Anchor Psychological Services (Anchor) is a private practice offering specialized interdisciplinary treatment for eating disorders for individuals and families across the lifespan. Anchor was founded in 2013 by Drs. Mayman and Henderson, who each had extensive experience providing treatment, leading and building new treatment programs and protocols, and conducting research into eating disorders in their careers at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. They built the eating disorder treatment arm of Anchor to address the lack of expertise in and availability of specialized outpatient treatment for eating disorders. Treatment at Anchor is interdisciplinary and follows an integrative treatment model that is founded in Emotion Focused Family Therapy (EFFT). Clients can be self-referred to Anchor and it is a fee for service treatment centre. The treatment model at Anchor emphasizes the role of caregivers (parents, spouses, family members) in supporting a loved one to recover from an eating disorder. We believe firmly that no one should have to recover from an eating disorder in isolation without support. No matter an individual client’s age or life circumstances, we work hard to help the client include a supportive other in their treatment. We encourage each client to work with one of our specialized dietitians and psychologists. Our Anchor team will then work closely with the client’s family physician and other treatment professionals to ensure a coordinated treatment. Caregivers are trained in emotion coaching and recovery coaching, to help them support their loved one through the journey to recovery (caregivers can attend the 2 day caregiver workshop, family sessions, and/or caregiver sessions). Individual work with clients is focused on interrupting symptoms, normalizing eating, increasing coping skills, emotion processing, and undoing emotional avoidance. This work is done with a combination of Dialectical Behavioural Therapy (DBT) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), with a significant focus on Emotion Focused Therapy (EFT). Our clients will work with our Dietitian’s in individual and joint client/caregiver sessions on meal plans, normalizing their eating, and finally intuitive eating. Our clients will work with their psychologist on symptom interruption, new coping skills, emotion processing, recovery from all comorbid illnesses (depression, anxiety, substance use etc.) and finally building a fulfilling life designed to prevent relapse.
