FOR ADULTS WILLING TO TRAVEL FOR THE RECOVERY THEY HAVEN’T FOUND YET
If local hasn't worked, this is what comes next.
Empowered Treatment is an adult eating disorder outpatient program in Austin, Texas, with transitional housing in the Hyde Park neighborhood for clients traveling in from across the country.
Who Empowered is built for.
Trying to be the right program for everyone is a noble cause, but in reality, it can minimize treatment effectiveness. Below are examples of the people we best serve, and how to know if you or your loved one are a good fit for Empowered.
After residential
Adults who have completed residential treatment and need a step-down option that isn't local.
When local hasn’t worked
Adults who have been unable to properly address the trauma, attachment wounds, or co-occurring patterns underneath their eating disorder.
When home is part of the problem
Adults whose living environment is contributing to their eating disorder behaviors or preventing them from getting well.
Intensive without being institutional
Adults who want clinically-sophisticated treatment without the sterile environment.
Ready for something different
Adults whose treatment or clinical history calls for a different approach than anything they've already tried.
Who Empowered isn't for (yet).
If you need 24/7 medical or behavioral care, outpatient treatment isn't the right level of care for where you are right now, and our Hyde Park housing isn't designed for that level of acuity. If that leaves you feeling a bit lost, our team will help you find the right next step, and we'll be here when you're ready for the one after that.
WHAT COMING TO EMPOWERED ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE.
Treatment. Housing. Travel. RECOVERY.
Empowered is built around the goal of titrating our clients back towards an independent and purposeful life. Whether you are “stepping-down” from a local residential program, or “stepping-up” from seeing a therapist or dietitian once a week, Empowered can meet you where you are and provide the right level of support to help you rebuild a life worth recovering for - without the control of your eating disorder.
PART 1
Travel to Austin.
Empowered's clients come to us from across the country. Some have completed residential and are looking for the next step. Some have been through multiple rounds of local outpatient and are ready for something different. Some are choosing Austin intentionally for their first real treatment experience. Austin-Bergstrom is one of the most connected mid-size airports in the country, with direct flights from most major US cities. Getting here is easier than most people expect. Once you arrive, the move from the airport to your new home in Hyde Park is short and supported.
PART 2
Housing in Hyde Park
Empowered's transitional housing is a beautiful craftsman home in Hyde Park, one of Austin's most established and welcoming neighborhoods. Tree-lined streets, walkable to coffee shops, book stores, grocery, and parks - and all just a 10 minute drive from our outpatient location. Shared and private room options. Common spaces designed for the community that organically grows between people doing this work alongside each other. A live-in house manager is there overnight and on weekends. Case managers are on-site Monday through Friday, eight to five, helping clients navigate the practical and emotional realities of being in a new city, in a new home, in a new chapter. This is the part of recovery that residential programs offer but local outpatient never can: the chance to live somewhere that is itself part of the treatment. Not a clinical facility. A real home, in a real neighborhood, with real people who get it.
PART 3
Trauma-integrated Treatment
At Empowered, we work to heal not only behaviors around food, but also the underlying emotional, cognitive, relational, and nervous system patterns that have served to establish and maintain these behaviors. We treat the full spectrum of eating disorder diagnoses: anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder, OSFED, and ARFID. We serve adults of all genders. Our clinical modalities include CBT, DBT, ACT, EMDR, and Internal Family Systems (IFS). Programming includes group psychoeducation, process groups, individual therapy, individual dietitian sessions, supported meals, experiential outings, and yoga* (*in IOP). The same trauma-integrated approach that helps clients heal is also what helps them step away from the patterns and environments that were maintaining their eating disorder in the first place.
PART 4
A Life Worth RECOVERING For
Recovery isn't just about completing treatment. It's about building a life worth recovering for. That's harder to do in the place where the eating disorder learned to live. Austin gives our clients something most treatment cities can't: a real life to come home to at the end of the day. Live music. The greenbelt. Endless coffee shops and bakeries. Lake walks. Food culture. A real city, with real people, where you can practice being a person again, with the support of clinicians and housemates who understand exactly what that takes. Most of our clients tell us that what changed wasn't just the clinical work. It was the chance to do the clinical work somewhere worth being.
THE PROCESS
What it looks like to come to Empowered.
From the first call to going home.
The first call.
When you reach out, you'll speak with someone at Empowered who has been doing this work for years. We'll listen, ask the right questions, and help you figure out whether we're the right next step. No pressure. No script. And if we aren’t the right fit, we will help connect you with someone who is.
Pre-Assessment and Admission.
The pre-assessment is our opportunity to thoroughly understand you, your eating disorder symptoms, and your history, and to determine if you and Empowered are a good match. This usually takes about an hour, and can be done virtually from your hometown. We will then ask you to submit recent lab records, so that both our clinical and medical team can make the final decision to ensure you are able to thrive in our care.
Arriving in Austin.
We coordinate the move with you. When you arrive, your room in Hyde Park is ready. The house manager welcomes you. Your case manager helps with whatever logistics you're working through - all of the details that matter most in a new city.
Treatment.
Your days have rhythm. Programming at our Spicewood Springs location during the day. Therapeutic meals, individual therapy, group work, dietitian sessions, yoga, experiential outings. Evenings and weekends in Hyde Park, with the structure of the house and the freedom of a real adult life.
Step-down and going home.
Going home (or creating one) is part of the treatment, not the end of it. If you choose to leave Austin, we help you build the bridge back. Referrals to local providers in your home state, step-down planning, and a clear picture of what comes next. If you choose to stay in Austin, we can help you expand the life and support system you’ve been creating here.
An eating disorder doesn’t develop in a vacuum. It develops in a specific environment, in response to specific cues, often in the presence of specific people and patterns. Asking someone to recover while remaining inside the conditions that maintained or helped establish the disorder is asking them to do uphill work while the ground keeps shifting underneath them. For some adults, it’s possible. For others, particularly those who have completed treatment before and relapsed at home, it isn't.
Traveling for treatment isn't just a preference - oftentimes it's clinically indicated.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you don’t see your question here, give us a call.
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Housing stays match the length of your treatment, which varies based on your clinical picture and progress. We don't put a fixed number on it because real recovery doesn't work that way. We'll talk through your specific timeline during intake.
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Austin-Bergstrom is about twenty minutes from Hyde Park. Your case manager will help coordinate your arrival. Once you're settled, getting around Austin is straightforward, either by personal vehicle or rideshare (which Empowered can help manage).
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Yes. We are proud to offer a dedicated family program, and we help coordinate visits in a way that supports your recovery rather than disrupting it. Your clinical team will work through the specifics with you. Things to note: Family members will not be able to stay overnight in our housing.
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No. Our trauma-integrated approach is built for adults with and without formal PTSD diagnoses. Many of our clients have trauma histories that have never been formally diagnosed, and many have trauma responses that don't meet PTSD criteria. The work is the same.
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You're welcome here. Our program and curriculum is appropriate for people with all levels of treatment-fluency. The travel piece can actually make first-time treatment easier, not harder.
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You're not alone in that, and you're exactly who this program is built for. Many of our clients have completed residential before and need a different model for what comes next. The combination of outpatient programming and supported housing in a city that isn't your home is often the missing piece.
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The honest answer is that we can't tell from a website. Our pre-assessment conversation is what helps us best determine the right program for you, and what allows us to connect you to another program if we aren’t it. Call us and we'll figure it out together.
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Many of our clients take medical leave through FMLA or short-term disability to come to treatment. Your case manager can help you understand your options and coordinate with HR if that's useful. Some clients also continue working remotely part-time during treatment, depending on their unique situation.
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We gladly coordinate with your home providers, both during your time with us and as a part of your step-down plan. However, depending on your provider’s licensure, they may not be able to continue services while you are out of state. We will always do our best to collaborate with your support network whenever possible.
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A beautiful, fully-furnished home in Hyde Park - one of Austin's most established and walkable neighborhoods. Shared and private room options. Common spaces designed for community. A live-in house manager overnight and on weekends, with case management on-site Monday through Friday during business hours.
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That depends on your preference and what is available at the time. We offer both private and shared rooms. Some clients prefer the privacy of a single room. Others find that having a roommate is part of what makes the experience work. Your case manager will help you figure out which is right for you.
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You live like an adult in a beautiful home in a great neighborhood. The house has rhythm and structure, supported by your clinical team, but it isn't a clinical facility. You'll cook, eat, rest, hang out with housemates, get coffee, walk the neighborhood, and have actual evenings and weekends. That's not incidental to recovery. It's part of it.
IF YOU’VE READ THIS FAR…
That's the part of you that wants something more.
Reach out today. You'll speak with one of our founders, not an admissions script. We'll listen, ask the right questions, and help you figure out whether coming to Austin is your next right step.
There is no pressure to decide on the first call.