Alsana's Adaptive Care Model®

Healing for the whole person.

The Adaptive Care Model is the foundation upon which all Alsana’s in-person and virtual treatment programs are built. This evidence-based, compassion-focused approach facilitates healing for the whole person; it consists of five interconnected dimensions of wellness: medical, nutritional, therapeutic, movement, and relational. Each of these dimensions plays a significant role in reducing eating disorders symptoms from admission to discharge.

Alsana leadership and treatment teams work collaboratively to develop, train, and create consistency within all our clinics. Within this framework, we put the client first, offering essential tools, compassion, and support as they work toward full eating disorder recovery.

Medical

We heal bodies and minds.

Our medical program is infused with compassion and designed to meet the unique recovery needs of each individual. Its purpose is to provide a physical foundation for lasting recovery and to educate clients about the physiologic changes they experience during the healing process. Care is provided by our multidisciplinary teams of attentive treatment professionals within an affirming, respectful environment.

Nutrition

We believe in and practice all-inclusive nutrition. Nutritional care is designed in alignment with our “all-inclusive nutrition” philosophy, which embraces flexibility and the enjoyment of foods without shame or self-judgment. Our goal is to create food neutrality by taking the moral judgment out of food and focusing on nourishment, flexibility, and pleasure in the nutritional healing process. Clients gain valuable culinary skills and nutrition education, and are encouraged to explore their personal and cultural connections with food. We believe in healing that reflects each client's unique life story and adapting their meal plan to embrace their journey to recovery.

Therapeutic We cultivate compassion.

Alsana provides a soft landing for clients by meeting them with care and understanding rather than rigidity. We take a de-shame and de-blame stance that empowers clients and honors their intrinsic wisdom. We offer empathetic understanding and thoughtful interventions to support clients in leaning into difficult emotions so they can be learned from, tolerated, and disentangled from harmful behavior. By providing evidence-based and compassionate care, we help clients to reduce self-criticism while building the foundation for a meaningful and fulfilling life.

Relational

We are accepting of all lived experiences. Alsana is committed to embracing and respecting client and staff diversity. This commitment includes diversity based on ethnicity, race, nationality, neurodiversity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, spirituality, ability, economic class, social class, and body shape and size. Our approach is to create an affirming environment where clients show up as their whole self, including the context of their culture, identities, and lived experiences. Alsana affirms the scientific evidence that oppression, including stigma and discrimination, has a significant negative impact on staff and clients’ mental health, physical health, and overall wellbeing. We provide affirming care and incorporate the client's community into their treatment process.

Movement

We support movement for every body.

The movement program employs a variety of evidence-based techniques that invite clients to explore their motivations and relationships with exercise. We rely on evidence-based, eating disorder-specific movement therapy interventions, with movement experientials that include a mix of sports, games, recreational outings, dance therapy, art, expressive therapies, walks, and stretching. We incorporate relaxation, yoga, meditation training, and psychoeducation about movement into the treatment experience.