For people struggling with eating disorders in Illinois, and for anyone quietly worried about someone they love.
At Empowered Treatment in Austin, Texas, adults with eating disorders can attend partial hospitalization or intensive outpatient programming, with the option to live in our transitional house during care. We are glad you found us, wherever you are reading from.
An eating disorder can keep a very busy schedule.
Across Illinois, it can sound like a commuter on the Blue Line who skips breakfast and calls it efficiency, a student in Champaign who studies through dinner every night, a nurse in Peoria running on coffee between shifts, or someone in Carbondale who binges after long days and hides the wrappers. Some of these people are in larger bodies, some are not, and almost none look the way the word eating disorder suggests.
Underneath the details, the pattern is usually familiar. Plans start to bend around food. Thoughts about weight interrupt conversations, workouts, and sleep. Relief comes briefly and then the rules tighten again. If you recognize yourself here, that recognition matters. It does not mean something is wrong with you as a person. It means you deserve support that is built for this.
You are allowed to want this to be easier.
It is common to tell yourself that other people have it worse, or that you should be able to handle this alone. Wanting relief is not weakness. If food has started to feel like a constant negotiation, it makes sense to talk with people who treat eating disorders every day.
Our admissions conversations are private and unhurried. A clinician will ask what life looks like right now, explain how our PHP and IOP are structured, and help you understand what an assessment involves, so you can decide with real information.
Your concern is worth acting on.
Families often sense something is off long before anyone names it: a sibling who never seems hungry at holidays, a partner who exercises through illness, an adult child who goes quiet when food comes up. If you are not sure how to begin, our page on talking to your adult child about their eating can help you find words that do not feel like an accusation.
Distance from Rockford or Springfield does not have to mean distance from the process. Our family education gives relatives a clearer picture of eating disorders, the stages of treatment, and practical ways to respond when recovery feels slow.
A calmer place to live during treatment.
Stepping out of a demanding Chicago job, a campus routine, or a household that runs on your energy can be the hardest part of starting care. Our transitional housing sits in Austin’s own Hyde Park, a leafy neighborhood that shares a name with the one on Chicago’s South Side, and lets you focus on treatment during PHP or IOP. You share a real house with others in recovery and return each evening to structure instead of the usual pressures.
Shared living spaces
A room of your ownMind and body, treated together.
Eating disorders affect sleep, heart rhythm, digestion, mood, and thinking, so we do not hand off pieces of your care to people who never speak to each other. Therapists, dietitians, a family therapist, and psychiatric providers meet regularly about your progress, adjust the plan as needed, and help you prepare for the transition back to Illinois with clear next steps.
Partial hospitalization (PHP)
Full treatment days at our Austin center: supported meals, daily groups, individual therapy, dietitian care, and medical and psychiatric monitoring.
About PHP →Intensive outpatient (IOP)
Group programming plus weekly individual and dietitian sessions, built to fit around work, school, and family once more structure is not needed.
About IOP →
“My job is to look at what is happening medically and psychiatrically, from sleep and mood to anxiety and physical strain, and make sure it supports the therapy and nutrition work rather than getting in its way. I want every person to understand why we recommend a medication or a test, and to feel like a partner in those decisions.”Dr. Yahya SaeedMedical Director, Psychiatrist, Empowered Treatment
Logistics, handled step by step.
Coming to Austin from Illinois
Most people from Illinois fly in. Our admissions staff can help you plan arrival around your start date and answer questions about what to pack for a longer stay.
- Distance: about 980 miles from Chicago as the crow flies
- Airports: O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW) both connect to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
- Arrival: from AUS, the ride to our Spicewood Springs Road center takes roughly 30 minutes in typical traffic
- Housing: stay at our transitional house while attending either PHP or IOP
Understanding your benefits
Insurance rules for care in another state can be confusing. We look up your benefits and explain them in plain terms before you make any commitment.
- Submit our verify insurance form, or call and our team will check coverage with you
- An Illinois-based plan may treat Texas providers as out of network; ask about out-of-state and out-of-network benefits, and we help you ask the right questions
- The Illinois Department of Insurance has a consumer hotline and handles health complaints and external review requests
- See does insurance cover eating disorder treatment? for common questions
Help that continues after you return.
Lasting recovery depends on having support nearby once treatment ends. These statewide resources in Illinois can help you, your family, and your future providers stay connected.
- IDHS Division of Behavioral Health & RecoveryIllinois Department of Human Services hub for crisis help, a mental health provider finder, and resources for families.
- NAMI IllinoisEducation such as Family-to-Family and Family & Friends, plus support groups offered through affiliates around the state.
- Illinois Department of InsuranceConsumer resources on health coverage, a toll-free assistance hotline, and forms for complaints and external reviews.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text 988, any time, from anywhere in the United States. In an emergency, call 911.
Common questions from Illinois.
Why would someone from Illinois choose a program in Austin?
People weigh many things: the type of program, the team, timing, and whether they want space away from daily stressors. Some appreciate having housing attached to care. Our guide on how to choose a program can help you compare options.
Can my therapist in Illinois be involved?
Yes, if you sign a release. We can share updates with your current therapist, dietitian, or physician, ask for their perspective, and plan your step-down with them so you return to a team that already knows where you left off.
I have tried treatment before. Is it worth trying again?
Many people come to us after earlier programs, and a previous attempt is useful information rather than a failure. We look at what helped and what did not. Read more about switching from another program.
Do you treat other conditions alongside the eating disorder?
Anxiety, depression, trauma, and OCD often travel with eating disorders, and our clinicians address them as part of the same plan rather than sending you elsewhere. Learn more about co-occurring disorders.
More for Illinois
Articles and guides for readers in Illinois.
Ready when you are, even if that is not today.
Reach out to ask questions, talk through options, or simply learn what our programs involve. A conversation is free and does not lock you into anything.