Eating disorders are too often battles fought in silence, but the CIRCARA Disordered Eating & Nutrition Services program at CREOKS gives a voice to those who struggle with disordered eating issues and empowers clients to boldly reclaim their story. CIRCARA is one of the few programs in Oklahoma offering full-scope of outpatient eating-disorder care in a community health setting.
Director of Psychological & Allied Health Services, Heather Gilliam shared, “Our name CIRCARA points to the multi-disciplinary circle-of-care that is essential to treatment for disordered eating and related concerns. “Best practices include visits with an individual and family therapist, dietitian and a medical provider.”
Setting up clients for sustainable healing, the circle-of-care approach tackles all aspects of eating disorders. Along with medical professionals, often a client’s loved ones are also invited on the recovery journey. Surrounded by support, isolation is no longer a constraint to healing.
Serving All Types of Disordered Eating
Misconceptions surrounding disordered eating plague the cultural conversation, and the CIRCARA team is eager to address them. Special Programs Therapist, Cori Loffer explained, “eating disorders can exist across all body sizes, genders, ages and backgrounds. Often, the most severe struggles are not visible from the outside.”
Common Eating Disorders and Concerns:
• Anorexia Nervosa
• Bulimia Nervosa
• Binge Eating Disorder
• Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder
• Orthorexia
• Compulsive Exercise
• Body image concerns
• Disordered eating pattens
Registered Dietitian, Adriana Tucker warned against the concept of needing to be sick enough before seeking help. “You cannot judge yourself for ‘not looking sick enough’ or ‘not looking like someone with an eating disorder.’ Do not let that stop you from seeking help.”
Meeting the Need
Eating-disorder services are extremely limited in Oklahoma. As more clients began presenting with disordered-eating symptoms, nutritional instability, and body-image concerns, CREOKS recognized the need for a dedicated solution.
Because of cost and limited access, many clients with eating-disorder symptoms were going without treatment.
“CREOKS wanted to close that gap and make evidence-based eating disorder care accessible in communities that are typically underserved,” Loffer said.
In keeping with the inclusive circle-of-care design, “CIRCARA is uniquely positioned within the CREOKS CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) space,” Gilliam said. “Most of our patients have case management support as well as access to other features of state, federal and grant-funded program support.” We are proud to be a gender, age and managed care inclusive resource in Oklahoma.
You are Not Alone
The CIRCARA program is the antidote to suffering in silence for marginalized people and serves as a reminder that eating disorder recovery is more manageable when an entire support team guides the pathway to wellness. “Many people walk alone in their mental health and therapeutic journey, but I love the way eating disorder care (when it is done well) incorporates family and social support,” Gilliam added, “Together is the most ideal pathway to wellbeing.”