Weight Management Programs at Spas - Structure House Center for Weight Control & Lifestyle Change in Durham, North Carolina

by Julie Register, Your Guide to Spas

Philosophy: Structure House is a residential center specializing in understanding and teaching the psychology, behavior, nutrition and fitness aspects of successful weight loss and related lifestyle change.

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Dr. Gerard Musante, a clinical psychologist on the faculty of the Duke University Medical Center, noted that many obese patients who lost weight on supervised diets frequently regained weight when they returned to the routine of every day life. Dr. Musante realized that diet alone was not the answer. He believed that the patient’s lifestyle and eating habits should be explored and understood more fully. This insight, he reasoned, could be accomplished best in a residential setting where the person would be “on program” for a sufficient amount of time. Dr. Musante took this pioneering behavioral approach to weight management and, with his wife Rita, a specialist in education, founded the formal Structure House program in Durham, North Carolina in 1977.

Program: The Structure House program offers participants a supportive yet challenging environment that combines nutritious food, enjoyable exercise, and behavioral therapy. Structure House is not a luxury spa. More than 60 percent of program participants come to Structure House by referral from physicians or from previous participants who appreciate the benefits of the program. The 75-member Structure House team is dedicated to ensuring a pleasant environment while helping participants reach their goals. The team includes psychotherapists, exercise counselors, a medical staff, nutritionists, kitchen and dining room staff, a participant services team, a housekeeping and maintenance group, and a business office staff. The Structure House program is constantly changing and improving but Dr. Musante’s 1977 observation remains the core of the Structure House experience: helping the participant truly understand his or her relationship with food and how that relationship affects other lifestyle decisions.

Contact:
Structure House
3017 Pickett Road
Durham, NC 27705
919-493 - 4205
http://www.structurehouse.com/