our office staff will discuss the appointment and other details with family or a referring provider.

You should still call us for an appointment. If we don’t think your teen qualifies for medical stabilization, we will refer you to another type of treatment. This may be weekly or more frequent office visits with a psychotherapist, dietitian or physician. We may also recommend treatment in an intensive outpatient program or residential facility.

In most cases you can make an appointment with us for an assessment without a physician’s referral. However, some patients with HMO insurance may require a referral.

Yes, if your insurance plan is with a Preferred Provider Organization (PPO). We only accept PPO insurance.

Because our Medical Stabilization Program is located in an acute care hospital, your teen’s stay will be covered through your medical benefits, rather than your behavioral health benefits. This means that after discharge your teen will be able to use their full behavioral health benefits for further treatment.

We understand that your teen may have particular food preferences; however, for the recovery process to begin your teen needs to use the services provided by the treatment team, including food. Dietary services include meal planning, education, and food consumption monitoring.

Later, when she can consistently eat the meals provided by the dietary staff, you will be able to bring some meals and snacks to be incorporated into the treatment.

Meals are an important part of your teen’s treatment (we view them as a medical intervention) and need to be monitored by the nursing staff. Your teen needs to begin to trust the staff during meals and this will be more difficult if her family members are present. Similarly, your teen may be self-conscious about eating in front of friends and family. Meals with family members can be planned further into the treatment process.

The hospital is providing much more than food. 24/7 observation allows us to see aspects of your teen’s eating disorder that may be otherwise hidden. Additionally, we conduct accurate and continual measurements of body weight, fluid intake, urine output, and calories consumed. This means our physician and dietitian can assess calorie needs much more accurately. The hospital is also the safest place for your teen to be right now.

The hospital is providing much more than food. Round-the-clock observation enables us to see facets of the eating disorder that may be otherwise hidden and begin to address them in treatment. Accurate and continual measurements of body weight, fluid intake, urine output and calories consumed also enable the physician and dietitian to assess calorie needs much more accurately. The hospital is also the safest place for your daughter to be right now.

Many patients feel relief when they enter the hospital because the constant internal dilemma that they have about which foods to choose and eat are removed. In addition, the power struggles which sometimes happen at home, with parents trying to get their son or daughter to eat or prevent them from purging, are not present in the hospital.

It is important to allow yourself room to be a parent, and it is asking too much of a parent to provide medical treatment for their teen. It is also confusing for adolescents and their parents when parents act as medical providers.

People with eating disorders tend to dwell on their weight and body appearance, and it is easy for significant others to get pulled into this. We know you are concerned about your teen's health, which may be threatened by an unhealthy body weight. However, we recommend that parents stay out of weight discussions that can trigger arguments, comments, and dynamics that impede recovery. The easiest way to avoid this problem is to have no knowledge of the number on the scale. We also want to avoid situations in which a parent has information that the patient is not allowed to have, which can erode trust. In most cases, the physician will review weights periodically (every five to seven days) with the patient.

Teens need space to begin to trust the treatment team, which is more difficult if parents are always available to meet their needs. Teens are also better able to experience their emotions when they have some time alone. This is very important for the recovery process.

Nurses are always available to patients if they need something or if they are having a hard time. Parents also need an opportunity to get adequate rest and to get in touch with their reactions to what is happening in the family. Parents who are well-rested and allow time for themselves are better able to provide support for their teen.