New eating disorder program opens at Renfrew Center

BY MICHAEL J. ANTHONY

To meet the needs of increasing numbers of South Florida women who suffer from eating disorders and body image issues, the Renfrew Center, the nation's leading organization specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, has expanded to the Miami area. The new facility is located at 151 Majorca Ave., Coral Gables.

The Renfrew Center of Miami will provide a variety of services for women and adolescents, including an intensive, five-day-a-week program for women suffering from anorexia, bulimia and compulsive overeating. The program includes mealtime support therapy at lunch and dinner, family and group therapy, nutrition education and creative art therapy.

Among the other services of the Renfrew Center of Miami are individual, family and group therapy, an alumni group for women in recovery, as well as nutrition counseling and psychiatric consultation. Most of the services offered by the new facility are covered by insurance. Bilingual treatment is available upon request.

South Florida mental health experts Paula Levine, PhD, and Susan Scholz-Rubin, PhD, have been named directors of the new outpatient center. They have been in practice in Miami for 25 years.

According to Dr. Levine, the Renfrew Center selected the Coral Gables location to make Renfrew services more accessible to adolescents, women, and families in Miami-Dade County. The facility expands the Renfrew Center's presence in South Florida, where it has operated a residential facility and outpatient program in Coconut Creek and other Broward County locations since 1990.

Jennifer Pankow, LMHC, director of Renfrew's Miami Day Treatment Program, noted that body image and related self-esteem issues are particularly prevalent among women in South Florida's image-conscious culture.

Gayle Brooks, PhD, vice president and clinical director of the Renfrew Center, said that the new Miami facility has been designed to provide a comfortable, non-institutional setting to facilitate a sense of safety and community, a hallmark of all Renfrew Center programs.

"The Renfrew Center has been recognized nationally for its leadership in providing programs for teens and women, whether they are dealing with issues of self-esteem and relationships or life-threatening eating disorders," Dr. Brooks said. "What is special about the Renfrew Center is our respect for each woman's individuality and our emphasis on an interactive, collaborative approach with women and families."

Dr. Levine and Dr. Scholz-Rubin, who also are directors of the Miami Counseling and Resource Center, emphasize the importance of early intervention, the treatment of psychological distress and the appropriate management of medical symptoms. They advocate an approach that empowers women to heal in a supportive, safe environment.

The Renfrew Center was established as the nation's first freestanding facility exclusively dedicated to treating eating disorders and other women's mental health issues. Since 1985, the Renfrew Center has treated more than 15,000 women and adolescent girls suffering from anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and related issues. It operates residential facilities in Philadelphia, PA, and Coconut Creek, FL, and outpatient sites in Miami-Dade County; Manhattan and Long Island, NY; Northern New Jersey; Bryn Mawr and Bucks County, PA, and Southern Connecticut.

To request free information about eating disorders and services of the Renfrew Center, call 1-800-RENFREW.