Eating Disorders Recovery Program

Providers in our Eating Disorders Recovery Program have expert training in the treatment of children and adolescents with eating disorders. We work closely with your child and other members of your child’s healthcare team to create care plans that work for your family.

• Care for your whole child
  • Eating disorders are closely tied to a young person’s physical and mental health. As part of recovery, it’s important to have a team of pediatric experts that pay attention to both. Seattle Children’s medical doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, registered dietitians, social workers and mental health providers work together to help young people get better.
  • Families come to our Eating Disorders Recovery Program for medical and nutrition concerns, mental health concerns or both. We will connect you with Seattle Children’s providers and resources from different specialties to match your child’s current needs.
  • To make sure your child gets comprehensive care, we also work with their providers outside of Seattle Children’s, such as a primary care provider or mental health therapist.
  • People of all sizes and genders from all cultures and backgrounds can have an eating disorder. We treat a wide range of children and adolescents dealing with these conditions.
• Your child and family get support
  • At Seattle Children’s, your child will have a group of caring professionals alongside them, from diagnosis through treatment and follow-up. From appointment schedulers to pediatric nurses, our care team approaches recovery with support and compassion.
  • Part of our role is to assist in finding the right combination of providers and services for your child’s condition. We provide information about care options and how to access a range of resources. 
• We are specially trained to treat children and teens
  • Research shows that a person’s physical, emotional and social development during adolescence can affect their health throughout their life. Our providers have specialized training in adolescents and a deep understanding of the development that occurs during adolescence to early adulthood. Because of this, we make a care plan that addresses your child’s health now and into the future.
  • Our Adolescent Medicine team and registered dietitians provide medical oversight and nutrition counseling for your child, and we partner with your child’s mental health provider. We can also help you find a therapist, either at Seattle Children’s or in the community, who has experience treating eating disorders.
  • Our Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine team specializes in pediatrics. When our providers assess your child’s eating habits to recommend mental health care options, we consider your child’s age and stage of development. We have the knowledge and skills to recommend and provide therapy that matches your child’s needs.

There are several options to help your child recover from an eating disorder. At Seattle Children’s, we offer 2 main paths for clinic-based (outpatient) care. One path is focused on medical and nutrition care. The other is focused on mental health care. Whichever path your child starts on, we will consider their overall health to connect them with comprehensive services to meet their needs.

• Medical and nutrition care through Adolescent Medicine

  Our Adolescent Medicine providers diagnose and treat eating disorders in people ages 10 through 21 with a focus on medical and nutritional concerns.

  Your child will need a referral from their primary care provider (PCP).

  Services include:

  • Eating disorder telehealth (virtual) consultation — This is the starting point for outpatient medical and nutrition care. It is a 1-time, 90-minute telehealth visit for you and your adolescent or teen who has signs or symptoms that may be from an eating disorder.
    
    During the virtual visit, you and your child will see a medical provider (doctor, nurse practitioner or physician assistant). The provider reviews your child’s medical history, symptoms, test results, exam findings and any other details from the PCP who referred your child. They talk with you and your child about your concerns and the diagnosis and recommend next steps for care.

  • Outpatient Eating Disorders Program — After a telehealth consultation, we may recommend a 12-week outpatient program. It includes medical, nutritional and social work support to treat eating disorders. We partner with you and your child’s PCP to check the physical effects of malnourishment. This program begins with a clinic visit to check your child’s vital signs, do a physical exam, order lab tests, check test results and, in some cases, prescribe medicine.
    
    Team-based care, like ours, has been shown to get the best results. Our team includes doctors, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, registered dietitians, medical assistants and social workers. Your child will be in the care of the full team. (We do not offer appointments outside this team-based model, such as only visits with a dietitian.)
    
    Our dietitians have special training to help adolescents form a positive relationship with food and their bodies. We know that helping teens change the way they eat is complex. We help them develop regular and nourishing eating patterns so they can learn to trust food and their bodies to reach their life goals. Learn more about outpatient nutrition counseling (PDF) (Spanish).
    
    This Adolescent Medicine Outpatient Eating Disorders Program does not have psychologists or mental health therapists. We partner with mental health providers from Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and from outside Seattle Children’s. Our social workers can support you in finding a therapist who has experience with eating disorders.
    
    Learn what to expect in the Outpatient Eating Disorders Program:

  • • What to Expect at Your Medical Evaluation (PDF) (Arabic) (Simplified Chinese) (Somali) (Spanish) (Vietnamese)
    • What to Expect During Treatment (PDF) (Arabic) (Russian) (Simplified Chinese) (Somali) (Spanish) (Vietnamese)
• Mental health care through Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine

  Mental health providers in our Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Program diagnose and treat eating disorders in children and teens ages 8 through 18. They focus on thoughts, emotions and behavior.

  Your child will need a referral from their PCP or mental health provider.

  Services include:

  • Eating disorder telehealth (virtual) evaluation — This is the starting point for outpatient mental health care for an eating disorder. It is a 1-time, 90-minute telehealth visit for you and your child or teen who has signs or symptoms that may be from an eating disorder.
    
    During the visit, you and your child see a psychologist or mental health therapist. The provider asks questions about your child’s symptoms, health history, thoughts, emotions and behavior. They review any details from the provider who referred your child. Before the end of the visit, they talk with you and your child about the diagnosis and recommend next steps for care.
  • Eating Disorders Outpatient Clinic — After an initial consultation, we may recommend outpatient mental health support for your child. This could include group therapy, family-based therapy, individual therapy or a combination.
    
    The Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Eating Disorders Outpatient Clinic provides short-term clinic-based therapy. If we do not have groups or appointments available, we will give you resources for finding a therapist who has experience with eating disorders.

In addition, Seattle Children’s provides hospital-based (inpatient) care for young people with eating disorders.

• Inpatient eating disorders care

  Children and teens may be admitted to Seattle Children’s (typically through the Emergency Department) if they have severe malnourishment due to an eating disorder or if they are in crisis due to complex mental health issues. Patients with eating disorders often receive both medical and mental health care during a hospital stay. We will adapt care to your child and family. Based on your child’s needs, we may recommend a medical admission (hospital stay) to safely restore nutrition, an admission to the Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine Unit to stabilize them during a mental health crisis or a combination of both.

• Support after leaving the hospital

  When your child is ready to leave the hospital, our Eating Disorder Hospital Transition Support Service can provide up to 4 weekly visits with a medical provider and a dietitian. They help your child transition from inpatient to outpatient care.