Contemplating Treatment? Let's Talk Admissions

Send us Fan MailThe hardest part of getting help is often the moment before help begins: that first phone call. We sit down with Alycia Aldieri, a behavioral health professional, who leads admissions for eating disorder treatment programs, to explain what “higher level of care” actually looks like from the inside and how the admissions process can be supportive, clear, and deeply human.We walk through the real flow of admissions step by step: the first call that gathers basics and offers validation, the deeper clinical screening that reviews mental health history and eating disorder behaviors, and the practical pieces people worry about most like insurance verification, cost expectations, bed availability, and waitlists. Alycia shares how her team sets a “boutique” standard for caller experience so you are not repeating yourself, guessing what comes next, or feeling like a number.From there, we dig into the emotions that derail decisions. What do you do when fear shows up as twenty questions in an email? How do you respond to “I’m not ready” when an eating disorder thrives on delay? We talk about reading online reviews without letting anxiety drive the narrative, addressing concerns about treatment trauma, and answering parent fears about whether a teen might “learn” new behaviors in care. Alycia also explains the guardrails that protect clients, including supervision, boundaries, and what happens when someone cannot comply with safety expectations.If you are contemplating residential treatment, PHP, IOP, or any other level of eating disorder care, let this conversation be your map and your reminder that willingness can exist alongside anger, grief, and anxiety. Subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review so more people can find steady guidance when they are ready to reach out.https://odysseybehavioralhealth.com/ Show notes:Trigger warning: this show is not medical, nutrition, or mental health treatment and is not a replacement for meeting with a Registered Dietitian, Licensed Mental Health Provider, or any other medical provider. You can find resources for how to find a provider, as well as crisis resources, in the show notes. Listener discretion is advised.Resource links:Hilltop Behavioral Health: https://hilltopbehavioralhealth.com/ Alliance for Eating Disorders: https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/ ANAD: https://anad.org/NEDA: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/NAMI: https://nami.org/homeAction Alliance: https://theactionalliance.org/NIH: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/How to find a provider: https://map.nationaleatingdisorders.org/https://www.psychologytoday.com/ushttps://www.healthprofs.com/us/nutritionists-dietitians?tr=Hdr_BrandSuicide & crisis awareness hotline: call 988 (available 24/7)Eating Disorder hotline: call or text 800-931-2237 (Phone line is available Monday-Thursday 11 am-9 pm ET and Friday 11 am-5 pm ET; text line is available Monday-Thursday 3-6 pm ET and Friday 1-5 pm ET)If you are experiencing a psychiatric or medical emergency, please call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.Support the show