Eating Recovery Center Sacramento

Location Details

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

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100% Confidential

Highly Effective Eating Disorder Treatment in Sacramento, CA

Located in Sacramento, CA along the scenic American River, ERC Sacramento serves medically stable adults, children and adolescents with eating disorders. Founded in 2001 and our first center in the state of California, ERC Sacramento is surrounded by lush greenery to promote tranquility and relaxation, supporting patients, families and caregivers on their healing and recovery journey.

  • 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
california

Lighting your way to recover from eating disorders

Take home a toolbox filled with new coping skills

Learn how to interrupt eating disorder thoughts and behaviors to create a life based on your values.

Explore new approaches to healing

Experience self-growth with individual and group therapy, nutrition counseling, art, music and yoga.

Be your authentic self — without judgement

Find acceptance in supportive spaces that respect diversity and cultural differences.

A path to healing as unique as you are

Accredited by the Joint Commission, the gold standard in healthcare accreditation, our leadership team includes the world’s leading eating disorder treatment experts: many of whom have actively led research supporting effective, evidence-based eating disorders treatment.

In addition to daily skills groups that equip patients with tools to tolerate distress and regulate emotions when they step out of treatment, ERC Sacramento offers an abundance of programming options that speak to healing the whole individual. Examples of groups at ERC Irvine include:

  • Team building
  • Cinema therapy
  • Yoga, music and art therapy 

“We have a really diverse, caring team that is deeply passionate about what they do…every day, they go out of their way to ensure that all patients and families who come to our center have a positive experience.”

Jane Teixeira, LMFT

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. 

Find Recovery With Our 7-Day PHP

Research shows that eating disorder patients in 5-day, weekday only programming struggle with eating disorder behaviors 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 PHP levels of care to facilitate the best chance of recovery. Our PHP program provides supportive meals and snacks each day, with daily opportunities to practice new recovery skills in a safe, healing environment.

Nutrition Services

Nutritional Counseling & Education

At ERC Sacramento, we work closely with each patient to create individualized meal plans that best support your recovery needs. Registered dietitians work on meal planning with patients, and document disliked foods at both initial intake and throughout treatment. From a medical perspective, our team will evaluate weight restoration in order to readjust meal plans: personalizing every aspect of nutrition to specific patient needs. Because some patients are on maintenance meal plans, completion may look slightly different, whereas other patients require more oversight and supplementation.

  • Teens and adults participate in nutrition group once per week, in addition to close ongoing work with their registered dietitian
  • Patients in later phases of treatment can go on outings to nearby restaurants, grocery stores and more
  • Eating exposures are conducted throughout treatment, and clinicians help patients plan out grocery lists and find recipes to cook on their own
  • The Recovery Record App enables patients to connect with their clinical team and assess progress, including portioning practice
  • Younger patients can have family meals on-site with the support of their registered dietitian and primary therapist
  • Clinical staff help patients make their own foods like ice cream, cupcakes and pizza to make them feel more comfortable around food

Travel & Lodging Assistance Provided

Traveling for eating disorder treatment can present unique challenges, including logistics and costs. To eliminate unnecessary stress for patients and families, we offer Travel Concierge Services. These services include help with:

  • Travel arrangements including airline reservations and ground transportation
  • Accommodations for caregivers with nearby hotels, extended stay facilities and long-term rentals
  • Stipends and discounted rates for nearby facilities
  • Recommendations and referrals for local services and stores
  • Coordination to and from our nearby apartments for PHP patients

We also support out-of-area PHP patients and families by providing several furnished apartments – within a secure, gated complex – located within walking distance of the treatment center.

If you are struggling with finances, we can sometimes waive the apartment fee. Our team will work with you at each step of the way to ensure you have appropriate and supportive accommodations while you or your loved one is in treatment. Please reach out to learn more.

View Our Eating Disorder Treatment Approach for Children & Teens

Help for families each step of the way

Our care supports patients and the entire family: both biological and chosen.

  • Child and adolescent treatment is informed by family-based treatment (FBT) and emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT).
  • Younger patients have 1 individual and 2 family sessions weekly in addition to groups throughout the week and special activities like “Spirit Week” and “Game Day.”
  • We strongly emphasize the FBT model for caregivers, teaching many helpful caregiver skills including emotion coaching and behavior regulation.

Robust family programming

Collaboration with family, friends and loved ones is specifically emphasized for our younger patients, providing families and support systems with education, skills development and structure.

In addition to biweekly family therapy sessions, we offer:

Academic support for students

Designed for patients ages 12 and up, ERC Sacramento has a dedicated Education Specialist who works with children and adolescents on academics.

We have education hour for our younger patients to work on homework and study, and even meet with teachers from school. We can additionally set up more time for check-ins with teachers (depending on treatment progress).

Our dedicated study hours enable younger patients to work on any academic-related items – and any therapy assignments, art projects, book-reading and more.

Just one phone call to get started

Reaching out for help is an important and brave first step. Give us a call and our compassionate admissions team is here to walk you through the entire process with care and support. Got a question?

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

Let us help you with insurance

When facing a life-threatening eating disorder, you shouldn’t have to worry about how to pay for treatment. Our insurance verification team does everything we can to simplify and streamline the insurance and payment process, including consistent communication about what your coverage includes and how to get the best 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

  • How do you coordinate with outpatient providers?

    One of our primary goals is to provide frequent communication touchpoints and coordinate with local outpatient community providers. At every step of the journey, we work to ensure continuity of care through regular updates on treatment progress, changes in treatment planning and discharge instructions. ERC Sacramento also organizes professional development and prevention services for the community at large.

  • What support do you offer once treatment ends?

    Extensive aftercare planning conducted by an Aftercare Coordinator helps ensure you have a “plan of action” for continuity of care and maintaining recovery progress: pre-arranged appointments set with an outpatient team experienced in the treatment of eating disorders.

    Our clinician-led team of Community Outreach Liaisons provide ongoing support for patients who have transitioned to outpatient care through alumni events, free support groups, social recovery communities and resources for patients and caregivers.

  • What can I expect on my or my child’s first day?

    On the first day of treatment, we will have the admissions team meet with patients, parents and caregivers to help orient everyone to the center. You will see the facilities and meet with several team members on your first day, including:

    • A nurse for a physical assessment and labs
    • A medical doctor for a medical assessment and to review any complications, issues or specific needs
    • Your treatment team (psychiatrist, therapist and registered dietitian)
    • A business office representative to discuss insurance benefits, payment and other details
  • What are the exact ages you treat?

    ERC Sacramento treats adolescents (ages 12-17) and adults with anorexia, bulimia, ARFID and other unspecified eating disorders and general body image disturbances.

  • What does your intensive outpatient program (IOP) include?

    Our three-day-a-week IOP includes one meal per IOP day, process groups and skill-building groups with an emphasis on Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Radically Open DBT (RO-DBT).

Expert Care for Eating Disorders in Sacramento, CA

Meet the leadership team at Eating Recovery Center Sacramento.

  • Elizabeth Wassenaar, MS, MD, CEDS
    Elizabeth Wassenaar Link

    Elizabeth Wassenaar

    Regional Medical Director
    Dr. Elizabeth Wassenaar is the Regional Medical Director for the Mountain and West regions at Eating Recovery Center and ...
    READ MORE
  • Alyssa Aakre
    Alyssa Aakre Link

    Alyssa Aakre

    Director of Operational Excellence
    Alyssa Aakre is Director of Operational Excellence at ERC and Pathlight. Alyssa has been with Eating Recovery Center and ...
    READ MORE
  • Amy Richards, RN, BSN
    Amy Richards Link

    Amy Richards

    Regional Nursing Director
    Amy joined Eating Recovery Center / Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center in February 2014 as Illinois opened its first residential ...
    READ MORE
  • Robert McFerren, LCSW
    Robert McFerren Link

    Robert McFerren

    Executive Director
    Robert McFerren graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Science in Social Work from The University of Texas at ...
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  • Jessica Barth Nesbitt, MA, RD, LD, CEDRD
    Jessica Barth-Nesbitt Link

    Jessica Barth-Nesbitt

    Regional Nutrition Director
    Jessica is a Certified Eating Disorders Registered Dietitian (CEDRD). Jessica has experience in working with individuals with ...
    READ MORE
  • Jane Teixeira
    Jane Teixeira Link

    Jane Teixeira

    Clinical Director
    Jane Teixeira is the Clinical Director for Eating Recovery Center and Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center in Sacramento, CA. Jane ...
    READ MORE
  • Adam Marion
    Adam Marion Link

    Adam Marion

    Regional Vice President
    Adam is a Licensed Clinical Social who has worked with child, adolescent, and adult populations across the country in various ...
    READ MORE
  • 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 ...
    READ MORE
california

Find Virtual Eating Disorder Treatment in California

We also offer virtual eating disorder treatment for individuals in California through our Eating Recovery At Home program. Individuals in all cities and towns across California, including the cities listed below, are eligible to participate in Eating Recovery At Home. This program is designed for any individuals who are unable to commit or attend in-person treatment – with outcomes as effective as in-person programming. Our patients range from college students on-campus to busy professionals with families.

  • Bay Area
  • Rio Linda
  • Davis
  • San Jose
  • North Highlands
  • Elk Grove
  • Rosemont
  • Rancho Cordova
  • Citrus Heights
  • Florin
  • Foothill Farms
  • Orangevale
  • La Riviera
  • Fair Oaks
  • Roseville

Explore Our Other West Coast 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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