Eating Recovery Center Sacramento
Location Details
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
Find Recovery with Evidence-Based Therapies
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.”
Who We Treat
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Children & Adolescents
We can help guide you and your child on a path to long-lasting change and healing.
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Adults
We provide eating disorder treatment and mood and anxiety disorder treatment for all genders ages 18 and older.
Conditions We Treat
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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.
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Anorexia
Anorexia nervosa is characterized by an obsessive fear of weight gain and a refusal to maintain a healthy body weight.
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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.
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ARFID
ARFID is a lesser known eating disorder that frequently begins as early as infancy or childhood, but adults can also suffer.
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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.
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Bulimia
Bulimia is characterized by patterns of bingeing and purging.
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Compulsive Overeating
Compulsive overeating can involve binge eating and weight gain, but it can also involve other behaviors.
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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.
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OSFED
Some eating disorders do not meet all of the diagnostic criteria for specific diagnoses like anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Struggling with an eating disorder?
One conversation can make all the difference. Connect with us today.
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
Questions about travel and housing?
Traveling for eating disorder treatment can present unique challenges, including logistics and costs. To eliminate unnecessary stress for patients and families, we can help you with any questions you may have related to:
- Travel arrangements
- Accommodations for caregivers
- 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:
- Parental support group that meets each week
- Family meals supported by primary therapist and registered dietitian
- Our national Virtual Family & Friends Education Series
- Ongoing free caregiver support
- Hope Orientation
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.
Testimonials
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
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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Elizabeth Wassenaar, MS, MD, DFAPA, CEDS-C
(She/Her/Hers)Regional Medical Director -
Alyssa Aakre
Director of Operational Excellence -
Amy Richards, RN, BSN
(she/her/hers)Regional Nursing Director -
Robert McFerren, LCSW-S
Executive Director -
Adam Marion, LCSW
Regional Vice President -
Heather VanHooser, MBA, MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
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
Eating Recovery Center Bellevue
1231 116th Ave NE #350, #370, #800
Bellevue, WA 98004
United States
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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.
