Eating Disorders Referral
The Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program serves children and youth who have complex eating disorders that require intensive care in a hospital or community setting across different sites, including BC Children's Hospital.
The program includes a number of key services:
- Eating Disorders Unit: this bed-based service offers dedicated and intensive support to children and youth from 8 to 17 years of age (or 18 years of age if a patient is still in high school) who stay at BC Children’s Hospital for care
- Looking Glass Residential Program: a live-in treatment facility where youth stay for ongoing care. This program, based in Vancouver, supports youth and young adults from 16 to 24 years of age
- Day treatment program: an intensive program for youth who have previously engaged in treatment and continue to experience significant eating disorder symptoms and co-occurring conditions, such as self-harm. The program is informed by dialectical behavioral treatment (DBT) and supports those from 13 to 17 years of age (or 18 years of age if a patient is still in high school)
- Outpatient treatment: We provide time-limited services to children and youth and their family or caregiver for assessment, medical monitoring, therapeutic interventions (e.g. family-based treatment), and dietitian support, under certain circumstances
This program also supports community providers in managing patients with eating disorders, upon request.
Eating Disorders Unit and day treatment program
We accept referrals to the Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for Children and Adolescents from community eating disorders programs and Child & Youth Mental Health teams.
For a current list of regional programs please refer to the Kelty Mental Health Website or call the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre at 604-875-2084.
For children or youth living in regions of BC and Yukon that do not have a community eating disorder program or a Child & Youth Mental Health team, family doctors, nurse practitioners and pediatricians can refer their patients to this program for assessment.
Referral steps
-
Assessment
Check the Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for Children & Adolescents referral form (PDF) for criteria to ensure this program meets the needs of the child or youth you intend to refer for care.
-
Complete a form
To process the referral, we need all components of the referral form. We will return incomplete referrals.
-
Send the referral
Submit the form and the required information as instructed on the form.
-
Post referral
We process completed referrals in the order we receive them.
While waiting for an assessment, we encourage families to meet regularly with their health-care provider. If there are changes in their child's or youth’s medical or psychiatric condition, providers should fax updated information.
After we receive your referral, the intake nurse will check that you have provided all the required information.
If the referral is complete, it will go to the team for triage and assessment. Referring providers will receive a letter informing them that we received their complete referral. After triage, we will offer the child or youth and their family an assessment date and time. We will also send a letter to the referring provider with an update.
Referral form
Eating Disorders Programs External Referral Form
1 MB
Looking Glass Residence
This service welcomes referrals for youth in BC or Yukon with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa or another specified feeding and eating disorder, who are followed by a regional eating disorder program. In the absence of a regional program, we will accept referrals from a medical professional, mental health teams in other primary or secondary services, and community care providers.
Please see more detailed eligibility criteria for the Looking Glass Residence (PDF).
Referral overview
We accept referrals from BC’s regional eating disorder programs.
If you are not connected to a regional program, please make a referral to the regional program in the patient’s community instead.
For a current list of regional programs, please refer to the Kelty Mental Health website or call the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre: 604-875-2084.
In the absence of a regional program, we accept referrals from medical professionals, mental health teams in other primary or secondary services, and other community care providers.
Referral steps
-
Assessment
Please note that Looking Glass Residence uses a shared referral form with St. Paul’s Hospital and Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for Children & Adolescents. Review the referral form to ensure that the program selected meets the patient’s needs before making a referral.
-
Complete a referral form
Complete the BC Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Programs Referral Form (PDF), including necessary blood work, as indicated. We will not process incomplete referrals.
-
Send the referral
Fax the completed referral form directly to Looking Glass Residence at 604-829-2586.
-
Post referral
Once we have processed the referral, the intake coordinator will contact both the referring provider and the child or youth and their family or caregiver, as appropriate, to discuss next steps.
Contact us
Provincial Specialized Eating Disorders Program for Children and Adolescents
Healthy Minds Centre
Entrance 85
BC Children’s Hospital
4555 Heather Street
Vancouver, BC
V6H 3N1
Phone: 604-875-2200
Fax: 604-875-2271
Provincial Specialized Eating Disorder Program intake coordinator
For additional information on the referral process and general program information, call: 604-875-2345 ext. 2106
Looking Glass Residence intake coordinator
For additional information on the referral process, please call or email us.
Phone: 604-829-2585 (select option #2)
Email: Lookingglassresidence@cw.bc.ca