At Opal Food+Body, we understand that Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy, or RO DBT, is a helpful treatment for eating disorders.
Our holistic approach to eating disorder recovery blends community support with personalized therapy to help you uncover the underlying causes of your eating disorder. Through Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO-DBT), we focus on fostering emotional openness, flexibility, and self-compassion—key elements in building sustainable recovery. Together, we’ll explore the “whys” behind your behaviors and develop healthier ways to cope. With three levels of care available at our Seattle clinic, we’re here to support you every step of the way toward a fulfilling life in recovery.
What is RO-DBT?
RO DBT is an evidence-based treatment targeting disorders characterized by excessive self-control, or disorders of overcontrol including anorexia nervosa, chronic depression, treatment-resistant anxiety, and maladaptive perfectionism. RO DBT is the only evidence-based treatment for adult anorexia nervosa and has been informed by 20 years of clinical and experimental research.
RO DBT introduces a unique thesis regarding the mechanism by which overcontrolled behavior leads to psychological distress by linking neuoregulation theory and the communicative functions of emotional expression to the formation of close social bonds.
How Do We Teach RO-DBT to Clients?
Clients in Opal’s higher level of care will participate in RO-DBT skills class twice weekly and RO-DBT skills are encouraged and used by staff regularly. Individual RO-DBT skills class are available to outpatient clients and to community members.
RO-DBT + Nutrition at Opal
We have brought our non-diet, food positive approach together with the RO-DBT approach. This unique combination has led to our community being a place where clients eat and are nourished fully during their treatment hours.
RO-DBT Meal Support includes:
-Allowing staff and clients to talk about food at meal times.
-Seeing eating as a choice and something that all humans can do.
-Emphasizing social connection through food and eating.
-Emotions while eating is normal and leads to social connection.
-Reinforcing direct, verbal communication versus using eating disorder as a means to communicate indirectly
RO asks, "Would the eating disorder be out of business if strong connection, psychological flexibility and behavioral adaptability were present?"
RO would propose, "Right now you are going to have pain if you eat and pain if you do not eat, so the question is which pain gets you closer to the life you want to live"
At Opal, we offer:
- Individual therapy, nutrition counseling, psychiatry, exercise experientials and family/relationship therapy available at the PHP and IOP levels of care.
- Health at Every Size, weight-neutral treatment approach
- Non-diet approach to food. Meals and snacks provided offer a wide variety of foods (highly processed, fresh, organic, non-organic, home-cooked, frozen, easy to prepare, etc.)
- Eating at meals and snacks are done with other clients and staff, as a community.
- A belief that adequate food intake is a foundational step in recovery.
- Exercise + Sport programming, which addresses exercise bulimia, exercise avoidance, and other exercise concerns
- Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as a foundational treatment
- Group therapy including body wisdom group, movement group, self-inquiry, process groups, facing fears and more.
- Teaching/Didactic groups including Radically Open Dialectical Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Exercise + Sport Didactic, Health at Every Size Didactic, etc.
- Non-clinical lodging for PHP clients to use while in treatment is available for a weekly fee, as space available.
- Alumni outpatient groups
“RO-DBT is helping me be more flexible and less stuck in rigid thinking, which makes it easier to challenge eating disorder thoughts. Re-thinking Exercise and Sport group is helping me see movement as a form of caring for my body vs wanting control / compulsive exercise.”
— Opal client
“RO-DBT provides insight into a lot of my common behaviors and personality traits and encourages me to seek flexibility and openness throughout my life — both as pertaining to eating disorder recovery (eg receiving feedback from dietician or opening up to friends). Self-Inquiry also prompts me to challenge my common thought patterns and consider what I might be missing, with a focus on exploration and growth that I find inspiring and helpful. I’ve enjoyed the movement/sports nutrition group because of the opportunities to learn more about biological aspects of food and nutrition, especially as an active person.” – Opal client
