Changing behavior to change lives
New research from top universities shows that overweight children are likely to become more and more overweight, and that nearly 80% of overweight teens will become obese adults. In addition, overweight teenagers often face social and psychological challenges that can have permanent effects. The health risks associated with being overweight are well documented and include cardiovascular, orthopaedic, gastrointestinal, respiratory, hormonal, neurological, and metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Research involving adults shows that modest weight loss (a decrease of less than 10%) can produce beneficial health effects and that the heaviest people benefit most from even a modest decrease in weight.
Wellspring believes that radical "weight loss" regimens or restrictive diets of fat camps will not be successful over the long run. Wellspring's clinical program includes cognitive behavioral therapy, dietary therapy, and physical activity and has been proven successful in helping children, adolescents and young adults lose weight and keep it off.
Wellspring's Clinical Program
Wellspring starts by training campers intensively on the set of behaviors proven by research to sustain weight loss permanently such as self-monitoring, journaling, goal-setting and contracting. This is in addition to the nutrition and culinary training campers receive. Then Wellspring Behavioral Coaches (Masters- or Doctoral-level psychologists or social workers) work with campers to overcome any barriers to mastering these behaviors.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can help overweight people manage their biology more effectively. CBT helps them become better self-regulators who can set effective goals, observe themselves systematically, stay committed and manage the stress of everyday living.
Research published in the 1990s compared very overweight children who had received CBT for weight loss with equally overweight children who didn’t received this treatment (the control group). Ten years later, the control group actually gained weight and averaged 60% overweight whereas the CBT group lost weight and averaged only 30% overweight.
Wellspring campers receive at least 4 sessions of CBT each week – twice in group, and twice in individual session. A typical group CBT session at Wellspring is as follows:- Review of each student’s accomplishments in the prior day(s). The tone of these reviews will be consistently positive, oriented to problem solving and reinforcement of specific accomplishments.
- Integration of a CBT/weight control topic, such as stimulus control, 5-step problem solving, decisional counseling, and stress management/coping.
- Quiz (on readings assigned in the prior session).
- Assignment of new readings.
- Review of behavioral contracts (goals).
- Individual sessions will also review progress and self-monitoring journals, focusing on the details of each student’s efforts.
CBT utilizes methods such as iterative goal-setting, stimulus control, decision counseling, rational emotive therapy, relapse prevention training, positive focusing, and improving frustration tolerance and stress management. Many campers will take to these behaviors like fish to water. Others will have emotional issues to address and overcome before they can be successful. (Researchers have concluded that obese people are 25-44% more likely to suffer from clinical depression than non-obese people.) By meeting at least four times each week with Wellspring Behavioral Coaches, campers become master weight controllers. This process is facilitated by the ongoing weight loss, which improves self-esteem, body image, energy, and general willingness to engage in the Program.
Wellspring Behavioral Coaches are professional clinicians under the direct supervision of the Clinical Director of Healthy Living Academies, nationally renowned weight control expert Dr. Daniel Kirschenbaum, a professor at Northwestern University Medical School. In addition to lasting behavioral change and immediate improvements in physical health and well-being, other important results will be marked improvements in self-image and mood. In a very real sense, Wellspring changes habits and lives.
