The Holiday Season and Eating Disorders

Thrive • November 5, 2020

How Intuitive Eating Can Help Brighten the Holiday Season

Festivities, friends, and family give the holiday season a cheerful glow and wraps a bow around the past year. We treat ourselves to mellow winter days and partake in merry meals surrounded by loved ones.

But unfortunately for individuals struggling with an eating disorder, the holiday season can be the most dreaded time of year, partially because there is such a large emphasis on food. Most gatherings center around food and drinks. And everywhere you look, there are pictures, commercials, and billboards of holiday feasts, fancy silverware, sweet treats, and new recipes. Seeing, hearing and/or talking about food during the holidays is almost unavoidable.

For many of us, this is a joyous time, and we look forward to gathering around the dinner table, eating a holiday feast with our loved ones. But for those battling an eating disorder, the season’s emphasis on food can increase fear, anxiety, stress and even the symptoms of the eating disorder itself.

Fortunately, intuitive eating can be used as a healthy strategy for individuals with eating disorders to cope with food anxiety and embrace the holiday season. Intuitive eating is an approach to food that has nothing to do with diets, meal plans, discipline or willpower. It teaches individuals how to get in touch with their body cues, like hunger, fullness and satisfaction. The concept challenges the false notion that there is good and bad food. Instead, there is no such thing as good or bad food, and all food is beautiful. Realizing that all food is beautiful opens the door to a new food journey. By listening to what the body is craving, and paying attention to hunger and fullness cues, individuals can begin to develop a healthy relationship with food and their bodies.

Another important aspect of intuitive eating is to practice mindful awareness by tuning into your senses. Notice how the food smells, tastes, and makes you feel. Appreciate the different colors and shapes on your plate. By tuning into their senses, individuals are more likely to enjoy the dining experience and be satisfied with their meal. Mindful eating can help all of us honor our body’s hunger and fullness, and allow us to nourish our bodies, minds and spirits with sustenance that we need and enjoy.

How to Support Someone Struggling With an Eating Disorder 

We always want what is best for our loved ones, especially during the holidays when we center our activities around family and friendship. When a loved one is struggling with an eating disorder, we need to act as a support system for them. Here are some ways to help a loved one through this difficult time:

  • Educate yourself on eating disorders. The more educated you are, the more likely you are to understand and identify the difference between facts and myths.

  • Be honest, and use “I” statements. Honesty is always the best policy. When addressing your loved one, use “I” statements so they do not feel attacked. For example you could say “I feel like you have not been acting like yourself lately” instead of “you are not yourself anymore.”

  • Be patient, kind and supportive. Your loved one cannot heal their relationship with food overnight. It takes time, and there will be good days and bad days. You need to be someone who will encourage them, not criticize them.

  • Encourage them to seek professional help. Eating disorders are complex and greatly impact physical and mental health. Instead of facing an eating disorder alone, individuals should rely on specialists to help them heal. Seeking professional help is the first step to recovery.

We have your back!

Thrive’s team of mental and physical health professionals specialize in treating eating disorders. Because eating disorders affect your mental and physical health, we use a holistic approach that examines the individual’s physical, emotional, social and spiritual wellbeing.

We offer an intensive outpatient program (IOP) and a partial hospitalization day treatment program (PHP) designed to support those struggling with eating disorders. We also host a free eating disorder recovery support group that meets every Tuesday at 5 p.m. To learn more about our programs and support groups, click here. Let’s get through this together!

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By Erin McGinty Fort, MS, MHA, CPC, LPC-S, CEDS-C December 18, 2025
Sometimes, people need more support, structure, and monitoring than the typical outpatient setting can provide. When this happens, the treatment team will usually recommend that someone be "stepped up" to a different level of care, or program, that can better meet their needs. I like to think of it as being similar to medication dosages; people need different strengths of medications, or dosages, to get better when they're sick. Stepping someone up to a higher level of care is like increasing the dosage of a medication to match the severity of their symptoms. How Are Higher Levels of Care Different from Standard Outpatient Care? At the core of differentiating higher levels of care from standard outpatient care is the intensity and structure of the treatment. Higher level of care programs tend to offer more days of treatment each week and more hours of treatment per day than in the outpatient setting. Those in higher level of care programs may also meet with their treatment team members more frequently each week. There are more staff present to support someone at or after meals and snacks, or to help those who are having urges to engage in compulsions or other harmful behaviors. Clients in our HLOC programs get access to an assortment of treatment modalities tailored to their individual needs, including personalized therapy sessions, group support, medication management, medical nutrition therapy with a dietitian, and check-ins with our primary care providers. We support clients with personalized treatment plans and regular assessments to monitor and tweak interventions as needed. Higher levels of care also offer increased peer interaction and support. Intensive programs incorporate additional group therapy sessions, which can help those in treatment feel less alone as well as create a greater sense of community. For some people, it can be difficult to devote the time and energy needed to recover while also balancing other responsibilities like school or work. Stepping up to more intensive levels of care allows people to fully dedicate themselves to recovery. As they get better and make progress, a person may be stepped back down to a less intensive level of care to start practicing their recovery in their usual home, school, or work settings while also receiving professional support from their treatment team. What Levels of Care are Available? At Thrive Wellness, we offer four different levels of care to help clients step up (or down) in their treatment when needed: -  Outpatient Treatment - weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings with a therapist, psychiatrist, primary care provider, and/or dietitian. - Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) - A minimum of three hours per day, three days per week. - Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) - A minimum of six hours per day, five days per week. - Residential Treatment - Coming soon in 2026, The Greenhouse at Thrive will offer residential treatment for eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. This level of care offers 24-hour support for those aged 12-24 living in our residential treatment center. How To Decide Which Level of Care is Right for You If you're unsure which option is right for you or your loved one, we offer a free assessment that can be completed with our admissions team. In this initial assessment, we'll gather information from you about what you're struggling with, speak with our team of providers, and then make a recommendation for what level of care we feel is the best fit for you and your needs. If you’re experiencing symptoms of an eating disorder, anxiety disorder, or other behavioral or mental health challenges, don’t hesitate to reach out. To get started with our intake process, give us a call at 775-525-8103 or fill out this form . We can’t wait to help you Thrive.
December 2, 2025
Like the fir tree, a symbol of endurance rooted in hope, our Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR) approach reflects the strength that grows when families face challenges together. At our new residential center “The Greenhouse”, FIR is more than a treatment model, it’s a philosophy of healing that places families at the heart of recovery for adolescents and young adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We believe lasting healing doesn’t happen in isolation; it’s built with the support of families through perseverance, hope, and compassionate care. What Is Family Inclusive Recovery (FIR)? Family Intensive Recovery (FIR) is a specialized and immersive approach that actively engages caregivers as central agents in their child’s healing process. Rather than seeing families as contributors to a problem, we view them as essential partners in recovery. Drawing from two evidence-based frameworks, Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE) and Family-Based Treatment (FBT), FIR helps families cultivate resilience, confidence, and connection throughout the journey to recovery. Grounded in SPACE and FBT Through the SPACE model, parents learn how to recognize and reduce well-intentioned but unhelpful behaviors known as accommodations that can reinforce anxiety and OCD symptoms. By shifting from rescuing to supporting and challenging, parents develop the confidence to guide their child through discomfort, helping them build distress tolerance and self-trust. Simultaneously, Family-Based Treatment (FBT) empowers families to take an active, compassionate role in their child’s nutritional and emotional recovery. Parents learn how to support weight and nutritional restoration, disrupt the eating disorder’s patterns, and reestablish boundaries that promote health and growing autonomy. Together, these approaches strengthen both the individual and family system, allowing recovery to take root within an environment of empathy and optimism. From Blame to Collaboration A cornerstone of the FIR model is removing blame. At Thrive, parents are not viewed as the cause of their child’s struggles, but rather as key partners in recovery. Treatment focuses on joining forces to create a safe, supportive environment where: Families learn to sit with their child's discomfort alongside them without rushing to fix or control it. Parents practice compassionate firmness, setting boundaries grounded in care and safety. Teens and caregivers rebuild trust through open, honest communication. This collaborative framework helps families reestablish a sense of connection and confidence, fostering long-term resilience and open communication that extends beyond the treatment setting. Why Family Matters in Recovery Recovery from eating disorders, OCD, or anxiety isn’t a one-person job, it requires integrated care including the family. When families learn to navigate challenges together, they can model emotional regulation, reinforce healthy boundaries, and create conditions for sustained recovery. Through FIR, we aim to strengthen attachment bonds, reshape family interactions, and empower every member of the family to grow. The result is not only symptom reduction but also a deeper sense of unity, hope, and shared endurance, just like the steadfast fir tree that stands resilient through every season. Moving Toward Hope Family Inclusive Recovery invites caregivers and loved ones to become active participants in change. It’s a journey of learning, letting go, and leaning into love and acceptance. Together, families and clinicians can cultivate the courage in clients to face uncertainty, and in doing so, help them discover that recovery is not just possible, but enduring. If you’d like to learn more about Family Intensive Recovery at The Greenhouse or how we support families in eating disorder and OCD treatment, reach out to our team today.
November 14, 2025
The Greenhouse at Thrive Wellness A New Chapter of Hope and Healing in Nevada On Friday, November 14 , we gathered with our partners at Molina Healthcare to share an important moment for our community. Together, we celebrated Molina’s generous $50,000 grant , an investment that is helping bring The Greenhouse to life. Their support is not only a financial contribution—it’s a statement of belief in the young people and families of Nevada who deserve access to compassionate, evidence-based mental healthcare close to home. This gathering marked the beginning of something we’ve dreamed about for years: a place designed specifically for adolescents and emerging adults to receive the care, connection, and support they need during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Something New Is Growing In early 2026 , Thrive Wellness will open The Greenhouse , Nevada’s first residential treatment center devoted to adolescents and emerging adults navigating eating disorders, anxiety, and OCD . For too long, families have faced a heartbreaking dilemma—send their child far from home for treatment or go without the specialized care they need. The Greenhouse is our answer to that gap. It will be a place where young people can settle into an environment built for healing, where they are understood, supported, and surrounded by a team that believes in their capacity to recover. The Greenhouse represents a natural extension of our mission. It’s a living expression of our belief that recovery is possible—and that with the right support, families can find their footing again. 
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