Veritas Blog

Veritas Collaborative, a Specialty Behavioral Health Hospital for children and adolescents with eating disorder diagnoses, now offers nasogastric (NG) tube feeding services for patients determined to be in need of this treatment.

During the summer, the patients at Veritas Collaborative enjoy watching the metamorphosis of caterpillars to butterflies. These furry little creatures go through a great deal of change in two short weeks, similar to the remarkable changes our patients make during their recovery process here at Veritas.

Creative expression and authentic emotions are often silenced by the presence of an eating disorder. As a nonverbal language, art therapy can facilitate the process of slowly uncovering and unearthing the creative self that may be hidden under layers of shame and guilt.

The Veritas Collaborative Adolescent Program for eating disorders has expanded its services for the partial hospitalization level of care. The diverse program, now in a new unit within the existing facility, serves up to 12 patients with treatment six days a week.

Veritas Collaborative is proud to be the first-ever lead sponsor for the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedp™) Foundation’s Imagine Me Beyond What You See Mannequin Art Contest.

Veritas Collaborative is pleased to share with you our expanded scope of care in 2013. Our state-of-the-art adolescent treatment program now serves young adults 10-19 years of age for Inpatient, Residential, and Partial Hospitalization care. As always, we are honored to stand with families as we support these young persons in the work of recovery from devastating eating disorder mental illnesses.

This week is National Weight Stigma Awareness Week. BEDA, The Binge Eating Disorder Association, brings attention to fat bias in our culture, and the ways that we as individuals can fight this problem. 

On June 4, 2012, Veritas Collaborative opened its doors in Durham, North Carolina with the purpose of providing exceptional care for adolescents who are suffering from eating disorders. Since that day, our team has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to providing comprehensive, evidence-based care for our patients and their families, while creating a warm, inviting environment in which our patients can have the best possibility for recovery.

We are pleased to invite you to the Grand Opening and Symposium of Veritas Collaborative — A Specialty Behavioral Health Hospital for Young People & Center of Excellence for the Treatment of Eating Disorders.

For most adolescents, school is the place they spend the most time, energy, and attention. It is where they learn, socialize, eat, play, and make plans for their future.  When an adolescent is facing the possibility of needing a high level of care for an eating disorder, school issues can become a barrier to seeking inpatient/residential treatment.

Stuart Kaplan, MD, FAAP, the Veritas Collaborative Associate Medical Director – Pediatrics, was featured on News14 In Depth this morning.

Awarded by the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (iaedpTM), Veritas Collaborative’s Nutrition and Dietetic Services Manager, Alice Merritt, MPH, RD, LDN, earns her Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian certification.

NEDAwareness Week, the largest education and outreach effort on eating disorders in the United States, is taking place February 24 through March 2, 2013. This year’s theme is “Everybody knows somebody.”

Yoga is an ideal component of therapy for individuals with eating disorders. The word “yoga,” translated from Sanskrit, means yoke, the union of self with the divine, of mind and body. The practice fits in especially well with the therapeutic model that is followed at Veritas Collaborative, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy: learning radical acceptance while acknowledging the need for change.

Veritas Collaborative welcomed Holly Rogers, MD, Staff Psychiatrist at Duke University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, to share the principles outlined in her and Dr. Margaret Maytan’s new book, Mindfulness for the Next Generation:  Helping Emerging Adults Manage Stress and Lead Healthier Lives. The book is an easy-to-use guide detailing a four-session mindfulness-based program called ‘Koru,’ the symbol for mindfulness practice benefits – simultaneous growth and stability toward satisfaction in daily life.

Veritas Collaborative has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval™ for accreditation by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission’s national standards for health care quality and safety in behavioral health care. The accreditation award recognizes Veritas Collaborative’s dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission’s state-of-the-art standards.

As many of you are aware, eating disorders are among the most lethal of all psychiatric illnesses. Millions of people suffer with eating disorders in the United States, with young persons representing the majority of those newly identified with the illness.