Eating Recovery Center Chicago - Huron

Location Details

Who we treat
Adult
Level of Care
On-site Intensive Outpatient
Partial Hospitalization
Residential
Conditions We Treat
Eating Disorders
Orthorexia
Anorexia Nervosa
ARFID
Atypical Anorexia
Binge Eating Disorder
Bulimia Nervosa
Compulsive Overeating
Diabulimia
OSFED

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100% Confidential

One of our most renowned facilities, ERC Huron provides Residential and Partial Hospital treatment for adults with serious eating disorders.

This center offers 32-beds and is located in the heart of downtown Chicago within the same building as a hotel for convenient patient visits from their family and friends.

Informed, inclusive, and with the expertise to treat any eating disorder no matter how complex, we offer a compassionate therapeutic environment to light the path for patients towards interrupting maladaptive thoughts and behaviors to live a better and more fruitful life.

Highly Effective Eating Disorder Treatment in Chicago, IL

One of ERC's most renowned facilities in the Midwest, Eating Recovery Center (ERC) Chicago-Huron provides evidence-based eating disorder treatment for adults needing residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), or intensive outpatient (IOP) care. The center also offers a specialized binge eating disorder treatment program. Located in downtown Chicago, the treatment center is next door to a hotel.

Accredited by the Joint Commission, ERC operates multiple eating disorder treatment centers for adults, children and adolescents in the Chicago area, including locations in downtown, Oak Brook and Northbrook. In an inclusive therapeutic environment, we light the way for our patients to recover.

  • Trusted by over 20,000 patients and their families
  • 87% of former patients agreed that their experience at ERC was helpful
  • 91% of parents of former patients would recommend ERC to others in need of services
  • Specialized treatment designed by a team of experienced clinicians
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Lighting Your Way to Recover from Eating Disorders

Take home a toolbox filled with new coping skills

Treatment emphasizes support for the whole-person, skill-building and empowerment. Clinicians utilize Radically Open Dialectical Behavior Therapy (RO DBT) that helps patients connect with others and improve their relationships.

Explore new approaches to healing

Work with the same team throughout residential and PHP as you take part in individual & group therapy, art groups, nutritional counseling & education, family therapy and more.

Be your authentic self — without judgement

We want to help you recover and love all of who you are. At ERC Chicago, we take great pride in being an inclusive treatment center. In every interaction, we provide acceptance and respect of our diverse patients and their many cultural differences.

Benefit From Expert Eating Disorder Care

Our highly experienced physicians, registered dietitians and licensed therapists bring a great deal of expertise to our center. At ERC Chicago-Huron, we address complex co-occurring eating disorders and mental health concerns, including obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Providing seamless coordination of care, our treatment team includes:

  • Psychiatrists and internal medicine physicians
  • Therapists and family clinicians
  • Registered dietitians
  • Nursing support
  • Alumni support and other support staff

ERC Chicago-Huron has a strong relationship with Northwestern University Medical School and Rush University Medical School.

“Eating disorders are hard. Recovering from an eating disorder is also very hard. You’re in good hands with the team at ERC Chicago. Our experts make it their primary focus to dedicate their lives to help you recover. We care about you and will care for you here.”

Stephanie Stewart, Executive Director, ERC Chicago-Huron

Who We Treat

Conditions We Treat

  • Eating Disorders

    An eating disorder is a treatable mental illness that includes a number of different symptoms, including extreme emotions, attitudes, and behaviors surrounding weight and food issues.

  • Anorexia

    Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an obsessive fear of weight gain and a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight.

  • Atypical Anorexia

    You can’t tell if someone has an eating disorder just by looking at them. See how atypical anorexia affects people in a variety of body shapes and sizes.

  • ARFID

    ARFID is a lesser known eating disorder that frequently begins as early as infancy or childhood, but adults can also suffer.

  • Binge Eating Disorder

    Binge eating disorder is characterized by frequent overeating – at least once a week for three months – combined with a lack of control, intense feelings of distress and several other characteristic behaviors.

  • Bulimia

    Bulimia is characterized by patterns of bingeing and purging.

  • Compulsive Overeating

    Compulsive overeating can involve binge eating and weight gain, but it can also involve other behaviors.

  • Diabulimia

    The term diabulimia is used to describe the diagnosis of an eating disorder in an individual with type 1 diabetes. These patients intentionally misuse insulin for weight control.

  • OSFED

    Some eating disorders do not meet all of the diagnostic criteria for specific diagnoses like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

  • Orthorexia

    Some people go to extremes to “eat clean” at all times. This may lead to a disordered eating pattern known as orthorexia.

Levels of Care Offered

  • Inpatient

    Our Inpatient programming is designed to support adults, children and adolescents of all genders who are acutely ill and are experiencing medical and mood instability as a result of their eating disorder.

  • Residential

    Within ERC Pathlight's step-down model of care, the Residential eating disorder treatment program as well as the Residential mood & anxiety treatment program offer medically stable patients a highly-structured and supportive 24-hour treatment environment.

  • Partial Hospitalization

    Our Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) offers some of the same intensity and structure of Residential mood, anxiety, and eating disorder treatment while providing additional opportunities to practice recovery outside of the controlled eating disorder treatment environment during evenings at home or in peer-supported apartment communities.

  • On-Site Intensive Outpatient Treatment

    Our Intensive Outpatient program is a flexible mood, anxiety, and eating disorder treatment program that allows patients to work, go to school, or care for children during the day and sleep at home at night.

  • Virtual Intensive Outpatient - Eating Recovery At Home

    ERC is removing the barriers that can keep patients with anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders from receiving treatment. Through telebehavioral health programming, Eating Recovery At Home (our virtual Intensive Outpatient Program) offers the same proven care as our in-person treatment centers. 

Get specialized treatment for binge eating disorder

Binge eating disorder (BED) is the most common eating disorder in the U.S. Marked by frequent episodes of overeating, followed by distress and shame, BED is often misunderstood, misdiagnosed and mistreated.

ERC Chicago-Huron provides a national center of excellence to help people recover from BED. Led by a therapist and registered dietitian who have specialized in BED for many years, our trauma-informed approach focuses on education, awareness and skill-building. Team members work with compassion and sensitivity, honoring the unique history, strengths, and personalities of each of our patients. In the program, we will work with you to:

  • Provide re-education about health, weight and nutrition from a weight-inclusive perspective 
  • Address the causes and the impact of binge eating
  • Teach mindful eating with an “all foods fit” approach 
  • Emphasize body neutrality
  • Help you break free from food rules and diet mindsets to support sustainable eating

Find long-lasting recovery with our 7-day PHP

Research shows that individuals in 5-day (weekday-only) eating disorder treatment programs struggle over the weekend. Since eating disorders don’t take the weekend off, we don’t either. We provide programming 7 days a week for individuals in our partial hospitalization program (PHP), because it offers you the best chance of recovery.

Patients in PHP are able to stay in ERC apartments located within walking distance of the treatment center. Apartment housing offers patients a calm, safe and comfortable space to practice the recovery skills learned in treatment. Sharing an apartment with other patients provides you with peer support and a sense of community as you move through treatment.

Nutrition Services

Nutritional Counseling & Education

ERC Chicago-Huron is located in downtown Chicago. Each week, staff members accompany patients on outings to some of the nation’s best restaurants. With so many options to choose from, we can support many types of food exposures. Within the treatment center, patients choose their own meals, and work on meal planning and preparation, with support from our registered dietitians.

Travel and housing assistance provided

Traveling for care? You are not alone. Many patients seeking care at ERC Chicago come from out of state. To help you get here with peace of mind, we offer travel concierge services to connect you with additional support and resources. We can assist you with:

  • Flights
  • Accommodations
  • Local transportation options, and more

You focus on recovery. We’ll take care of the details to help you get here.

Just one phone call to get started

We’ve seen eating disorders completely take over people’s lives. While some individuals and families think that they can treat the eating disorder on their own, recovery often requires a specialized team of professionals to address the medical, nutritional and emotional components. If you are ready to take the brave step towards treatment, give us a call and we will walk you through the entire process with care and support. 

No referral is ever needed for you to access the treatment you need and deserve.

Let us help you with insurance

Paying for health care — and dealing with insurance — can be complicated. When facing a life-threatening eating disorder, you shouldn’t have to worry about how to pay for treatment. Our insurance verification experts can contact your insurance company for you and communicate back to you in easy-to-understand terms exactly what your coverage includes and how you can get care.

Get matched with the exact support you need.

With one conversation, our mental health professionals will help you better understand what you’re going through and what you need.

We will meet you where you are, listen to your story in a therapeutic setting, and match you with the level of support that meets your struggle.

Covered by Most Commercial Insurance Plans

  • cofinity
  • compsych
  • magellan health
  • moda
  • multiplan
  • phcs
  • rocky mountain health plans
  • ascension seton
  • value options

Our patient access team is here to advocate for you. We can help you address financial challenges and work with you to get you the maximum coverage offered by your plan.

Learn More About Insurance

Frequently Asked Questions

Expert Care for Eating Disorders in Chicago, IL

Meet the leadership team at Eating Recovery Center Chicago.

  • Kim Effertz, MSW
    Kim Effertz Link

    Kim Effertz

    Regional Vice President
    Kim Effertz joined Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center in September 2021 as an Operating Vice President ...
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  • Lara Kenik MS, RN
    Lara Kenik Link

    Lara Kenik

    Regional Nursing Director
    Lara Kenik joined Eating Recovery Center/Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center (ERCPL) in August 2016 as a full-time overnight nurse ...
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  • Theodore Weltzin, MD, FAED, FAPA
    Theodore Weltzin Link

    Theodore Weltzin

    Medical Director, Psychiatrist
    Theodore Weltzin, MD, FAED, FAPA, joined Eating Recovery Center in 2021. Dr. Weltzin has been involved in treatment and research ...
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  • Colleen Pipia, LCPC
    Colleen Pipia Link

    Colleen Pipia

    Clinical Director
    Colleen graduated with her M.A in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Colleen ...
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  • Kelsey Estry, MS, RD, LDN
    Kelsey Estry Link

    Kelsey Estry

    Regional Nutrition Director
    Kelsey Estry, MS, RD, LDN, is a graduate of Michigan State University. She completed her Dietetic Internship at Loyola ...
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  • Steven Crawford, MD
    Steven F. Crawford Link

    Steven F. Crawford

    Regional Medical Director
    Dr. Steven Crawford is the Medical Director at Eating Recovery Center and Assistant Chief of Psychiatry at University of ...
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  • Toya Roberson-Moore, MD
    Toya Roberson-Moore Link

    Toya Roberson-Moore

    Physician Leader
    Toya Roberson-Moore, MD is a staff Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist for Pathlight. Board certified in General Psychiatry and ...
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  • Ellen Astrachan Fletcher
    Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher Link

    Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher

    Regional Clinical Director
    Ellen Astrachan-Fletcher, PhD, FAED, CEDS-S, is Regional Clinical Director, Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood and ...
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  • Zach Marselle
    Zach Marselle Link

    Zach Marselle

    Director of Operational Excellence
    Zach joined ERC and Pathlight in 2020, bringing a combined 15 years of experience between healthcare administration and public ...
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  • Stephanie Stewart
    Stephanie Stewart Link

    Stephanie Stewart

    Executive Director
    Stephanie Stewart has a background in Social Work having received her Master’s from Washington University in St Louis. She also ...
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  • Heather VanHooser
    Heather VanHooser Link

    Heather VanHooser

    Chief Nursing Officer
    Heather joined ERC Pathlight as Chief Nursing Officer in 2023. She holds three bachelor’s degrees, a MBA, and a Master’s in ...
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  • Ellen Class
    Ellen Class Link

    Ellen Class

    Ellen Class joined Eating Recovery Center/Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center (ERC PL) in August 2017 as an overnight nurse. Ellen ...
    READ MORE
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Find Virtual Eating Disorder Treatment in Illinois

We also offer virtual eating disorder treatment for individuals in Illinois through our Eating Recovery At Home program. Individuals in all cities and towns across Illinois, including the cities listed below, are eligible to participate in Eating Recovery At Home.

  • Chicago
  • Aurora
  • Joliet
  • Naperville
  • Rockford
  • Springfield
  • Elgin
  • Peoria
  • Champaign
  • Waukegan
  • Cicero
  • Bloomington
  • Schaumburg
  • Evanston
  • Arlington Heights

Explore Our Other Illinois Locations

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Eating Recovery Center is accredited through the Joint Commission. This organization seeks to enhance the lives of the persons served in healthcare settings through a consultative accreditation process emphasizing quality, value and optimal outcomes of services.

Organizations that earn the Gold Seal of Approval™ have met or exceeded The Joint Commission’s rigorous performance standards to obtain this distinctive and internationally recognized accreditation. Learn more about this accreditation here.

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