Evaluation of wellness in an eating disorders program

The evaluation of treatment effectiveness in an educational or mental health program remains an elusive and too often ignored program component. Therefore, our team of practitioners and educators in an HMO eating disorders program has developed a practical and visual evaluation method which we call the "Circle of Wellness." We define wellness in terms of physical and mental health. Wellness, in this context, is a reduction of eating disorder symptoms and improvement of quality of life and the client. The "Circle of Wellness" is not intended as a test but as a visual representation of a client's progress (pre- and post-program) for client and clinician to discuss. The tool helps identify areas to emphasize in future planning.