REPLAY March 30, 2015– 11 am PST
Available for REPLAY & DOWNLOAD
TITLE: “Center for Discovery – Teen and Child Eating Disorders”
SPECIAL GUEST: Jennifer Gorman & Dr. Jennifer Henretty
Read More About Center for Discovery
Allen and our audience are joined by Jennifer Gorman & Dr. Jennifer Henretty to discuss the newly revealed statistics surrounding the explosion of teen and child eating disorders in the U.S.
Quick to find a cause for these issues, images of ‘perceived beauty’ portrayed in every fashion magazine and television advertisement has obviously contributed to an increased obsession to be thin, but there’s a lot more to it than that. While these images, messages and advertisement may be detrimental to a proper self-image, they are NOT the reason so many children teens and adults are developing eating disorders.
For individuals experiencing negative coping mechanisms and/or mental illness, other contributing factors such as life situations, environment, and/or genetics can spiral them into a life-threatening eating disorders (or alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, OCD, etc.). It’s important to know that anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating are NOT about weight and food, but rather the result of complex psychological disorders where the sufferer is plagued with low self-esteem, an inability to cope with their own emotions and stress, and many underlying issues that have lead them down this path.
There are several factors that can contribute to the development of anorexia, bulimia, binge eating and other eating disorders. Eating disorders start as compulsive disorders and then develop into coping mechanisms for teens. In the beginning, the eating disorder may have helped the teen or adolescent manage stress or overwhelming feelings and emotions. Manipulating food can be a way for teens and adolescents to soothe themselves and provide distraction from the problems in their life. There are many different things that can contribute to the development of eating disorders including genetic predisposition, dieting, illness, medical procedures, social developmental influences, and family functioning style. One or more of these contributing factors can lead to emotional chaos that can be overwhelming and lead to obsessive thoughts. Many teens and adolescents may recognize the unusual nature of their compulsions and obsessions but are too afraid to talk about them.
The Center of Discovery has been helping teens and adolescents with eating disorders for over 17 years. They provide the personalized, intensive and effective treatment necessary to affect behavioral, social, emotional, and spiritual growth for teens and adolescents with eating disorders. While the symptoms of eating disorders are often similar, the staff at the Center are highly skilled in identifying the issues contributing to eating disorders can vary greatly from person to person. Understanding these individual variable is critical to providing effective and individualized treatment for teens and adolescents with eating disorders.
Residential treatment the Center is provided in a structured, nurturing environment, home-like and set in residential neighborhood where your teen and your family can be comforted and supported during the treatment process.
Dr. Jennifer Henretty graduated summa cum laude with her BA from Ohio Wesleyan University before going on to earn her MS and PhD at the University of Memphis. While attending the University of Memphis, Dr. Henretty was awarded the prestigious S. Howard Bartley Scholar Award and the Society of Psychotherapy Research’s Enrico E. Jones Memorial Award. Dr. Henretty has been in the therapeutic industry for over 10 years, treating eating disorders in both adolescent and adult populations.She has worked in inpatient, residential, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and outpatient settings.She has authored multiple publications, in such journals as Psychotherapy Research and Clinical Psychology Review. Dr. Henretty serves as a board member of the Los Angeles Chapter of the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals (IAEDP) and is the Director of Outcomes and Research and the Intensive Outpatient Program Director at Center for Discovery.
Jennifer Gorman has been specializing in the treatment of eating disorders and related issues since 1991. She received her education at the University of Arizona and the University of Phoenix, earning a Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology in 1993. Ms. Gorman joined Center for Discovery in 2002 where she has served as the Program Director of two different residential treatment centers. In her current position as the Director of Operations of Center for Discovery’s Eating Disorder Division, Ms. Gorman is responsible for overseeing the daily operations at all of Center for Discovery’s eating disorders facilities, providing support and guidance to the treatment teams.
