Our Treatment Philosophy

Eating disorders are complex medical conditions steered by powerful but poorly understood genetics and brain chemistry. At Kartini Clinic we practice in the knowledge that parents do not cause eating disorders and children do not choose to have them.

• Kartini Clinic practices only family-centered treatment. Recent clinical trials have shown this to be more effective than other forms of treatment for children and young adults. We also believe family centered treatment is the most compassionate eating disorder treatment available.

Our Treatment Program

By using evidence-based methods to achieve medical stabilization – combined with family, group, and individual psychotherapies, where appropriate – we help our patients achieve lasting physiological and psychological remission as well as personal healing and growth.

• Kartini Clinic is not a psychiatric program. We are a medical pediatric eating disorder program. We don’t believe children with medical conditions such as anorexia should be treated alongside substance abuse or dangerous behavioral issues. And many so-called “dual diagnosis” are more appropriate to young adults. Very few are specialists in pediatric eating disorders.
• Our programs are always age appropriate. We understand that children are not “little adults”. Our program caters specifically to the special developmental needs of children.

Our Treatment Team

We work together as a multidisciplinary team of medical doctors, nurse practitioners and psychotherapists.

• Kartini Clinic is run by pediatricians. We have a strong medical emphasis based on prompt, adequate weight restoration as a prerequisite to normal growth and development.
• Kartini Clinic patients are cared for by the exact same team of doctors and therapists at every level of care. Truly coordinated care under one roof is unfortunately all too rare in the world of eating disorder treatment. Insist on a program that provides coordinated care from a single team from the moment your child arrives to the day they return home.

Admissions

We take great care to ensure that our families thoroughly understand and agree with our diagnosis and treatment recommendations. Sometimes we determine that a child does not in fact have an eating disorder. Such “rule out consults” are every bit as important as an accurate diagnosis!

• We provide no cost, phone-based admission interviews to ensure we understand all of your concerns about possible treatment. And we have extensive experience with non-English speaking families as well.
• Kartini Clinic is committed to transparency of treatment costs. That’s why we spend time at the beginning of the admissions process to understand exactly what your insurance covers. We also work extensively with Medicaid programs. Please see our Insurance page for more details. And we always provide written estimates of any out-of-pocket costs before treatment begins. If you are considering a program that doesn’t do the same, we recommend you look elsewhere.
• We can provide housing through the Ronald McDonald House charities. For those traveling more than 20 miles for treatment, we may be able to provide assistance with housing through a referral to our local Ronald McDonald house, an outstanding charity that houses many of our patients and their families together. Best of all, it’s a mere 5 minute walk from Randall Children’s Hospital and our facility.

Choosing a Program

Obviously there is more to finding the best program for your child than searching for the “best eating disorder treatment near me”. Whether looking for residential eating disorder programs, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, or outpatient eating disorder treatment options, we believe the most important aspects of treatment are knowledge, compassion and trust. Since 1998 have treated thousands of children – boys, girls and non-binary – with all forms of disordered eating. You will not find a more dedicated and compassionate group of pediatric eating disorder specialists anywhere in the country. Ultimately, we strive to deliver the kind of eating disorder treatment we would be satisfied sending our own children to.

For more specific information about our treatment programs you may submit an online request below or simply call us at 971-319-6800 and speak to our intake coordinator.