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Evidence Based COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL THERAPY FOR
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Program Goals:
The ultimate goal is to assist obese teenagers in achieving and maintaining healthy weight loss by: Helping them achieve sufficient motivation for change Increasing healthful behaviors, such as appropriate diet and exercise Teaching positive coping and stress management skills Providing social support Who is Appropriate for the group? This program is designed for teenage girls between the ages of 14 and 18 with a body mass index (BMI)* over 25. This program is appropriate for individuals struggling with Diabetes, Hypertension, orthopedic difficulties, and other physical symptoms and disorders related to obesity. * Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person’s weight and height. BMI provides a reliable indicator of body fatness for most people and is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems. (Click here to calculate BMI) Basic Premise: Obesity is a risk factor for cardiac health problems, type two diabetes, orthopedic problems, skin disorders and psychological issues. Although, some individuals are genetically predisposed to obesity, there are many cognitive and behavioral strategies to treat this medical problem. There is substantial research supporting the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral treatment of obesity. This program focuses primarily on using cognitive (i.e. thinking) and behavioral strategies to promote weight loss. The therapist uses evidence based methods to assess the participant’s level of motivation for change and intervene to help them establish sufficient motivation when necessary. Awareness of eating patterns is developed through self-monitoring exercises. Participants are taught "mindful eating" vs. "emotional eating." Proper nutritional guidelines and realistic exercise goals are supported. Relaxation strategies and stress management skills are employed to enable them to resist using food as a way of dealing with painful emotions. Increased awareness of how culture and the media impact thoughts and feelings about one’s body and lead to irrational health and weight goals is also an aim. Program Logistics: The program is presented in 12 ninety-minute group sessions at our Norwood office.. Parent participation is encouraged because oftentimes parents are making decisions about what food is available and family involvement has been shown to increase success in children’s weight loss. Parents attend the initial evaluation/consultation meeting, and a follow up multi-family session in the middle of the twelve week group. Program Therapist: Beth Defrino, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist and a Certified Health Services Providers. Costs: Most health plans cover this treatment. When individuals do not have coverage for the services a reduced fee may be available depending on need. Contact our office for more information. Referrals: All new patients must complete an initial "intake" on our website or by telephone. After that information is received our office will contact you to set up an initial evaluation/consultation. Those meetings are typically 60-90 minutes and include both the teenager and the parent (s). Individual meetings can be arranged if the teenager and/or parent prefer. |