Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Treatment Programs
Eating Disorder Treatment for Children and Teens, Ages 10-17
When your child is struggling with an eating disorder, their pain is your pain. Maybe you’ve reached out for help, but nothing has seemed to work. We can help guide you and your child on a path to long-lasting change and healing.
Providing hope for a brighter tomorrow
As the nation’s foremost center for eating disorders, our expert care teams guide our patients and their families through this illness and back onto a path where life will once again be filled with light and hope.
Levels of care to meet your child’s needs
Through our assessment process, a licensed, Master’s-level Clinician will determine the appropriate level of care for your child. As your primary point of contact throughout intake process, your assessment clinician can address any of your questions or concerns along the way.
Throughout treatment, your child will be able to seamlessly transition to a lower level of care or step up to a higher level of care:
- Inpatient – 24-hour/7 supervision for patients experiencing medical instability
- Residential – for patients who need 24-hour support, but not intensive medical support and stabilization
- Partial Hospitalization (PHP) – the structure of Residential treatment with opportunities to practice skills during evenings
- On-site Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) – a flexible program that allows patients to go to school during the day and sleep at home at night, practicing recovery skills in a real-world context
- Virtual IOP – Eating Recovery At Home - a flexible program offering the same proven care and outcomes as our on-site IOP for patients who have limited access to treatment, have time constraints or are reluctant to receive in-person treatment
- Programs are covered by most major insurance plans
Locations for Child & Adolescent Treatment
Eating Recovery Center Sacramento
3610 American River Dr, Suite 140
Sacramento, CA 95864
United States
Eating Recovery Center Chicago Oak Brook
1010 Jorie Blvd Suite 200
Oak Brook, IL 60523
United States
Eating Recovery Center Baylor Campus Residential Services - 4708 Alliance
4708 Alliance Blvd #300
Plano, TX 75093
United States
Eating Recovery Center Northbrook
4201 Lake Cook Rd #200
Northbrook, IL 60062
United States
Eating Recovery Center Baltimore - 55 Schilling
55 Schilling Rd
Hunt Valley, MD 21030
United States
A highly skilled, compassionate care team
Your child will be surrounded by a team of renowned experts who specialize in treating children and adolescents with eating disorders and other co-occurring mental health issues. Throughout treatment, the same team will work closely together to collaborate on all aspects of your child’s care:
- Individual Therapist
- Family Therapist
- Physician
- Psychiatrist
- Dietitian
- Education Specialist
Evidence-based treatment proven to be most effective for children and teens
Based on your loved one’s unique needs, our treatment team will develop a customized, evidence-based treatment plan informed by:
- Family-Based Treatment (FBT)
- Emotion-Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
- Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT)
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
- Exposure Response Prevention (ERP)
- Expressive Art Therapies
Your child will participate in individual and group therapy sessions, in a safe, nurturing environment where they can connect with others who are in a similar situation and practice newly learned skills.
Nutritional support and meals: Eating disorder programs
In our eating disorders programs, nutrition plays a fundamental role in the treatment of eating disorders and nourishing your child’s body is an important first step in treatment.
- If weight restoration is needed, our medical staff and dietitian will carefully and safely manage refeeding
- For patients at a healthy weight at the time of admission, nutrition exposure and education are critical in addressing issues related to their underlying relationship with food
- A highly skilled Registered Dietitian will work with your child to support them in overcoming their fears around food and eating
- Dietitians work collaboratively with the treatment team to support an integrated understanding of each patient’s progress and treatment goals
- In addition to individual nutrition counseling, Eating Recovery Center’s Registered Dietitians lead group education sessions and oversee various exposure activities to offer opportunities to build confidence in real-life food situations
- Our expert staff of Registered Dietitians, primary clinicians, and family clinicians regularly dine with patients to provide structure and to create a therapeutic meal environment
- Staff supervision at meals helps provide the encouragement, redirection of eating disordered behaviors, and role modeling necessary to affect behavior change
- Dietitians work closely with parents and caregivers to teach you the skills and the fundamentals of nutrition, food portioning and food plating, so you you’re able to continue meal planning and meal support for your child after treatment
A comfortable space for healing
Environment is an important aspect of recovery, especially for children and teens. Your child will be placed within a treatment group – or “village” – with youth of similar ages and diagnoses. Our child and adolescent units are designed with young adults in mind, with home-like furnishings, colors and artwork that support healing and tranquility.
Schooling During Treatment
We understand how important it is for your child to continue with their education while in treatment and for them to be successful after treatment in an academic setting. Our program offers:
- An education specialist to help patients with their daily schoolwork and support them as they transition back to school
- In addition, their therapist will work with them to continue to develop the skills needed to function well at school
Family involvement is critical for recovery
A hallmark component of our treatment approach for children and adolescents is our innovative family program where parents are empowered to become agents of change for their young loved ones and help them sustain recovery into the future.
When your loved one is at the PHP level of care, you will participate in practical, hands-on activities, including mealtime planning, to prepare you and your child for life back home.
Family support services include:
- Family therapy sessions
- Family support groups (in-person & virtual)
- Family Education groups/webinars
- Online support groups
- Free, monthly Family Days are hosted at our centers for parents, grandparents, siblings and other caregivers to:
- Learn about eating disorders and how they impact developing bodies and minds in children and teens
- Gain a better understanding of what’s driving your loved one’s disordered behaviors and thoughts
- Practice skills to navigate disordered behaviors and manage mealtimes
- Connect with other families who are going through similar experiences
Ongoing Support
To support families in fostering sustainable recoveries following discharge, our Alumni & Family Liaison team works diligently with patients and their families to provide on-going support.
To learn more about our levels of care, please use the links below.
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Child & Adolescent Inpatient
Based in Denver, Colorado, our Inpatient program is designed to support children and teens that are acutely ill and are experiencing medical instability as a result of their eating disorder.
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Child & Adolescent Residential
Our Residential program is designed for patients that need 24-hour support, but no longer require the same intensity of medical support and stabilization of Inpatient programming. The Residential program offers round-the-clock observation and support, as well as daytime medical and psychiatric supervision.
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Child & Adolescent Partial Hospitalization
Our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) offers the intensity and structure of residential eating disorders treatment while providing opportunities for patients and families to practice recovery skills outside of the treatment environment during evenings at home or in recovery-focused housing near the eating disorder eating treatment center.
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Child & Adolescent On-site Intensive Outpatient
Our Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) is a flexible program that allows patients to go to school during the day and sleep at home at night, practicing recovery skills in a real-world context.
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Child & Adolescent Virtual Intensive Outpatient Program – Eating Recovery At Home
Eating Recovery At Home (our virtual Intensive Outpatient program) offers the same proven care and outcomes as our on-site IOP for patients who have limited access to treatment, have time constraints, or are reluctant to receive in-person treatment.
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Child & Adolescent Outpatient Services
Our outpatient programming focuses on teaching and practicing the skills necessary for patients to remain healthy and protect their recovery after leaving treatment. Patients can admit directly into Outpatient care or step down to Outpatient programming from a higher level of care.
We came home with the confidence that we can do this.
Parent of former Patient
