New research published in Behavioral Sciences examines outcomes of the Family Integration Model in higher levels of care
MIAMI, June 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Galen Hope, a comprehensive eating disorder and mental health treatment program, announced the publication of a new study evaluating its Family Integration Model (FIM), a novel approach to involving family members and support people in the treatment of patients with eating disorders. The study, published June 24, 2026 in the peer-reviewed journal Behavioral Sciences, examined outcomes for 198 patients (137 adults and 61 adolescents) and found that the model was associated with significant improvements in eating disorder symptoms and depression for both adolescent and adult patients, as well as improvements in anxiety among adult patients receiving higher levels of care.
Family involvement has long been recognized as a critical component of eating disorder recovery, particularly for adolescents through family-based treatment. However, incorporating caregivers into treatment becomes more difficult at higher levels of care, such as partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, where patients often must travel away from home for treatment.
The Family Integration Model was developed to close that gap. The model is built on four core pillars: connection, education, collaboration, and continuity. It combines weekly family therapy, individual caregiver coaching, every-other-week caregiver support and skills groups, and a monthly “Family Day” of interactive, educational, and process-oriented programming. Importantly, the model is applied consistently across both adolescent and adult patients, a population not typically served together in family-inclusive treatment research.
Key findings from the study include:
- Both adult and adolescent patients showed statistically significant, large reductions in eating disorder symptoms from admission to discharge.
- Adults and adolescents reported significant reductions in depression.
- Adults showed significant improvement in anxiety symptoms; adolescent anxiety outcomes were less clear, consistent with prior research in this population.
- Patients who entered treatment with high-severity symptoms showed comparable improvements to the overall sample, suggesting the model may benefit even the most acute cases.
- Family members and support people reported high satisfaction with Family Day programming across all measured categories, including communication skills training, multifamily groups, and overall experience.
“Families deserve more than updates on their loved one’s treatment. They deserve the knowledge, skills, and confidence to actively support recovery,” said Alicia Alvarez, Assistant Clinical Director and Director of Family Programming at Galen Hope. “That’s why we created the Family Integration Model. Through parent coaching, family therapy, Family Day, and online programming, we’ve seen families transform the way they understand treatment and recovery, gaining the tools and confidence to walk alongside their loved one throughout the journey. Watching families leave our program feeling more connected, capable, and empowered is one of the greatest validations of the work we do.”
Study authors noted that caregivers of individuals with eating disorders frequently experience high levels of stress, isolation, and uncertainty about how best to support their loved one’s recovery. The Family Integration Model was designed not only to support patient outcomes but to equip caregivers with practical skills and a sense of community with other families navigating similar challenges. As one Family Day participant put it in the study’s satisfaction survey, the program “goes to extraordinary lengths to engage client families at every step of the process.”
The study’s authors include Renée D. Rienecke, PhD, FAED; Maria Bazo Perez, PhD; Amy Boyers, PhD; and Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, MD, of Galen Hope. Dr. Rienecke is also affiliated with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University.
The full study, “A Novel Approach to the Involvement of Loved Ones in the Treatment of Individuals with Eating Disorders: The Family Integration Model,” is open access and available at: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs16071049
About Galen Hope
Galen Hope is a physician-led, comprehensive mental health and eating disorder treatment center based in South Florida, serving adolescents and adults from across the United States and beyond. Founded by Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt and Dr. Amy Boyers, Galen Hope provides individualized, evidence-based care at the residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), and intensive outpatient (IOP) levels, along with clinically supported housing options.
The program treats primary eating disorders, primary mental health conditions, and complex dual diagnoses through a care model grounded in connection, community integration, and family involvement. Each client is supported by an integrated multidisciplinary team that may include psychiatry, internal medicine, nursing, therapy, and nutrition, along with Galen Hope’s unique Care Partner model, which pairs clients with a dedicated, trained mentor throughout treatment.
Galen Hope was named a 2025 MBC Impact Award winner by Greenspace Health in the Performance and Outcomes, Highest Average Symptom Improvement category. The recognition reflects Galen Hope’s use of measurement-based care to monitor clinical outcomes, guide treatment decisions, and support meaningful symptom improvement across its client population.
For more information, visit www.galenhope.com or call 866-393-6258.
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SOURCE Galen Hope Holdings, LLC
