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Center for Overcoming Problem Eating (COPE) Serious Help for Serious Problems Serious Help for Serious Problems The Center for Overcoming Problem Eating (COPE) at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside has an international reputation for excellence in the treatment of anorexia and bulimia nervosa. With a full spectrum of services spanning inpatient, outpatient, and intermediate levels of care, the program provides comprehensive assessment and treatment for patients of all ages at any stage of an eating disorder. COPE is one of the nation’s few eating disorders treatment
programs affiliated with an academic medical center. Because of
our long history of developing and providing treatments informed
by research, we specialize in treating low-weight anorexia patients
and those individuals with eating disorders that have not responded
to previous treatment. Our partnership with the University of Pittsburgh
Medical Center, one of the country’s most renowned health
care providers, ensures that we are able to provide expert care
for patients who are extremely underweight or medically compromised.
As individuals progress in their recovery, they can continue to
benefit from COPE’s evidence-informed approaches to treatment
through partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs.
COPE’s inpatient program is a 20-bed unit that provides services for seriously ill patients of all ages. The unit is staffed by a multidisciplinary team that includes psychiatrists, physicians, psychologists, psychiatric social workers, nurse practitioners, dietitians, nurses, and other behavioral health professionals. Inpatient treatment focuses on nutritional stabilization, restoration of body weight, alleviation of associated physical symptoms, and resolution of eating disorder behaviors. Specific forms of treatment include group psychotherapy, skills training, pharmacotherapy, and intensive family therapy.
Partial Hospitalization Program The partial hospitalization program (PHP) offers a highly structured but supportive environment in which specially trained staff members closely monitor patients and supervise meals. It is designed for patients who have not benefited from less intensive interventions, patients who are acutely ill but do not require inpatient hospitalization, and patients in need of a transition from inpatient care. The PHP offers 32 hours of treatment from Monday to Friday that includes supervised meals and snacks daily. Although the cornerstone of treatment is restoration of adequate nutrition and body weight, there is an equal emphasis on psychological counseling. Family therapy also is provided, particularly for patients younger than 18. 
COPE’s intensive outpatient program (IOP) provides treatment for patients who have returned to work or school, but who require the structure of the evening program to promote recovery. For some patients, the program may serve as a transition to more intensive care. A combination of two group therapy sessions and one meal per day, IOP is offered three evenings per week and requires a nine-hour per week commitment. Both individual and group counseling sessions are available.
COPE’s Eating Disorders Clinic provides outpatients with assessment services, medical care and nutrition counseling, and individual, family, and group therapy.
To discuss our services or to make a referral, call COPE at 412-647-9329. Center for
Overcoming Problem Eating
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