Changing Behavior For Long-Term Health And Fitness
New research from top universities shows that overweight children are likely to become more and more overweight, and that nearly 90% of overweight teens will become obese adults. Overweight teens and young adults often face negative psychological, social, and medical repercussions as well. Long-term weight loss is not easy, and overweight youth and young adults need every possible tool to help them on their weight loss journey.
Wellspring’s Clinical Program
Knowing the many challenges faced by overweight children, teens, and young adults, Wellspring researchers have developed a clinical program designed to empower campers with the knowledge, skills and confidence they need to be successful long-term weight controllers.
Wellspring’s clinical program includes cognitive behavioral therapy, dietary management, nutrition and culinary training, and activity management – which has proven successful in helping children, adolescents, and adults lose weight and keep it off.
We also offer a specialized Binge Eating Program for those who have been clinically diagnosed with binge eating disorder.
Success Through Behavior Modification And Mindfulness
Wellspring starts by teaching campers the set of self-regulatory skills proven by research to help sustain weight loss permanently – such as self-monitoring, journaling, goal-setting and contracting. This is in addition to the nutrition and culinary training campers receive. Then Wellspring Behavioral Coaches (Masters or Doctoral level clinicians or candidates in psychology, social work or related fields) work with campers to overcome any barriers to mastering these behaviors. Our clinicians are called Behavioral Coaches because they actively coach campers toward achieving their goals which often include successful, healthy, long-term weight control. The clinical program at Wellspring is comparable to the coaching that world-class athletes receive from sports psychologists – encouraging them to engage in the consistent behaviors necessary to sustain long-term change.
CBT For Weight Loss
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help overweight people manage their biology more effectively. CBT helps them become better self-regulators who can set effective goals, observe themselves systematically, stay committed and manage the stress of everyday living.
Research published in the 1990s compared very overweight children who had receive CBT for weight loss with equally overweight children who didn’t received this treatment (the control group).
Ten years later, the control group actually gained weight and averaged 60% overweight whereas the CBT group lost weight and averaged only 30% overweight.
Wellspring campers receive 1 individual and two small group CBT sessions per week. A typical group CBT session at Wellspring is as follows:
- Review of each camper’s accomplishments in the prior day(s). The tone of these reviews will be consistently positive, oriented to problem solving and reinforcement of specific accomplishments.
- Integration of a CBT/weight control topic, such as stimulus control, 5-step problem solving, decisional counseling, and stress management/coping.
- Learning a Dealing Skill
- A Mindfulness Activity
- Goal Setting
- Individual sessions will also review progress and self-monitoring journals, focusing on the details of each camper’s efforts.
CBT utilizes methods such as iterative goal-setting, stimulus control, decision counseling, rational emotive therapy, relapse prevention training, positive focusing, and improving frustration tolerance and stress management. Many campers will take to these behaviors like fish to water. Others will have emotional issues to address and overcome before they can be successful. (Researchers have concluded that obese people are 25-44% more likely to suffer from clinical depression than non-obese people.)
DBT Informed Programming
Wellspring also utilizes Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) informed techniques. DBT focuses on the concept of change and acceptance. It’s efficacy has been shown when w