Walden Opens Its Largest Clinic in Waltham

Walden Behavioral Care, LLC, one of the country’s leading hospitals for treating eating disorders, held an open house on Thursday to celebrate the opening of its newest and largest clinic at 69 Hickory Drive, Waltham.

The event attracted Waltham Mayor Jeannette A. McCarthy, who read a proclamation commending and congratulating Walden, and dozens of others from the community and the healthcare industry.

President and CEO Stuart Koman noted that the services being offered at the new clinic – including intensive outpatient (IOP) and partial hospitalization (PHP) services for adolescents and adults with eating disorders – were the services first offered by Walden when it opened in 2003 at the former Waltham Hospital.

“These programs are our legacy and we’re very proud of them and the people who run then,” Koman said.

While Walden provides a complete “continuum of care,” Koman said the community plays an important role and “we consider you part of the treatment, too.”

The 7,500-square-foot clinic, which is conveniently located off of Route 95, offers more space, the ability to treat more patients, and a brighter, more efficient setting than Walden offered at its location at Nine Hope Ave. That location will continue to be used for inpatient services and adjacent residential services.

“The new space will not only better serve our growing business, it will also provide our patients with a warm, bright and inviting environment as they recover,” Koman said. “It will enable us to operate more efficiently and better serve our patients.”

Room for GrowthInitially, patients will be treated by existing Walden staff, but the clinic provides room for growth. Emily J. Slager, LMHC, who previously directed Walden’s residential services, is serving as director of the Hickory Drive clinic.

“Walden occupies an entire floor, providing us with plenty of space for group therapy, family therapy, patient dining, individual consultation, staff offices, and meetings for staff and external healthcare providers,” Slager said. “Walden also has a dedicated entrance, so patients can receive treatment discretely.”

In addition to IOP and PHP services for those with eating disorders, the clinic provides outpatient counseling to patients with anorexia, bulimia, binge-eating disorder or other specified feeding or eating disorders (OSFED), as well as patients with depression and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and other psychiatric disorders.

Walden’s other clinics are based in Amherst, Braintree, Peabody and Worcester, Mass., and in South Windsor, Conn.

####