Asclepius

Weight Loss Clinic in Columbia, South Carolina

Call (803) 226-7760140 Stoneridge Dr, Ste 430, 465, Columbia, SC 29210

About Asclepius

Asclepius approaches weight loss as a medical and mental health matter deserving comprehensive professional care. Our integrated practice brings together physicians, mental health specialists, and health coaches to address the complete picture of why people struggle with weight and how to create lasting change.

We understand that weight issues often involve psychological components, emotional eating, stress management, trauma responses, and underlying mental health conditions. By addressing these factors alongside medical treatment, we help patients achieve sustainable results rather than temporary weight loss followed by regain.

Services Offered

Asclepius offers truly integrated weight management that bridges physical medicine and mental health. Our medical team provides prescription medications, metabolic assessment, and nutritional guidance. Simultaneously, our mental health professionals address emotional eating patterns, food relationships, and underlying conditions like anxiety or depression that may contribute to weight struggles. Our health coaches help you develop practical strategies for implementing changes in your daily life. Regular visits involve coordination between your medical provider and your therapist, ensuring your treatment is aligned and addressing root causes rather than just symptoms. We recognize that medication alone doesn't work without addressing the behavioral and emotional factors, and behavioral change is nearly impossible without addressing physical health and sometimes medication support.

Counseling & Mental Health

Weight Loss Centers

Family Practice

Treatment Options

Integrated Medical and Therapy Program

Combines prescription weight loss medications with weekly therapy sessions addressing emotional eating, trauma, and mental health factors. Medical and mental health teams coordinate care.

6-18 months, with ongoing therapy as needed$300-600 per month

Behavioral Weight Management with Coaching

Intensive behavior change program with health coaching, nutritional guidance, and mental health support. Focuses on building sustainable habits and addressing emotional patterns.

12-24 months$200-400 per month

Medication Management with Therapy

For patients whose weight struggles are tied to depression, anxiety, or other mental health conditions. Carefully selected medications address both weight and underlying mental health.

6-12 months minimum$250-500 per month

What to Expect

Your first appointment involves evaluation by both a physician and mental health provider who'll discuss your weight history, eating patterns, emotional relationship with food, and mental health background. This dual assessment helps us understand the complete picture.

Your customized plan might include medications, nutrition changes, therapy sessions, and coaching, whatever combination addresses your specific needs. You'll have regular visits with your medical team and your mental health provider, with communication between them ensuring integrated care. As you progress, your plan adjusts based on what's working and what insights emerge through your therapy.

Why Choose Asclepius

Asclepius recognizes that you're a whole person, not just a body that needs to lose weight. By addressing mind, body, and behavior together, we help people break patterns that kept them stuck. Many patients tell us that finally addressing the emotional and psychological sides of their weight struggle made all the difference.

Our approach works for people who've tried conventional weight loss multiple times without lasting results. If emotional eating, trauma history, or mental health challenges have sabotaged previous attempts, our integrated model offers something different. We don't shame or oversimplify, we treat weight as the complex, multifactorial issue it actually is.

Insurance & Pricing

We accept most major insurance plans. Both medical weight loss services and mental health treatment may be covered, potentially making integrated care more accessible than you'd expect. Our staff helps verify benefits and explores coverage options thoroughly.

First-Time Patient Tips

Come prepared to be honest about your eating history, emotional relationship with food, and mental health background. This candor helps us develop truly effective plans. You'll need to engage with both medical and therapeutic aspects of your treatment, medication alone won't work without addressing behavioral patterns, and therapy alone won't overcome metabolic or hormonal factors.

Be ready for insight that might be uncomfortable. Sometimes understanding why you eat helps you change eating patterns, but this requires honesty and willingness to look at difficult emotions or patterns. This isn't a quick-fix program, it's deep, lasting transformation work.

Pros & Cons

Advantages

Integrated mental health treatment addresses root causes that traditional weight loss programs ignore.
Therapy helps you understand and change eating patterns, creating lasting behavior change instead of temporary restriction.
Dual care from medical and mental health providers ensures all factors contributing to your weight are addressed.

Things to Consider

Therapy-based approaches require significant personal work and honesty, which isn't suitable for everyone.
Longer-term programs mean extended commitment and cost compared to shorter, medication-only approaches.

Service Area

We serve Columbia and the surrounding Midlands region, welcoming patients from throughout South Carolina seeking integrated medical and mental health weight management.

Local Insight

Columbia is a diverse community, and Asclepius serves patients of all backgrounds, recognizing that weight and mental health challenges affect everyone regardless of demographics or life circumstances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Asclepius saying my weight is caused by mental illness?

No. Weight involves complex factors including metabolism, hormones, medications, lifestyle, and sometimes emotional or psychological components. We address all these factors because they all matter.

Will I have to do therapy?

Most integrated programs include therapy because addressing emotional patterns significantly improves outcomes. However, we'll discuss what makes sense for your situation.

What if I have trauma history?

Unresolved trauma often affects eating patterns and weight. Our therapists are trained in trauma-informed care and can address these connections in a safe way.

How is this different from regular weight loss programs?

We address the complete picture including mental health, emotions, and psychology, not just calories and medications. This comprehensive approach leads to better, more lasting results.

Do I need medication?

Not necessarily. Some patients benefit most from therapy and coaching without medications, while others need both. We'll determine what's right for you.

How often do I meet with therapists?

Most integrated programs include weekly therapy sessions initially, decreasing to bi-weekly or monthly as you progress. Your specific frequency depends on your plan.

Will insurance cover therapy as part of weight loss treatment?

Yes. Mental health coverage is often available through insurance when documented as part of a comprehensive weight management program. We'll verify what's covered.

What if I've failed at weight loss before?

Previous failures don't determine future success. Often people haven't addressed the emotional or psychological factors involved. Our integrated approach targets different factors than you've tried before.