For people struggling with eating disorders in Minnesota, from the North Shore to the Twin Cities.
Empowered Treatment is an Austin, Texas, program for adults with eating disorders, with partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient care, and transitional housing. For anyone in Minnesota considering care in a new setting, we can explain how our program and housing fit together.
Winter can make everything feel heavier.
Minnesota has its rhythms: long winters, short bright summers at the lake, busy semesters at the U of M and in St. Cloud, Duluth, and Mankato, and full workweeks in hospitals and corporate offices across the metro. An eating disorder can fit itself neatly into any of them, hidden behind bulky sweaters, early training sessions, or packed schedules that make skipped meals easy to explain.
Some people reading this have tried treatment before and are not sure what would be different this time. Others have never told anyone. Either way, the eating disorder is not a reflection of your character or your effort. It is a condition that responds to consistent, coordinated care, and it is reasonable to look at options, including ones in a different city.
Starting again is not starting over.
If you have been through treatment before, relapse can bring shame and a sense that you have used up your chances. Recovery rarely moves in a straight line. What you learned before still counts, and a new team can build on it rather than asking you to begin from zero.
When you call, a member of our team will ask about your history, what helped, and what did not. From there we can talk about whether PHP or IOP makes sense. Our page on relapse after treatment may be a helpful read first.
Caring for them without losing yourself.
Parents, partners, and siblings often carry this quietly for a long time. You may be cooking around rules, absorbing worry at night, and wondering when it is your place to step in. That strain is real. Our article on caregiver burnout offers ways to protect your own health while you support theirs.
If your loved one comes to Austin for treatment, our family education helps you understand what they are working on and how home can support it. Learning the same language as the treatment team makes the eventual return to Minnesota smoother for everyone.
Recovery continues after group ends.
Treatment more than a thousand miles from home only works if the rest of the day is supported too. Our transitional housing is a house in Austin's Hyde Park neighborhood where adults in PHP or IOP live together and practice ordinary life in recovery: shopping, cooking, eating with others, winding down at night. It turns skills from programming into routines you can take back home.
Shared living spaces
A room of your ownClinicians who share one plan for you.
An eating disorder touches everything, so treatment has to as well. At Empowered, your therapist, dietitian, psychiatric provider, and our family therapist coordinate closely and revise the plan with you as your needs change. That shared approach continues into discharge planning, when we help connect you with outpatient clinicians in Minnesota who can pick up where Austin left off.
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 →
“Transitional housing is where people get to practice recovery in real life, so we focus on the small daily moments, like planning a grocery run or sitting down to dinner with housemates. My hope is that by the time someone heads home, those routines feel like their own rather than something the program asked them to do.”Maryam Mahmoud, LCSW, LCDCClinical Director of Transitional Services, Empowered Treatment
Flights south and coverage questions.
From Minnesota to Austin
Air travel is the practical route for nearly everyone coming from Minnesota, and our team can help you plan your arrival around intake.
- Distance: about 1,050 miles from Minneapolis as the crow flies
- Airports: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) is the main gateway, with Rochester International (RST) and Duluth International (DLH) as other options for reaching Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)
- Ground travel: from AUS, our Northwest Austin center is about a 30-minute drive in typical traffic
- Living here: transitional housing is available alongside PHP or IOP
Using a Minnesota health plan
Coverage for treatment in another state depends on your specific plan. We will check your benefits with you and explain them before you make travel decisions.
- Fill out our insurance verification request, or call and we will start it for you
- With a Minnesota-based plan, ask whether out-of-network benefits apply to PHP and IOP in Texas; our team will help you figure out exactly what to ask
- The Minnesota Department of Commerce offers consumer information on health insurance and a way to file a complaint
- Read how insurance coverage for eating disorder treatment works
Support waiting when you get home.
Planning for life after treatment starts early. These statewide resources in Minnesota can help you and your family keep care connected once you are back.
- Minnesota Department of Human Services: Adult Mental Health ServicesState information on adult mental health programs, crisis contacts, and how to get help in your county.
- NAMI MinnesotaClasses and support groups for families of adults with mental illness, along with education for people living with a mental health condition.
- Minnesota Department of CommerceConsumer help with health insurance questions and an online portal for filing complaints.
- 988 Suicide & Crisis LifelineCall or text 988, any time, from anywhere in the United States. In an emergency, call 911.
What Minnesotans tend to ask us.
Why would someone in Minnesota consider treatment in Austin?
Reasons vary. Some people want distance from the pressures of home while they focus on recovery, some are looking for a specific level of care or a living setting attached to treatment, and some simply connect with our approach. A call can help you decide whether Austin makes sense for you.
What should I pack coming from a Minnesota climate?
Austin is warm much of the year, with hot summers and mild winters that can still bring a cold snap. Light layers, comfortable clothes for long program days, and one warmer jacket usually cover it. Our team can share more practical tips before you arrive.
I have been in treatment before. Is that a problem?
Not at all. Prior treatment is common, and it is useful information. We want to know what helped and what did not, so care here builds on that history. Read about switching from another program or starting treatment after years of struggling.
How long will I need to stay in Austin?
Length of stay depends on your level of care and how recovery unfolds, and we review progress with you regularly. People often step down from PHP to IOP before returning home. Our page on how long eating disorder treatment takes explains what affects timing.
More for Minnesota
Articles and guides for readers in Minnesota.
A fresh start can begin with a phone call.
Talk with a real member of our clinical team about your situation and the options that fit. There is no cost to call and no commitment.