By David Romero, Executive Director, Mirasol Eating Disorder Recovery Centers
Many visitors to our 10-bed facility have asked us why we call it “Transformational Living Center” (rather than a “transitional living center”). The answer has its roots in an ongoing debate within the therapeutic community regarding the type of environment that supports positive change.
It is widely accepted that behavioral changes are never accomplished with a single step. Instead, personal growth has many different stages, and individuals move gradually through the process as they acquire new tools and skills.
A central tenet of Mirasol’s treatment philosophy is that personal growth is not a clean process, and that individuals must be allowed to practice their new skills in a safe and nurturing environment that is tolerant of failure. We honor the “humanness” of each client (and ourselves), and we accept that “perfection” is a conceptual ideal that has little to do with the reality of everyday living.
