We know how challenging it can be when your child is diagnosed with an eating disorder. The Eating Disorder Assessment and Treatment Program at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) offers families three levels of outpatient treatment. The Intensive Outpatient Program is for youth who need more care than is possible with weekly outpatient appointments, but who don’t require hospitalization or our Partial Hospitalization Program.

We believe people can fully recover from eating disorders by focusing on integrating physical and mental health.

Patients start their IOP treatment with four days of programming, Monday through Thursday, 2 – 5 p.m. As they progress, they may “step-down” to fewer days over the course of treatment.

What to expect

Youth in the IOP will attend a variety of group therapy sessions each day. This may include dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance-based skills, cognitive remediation therapy and groups that focus on anxiety and shame and resilience. The day also includes a supervised snack.

The IOP is held at CHOP’s Center for Advanced Behavioral Healthcare.

Families are key to treatment

Families are integral to treatment. Family members participate in family therapy sessions once a week, for individualized support and guidance using the evidence-based model of Family-Based Treatment. Parents or caregivers also attend the full Family Day each Wednesday, when they will participate in parent-only psychoeducation and support groups, have family snack with their child, and join multi-family group sessions with other IOP families.

Meet the team

CHOP’s Eating Disorders Programs are a joint effort of the Craig-Dalsimer Division of Adolescent Medicine and the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Behavioral Science. Youth in the program receive care from an adolescent medicine physician, a psychiatrist, psychologists, therapists and a nutritionist.