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. 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.
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