Rooms with long sofas, art easels and play areas fill the hallways in The Center for Pediatric Eating Disorders wing of Children's Medical Center Plano. The hospital wing is a unique service to families and their children age 18 or younger with eating disorders, offering the only program in North Texas with inpatient care. The program was initially located at the Dallas campus, but it was moved to the Plano facility in November 2011 and includes 12 rooms available for group therapy, classes or musical programs, said Dr. Urszula Kelley, director of psychiatric services. The wing operates as the programs center and does not include inpatient beds. Patients treated at Children's Medical Center visit the center at certain times of the day and then return to their room in the hospital, Kelley said. Outpatients are also treated in the program.

The center focuses on a holistic approach that individualizes treatment to the patient, providing diet plans and behavioral reward programs based on the child's interests. Kelley said the program also works with the family just as much as the patient.

"We want families to understand that we need them to be a big part of the treatment," Kelley said. "We can't be successful in treating their child unless we have the opportunity to work with [the family]."

Kelley said children are encouraged to express themselves through play, art and music, and talent shows occur about once a month.

"A big part of childhood is playing. We want them to be kids, we don't want them to be constrained by what their eating disorder dictates," she said.