Eating Recovery Center Denver - Franklin St
Location Details
Eating disorder treatment for kids & teens in Denver, CO
At Eating Recovery Center (ERC) Denver, we take the very best care of patients and their caregivers.
This location, known as ERC Denver-Juniper, is one of ERC’s original and most prominent locations.
Juniper provides a continuum of care for children and adolescents with eating disorders, including the following programs:
- Inpatient
- Residential
- Partial hospitalization program (PHP)
- Intensive outpatient program (IOP)
Focusing heavily on family therapy, support and education, we equip all caregivers to take care of their loved ones as they move towards recovery.
Plus, we offer up to three hours of dedicated academic time, supervised by experienced educational specialists, for our young patients to stay on top of their schoolwork.
- 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
- Trusted by over 20,000 patients and their families
- Specialized treatment designed by a team of experienced clinicians
Find Recovery with Evidence-Based Therapies
Specially created for our youngest patients
Housed in a beautiful center, this location is “patient-picked". Everything from the hanging art to the color of paint on the walls to the spa bathrooms was voted and chosen by current and former patients to provide a calming atmosphere.
Spaces that are most challenging, such as bathroom and dining spaces, have been renovated and feature quieter flooring, noise-reduction, and outdoor-themed, sensory-nurturing natural lighting.
All our therapists are trained in a nationally validated psychotherapy model on the most up-to-date and evidence-based therapies that address complex eating disorders.
Our team is able to support co-occurring medical conditions like diabetes and co-occurring mental health concerns like anxiety, depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
State-of-the-art medical care
Treatment begins with an accurate diagnosis, an appropriate medication regimen, and an individualized treatment plan. To help young patients with complex medical and psychiatric issues, our physicians are onsite Monday through Friday.
In treatment, patients work with:
- Psychiatrists
- Internal medicine physicians
- Therapists
- Registered dietitians
- Family clinicians
- Nursing support
- Alumni support and other support staff
- Full time teachers and educational specialists
- Trauma-informed yoga instructors
- Art therapists
Accredited by the Joint Commission, our medical and clinical leadership team includes the world’s leading eating disorders treatment experts, many of whom have actively led research supporting effective, evidence-based eating disorders treatment.
“Caregivers are a vital component of the treatment team in eating disorder recovery. One of our biggest strengths is that we invest in our caregivers and support them as they navigate the difficult and stressful challenges associated with eating disorders and mental health concerns."
Take a look inside ERC Denver
Meet our expert care team and find out what your day-to-day will look like at ERC Denver. Explore our welcoming flagship campus, see our state-of-the-art teaching kitchen in action, and learn how you’ll develop and practice new skills in real time.
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.
Struggling with an eating disorder?
One conversation can make all the difference. Connect with us today.
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.
Struggling with an eating disorder?
One conversation can make all the difference. Connect with us today.
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.
Providing Young Patients With Guidance and Care
Denver inpatient care
Inpatient eating disorder treatment is for children and adolescents who have the most severe symptoms, complications and health risks, and need the most support. Medical and nursing care is available around the clock, 24/7. Once these individuals are medically and psychiatrically stable, they have more freedom to do the important work of recovery alongside registered dietitians, therapists and other team members.
Denver residential care
Young patients may enter our residential eating disorder treatment program directly, step down from inpatient, or step up from PHP. This level of care also offers medical and nursing support around the clock, 24/7. In this level of care, patients have more freedom than in inpatient care, taking part in activities and outings outside the treatment center. Supplemental tube feeding is available in both residential and inpatient levels of care when needed.
Denver PHP
Since eating disorders don’t take the weekend off, we don’t either. We provide programming 7 days a week, 11.5 hours a day, for individuals in our partial hospitalization program, as supported by research. Caregivers and patients stay in apartment housing near the treatment center to practice skills learned during the day. For our PHP families, we offer a caregiver support group exclusively for families at ERC Denver.
Denver IOP
Our intensive outpatient program (IOP) empowers patients to take ownership of their recovery and become active participants in their lives. Providing patients with this flexible eating disorder treatment program allows them to go to school during the day and sleep at home at night, giving them real-world context to practice skills. The IOP can serve as a step-down level of care, helping foster a positive transition into daily living activities for young patients upon discharging from higher levels of care.
Nutritional counseling & education
Meal planning, nutritional counseling and food experiences are an integral part of treatment at ERC Denver. In our well-equipped test kitchen, caregivers are educated on recovery skills, food portioning, and meal planning and preparation as they learn:
- How to help their loved ones overcome a fear of food or eating
- The importance of balance, moderation and variety in nutrition
- How to provide support and structure during meals
- That there are no good or bad foods
As patients make progress in treatment, they can go on outings to practice the skills they learn in programming. Cooking classes are also provided. We are able to accommodate kosher, halal, vegetarian and gluten free diets, as well as food allergies.
Travel and housing assistance
Traveling from out of state? You are not alone. Most patients who seek care with us at ERC Denver come from out of state and we are happy to help you make arrangements for travel and lodging. ERC Denver-Juniper is conveniently located in a vibrant area near downtown with easy access to lodging, public transportation, restaurants and grocery stores. Let us know if you need help with travel or accommodations while your loved one is in our care.
Supporting Young Patients and Their Families
Support for Families
Our treatment approach draws heavily on family-based treatment (FBT) and emotion-focused family therapy (EFFT) helping caregivers move from feeling overwhelmed to feeling empowered. Find support and community by taking part in our:
We also offer a Denver-based support group just for caregivers whose loved ones are in treatment at ERC Denver.
Support for LGBTQIA+ Individuals
Recover with pride and love all of who you are. Our team is deeply committed to creating a safe, supportive and affirming environment for each one of our LGBTQIA+ patients. Every patient is unique, with individual needs and experiences. We ensure that all of our clinicians and staff are both compassionately and professionally trained to honor and support our patients wherever they are on their journey with physical and emotional attraction, gender identity, gender expression, and mental health recovery.
Academic support
One stressful aspect of eating disorder treatment is deciding how your loved one will manage schoolwork while they are in our care. To help young patients stay as up to date as possible in school, we devote 90 minutes of the treatment day to education. Our educational specialists provide extra warmth and compassion as they coordinate with parents, teachers and guidance counselors.
Testimonials
Just one phone call to get started
We applaud you for doing everything you can to help your loved one recover. Our admissions team, made up of Clinical Response Specialists, Clinical Assessment Specialists and Admissions Coordinators, will compassionately walk you through the intake process and eating disorder assessment. Give us a call to get started on the road to recovery.
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 experienced benefits team – our Patient Access Coordinators — will diligently work with your insurance company to ensure all financial resources are being used to your benefit.
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 About ERC Denver-Juniper
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Do you let caregivers know when changes are made to the eating disorder treatment plan?
One of the hallmarks at ERC Denver is that we do not make any changes to a patient’s treatment plan without speaking with the family. Changes to treatment plans are only made in collaboration with a caregiver. We do not make any changes to any treatment plans without family involvement.
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How much time do parents and caregivers engage in treatment each week at ERC Denver?
Caregivers take part in weekly nutrition education groups and join their loved one for virtual or in-person meals. As families approach PHP, they can expect to be engaged in six hours a week of Denver-based family programming. Our goal is to equip and empower all our caregivers to be able to provide a bridge to recovery until the child can handle it on their own.
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What type of eating disorder support do you offer once treatment ends?
You’ll receive follow-up emails and phone calls after your loved one is discharged from treatment, and we will walk you step by step through what to expect with the transition back home. Extensive aftercare planning with support from our Community Outreach team helps ensure you have a “plan of action” to maintain recovery. We can also help you pre-arrange outpatient appointments at discharge.
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What type of eating disorder support is offered to caregivers and family members?
We strongly encourage caregivers, family members and friends to take part in our many educational and supportive offerings. You can register today and join us in all of these programs:
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Will my loved one have to change providers or change locations during treatment?
One of the foundations of treatment at ERC Denver-Juniper is that your loved one will work with the same treatment team throughout all levels of care — from inpatient to residential to PHP — in a comfortable, safe and compassionate environment conducive to eating disorder recovery.
Expert Care for Eating Disorders in Denver, CO
Meet the leadership team at Eating Recovery Center Denver.
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Elizabeth Wassenaar, MS, MD, DFAPA, CEDS-C
(She/Her/Hers)Regional Medical Director -
Jessica Barth Nesbitt, MA, RD, LD, CD, CEDS-C
(she/her/hers)Regional Nutrition Director -
Keely Flack
Assistant Nursing Director -
Adam Marion, LCSW
Regional Vice President -
Heather VanHooser, MBA, MSN, RN
Chief Nursing Officer
Find Virtual Eating Disorder Treatment in Colorado
We also offer virtual eating disorder treatment for individuals in Colorado through our Eating Recovery At Home program. Individuals in all cities and towns across Colorado, including the cities listed below, are eligible to participate in Eating Recovery At Home.
- Denver
- Colorado Springs
- Aurora
- Fort Collins
- Lakewood
- Thornton
- Arvada
- Westminster
- Pueblo
- Greeley
- Centennial
- Boulder
- Highlands Ranch
- Grand Junction
- Castle Rock
- Vail
- Breckenridge
- Aspen
Explore our Other Locations in the U.S.
Eating Recovery Center Denver - 1st Ave
8190 E 1st Ave, Suite 105
Denver, CO 80230
United States
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