Eating Recovery Center (ERC) is a national treatment center with a number of locations across the country. This page is for their Washington locations.
ERC provides all levels of care across their many locations, from inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP, transitional living, and virtual treatment. They are unique for offering every level of care, and are known for their intense specialty track called BETR that treats Binge Eating Disorder separately from the main ED track.
Some ERC locations also have a separate PHP and residential treatment program specifically for mood, anxiety, and trauma through their partner treatment center, Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center.
Any current reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
Eating Recovery Center (ERC)’s Washington location (ERCWA) has Residential, PHP, IOP, Virtual IOP, and Transitional Living. Previously called the Moore Center.
They have a sister program in Seattle called Pathlight Mood & Anxiety Center that offers Residential, PHP, IOP, Virtual IOP, and Transitional Living for mood, anxiety, and trauma related disorders.
ERC also has residential treatment programs in Colorado, Texas, Maryland, and Illinois:
- Eating Recovery Center (ERC) of Denver, multiple locations
- Eating Recovery Center (ERC) Chicago
- Eating Recovery Center (ERC) of Texas
- Eating Recover Center (ERC) of Maryland
Alright I’ll share!
When were you there?
January-October 2023 (January-March res, March- April T Res/PHP, April-June virtual IOP, July-September Res, September-October PHP)
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)?
I started at Res and then did Transitional Res (basically I still lived in Res and had Saturday dinner, night snack, Sunday morning breakfast, plus all breakfasts and nights of HS snack with res people, but during the day I did program with PHP — they did this for me because I was needing to get home and was ready for PHP programming but wasn’t weight restored enough yet), then I did full PHP for a week, and came home and did 8 weeks of virtual IOP. By the end of IOP I was really struggling. Took two weeks off to go home, got really bad, and readmitted in Res.
Is it wheelchair accessible?
Yep!
How many patients are there on average?
They can accommodate up to 16, and there were 12-16 the entire time I was there.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
Yes, they treat male, female, and non-binary folks. They room people together of the same gender, but all groups are mixed during the day for treatment.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, nurse, etc?
Medical dr — you see them when you first do intake, and then they touch base with you throughout. It just depends on your needs. I saw my dr weekly for some medical needs I had while there. They also followed up with some EKGs and provided good care. I would just mention something to the nurse, and they’d make a note for the doctor who would follow up within a day.
Psychiatrist — you see them weekly to discuss treatment and meds and make any medication adjustments as needed. It had a therapy-type feel, which I really appreciated, and found it to be very helpful.
Therapist — you see them three times a week for an hour long session. You can also do a family session once a week and two individual sessions instead.
Dietician — you see them once a week for a longer session and once a week for more of a “touch base” session.
You also have “rounds” once a week where you have a meeting with your therapist, psychiatrist, and dietician all at once.
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
There were always at least 2 BHCs working, plus around 4 program therapists (during the day at least. They have one pro-t who does an evening shift until around 10pm in case you need support in the evening after programming is over for the day)
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, ACT, exposure therapy, somatic experiencing, etc
DBT, ACT, CBT, RO-DBT (they had RO when I was there the first time, but by later in the year they had stopped RO because they wanted it to be taught by someone certified in it and were waiting) body image, music, yoga, art, nutrition, menu planning
Describe the average day:
Schedule
6:30am— the “spa” opens for urine samples, blind weights, showers, and getting ready. Before breakfast you’re also expected to get through the line for med window to take your morning meds as well as have your vitals taken by a nurse
8:00am— breakfast
8:45am— meal and boosting is usually done by now, and you fill out your meal card with your completion and have down time until group
9:00am— group therapy 1 of the day
9:50am — group ends, downtime
10:00am — outside break for everyone who wants it that’s not on safety protocol
10:15am — outside break ends
10:30am — AM snack
11:00am — group therapy 2
12:00pm — lunch
1:00pm — group therapy 3
2:00pm — outside break for phase 2 and 3 peeps
2:00-3:30pm — downtime, phase 2 and 3 get access to their rooms
3:30pm — pm snack
4:00pm — group therapy 4
5:00pm — dinner
Then we have downtime, again, phase 2 and 3 get access to their rooms if wanted. We would often hang out in the lounge or in groups in people’s “cubby” outside their room, play a game, watch a movie in the lounge, paint our nails by the BHC desk, do art in the hallway of the art room was closed (it usually was), that sort of thing.
8:00pm — hs snack
9:00pm — spa opens for people to get ready for bed and take a night shower if you’re phase 2 or 3, also bedtime med window
10:00 pm — lights out! But you can still read in your room or talk quietly in the hallways, it’s mostly just like the time they expect at least some people to be sleeping, so everyone should be respectful of that.
Does it work on a level system?
Yes. The first 72 hours you are on safety protocol and have basically zero privileges, but then you start on phase 1 and get morning outside break. Once you reach completion and engagement goals for a week straight, you can apply to phase up to phase 2. This gets you the option to do yoga, a second outside break, 2-3 hour passes where you get to leave, a weekly outing as a group to a place you choose, and night shower privilege, as well as access to your room during breaks. Again after reaching specific completion and engagement goals for a week straight, you can apply for phase three which gets you another outside break as well as 4 hour passes.
What were meals like?
We sat at tables of 3-4 people (seats are assigned, but they get moved pretty often) and ate our meals. Sometimes it was tense, but we had games we would play to help distract. Meals were 30 minutes, snacks were 15 minutes, and then you’d have to sit there while they poured boost for any people needing it, and the completes would then leave, and boosters got 5 extra minutes.
What sorts of food were available or served?
Honestly I was pretty impressed with the variety. It wasn’t horrible hospital food or anything. Menus were on a three week rotation. There were typically three main breakfast options, and then always two entrees that contained meat and one vegetarian option for every lunch and dinner. You are able to choose your own menu (once a week during menu planning group, you’d make selections for the following week) that met your meal plan. Meal options for breakfast usually included a cereal, oatmeal, toast/bagel/English muffin, some baked good like a muffin or pancake or French toast, then you had protein options like scrambled or hard boiled eggs, cottage cheese, sausage, bacon, veggie sausage. Plus fruits and dairy. For lunch there would usually be a sandwich, soup, stir fry, salad, pasta, quiche, pizza, and similar for dinner. Snack options depended on what snack menu you were on, and you’d circle whatever options you would like with your dietician. Snacks varied from veggies and hummus, a kind/Luna bar, yogurt with fruit, cheez-it’s, trail mix on A list and increased up to yogurt parfaits, milkshakes, peanut butter Nutella banana wraps on C list with portions increasing or juice or dairy added in between.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Yes, depending on how much of your meal or snack you completed, you’d be boosted based on meal plan and had five minutes to drink your boost.
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
They’re pretty supportive in not completing, it’s just that you aren’t able to phase up if you aren’t completing at a certain level so you don’t have any privileges. Honestly just being able to make phase two to get access to my room in the afternoon was enough to motivate me to meet the completion goals to phase up. If you aren’t eating at all you can expect to get tubed and receive boost overnight for all the missed meals and snacks.
Are you able to eat vegetarian? Vegan?
Yes to vegetarian, no to vegan
What privileges are allowed?
Outside breaks, room access during the day, nighttime showers, outings, passes
How do you earn privileges?
By completing meals and snacks (completion goals are different for making phase 2 and 3) and by engaging in personal and group therapy.
What sort of groups do they have?
DBT, ACT, CBT, RO-DBT, yoga, art, music, body image, menu planning, nutrition
What was your favorite group?
I liked RO the best. It’s geared toward people who are over-controlled and I found it really helpful. Art and yoga were also really nice. The yoga instructor from my early stay was amazing, but left to go back to school so there wasn’t even a yoga option by my second res stay.
What was your least favorite group?
Probably nutrition simply because I already knew all of it. Body image group was hard because some of it was painful, but it was also helpful… so I did dread that group, but only because it was draining. I also dreaded any group led by one specific pro-T because she was so incredibly hard to follow, using 100 words where 3 would do, I just truly had no clue what she was even saying.
Is the program trauma-informed?
It really just depended who was working. Different people were helpful with trauma more than others.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
Short “walks” daily on outside break (walking one block to a grass patch), and yoga when on phase 2 or 3 if being offered.
What did people do on weekends?
We still had program on the weekends, but only the two morning groups rather than four groups. Then it was downtime for the rest of the day. Sometimes we could get a pro-T to open the art room so we could work on projects, but other than that people would read, nap, craft, crochet/knit, collage, watch tv or movies, play on phones, play board games or DnD if someone wanted to run a campaign, paint nails, etc. a lot of the times we would just chat with each other. I found the downtime to be pretty challenging.
Do you get to know your weight?
No one knew it that I was aware of. Maybe at lower levels of care they would tell you but definitely not in res. You could ask your dietician and they’d pretty much just tell you if you were gaining at the intended amount.
How fast is the weight gain process?
I’d say it’s pretty quick. I think they expect around 2-4 pounds a week, which is average for residential stays. I was in res for 3 months each time and gained a little less than I expected in that timeframe, definitely less than that weekly range amount. You’re also not actively weight restoring all the time if you don’t need to. Basically you’re on the starter meal plan, and they keep ramping it up as needed, and then you stay there for a while to restore (and also because your metabolism will likely go way up), and then they work you back down. Part of why I failed so spectacularly was because I was on a really high meal plan but needed to get back home and we didn’t have time to taper to something I could actually manage preparing on my own.
What was the average length of stay?
It really depended on insurance. Some people were in res for 3 weeks, and others for 3 months. One patient was there for much longer because her insurance kept covering it. It really just depends.
What was the average age range?
18-60s while I was there. I’d say 21 was probably the average age.
How do visits/phone calls work?
Visits can happen during a specific time each day, and you can make phone calls during downtime.
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
Electronics were limited to afternoon break and 6-10 pm my first stay, but by summer they weren’t enforcing any electronics policy. Large items need to charge behind the bhc desk, but you are provided with a short charger for your room and get to keep your phone all the time which I SO appreciated.. part of why I went here rather than other facilities.
Are you able to go on outings/passes?
Yes once you make phase two. Outings happen as a group once a week, and you can take up to three passes a week, 2-3 hours each on phase 2, and then 3 a week for longer (up to 4 hours I think) on phase 3
What support do they provide outside of programming hours?
There’s a pro-T there until lights out, and always at least 2 BHCs who can provide support at any hour.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
They have php, and then in-person as well as virtual IOP.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
Yes! I came from out of state and they had a driver pick me up from the airport and also got me a discounted rate for a hotel for the night before my intake. There were also other patients from out of state and a couple from Canada.
What did you like the most?
I was there with an amazing milleu my first time so I think that made my stay better. There were just really good recovery-focused vibes. It was a really positive and supportive atmosphere. I also was really happy with my team and loved some of the BHCs and program therapists. My second stay was much heavier, a lot of us were on tubes, much lower average bistro completion, lots of people just gathering in corners to snark and complain. The caliber of pro-T seemed to go down between April and July as well.
What did you like the least?
I didn’t realize that I’d have no access to my room until night, and that my door would stay open overnight, and no outside time my first three days so I found all of that jarring just because I didn’t expect that, but it was also motivation to phase up so I guess it was helpful in a way. There were some Noc-shift BHCs that sucked, but at least they were there while we were sleeping. I also hated flush checks because they were humiliating when having stomach troubles, and it was hard going from my normal life where I have control over everything, to a place where I had to ask to get something from my room or to use the bathroom etc. I also hated how quickly they tubed me and how hard they made it to get it removed even though I was very complaint and on a monstrous meal plan.
Would you recommend this program?
Hmm. Yes I think so. It has so much to offer and I think the infrastructure to be really successful. If it were my first stay of the year, I’d wholeheartedly recommend it. My second time in program I didn’t get as much out of it apart from medical stabilization, but I was also pretty wiped out from being physically in treatment all year, and I definitely could have “tried harder” and I’m sure I’d have had a better experience. I just think the milieu vibe has so much to do with it, which is really unfortunate. I also think this is a great place to be if you have any medical needs. I appreciated being close to the ER if anything happened. Im not super young though, so maybe that matters less when you’re college-age.
do they let you have your phone? what about smoke/vape breaks?
You get your phone 24/7 (just can’t use it during meals/groups). Smoke breaks (they call them “fresh air” breaks) are once a day when you first are cleared, and then 4-5 times a day after leveling up. They allow both vaping and smoking, and they keep cigs/lighters/vapes/juice behind the BHC (behavioral health counselor) desk. You get them at the start of each break and return them when you come back from the break.
Finally going to make a full review now that I’m stepping down!
When were you there?July 2022-October 2022
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)?Adult Residential
If applicable: Is it wheelchair accessible?Yes, they also have wheelchairs available if necessary.
How many patients are there on average?10-15. It’s busier in the summer but it never went above 17.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?Treats all genders and treatment is combined.
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people?Yes! I am transgender and felt very supported as there were several trans staff members, gender neutral bathrooms, they were good about making sure I could stay on my hormones, had a single room, and always used my pronouns and correct name.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?You see the medical doctor when you get there, and then whenever issues come up. Patients with chronic illnesses like diabetes see the doctor every week, and patients with different medical stabilization needs see the doctor more often. I only saw the doctor 4 times. You see your psychiatrist once a week, therapist three times a week, and dietitan twice a week. You also see everyone from your team briefly once a week for rounds.
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?During the day, there would be two to three BHCs, 2 nurses, and program therapists. During the night there was one to two BHCs and 1 nurse. Every now and then we’d have a week where lots of people would call out and there was not enough staff.
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)?DBT, CBT, RODBT, ACT, process groups, art therapy, music therapy, yoga, and some sort of general life skills groups.
What was your favorite group?I loved RODBT. RODBT is intended for people who are overcontrolled, versus regular DBT that is designed for people who are undercontroled. RODBT is based in the neuroregulatory model and has a lot of really helpful skills, like addressing the fixed versus fatalistic mind, the different cues in our enviroment and how that affects our social safety, and working on being less rigid and more emotionally expressive. I also like art, process, and body image group.
Describe the average day:Wake up at 6:45 for weights, vitals and morning spa.
7:45: Breakfast
9:00: 1st group
10:00: Outside break
10:15: Snack
10:40: Group 2
11:45: Lunch
12:40: Group 3
1:25: Downtime + outside break
3:00: PM snack
3:25: group 4
4:20: Outside break
5:00: Dinner
6:00: downtime for the rest of the night
6:50: rooms open
8:00: Snack
9:00: Evening Spa
10:00: Lights out and turn in electronics
What were meals like?Meals were 30 minutes and snacks were 15 minutes. We play a lot of table games and chat. Daytime staff is pretty persistent about meal coaching but evening and weekend staff didn’t bother with meal coaching or redirecting table behaviors.
What sorts of food were available or served?My meals were sort of different than the norm, but they serve things like pasta, burgers, tofu, tacos, hummus plates, chicken with rice, soup, and lots of different sides. Snacks depended on what snack menu you had but were things like M&Ms, Poptarts, goldfish, or dessert sandwiches, milkshakes, smoothies, yoghurt and strawberries. You do menus every monday and the meal plan is the exchange system. You can usually choose between three entrees for every meal and different sides. The menus rotated. I was on ARFID menus, so my menus were entirely customized to be foods with textures that I could handle. My dietitan would go grocery shopping every week and make sure that the foods for my menus were always in stock in the kitchen, so I had the same menu options every single day which was incredibly helpful.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?Yes, they supplement with boost plus or boost breeze for anything that you did not complete and will calculate the amount based on percentages completed.
What is the policy of not complying with meals?It really depends on what percentages you’re completing and whether or not you’re medically stable. They will tube you if you refuse food or boost completely for multiple days in a row, or if you’re really not completing enough percentages for a long enough time and you are no longer medically stable. They give you some time and support before tubing you, but they defintely use NG tubes a lot and it’s kind of difficult to get the NG tube out once it’s in. For example, when I got the NG tube I was told I would have it for 3 days and it turned into 2 weeks and I could only get it out once I met a difficult goal. There’s a lot more I could say about how they use NG tubes but I’ll just leave it at that.
Are you able to eat vegetarian?Yes, not vegan though. They also will accomdate gluten free if there is a medical reason and Kosher menus.
What privileges are allowed?Outside breaks, some extra electronics time, outing, going out on individual passes, extra spa time. If you have a tube in and can’t get any of the normal incentives then your team will do things like extra outside time and taking you to Starbucks.
Does it work on a level system?Yes. Privileges depend on your level. Everyone starts on red for your first 48 hours, and if you have an NG tube, are on purge, SH, SI, or elopement protocol, or if you are completing less than 75% through food or Boost. On red, you can only go outside on incentive breaks. To get on yellow, you have to complete 75% through food or Boost. On yellow, you can go on outing, have more outside breaks, and can do yoga. To get on green, you have to complete 100% by food (although there is some flexibility and you can work with your team.) On green, you can go on three outside passes a week for three hours each. Sometimes people would get to go on passes on yellow or red but it really depended on each person’s indivudal treatment plan. Levels are announced on Monday and Thursday and staff can drop your level if you’re using behaviors.
What did you like the most?The thing I liked the most was the other patients and having a really recovery focused milleu. I also really liked having a lot of electronics time, the ability to do a lot of art, knitting, craft projects, the fact that there were so many LGBTQ patients and staff, and I appreciated all the members of my care team and the fact that they really worked hard to try to help me feel safe because they knew I had so much past trauma from being in psych wards. Going out on passes was also super helpful for the transition.
What did you like the least?There are quite a few things that frustrated me about this program, but they are things that I think are pretty common at most treatment centers at this level of care and things that were not suprising to me going in. There were some staff members, especially on weekends, that were just sort of mediocre or rude. One of the psychiatrists was gone a lot and I felt really bad for the patients who had him. One of the clinical directors was absolutely horrible and said triggering things all the time, and she would fill in as a therapist sometimes and was absolutely not a competent clinician at all. I disliked being in a medical center because it defintely felt more like inpatient (we couldn’t have our room doors closed, couldn’t put anything up on the walls, locked doors everywhere, a very sterile feeling environment.) It is a very rigid and intense program with groups seven days a week, and after a couple months there all the restrictions, lack of autonomy, and the way some staff would be way too controlling was frustrating. There also was understaffing problems that meant that sometimes people would have an easy time getting away with behaviors. While I was there they were training a lot of new staff, and some of the new staff were not good at acting in trauma informed ways. I also think that ERCWA is not at all supportive of people who are struggling with substance use, which led to a couple really upsetting situations that could have been avoided if staff had been better trained. Groups also got pretty boring after 6 weeks there because they started to repeat.
Would you recommend this program?I would reccomend this program, but I don’t think it’s for everyone. It has been lifechanging for me and I truly think it was the right decision for me to come here at this point in my life. I think that you need to feel motivated enough to be honest with your team about whether or not you are engaging in behaviors. If you are someone who has a lot of psychiatric trauma, especially from being in a psych ward, I think that ERCWA can be difficult just because of the way the unit looks. If you are someone who can tolerate a rigid program, are looking for a place that can deal with some more complexities both medically and psychiatrically, and are looking for a more traditional therapy program, I think that ERCWA can totally be a success. If you’re someone who wants a more homelike environment, is more interested in harm reduction, has substance use issues, and who is more easily activated by seeing lots of patients with lower BMIs, tubes, and using behaviors, ERCWA will likely not be as good a fit for you.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?None except for light yoga.
What did people do on weekends?We had two groups each day on weekends, but then the rest of the day was freetime with electronics and rooms opened. A lot of us would hang out together on the weekend and do things like paint our nails, watch movies, sing karoke, play card and board games. The art room was also opened for free art time both days. Lots of patients also just spend time napping or with their electronics in their room.
Do you get to know your weight?No, not unless you plan a weight exposure with your team which they are very reluctant to do in resisdential and usually only consider doing that in PHP. You are weighed every morning and it is blind weights.
How fast is the weight gain process?It really, really depends on the person and their indivudal needs.
What was the average length of stay?9-15 weeks. A few people came in and out in around 5 weeks, but the vast majority of patients are there for at least 9 weeks.
What was the average age range?My entire time there, most people were 18-25. There was usually at least one person over 40 though.
How do visits/phone calls work?Visits could happen once a week from 2:00-2:45.
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?You can bring any eletronics like phone, ipad, laptop, nintendo switch. You get them from 1:50-3:00 and 6:50-10:00, and on weekends you get your phone at 12:30 and have it for the rest of the day. Truthfully, no one turned their phone in at night and staff didn’t care about that, so you could listen to music or be online after lights out as long as you were quiet.
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go out on passes?Yes, if you were on green you could go on three, 3 hour passes a week. Anyone on any level could go out for medical passes if you got it approved by nursing.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?They work with you to form a discharge plan. Most people step down to PHP, which is still in the same building as res and you stay with your same care team so it’s a pretty smooth transition. Sometimes people will step down to different PHP, IOP, outpatient and they work with you to set up outpatient team.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?Yes, they help with travel from the airport and there is transitional housing that you can stay in for PHP.
If applicable: How is the program responding to COVID? (Less patients, virtual programming, no visitors, masks, social distancing, etc)We are still wearing masks, and we have plastic barriers in bistro.
Other?I was on a combination ARFID and anorexia track and I honestly would recommend this program to anyone who has both ARFID and body image based behaviors that they would like to work on. The dietitans are familiar with ARFID and can accomdate that through custom menus, and are pretty good at doing exposure therapy in a way that is gentle and not traumatizing in my experience. They were able to make a treatment plan that tackled both my eating disorder diagnoses and worked with me to adjust goals depending on what behaviors I felt like were priorities.
Another random thing that’s good to know about this program is that the ER is the building right next to us, so they are more equipped to deal with medical emergencies and SH issues, so when patients needed to go to the ER they did not have to discharge and could just come back the same night or the same day.
Overall I think ERCWA is by NO means a perfect program and defintely has areas where it needs to improve, but I had a pretty good experience here and think that it has some areas of treatment that it’s particularly good at.
Happy to answer any other questions!
Thank you!! I just updated the tags for this location to include the things you mentioned.
Since PHP is in the same building, do PHP patients share groups / interact with res patients? I’ve experienced mixed groups like that before, and they can be incredibly triggering since people are at such different levels of recovery. Also, is IOP in the same building too?
Hey!
So the only group that is shared is LGBTQ process group, but they just said they might be changing that with the new schedule we got. The only other times we interact is that sometimes we end up waiting in the hallway together because our dining rooms are right next to each other. The individual therapist and pyschiatrist’s offices are also on the PHP side of the unit, so res patients will go over there to do individual sessions. Basically, you won’t really be interacting in programming, but if you’re in PHP you will definitely see res patients walking through the PHP side of the unit on a regular basis.
I didn’t do IOP, but I’m pretty sure it is at the same location on a different floor, since it’s not on the same unit as PHP and res.
Oh okay interesting! When I was there in 2016, PHP and IOP were in an entirely different building about 10 minutes away, which was a lot more homey and comfortable. It gave people a lot more incentive to work towards stepping down. I’m curious why they changed that. Thank you for the information!
Looking for a recent review of the residential adult program! Some specific questions I have:
How effective/helpful would you say the program was overall for you?
How accepting were the staff in terms of gender and sexual identity? Did group / therapy explore queer identity / LGBTQ+ topics much?
What were groups like/what types of activities do you do? I’m looking for a varied approach (art, music, movement, animal therapy, etc)
Do you ever have to cook your own food?
What was your experience with the medical team?
What are current COVID restrictions? Are there outings/visitors allowed?
Any other things you think someone going to this facility should be aware of?
Thank you in advance! 🙂
Hi! I’m currently at ERCWA.
For me, the program has been pretty effective overall, but I think this program is not for everyone. It’s a pretty hospital like environment with a lot of restrictions, which I think can be a deal breaker for a lot of people. I also think that because of understaffing issues, staff is not always able to interrupt patients when using behaviors, so I think this program works best for people who are able to be motivated enough to be honest with their team. I feel supported and happy with how things are going, but I really think it depends on whether or not you can put up with a lot of rules and your motivation level. The thing that frustrates me the most in here is definitely how rigid the program is.
Staff is very accepting of LGBTQ identity, there are many openly LGBTQ staff members, and we have one process group a week specifically about LGBTQ topics. LGBTQ topics are sometimes brought up in other groups, but not that much. There’s a lot of pride flags, gender neutral language, sharing our pronouns, and trans patients can use whatever bathroom we are most comfortable in.
Most groups are pretty traditional therapy like DBT, CBT, and ACT. We do art therapy twice a week and also have free art time on the weekend. People do a lot of crafts and art in the lounge but that’s not therapy, that’s just whatever we do in free time . We do yoga once a week and music where we play guitar and sing once a week. Overall I would say the vast majority of groups are just typical therapy groups and it can get kind of repetitive.
You would not be allowed to cook your own food, there’s no kitchen and it is not a home like environment at all.
Medical team is okay. You don’t see the medical doctor that much unless you have a condition like diabetes or if problems show up. They are also pretty good about working with you to schedule medical passes if you want to go see a specialist. They’ve handled a few of my medical problems pretty well, but overall not much interaction with the doctors at all. The weekday nurses are amazing and really check in on you. The night and weekend nurses are not as good in my opinion. If you have any more specific medical questions let me know.
Covid restrictions are still happening, so we wear masks everywhere and have barriers in bistro. Visitors are allowed from 2:00-2:45 Monday through Friday, but visitors must be masked and either show proof of vaccine or proof of negative Covid tests. They announced this week that they are bringing back outing but we are doubtful that they will actually figure it out for like another month lol. People are allowed to go out on individual passes once you’re on green though.
Defintely be aware that most people stay in res 7-12 weeks, that your ability to go outside depends on your level, and that it is a pretty sterile, medical feeling environment. Right now they are having some staffing issues so some days there are understaffing problems that are really frustrating. It’s a pretty intense program with lots of the day spent in group therapy and your room doors are locked most of the day, and you are never allowed to close them when you’re in the room. I would overall recommend this program and I feel like it’s really helping me and I really value being able to have my phone, do a lot of art, and hang out with the other patients, but I think it depends on the level of control and restrictions you can tolerate and what you’re looking to get out of it.
Definitely let me know if you have any other questions!
What are the levels? You said people on green can apply for passes? How
The levels are red, yellow, and green. If you’re completing less than 75% of food, on self harm, [SI]*, or purge protocol, if you have an NG tube, or for your first 48 hours, you are on red. When you are on red, you can only go on one outside break if you complete 100% of breakfast. To get in yellow, you have to complete 75% of all your meals through either food or boost, and you can shower at night, go on more outside break, and go on inning/outing if they ever bring outing back, and also drink caffeinated coffee. To get on green you have to complete 100% of your meals by food. On green you can go on three passes a week. Passes are for three hours each and you just fill out a form and get it approved by your therapist. You have to plan out your snack or meal beforehand with your dietitian and make a plan for you pass but you can do basically whatever you want. A lot of people go to the mall, bookstores, the lake, cat cafes, craft stores, stuff like that.
They sometimes make exceptions and let people take passes on yellow but it depends on your individual situation.
*admin note: i hope it is clear what this word was – if not i can change it back. it isn’t an inappropriate word in any sense, but i changed it to the medical initials because i know for some people seeing the actual word rather than the initials to be triggering.
Do they check blood sugars? And are there single rooms?
They do not typically check blood sugars. I would not recommend if you are a diabetic. They have some single rooms.
Someone deleted my review that was highly personal to me on google reviews. It was genuine, honest, clear, and in no way was inappropriate Until I can rewrite my 8 paragraphs, this rating will have to do and how this place truly is from an almost 16-year-old girl who was at ercwa res for 2 months last summer. This place traumatized me, lost my baby blanket that I’ve had ever since I was a baby, and did many, MANY other things that were in no way legal. I am now recovered and living my life, thanks to Avalon Hills res in Utah and all the kind and wonderful people who helped me to process all the terrible things that erc did to me and my other fellow friends and ercwa
I agree about ERC adolescent residential. I actually was forced into ERC adolescent at age 16 at the Denver location way back in 2016. I am 23 years old now and still have nightmares about the hellish things that I experienced while there. Kids and teenagers were truly abused. I have seriously considered filing a lawsuit. My poor roommate was held down and tube fed on multiple occasions. Multiple people per day would be dragged forcibly to the “quiet room” which was a locked cell used for noncompliance. Worst yet, you could be carried to the “silent room” which didn’t even have a small hospital room slit window. We were made to be naked and spin around for staff to examine our bodies daily before getting weighed. If you had a “body bug” (movement tracker) a nurse would tape it to your body so tightly that you were unable to move it to make sure you didn’t mess with it. Meal size was increased to extreme amounts so much so that children would actually be crying while trying to stuff food into their faces in the ~15 minutes that we were allotted to consume 1000+ calories. The unit was set to 64 degrees, but don’t dare ask for an extra blanket, because the only response that you would be given was “you need to talk to your team about that”, which predictably did nothing. You wouldn’t be allowed outside for weeks at a time. This place lacked almost all compassion and humanity- the only reason that I say almost is that there was a handful of caring staff and the kids helped each other out. However, I wouldn’t wish ERC adolescent on my worst enemy. It is truly a tragedy that this place is marketed to desperate parents as a place that can help their children when in reality it is place of child abuse.
I am currently at the Adult ERC program at Bellevue and I am happy to answer any questions! I’ll write a full review in several weeks when I discharge.
Awesome! Thank you S. This is such a gift to the community – especially to have someone who is currently there because you can provide the most up-to-date answers! I’m sure I will think of other questions soon, as ERC Washington is the ERC location I am least familiar with – despite the fact that ERC has been in Washington since 2012, and even before 2012 it existed it was just called the Moore Center. But the first ones I thought of are (in no particular order):
– What is the current age range?
– I know they accept people of all genders, but are the majority of staff members accepting of people of all genders?
– What is it like having a residential program at a medical center? One of the problems with some ERC residential locations (Chicago being a good example) is that they struggle to address, or often even acknowledge, genuine medical problems in their clients. Does being near a medical center allow for more medical attention and stabilization at the residential level of care, than would be possible if it wasn’t right there? – Do they offer RO-DBT? If so, can you talk a little about what it’s like? I’ve heard such great things about RO-DBT, but ERC Washington is one of the few residential places I know that offers it. *For those who don’t know, RO-DBT is completely different from regular DBT. Most treatment centers only offer traditional DBT, which focuses on helping people in distress to tolerate distress, regulating emotions, and practice mindfulness. RO-DBT is designed for people on the opposite end of the spectrum who suffer from excessive self control and rigidity (which they call “Over Control”). So rather than focusing on how to control emotions, it focuses on openness and flexibility and letting go of the need for over-controlling distress and emotions. (https://www.radicallyopen.net)
– How many beds do they have?
– What’s the current electronics policy?
– Do they have the LGBTQIA+ group?
Hey! Current age range of the patients here is 19-45. Most people are in our twenties with only a few older people. It’s super accepting of people of all genders. I’m a transgender man and all staff has been great so far, there’s many staff who are LGBTQ. I’m the only male patient right now, and I have a private room and they open a seperate bathroom for me. I don’t have any complaints about it so far, but I’ve only been here a week so I haven’t met all the staff yet.
I haven’t been to any other treatment centers so I can’t compare, but it is pretty convenient being in the medical center. I know there’s some patients with some more complex medical problems that are being accommodated, and they are currently doing pretty good at accommodating the patients with diabetes. No one has really had any huge medical issues so far so I’m not quite sure what would happen if people really needed intense medical stabilization, but I’m guessing it would be pretty easy to access medical care because the hospital is literally right next door. The day nursing staff are all really good and do a lot of things like daily blood draws if needed, EKGs whenever needed, stuff like that. Someone got sick and was able to get medical attention without having to leave the program. The downside of being at the medical center is that it does really feel like a hospital environment and the rooms are pretty boring and sterile, and our outside breaks are kind of boring as well since there isn’t really a lot around.
Yes, they offer RO dbt. I’ve only had one RO DBT group so far but a lot of people have said it’s their favorite and that it’s pretty helpful. I’ll be able to provide more info later as I do more groups :).
Right now I think they’re only going up to 18 patients, even though there are a few more empty beds. There’s 17 patients right now.
The current staff are really permissive with the electronics policy. Per the actual policies on paper it’s supposed to depend on your level and is only for around 2 hours each day during the weekday, and four-five hours on weekends. However, everyone has been able to access their electronics even if their level is red, and we get them even outside of the hours on the policy. So for about 3-4 hours on weekdays and 6 hours on weekend. Current staff are fine with us using electronics in our room or in the lounge, regardless of our level. We turn them back in at night and can’t have them during groups, but can pretty much have them any other time. That’s only true for adult res though, I’m pretty sure adolescent res doesn’t allow any electronics.
From what I’ve heard, LGBTQIA group depends on the staff and patient interest so it sort of depends from week to week. It’s very LGBTQIA friendly, many staff are openly LGBTQ and there’s pride flags in almost every room.
Happy to answer any other questions and hope you have a great day
Thank you!!
My wife is still so traumatized from being in residential treatment here that she literally can not even enter the city of Bellevue, and if she does, she almost immediately has a panic attack or flashback (it has been over four years since she left their “care” to give context to how long this has lasted). Her treatment “team” (quotes because they were never on my wife’s team in terms of actually helping/caring about her) singled her out and literally emotionally abused and tortured her for over six months. For instance, my wife has trauma related to vacuums and the staff at this facility forced and locked her in a room with someone while they were vacuuming even though she was panicking and having a flashback the entire time. At one point she had a stomach virus and her therapist refused to acknowledge that she was actually sick and not doing it on purpose so they forced her to sit in the lounge in front of other patients and repeatedly involuntarily throw up on herself. They consistently lied to her about her care, including telling her that if she left residential then her outpatient treatment team (that she had been seeing for years) would not see her anymore. Upon following up with her outpatient providers, that was NEVER something they said and it was an obvious power play and manipulation tactic ERC used to gain control over her. At one point she tried to transfer to another facility because she was realized she wasn’t getting any better there and the staff at ERC gave her a goal to get her feeding tube out so she would qualify for the transfer but once she hit the goal they still refused to take out the tube so she was forced to stay with ERC. If she had been allowed to leave when she earned it and needed to she may have ended up in a much better place mentally and physically but we’ll never know because ERC lied and manipulated her into staying with them so they could continue to keep her trapped and torture her. At times she wasn’t allowed to have any contact with the outside world even though it is her right to use a phone. The clinical director of this program (*****] literally told my wife that she is “toxic and unfixable” (that is a direct quote, verbatim). The effects of her time at ERC still affect her quality of life on a SEVERE level to this day.
This facility is NOT EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH ANYONE WITH TRAUMA, ESPECIALLY COMPLEX TRAUMA. I watched MANY patients become retraumatized while in res and it was very clear to me from the very beginning that the staff were not adequately trained or supported in working with patients who had more than just an eating disorder and depression/anxiety (I have also been in this facility several times). I was literally watching staff members’ mental health deteriorate and their behavior toward us change as they burnt out over time. Staff members that I loved at the beginning began to morph into cruel, unempathetic monsters. I watched a staff member YELL IN THE FACE of a patient who was having a dissociation flashback, ordering her to take a medication with threats of calling the police if she didn’t, and when I went up to try to comfort the patient (and was later told by the patient that I was the one person actually helping) I was also yelled at and told to leave the situation. I recognize that it wasn’t my job to comfort the patient but when you’re watching someone be traumatized and berated and abused can you really blame me for trying to intervene and show this person a tiny piece of compassion?
My wife only realized fairly recently that what she experienced in this facility was abuse so she hasn’t been able to work through any of it yet and is still living with the ongoing effects of that trauma. I am now a mandatory reporter and it is blatantly clear to me from my training that every single mandatory reporter in that building who saw what was happening broke the law by not reporting the abuse my wife suffered. A person in a mental health residential program with a severe eating disorder and trauma absolutely qualifies as a vulnerable adult and what they did to her was emotional and medical abuse. There was no easy access to information on filing a grievance or contacting an ombudsman so my wife had no knowledge of any ways to get help. She put her trust in them to help her and they repeatedly violated that trust and made her feel so alone that she didn’t realize that what was happening was not normal and that it was actually harming her.
Pulled from ERC’s own list of Patient Rights and Responsibilities, here are all of the patient rights that were violated in my wife’s care:
– “Be reasonably accommodated in case of sensory or physical disability, limited ability to communicate, limited English proficiency, and cultural differences;”
– “Be treated with respect, dignity and privacy, except that staff may conduct reasonable searches to prevent possession or use of contraband on the premises;” (my wife was literally strip searched at one point – don’t know about the legality of that but even the nurse who had to do it told her that it was messed up and that she was sorry)
– “Be free of abuse, including being deprived of food, clothes, or basic necessities;”
– “Receive a copy of agency complaint and grievance procedures upon request and to lodge a complaint or grievance with the agency or with the DOH or DBHR if you feel the agency has violated a Washington Administrative Code (WAC) requirement regulating behavioral health agencies. You may file a complaint with any agency without interference, discrimination, or reprisal and you may choose whether to notify ERCWA of the complaint;”
– “Freedom from involuntary restraint or seclusion;”
– “A humane treatment environment that affords protection from harm, appropriate privacy, supports positive self-image, and freedom from verbal, physical, and sexual abuse;”
– “Be informed of all rights;”
***** should not be working in mental health and was at the center of the abuse inflicted on my wife. Even hearing her name sends my wife into a state of deep distress and it is ridiculous and unethical and wrong for a patient to be that traumatized by a clinician who was in charge of their care. No one deserves to be treated the way my wife was and I have had many many conversations with other former patients who agree that ***** harmed them in their time at ERC. Her complete disregard for the humanity of any patient that didn’t have a clear-cut diagnosis and treatment plan and very clear disdain for “difficult” patients is detrimental to the people in her care and it is reprehensible that someone who was hired to help has intensely harmed so many people.
admin note: clinical director’s name redacted by admin per site rules. however, given the seriousness of the problems discussed in this review, we would like to advise that the person’s name can be found on the center’s website.
Did you ever receive a response from the facility/organization? Do you know if there were any repercussions for the abuse?
First of all, I’m so sorry that your wife had to go through all of that. It makes me mad how many people have been hurt by this program that is supposed to help. I just wanted to say I agree with pretty much everything you said about the facility and staff, especially what you’ve said about the clinical director. She also said a lot of hurtful things to me about being a difficult and unwilling patient and I was SO scared of her. I will never go back to ERC, especially not to Bellevue.
ERCWA Adolescent Res:
When were you there?
June 2021- August 2021
How many patients are there on average?
They are filling full capacity up again so about 24
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
it treats both. it was combined
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
md- every other week or so
psychiatrist- 1x a week
therapist- 2x a week and 1 family session
dietician- 1x a week
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
it’s a little understaffed. about 1:12
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)?
dbt, ro-dbt, cbt, act
Describe the average day:
6:30-7:45: wake up, get ready, vitals, weight, and sg
8-8:30: daily intentions
8:30-9:15: breakfast
9:20-10:20: group (school on s, m, w, f, s)
10:30-10:55: am snack
10:55-11:55: group (school on s, m, w, f, s)
12-12:30: outside break/downtime/phone calls
12:30-1:15: lunch
1:15-2: group
2-3:30: downtime/phone time/mail/e visiting
3:30-3:55: pm snack
3:55-4:55: group
5-5:30: outside break/downtime/phone time
5:30-6:15: dinner
6:20-6:45: wrap up
6:45-8: downtime/phone/e visiting
8-8:20: hs snack
8:20-9: downtime
9-9:40: spa
9:40-10: downtime
10: in rooms
What were meals like?
it was pretty decent for hospital food. it rotated every month so got pretty boring. your parents pick your meals
What sorts of food were available or served?
breakfast: eggs, meat, oatmeal, fruit, yogurt, muffins, cinnamon rolls, etc
lunch: sandwiches, chicken, tacos, soup, etc
dinner: chicken, tacos, subs, pizza, wraps, etc
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
yes with boost. whatever percentage you didn’t complete, you boosted for
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
TW TW TW:
either get a tube, sent to childrens, or inpatient
Are you able to eat vegetarian?
yes
What privileges are allowed?
depends on protocols you are on and your level
Does it work on a level system?
yes. there are 4 levels
1- you really have base line privileges
2- outside break and go to certain groups
3- same as L2
4- inning/outing, room during downtime, outside, lead groups
How do you earn privileges?
complying with meals, participating, being recovery focused
What sort of groups do they have?
ACT, DBT, RO-DBT, anxiety tools, expressive arts, CBT, yoga, L1, and more
What was your favorite group?
RO-DBT!
What did you like the most?
certain BHCs were absolutely amazing. they always checked in on you and has amazing check ins. also some of the things we do
What did you like the least?
probably how big the group is and some of the staff
Would you recommend this program?
yes and no. for me there were comments made by staff that stuck with me but overall it was okay
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
nope
What did people do on weekends?
a ton of downtime
Do you get to know your weight?
no
How fast is the weight gain process?
depends on your situation
What was the average length of stay?
6-12 weeks
What was the average age range?
13-17 but there has been some 11-12 year olds come in
How do visits/phone calls work?
there are set times
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
you can’t have your phone in adolescent program. you can have an mp3 player and get laptops during school
Are you able to go out on passes?
sometimes you will get med passes for certain situations but no one really got therapeutic passes
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
they step you down to php and then iop then set up an outpatient team if needed
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
i came from across the country and they were able to set up php but not much outpatient
Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people?
yes! they are very supportive and experienced with lgbtq. they even have a group for these people
Hi E! Thank you SO MUCH for posting this. I know this will help more people than you or I could ever even imagine. <3
I have a couple questions, things that are commonly asked about adol res but not on our review template currently, if you're up for it:
1) What was the environment/unit/space like? I guess, what was the building like or did it look like, the setup, the rooms, was it more homey or more institutional? Were there comfy chairs?
2) Is there anything you'd recommend to make sure to pack for treatment (ex: blanket, journal, comfy clothes, art supplies, mp3 player, charger, specific shower stuff, etc)? If you forget something will staff either provide it or do a shopping run for the unit, or do you have to have your parents send it to you or order online? Do you happen to know if they did shopping outings to things like CVS/Walgreens/etc pre-pandemic?
then one more:
3) What is RO-DBT? How is it different than traditional DBT? What is an RO-DBT group like at ERC Washington? I've heard great things about it, but don't know much about what it is like.
Rachel,
I’m not E, but I have been to ERCWA on the adult unit, and can answer your questions. I haven’t been since 2015 but I have been to ERC Denver and I don’t think much has changed in Bellevue since then.
1. The space is fairly sterile hospital like. You get single rooms with a curtain between you and the hall. You have a twin bed with a pretty hard mattress: ask for an egg-crate so it doesn’t bother your back. You spent most of your day locked out of your rooms in the day room, which has single chairs that are reminiscent of the chairs you find on college campuses.
2. Don’t bring a blanket; you can’t have anything like that in the community space. Definitely bring a robe. You’ll want to wear it to be weighed over the paper robe in the morning. The same for shower shoes and slippers. You can use your phone sometimes but an Mp3 player without the internet would be nice. Art/craft supplies are allowed and really nice to have.
They don’t do Target/shopping runs so if you run out of something you have to buy it online and have it shipped.
4. RODBT is very different than traditional DBT but super helpful. I’m so surprised it hasn’t caught on more. it’s meant for overcontrolled personality types, which, duh, are common amongst the ED crowd. Seattle in general seems to be the home of RO. It’s a totally different curriculum and far more than I have space or energy for here, but I suggest looking it up!
hey yes i will definitely answer those!
1. we had switched floors with adult res so for a while it felt very hospital like but we slowly decorated the unit and bistro. if you go to psychologytoday.com, you can find pictures of the rooms by looking up erc wa!
2. i would definitely recommend bringing lots to entertain you. bracelet string, beads, fidgets, coloring books, etc. i brought my own blanket and pillow which was helpful! mp3 players saved literally everyone. you can have any shower things, hair dryers, straighteners, curlers, as long as alcohol isn’t in the first 3 ingredients! people would normally go buy things on amazon during school or your parents can send you anything. i know they did outings to barnes and noble sometimes precovid.
3. ro-dbt is a more for over controlled people. we go through the units and the therapist who does it is amazing. sometimes we did little activities to represent what we are learning but it’s a lot of notes and skill learning!
Thank you both so much! People are really going to find everything each of you said all extremely helpful.
On a separate note, I’ve been slowly working on making a summary list of types of therapies to put under the resources section, and am very excited to add RO-DBT to it!
RO-DBT has been a game-changer for me. I’ve spent my life doing all the other BTs, but it’s been the first that I’ve found helpful. It’s too bad it’s called RO-DBT, because it’s quite dissimilar to DBT and I think people lump the two together and it does RO a disservice.
Given that RO is directed toward OC, or overly-controlled, personalities, I’m always surprised more treatment centers aren’t using it. I guess they don’t have time to do research into new therapies. They’re too busy replicating the same failing models.
Oops. Sour grapes. Anyway, if anyone is looking for something new, RO is a great resource.
I have so much to say about ERC WA Res/PHP/IOP
2017, 2019 Adult
So…first their therapists are absolutely amazing. The best therapists I have ever met probably in my life honestly. Very trauma informed and just extremely competant at what they do. They also really thoughtfully pair the therapist to the patient so it pretty much works out for everyone. That was hands down the best part. If you have a lot of trauma and get better with good therapy then I would definitely recommend this location.
Now the downsides…..
The rigidity of the program is very challenging. It’s a double edged sword. If you are a rigid person already like a lot of anorexics it can be very comforting. You can do really well there. It’s really easy to just go through it and be compliant and get nothing really out of it. But it prepares you ZERO for leaving and doing it on your own. So it can give you the illusion of being totally recovered and fine and then you leave and it’s a shit show. And if you are very flexible and creative type and not rigid prone then the program can be a nightmare for you because you have to tolerate a lot of rules just to have rules (for no purpose) I think the director literally just gets off on rules for no reason. So that can be maddening for certain people. They tend to not force anyone to eat really- they will tube if they have to but more often they just discharge you instead and you don’t continue. They kicked out quite a lot of patients the times I was there. Some were a lot more traumatized when they left (usually younger folks like 18 or 19) and many of my friends were not allowed to come back (despite them saying they don’t give up on people). My distrust in them started there honestly. Even if you don’t purge or have bathroom behaviors they trust no one in res and you never get the privlege to pee or poop in peace. In PHP you don’t have bathroom obs. A lot of folks are forced into res for no other reason than medical monitoring and then it really becomes too institutional for them and unhelpul because you still have to be on all the rules but PHP you don’t have that. They def play favorites and if you are one of the favorites then it can be great but if not it can be hell. The schedule is jam packed with literally no free time and it’s very exhausting. They force a lot of interaction all day and night which for some folks can be very overstimulating. I think they really need to build free time into the schedule. (and partly that’s because the age ranges are so large. The 18-21 year olds tend to need that structure but folks in their 30s, 40s, 50s need more free time to just be alone and breathe because we already know who we are we aren’t trying to figure it out and we don’t need more social time). I honestly think they need an over 30 program that is different than the younger adult. The absolute worst thing in my opinion was that they locked the rooms all day long so you were forced to be around people 24/7 and overstimulated. That was incredibly unhelpful for the people who needed some space. They also took away all coffee from everyone when you got there so if you were a daily coffee drinker you’d be painfully detoxing only to get it back in a few days. It was pretty ridiculous and brutal and it wasn’t based on medical instability.
Would I recommend it? If you were like going to die right then and had no other option then I guess you can decide if it’s worth it. I won’t go back because it didn’t prepare me for life and zero aftercare due to insurance barriers. I know many others who also will never go back even if it means we die from our ED. It’s good for beginning the journey but probably nothing else. It’s not likely to get you the full way there. In my opinion, they need to be putting *a lot* more effort into their IOP and start OP offerings to take people to the next steps.
I’m critical here because it has the beginnings of being a really good program and I see the potential here. Their newest thing of putting mood/anxiety with ED is a step back in my opinion. They need to keep these seperate. They also need to lay off the certifications and forcing people IP. Many of those people will never go back and die because of that it’s not helping anyone it’s just making the last days traumatic. They need to put a lot more work into trauma informed care and flexible treatment plans esp related to harm reduction plans for severe and enduring. I know that none of them do that but they need to it would def go a long way to make it a good program.
**trigger warning for trauma/SA, inappropriate therapist behavior (including sexual)**
It’s taken me a while to get around to writing this. I was in adult residential care from June 2024 – August 2024 and PHP from August – October. My experience with ERC WA was generally positive, but I observed concerning behavior and language from a therapist I was assigned to. Of course, I can’t post staff names here. I don’t think it would be hard to figure out who I’m talking about if he still works there. I’m not posting this to gossip or “badmouth” a staff member I didn’t like – I think that his behavior is outright harmful to the patients at ERC seeking recovery, and I think that prospective patients should be made aware. If this post violates the guidelines in any way, I will figure out how to reword it and repost it.
I reported one comment he made to the patient advocate as I left PHP – I felt too scared to do it while he was there, I did it while he went on personal leave. It was well known to many of the staff that I had trouble with him – but because I was afraid to outright say “He makes sexual comments to his patients, he encourages disordered behaviors, encourages drinking on passes, mocks other patients, etc” I just reduced all of my public criticisms of him to surface level, secondary observations like the books he has on his bookshelf, written by someone who practices hate-speech, as a way to say “Hey look at this guy closer”. I deeply regret this, I should have been braver and clearer, and it’s why I’m posting this review now – to alert future patients that might encounter him.
The therapist I was first assigned to at ERC WA did the following – although I have strong opinions on this man, the following are facts:
1. When I expressed disappointment that the Ketamine therapy wasn’t helping my emotional numbness (this session was after my Ketamine when my mind was still effected by the drug) he stood up and smiled as I remained seated and said “I almost just said something really crude…you haven’t been in an intimate relationship before, have you? You say “wonder drug”, that’s where my mind goes… Maybe that’s something you want to talk about in your next session?” Seemingly implying that getting laid might help my emotional numbness that his colleague had determined was a trauma response of mine. It was at the end of our session so I just turned and left the room, I was disturbed. He jogged after me down the hall after I turned and left and said “Just whatever you’re comfortable with, of course.” But it felt to me like he was trying to cover his ass. This was the comment that affected me the most, especially because from our first session he knew that my history of SA was a large factor in my trauma. I reported this comment to the patient advocate as I left – I worry that I did this too late, after I gave the public impression to other patients and staff that I “just didn’t like this guy” for surface level reasons. I don’t know what happened after I left, and I don’t know if this was ever taken seriously.
2. When I told him I was struggling with motivation he gave me a book that had chapters dedicated to using weight loss, “behaviors”, and physical appearance as motivators. I told him this and he said “Oh, haven’t read it since grad school.” I have ARFID, but I can’t imagine the impact this could have had on a restrictive patient.
3. He told me what foods “grossed him out”. He told me this about my choice after I picked a snack on an exposure. I can’t confirm them, but I heard several similar stories from other patients of his.
4. He said “Well, there’s always homeless shelters” when I said I didn’t feel safe around a family member sometimes. I was floored. I asked him if he had ever been in a homeless shelter and he (very seriously) replied “Yes, I volunteered in one.” I asked him if he knew what happened to women there then, and he changed the subject.
5. When I told him about my struggles with poverty growing up he said “Well do you buy stocks?” I told him that I don’t exactly have the money to invest right now and he said “There’s something called penny stocks. Losses sure, but there’s gains too.”
6. Despite being an ARFID patient without body image struggles, he would continuously ask me about changes in my body and if I had noticed them. Once I was kind of proud that I did and pointed out my wrist. He said “That’s it? Really? Nothing else?” The only very obvious change to my body after weight restoration had been my hips, but it wasn’t really something I felt comfortable mentioning around him at this point due to his other comments.
7. He would continuously steer our sessions to my thoughts on eventually being in a relationship/what I would look for in a partner, despite me repeatedly saying that I was trying to focus on improving my own mental health rather than enter a relationship. This happened across at least 3 sessions.
8. As I was getting ready to go on a pass to a family members wedding – he said “Maybe you should have a drink or two. They say it’s ‘social lubricant’, it might make it easier for you to socialize and talk to people.”
There’s more that I could put here, but these are the things that come to mind. I’m sorry it’s so long, I’ve tried to bold or underline the things that stuck out to me. My experience at ERC was overall positive, and eventually, this therapist dropped me as a client and I got to (briefly) experience therapy with a therapist that I felt was actually trying to help me. He was my first ever therapist, and the experience has honestly put me off prioritizing finding a therapist after leaving, it shook my faith in them as professionals. The rest of the staff were lovely.
I don’t know why I didn’t feel brave enough to bring all of these comments to the patient advocate immediately instead of wasting time ranting about his bookshelf and his general “douche” vibe. I don’t know why I deflected my rational discomfort so much, in favor of petty criticism. Maybe I was trying to make light of the deeply uneasy feeling my therapist gave me, looking for concrete justification in publicly observable things like his choice of books. I regret this. If you think you encounter this therapist at ERC, ask for a transfer if he starts acting weird. Do it sooner rather than later. I wish that I had made my real concerns more heard to the staff, than my “cover” concerns. This guy scared me in the way that a lot of guys in my past did. That’s it. And it seemed like he knew that – but of course I’m not a mind reader. I’m just trying to let as many people as possible know the things he said to me.
I recommend ERC WA. But if you think you recognize this staff member – keep your eyes open and don’t make the same mistake I did in waiting to report, or failing to report enough if he says similar things to you. Take your discomfort more seriously than I took mine. I downplayed the way this staff member made me feel and why, and for that, he is probably still be working there saying the same things to new patients.
ERC Washington now officially accepts Medicaid via Single Case Agreements (SCAs)!
**Disclaimer: I know from the tail end of my stay and from inside sources that this treatment center has gotten significantly worse since I first went there. So please keep in mind that my stay was a few years ago and may not be an accurate representation of this facility currently and will likely paint it in a better light than it deserves**
Describe the average day:
I got approved for admission this coming week for Inpatient/Res in Bellevue. I have been to ERC many times from 2015-2020 but the last was pre-COVID. I would love any suggestions for approved activities to bring. I think I remember you can’t knit/crochet. Is that still true? Besides electronics, what activities/fidgets should I bring? Also are adults allowed to have their phones with them overnight? Are they currently doing outings or passes for residential? Has the facility been remodeled at all since 2016 (the last time I was at ERCWA)? Thank you so much for answering questions!
Here are the couple answers I know!
– Adults can have electronics 24/7, they just can’t use them during groups/meals obviously. You also can’t bring charging cables back to your room. I believe they provide everyone with their own locker with outlets in it to charge things in between use, and you can also charge things behind the BHC desk.
– Yep, they are doing outings, passes, and fresh air breaks again.
Has anyone been to ERC Bellevue res recently? I may be going really really soon but I’m so scared because I had a really hard experience at ERC Denver. Would anybody be willing to provide a recent review?
I know for sure that the consensus on EDTR from the last couple years is that ERC Bellevue (ERCWA) is much better than ERC Denver.
One of our long term members was there in March (2024), she’s been through a lot of treatment over the years and she thought it was actually pretty good! (For context she’s been to a few Monte Nidos and a couple Alsanas.) One thing she really liked was that ERC Bellevue allows 24/7 electronics access. She’s been planning to write a review, I can follow up with her if we don’t get any other replies here.
That’s good to hear! I swore I would never go to an ERC again but I need to get in somewhere quickly and they have immediate availability so I’m trying to remain open.
I’ve been to both Denver and Bellevue. They’re totally different programs with different vibes. I think having Denver take so many patients who are involuntary changes that program a lot. Think of it as a different program (with, obviously, some similarities like the menus and schedule) and maybe that will help 🙂
I was at ERC-WA for most of 2023, not sure if that would be helpful? I’m happy to answer any questions if last year isn’t too long ago!
Nice! I can’t speak for Anon, but overall on EDTR that is definitely considered recent and would be really helpful! Here is the review template. You don’t have to answer everything, just answer whatever you are comfortable with and/or as much as you have the energy/capacity to do.
Ideas of things to answer:
When were you there?
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)?
If applicable: Is it wheelchair accessible?
How many patients are there on average?
What genders does it treat?
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people?
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, nurse, etc?
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, ACT, exposure therapy, somatic experiencing, etc.)?
Describe the average day:
What were meals like?
What sorts of food were available or served?
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
Are you able to eat vegetarian? Vegan?
What privileges are allowed?
Does it work on a level system?
How do you earn privileges?
What sort of groups do they have?
What was your favorite group?
If applicable: Is the program trauma-informed?
What did you like the most?
What did you like the least?
Would you recommend this program?
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
What did people do on weekends?
Do you get to know your weight?
If applicable: How fast is the weight gain process?
What was the average length of stay?
What was the average age range?
How do visits/phone calls work?
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go on outings/passes?
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours?
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
If applicable: How is the program responding to COVID? (Less patients, virtual programming, no visitors, masks, social distancing, etc)
Other?
Absolutely!! I’ll come back and answer these later tonight.
Alright, I went ahead and posted my review from last year at ERCWA if you’re interested!
Does anyone know if ERC Washington’s adult residential currently has RO DBT? I know on their website it says they do but I heard from someone that they didn’t have a therapist that was trained for RO DBT for a while. I’m looking into res programs for when I step down from inpatient and the RO DBT really appeals to me. Thanks!
I’m not sure when that was, so I don’t know if this will be helpful, but there were program therapists (ProTs) there training in RO-DBT back in October-ish last year (2023). There was still an overall shortage at that point in program therapists who could lead RO groups at ERC Pathlight Washington, but at that point the shortage only affected Pathlight res (their sister mood and anxiety program) not ERC res. They didn’t have enough trained RO therapists to have groups at both, so they weren’t running Pathlight Res RO groups and only running residential LOC RO groups at ERC Res.
Hi! I might be admitting to adult res and I had some questions I was hoping someone could answer:
What are bathroom rules like? Door open flush check situation for all pts or is it more lenient for people without bathroom behaviors? Is it private bathroom or stalls?
Is it possible to stay in college classes while in res here?
Anything in particular I should bring (or not bring)? Do I need a bathrobe?
Are the rooms shared? How many patients per room?
TW*** how quick are they to tube? ****End TW
I have seen a lot of people on Tik Tok posting from ERC and it makes me a little uncomfortable because of all the posts of individuals at ERC glamorizing residential, having tubes, etc, and it’s not always recovery focused content. Have there been any issues with social media or non recovery focused groups?
I can answer these…I was there 3 times total. twice res. (adult side) can’t answer for adolescent.
The bathrooms are large. They have both women’s and then a smaller one for men’s. The do have a gender neutral option (I am trans and did that) It’s a single stall. The downside of it is you have to find a separate staff person to open it so you have ti schedule your shower time around everyone else’s and sometimes there’s not time for you. You might wait longer for shower/ toilet but it is more privacy. They do keep door cracked always in the single but no one is in there watching you. For the women’s it’s a large bathroom they unlock it and then someone sits in there and you just go like a normal bathroom with stalls (and showers too) you have to do flush checks regardless of whether you are a purger or not. Most times I would be so exhausted from the programming (see the above review of how long the days are no free time) that I’d forget because I’m an adult and I’m not used to doing this….most of the time they would understand that I forgot but occasionally you’d get a tech who was over controlling and angry I forgot. PHP it’s all independent so no bathroom or flush checks or locked.
Yes you can stay in college classes. They would have to be online classes obviously because you are there all day and can’t leave to go to a class. There were people taking classes while I was there you do get your electronics everyday. It is hard to find the time though because the schedule is so packed. It would be easier with php or IOP than with res.
Bring electronics that don’t have internet. You can have those always…bluetooth headphones (no cord) and an mo3 player something like that. art supplies. No spiral bound notebooks and if you have pens or things bring mesh or clear containers nothing opaque. a bathrobe is a good idea. Coloring books and fidget toys go a long way I recommend that. You can order anything you want from amazon though so it’s fine if you need something. It will get delivered to you.
Rooms are either shared or individual depends. I had my own but some people had shared with one or 2 people at most. Trans patients always have their own due to the law about gendered rooms.
They are generally not quick to tube and don’t force you to eat. It depends on how medically compromised you are. If you are an adult (especially older) they probably will not tube at all unless you have medical indications like heart problems, organ failure or some other super serious reason they have to. If you are medically stable they will not tube. But if your weight is very very significantly below the min healthy weight do expect to get tubed if you don’t eat. That’s kinda what happens if you can’t maintain basic health (labs, organ, blood sugar etc) that’s not them being hard that’s just biological reality. But in general most people were not tubed. They don’t use tubes as punishment and do it for no reason. They are quicker just to discharge people not eating.
Hope that helps!
I was at ERC Bellevue in March 2024.
I’ll try to answer important questions.
Ratio: there were always 2-3 BHCs, 2 nurses, and 2 “Pro- Ts” (program therapists). Plus your dietitians, psychs, and medical doctors. The census went up to 18 and that’s the max. This was a program that has multiple psychs and therapists and I didn’t meet them all.
Average day: wake up at 0630 for spa (bathroom).
Breakfast at 0745
Goals group at 0900
Outside time
Group
Lunch
Group
Outside time
Group
Dinner
Wrap up
Downtime
Bed at 10
Meals might have been on 6 week rotation. They use the exchange system. You chose between 3 entrees at all meals plus write in options. They say that they don’t want you to do more than 3 write ins a week but are accommodating if you advocate for yourself. They push variety but that’s not my issue, it’s volume and preference. There’s always a vegetarian option to choose. Write ins included veggie burger, mac and cheese (kraft), sandwiches. For breakfast it was veggie sausage, scrambled eggs with or without cheese. It was hospital food but not terrible. Things like quiche, stir fry, tofu and rice, lasagna, pasta and veggie, baked potato with chili, fish and veggie.
Average weight gain is individual and I have no idea what they aim for. They do NG feeds at night for those who need it. When I was there only 2 people had them.
I really liked my psychiatrist and since I can’t name him I will just say he was willing to consider ketamine if I was there long enough. He’s really experienced. The medical doctor was good, too. The only thing is if you have gastroparesis and are on Domperidone they won’t let you take it there since it’s not “FDA approved”. I liked medical passes which you will only get if you have Kaiser as it’s right down the block. I was sent for labs and medications. You have 24/7 access to electronics. They will give you 6 inch charger cord to charge in room. They charge laptops at front desk. There were 2 high school students doing coursework and one college student. I liked how you could be in your room during downtime on phase 2 and 3 and could go on passes on phase 2.
It works on a phase system. It only takes 7 days to reach phase 2 if you are completing. They give you a form and you have to collect signatures. 7 days after that to reach phase 3.
They don’t do any kind of movement except to walk down the block for fresh air breaks.
The things I didn’t like were the astounding amount of off limit things that we couldn’t talk about. Even saying the word “bible” was redirectable. No sports talk. It was ridiculous. Meals became marathon trivia bc nobody could hold a conversation.
They support people of all genders and the staff are trans/queer/allies.
It’s not a homey program but it can work if you want to get better.
Do you happen to know what was in the c snack shakes? They were so good I want the recipe lol
Can we have this cross-posted to ERC WA if it hasn’t been already? Thank you so much!!
I just found out that ERC in Washington is considering (again) doing single case agreements with Oregon Medicaid. There was some discussion a couple months ago but was tabled. If you have a care coordinator they would know more. As it stands ERC accepts only commercial insurance so this is pretty big news. Not sure about other locations or even other out of state plans but if you are in a state and have exhausted your options, maybe someone could advocate for you. I’m thinking Alaska, Montana, Idaho area.
When were you there? Residential July-August 2023; PHP August-September 2023. I have been several times previously more than 5 years ago as well, but this review will focus on my recent stay.
If applicable: Is it wheelchair accessible? Yes, elevators up to the unit, wide doors and hallways, low counters, tables easy to roll under, chairs in lounge both with and without arm rests for easy transfers. They have a large van for outings that can fit a manual chair in the trunk and have a disabled parking placard for it.
How many patients are there on average? In residential we had around 10-15. In PHP we were low census so there were about 4-6.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? Treatment is offered for all genders and is not separated based on gender.
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people? They are better than some, not as good as others. My pronouns were used correctly about 75% of the time, both by patients and staff. The times when I corrected pronouns for myself or others, my corrections were ignored and the conversation continued as if I hadn’t said anything. At the beginning of each group folks introduced themselves with names and pronouns. Several patients went by a name different than their legal name and they were really good about using correct names and updating any paperwork visible to other patients with the correct name. The bathrooms were separated into Big Spa and Little Spa. I was told Big Spa is for females and feminine identifying people and little spa is for males and male identifying people. Everyone could choose which bathroom they wanted to use. They had everyone go in Big Spa during mid day bathroom breaks and then separated them during the first and last times when folks were allowed to shower. I never heard any judgement coming from anyone’s choice of bathrooms. There were not any gender neutral bathrooms, despite what I was told during my phone intake.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, nurse, etc?
What is the staff-to-patient ratio? I’m not really sure. In residential there were 2-4 staff during the day and 2 overnight. They talked fairly frequently about having a staffing shortage.
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, ACT, exposure therapy, somatic experiencing, etc.)? DBT, CBT, ACT mainly. They were supposed to have RO-DBT, but were having trouble finding someone certified to teach it.
What were meals like? Everyone has meals together, grouped into several smaller tables. Folks usually played table games during meals, but sometimes spontaneous conversations emerged. Staff checked in one on one with everyone at least once during the meal, more often if you were visibly struggling with completion. There were a fair amount of ED behaviors displayed by patients during meals and I did not see them being redirected. 30 minutes for meals and 15 minutes for snacks. In PHP, once you got moved up in levels they were supposed to have you serve yourself, but that was not offered while I was there, probably due to the low census.
What sorts of food were available or served? 3 meals and 3 snacks every day. In PHP, evening snack was at home or in the apartments, along with Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch. They sent those meals and snacks home with patients for the first week, then you were expected to shop for those meals on your own. Food was generally bland, and often had been sitting out a while so it was usually room temperature. You could choose from a list of snacks, grouped by approximate size. When you moved up in levels in PHP you could choose your snack from a weekly selection of 8-10 snacks right before each snack.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? Yes, most folks got Boost for not completing. If you were unable to drink Boost, you could have a discussion outside of meals with your dietician about switching to Boost Breeze, which is a clear supplement drink. Staff would measure completion and measure out the Boost in a separate room. They would not tell you what percent you completed.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? They would provide Boost. You have 5 minutes to drink the Boost. If you weren’t completing regularly, they would discuss putting in a tube. There wasn’t a set period for this, it was all personalized.
Are you able to eat vegetarian? Vegan? Vegetarian diets were allowed, although depending on your cultural background, they would discuss any disordered thinking behind avoiding meat and possibly challenge it during meals. Vegan diets were not allowed.
What privileges are allowed? As you moved up in levels, you were allowed more time in your room, more outside breaks, and being able to go on passes and outings.
Does it work on a level system? Yes, both PHP and res had level systems, each with 3 levels.
How do you earn privileges? Mostly through completion. Each level also had its own requirements for not engaging in eating disorder behaviors and participating in therapeutic activities.
What sort of groups do they have? A lot were skill based for DBT, CBT, and ACT. Some also talked about challenging thought processes and emotions. They were supposed to have a yoga group, but their instructor left shortly before I arrived.
What was your favorite group? ACT, as I found the skills to be most useful in challenging my disorder.
If applicable: Is the program trauma-informed? They said they were. It was supposed to be a no touch facility, but that was not followed with patients, and occasionally not followed by staff. I have trauma as part of my ED, but was told to go to their other program, Insight, to address that.
What did you like the most? Not having to prepare food for myself. I have a lot of fatigue and having all the preparation, clean up, shopping, etc taken care of for me made it possible for me to focus on challenging behaviors and thoughts.
What did you like the least? Not having any door covering on my door in res. Doors were kept wide open when you were allowed in your room. There was no curtain even for changing, so you kind of had to go into a corner and hope no one decided to walk in. Toilets did have a door and showers had an opaque curtain.
Would you recommend this program? Yes, it is pretty medical compared with a lot of other programs I’ve heard about. That has been a positive thing for my recovery.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? For residential, there were 3 supervised outside breaks, about a block and a half away from the center. Unless you were in a wheelchair due to malnutrition or currently hooked up to a feeding pump at the time the break occurred (not patients with tubes placed, but not at that moment hooked up), everyone got to go on the first one. As you moved up in levels, you got more breaks. In PHP, there were 3 unsupervised outside breaks where you had 15-30 minutes to do any non-disordered behavior except go to the Starbucks in the lobby. In PHP, you could discuss starting to use movement again with your team.
What did people do on weekends? Weekends were slow, especially in residential. Folks would use electronics, do crafts, read, nap, or hang out together in down time.
Do you get to know your weight? No.
If applicable: How fast is the weight gain process? I didn’t know my weight before or after treatment, so I am unsure.
What was the average length of stay? It really depended on your progress and insurance. I was told average for residential was 4-6 weeks and most patients stayed for at least that. PHP was anywhere from a week to several months. I think I remember them saying average is 8-10 weeks at PHP level. As long as you are making progress, they will accommodate any time constraints like FMLA leave length restrictions.
What was the average age range? Most patients were in their early- to mid-20s. In my mid-thirties I was one of the oldest, but there were patients decades older than me for most of my stay, but at one point I was the oldest.
How do visits/phone calls work? In residential, visits were Monday-Friday for an hour at around 2pm. You had to talk with your therapist to schedule visits in advance. Phone calls were allowed anytime outside of groups and meals.
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)? Phones were allowed all day, but needed to be put away during groups. Laptops and other large electronics were only allowed during set periods. There was a very short phone cable in your room for charging a phone. All other electronics were charged behind the desk.
For inpatient/residential:Are you able to go on outings/passes? Yes, and it was highly encouraged and often mandatory in order to move up in levels within residential as well as to move to PHP.
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours? If you lived far away, you could stay in an apartment with other patients for PHP and everyone got their meals and snacks outside of programming packed for their first week. I don’t think there was much other support and you technically weren’t allowed to spend time outside of programming with other patients.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? I got set up with referrals to an outside dietician and therapist that supposedly took my insurance. I had to make the phone calls and set up the appointments on my own and ended up needing to call my insurance to find referrals that actually took my insurance, were accepting new patients, and specialized in EDs.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? Yes, there were apartments for PHP if you needed them. English was the only language used during treatment. I heard from other patients that they helped in setting up hotels and flights if needed.
If applicable: How is the program responding to COVID? (Less patients, virtual programming, no visitors, masks, social distancing, etc) They really weren’t responding to COVID. I was the only patient that wore a mask outside of actively being infectious. Only a small handful of staff/providers ever wore a mask, less than 5. The rules technically said that you were supposed to wear a mask on passes and during visits. I did not witness that happening. No COVID test or vaccination records were required to begin treatment. Hand sanitizer was provided at the staff desks. IOP was only offered virtually.
Was there any help offered to people staying in the apartments who didn’t have a car or a means to get their own groceries?
Everyone in the apartments got driven in the van to and from treatment. I think maybe one person had their car at PHP, but almost everyone didn’t have a car. There are a few grocery stores near the apartments. Most patients used Uber or Lyft to go get groceries. Grocery delivery services could also be an option.
Does anyone have a recent review on ERCWA or know waitlist timeframe for adult residential?
Does this location use room based consequences (making you stay in your room until progress is shown) for “non-compliance” like Denver?
yes, not in all cases, but it was used on several patients during my stay
does anyone have experience being able to direct admit into iop? i have my clinical assessment monday and really want to do iop but i feel like they always start people at php. i tend to really not struggle as much with behaviors over the weekends when I can be more social.
Please note that this review is about 7 years out of date. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews about ERCWA lately and I wanted to share my own experience. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out!
When were you there?
2010-2012 (adolescent IOP and OP) when it was still The Moore Center, 2013 (adult PHP and IOP) during the transition from TMC to ERC, and 2016 adult (PHP), which this review will be for.
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)?
Adult PHP in mid-July to late Sept 2016
Is it wheelchair accessible?
Yes!
How many patients are there on average?
There was capacity for around 30 adults and 10 adolescents. As adults, we were divided into smaller homerooms of about 10. There were 3 homerooms for adults (Magnolia, Maple, and Alder) for adults, and 1 homeroom (Oak) for adolescents.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
All genders are treated, combined, and all gender-identities are supported and respected. Staff was phenomenal with respecting pronouns and supporting folx in transition.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, nurse, etc?
Medical doctor- Upon admission and as needed
Psychiatrist- Weekly and as needed
Therapist- twice weekly
Dietitian- Weekly and as needed
Nurse- Daily for meds. Weights and vitals were taken twice weekly, or as needed.
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
One BHC per homeroom, with an extra as a float.
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, ACT, exposure therapy, somatic experiencing, etc
ACT, DBT, and CBT were the main ones besides daily group process.
Describe the average day:Schedule
6:45am – For those of us staying in transitional housing, a BHC would pick you up from the off-campus apartments in one of the facility vans (wheelchair accessible) and drive you to the PHP facility. Res and PHP/IOP were in difficult locations at that time (Res in Overlake Medical Center, PHP/IOP in the building that used to house The Moore Center); I’m not sure whether or not this is different now.
7:15am – Worksheet for daily goals and intentions, weights, vitals, meds, downtime
8:00am – Breakfast
8:30am – Post-meal process on the Recovery Record (RR) app that our whole treatment team was connected to. We’d be given our phones briefly to do this.
9am- Group
10am- Restrooms, outside break, meds, downtime
10:30am – Snack
11:00am – Group
Noon – Lunch
12:30pm – RR, meds, downtime
1:00pm – Group
On Tuesdays we’d be pulled out of this group one by one for Rounds, where we’d meet with our whole treatment team at once for about 15 minutes.
2:00pm- Break/downtime
2:30pm- Snack
3pm-Group
4pm-Group
5-5:15pm- Meds
5:15pm – Dinner
6pm- End of day wrap-up group
6:30pm- Drive back to off-campus apartments
Before bed – Snack with roommates or independently, depending on how social we were feeling
Does it work on a level system?
Phase 1 – Res. You need to be medically stable and completing/not-supplementing for 2 weeks to move to phase 2.
Phase 2 – Entry level PHP. At the program 11 hours a day, all meals/snacks supervised. You need to be completely 100% without supplementing for a full week before reaching phase 3.
Phase 3 – Unsupervised meals/snacks. Eligible to go on passes. I believe that after your first week on phase 3, you’re required to take multiple passes per week for outside meals or snacks. You’ll also be required to attend the weekly meal-outing, and the weekly grocery outing. After that first week on phase 3, you’ll also be able to start arriving late / leaving early in accordance with your treatment plan.
What were meals like?
Meals were 30mins long. At phase 2, you sit at a table of about 6 with a BHC and play table-games or make small talk. Everyone was very supportive. At phase 3, you sit at a table with your peers unsupervised. What I loved most is we had a “panic room” off to the side of the dining hall where we could step-out for a breather with the BHC float if we were having a really hard time and needed a break.
What sorts of food were available or served?
At phase 2, we filled out menus every Monday for that week of meals. There was a very vast variety of different cultural and ethnic dishes. At phase 3, we would plate our own meal from the self-serve bar. Snacks were usually self-serve as long as they were within your set exchanges (A, B or C), but if you were on a high weight-restoration meal-plan, they may have been pre-plated by kitchen staff (i.e. shakes with extra protein powder or pudding with higher density milk/cream)
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Yes, they supplemented with Boost Plus based off a percentage system pre-established by your dietitian
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
You have to fill out a refusal form that will be submitted to your dietitian and therapist. If It becomes a pattern, you will be moved up Res (phase 1) and will most likely get a tube if the pattern continues. They can cert, but they don’t do so very often.
Are you able to eat vegetarian? Vegan?
Vegetarian yes, vegan no.
What privileges are allowed?
We were allowed to have our phones during every break. Other privileges are available upon request/approval of your team.
How do you earn privileges?
Completing 100% and making progress in groups/therapy
What sort of groups do they have?
Body image, nutrition, ACT, DBT, CBT, LGBTQIA+, group process, yoga, music therapy, art therapy, community, and goals.
What was your favorite group?
Definitely LGBTQIA. I felt very seen and heard, and was able to start understanding how my closeted bisexuality and demisexuality contributed to my eating disorder.
Is the program trauma-informed?
The program itself is supposed to be trauma informed, but the BHCs are not. ERC doesn’t have a lot of specific qualification requirements for their hiring process, which means that many BHCs are under-qualified. A couple people experienced flashbacks while they were there, and staff simply didn’t have the education and training to handle it properly. I would have regular panic attacks at meals, and it was hit or miss with what support I’d receive around that, depending which BHC or therapist was on duty at the time.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
Yoga during yoga groups, and brief walks around the building during breaks. If you were found exercising outside of these times or engaging in excessive movement, or if they suspected you of abusing exercise outside of program, they’d give you a Senseware tracker that you’d need to keep on 24/7. They would administer supplement based on how much extra activity the Senseware picked up on.
What did people do on weekends?
We still had a full day of programming and groups on the weekends, but we’d have breakfasts on our own in the apartments (they’d send a package home with us the night before). We’d have a movie group on Sundays, and maybe a little extra downtime, but for the most part there wasn’t much of a difference.
Do you get to know your weight?
It depended on the person and their treatment plan. I never got to know my weight, but I knew some patients who got to know theirs.
How fast is the weight gain process?
Entirely on a case-by-case basis.
What was the average length of stay?
It totally depends on your compliance with treatment, but I would say 6-9 weeks was the average say for PHP. Many people would step down from Res, and depending on how much progress they’d made there, their stays might be shorter.
What was the average age range?
The youngest person there was 8, and the oldest was 86. It was incredibly diverse.
How do visits/phone calls work?
Visiting hours are Saturdays and Sundays in the afternoons, but you can hang out with friends and family anytime after program hours or when you’re on passes. Phone calls are for emergencies only, or if you need to contact an outside medical provider or your insurance company.
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
You can have all of those things during breaks, but only during breaks.
Are you able to go on outings/passes?
You can go on outings/passes once you reach phase 3.
What support do they provide outside of programming hours?
You can contact at least one person on your treatment team via the RR app after hours, but in PHP you’re expected to be able to be behavior-free and responsible unsupervised. If you’re struggling with this, you’ll likely be moved up to Res.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
Most people step down to IOP. They don’t provide just OP services, but they are very helpful with setting you up with an OP team if you don’t already have one to come home to.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
Yes! They are able to pick you up from the airport, and they have off-campus apartments. The business office is really helpful with budgeting and cutting down costs if you’re struggling.
What did you like the most?
1) I loved my dietitian, R. She’d been there since ERC was The Moore Center, so she’d already been a huge part of my care team on and off for 6 years. 2) ACT and DBT groups, when led by the right therapists, were instrumental in my recovery. 3) The location is very serene and beautiful. 4) Certain BHCs
What did you like the least?
1) Certain BHCs. 2) A lack of communication between treatment team members outside of Rounds. 3) No therapy dogs or animal therapy, which I’ve always really benefited from.
Would you recommend this program?
I very much would, and, I don’t think it’s for everyone. It is wonderful for people, like me, who benefit from a lot of structure, rules, and consequences. For people who thrive when given more freedom, this may not be the right fit. If you have PTSD or C-PTSD as a co-occurring disorder, please consider finding treatment elsewhere. ERC is not equip for trauma support.
I hope this was helpful! I would love to hear from others how the program has changed, and I’m happy to answer any further questions.
I forgot to add that we also had Experiential Therapy which sometimes involved might physical activity, and a cooking group for food and kitchen exposure
Wow, this is SO helpful Titania! Thank you so so much for sharing your review!
Hello, I’m looking for a program that is transgender friendly being that I am FTM. I am an adult and my criteria is a program that lets me continue my HRT. Also does anyone have any reviews on which programs are more neurodivergent friendly?
** moved by admin from client general forum to ERC Washington’s page on 05/27 to help increase visibility and so that more people looking at this location or browsing for transgender friendly treatment via tags will see the information in the replies!
Hi! I’m a trans man who went to ERC in Washington, and I stayed on testosterone while I was there. At one point there were three of us all on T and there were no problems with it. There were trans staff members, LGBTQ process group, pride flags lots of places, and a gender-neutral restroom. I wouldn’t say ERC is the most neurodivergent friendly, just because it is a pretty rigid program and many staff didn’t seem super aware of how to create a welcoming environment for neurodivergent people, and some staff weren’t supportive when my friend would shutdown or dissociate. But they let us have stim toys whenever we wanted, had a quiet room we could go to if we got overwhelmed, and do allow for custom ARFID menus for sensory issues. Let me know if you have any other questions!
That is reassuring. The last residential I went to was not specifically for an ED but they refused to let us go by a preferred name and said we couldn’t talk about pronouns because “it could be triggering to other residents”. It was before I went on T but I just want to avoid that situation again. Also, are they welcoming to not just underweight people? I am malnourished but not underweight and I’ve heard that some places are bad with people who are not underweight.
Yes ERCWA is welcoming to people of all sizes and are good with helping people regardless of weight.
also I see you “S”…your giving off some bday twin PFM energy 😉
Hi all! I hope this is okay (please let me know if not), but I just moved this amazing thread to ERC Washington’s page — y’all gave such fantastic info about it, and I want to make sure that everyone looking at this program or just browsing for transgender friendly treatment via tags will see the information in the replies!
Jorgie – please let me know if you’d like me to repost your initial request on the Client General Forum – not sure if you’ve found a place yet!
From Anonymous:
While I was there recently there were three women who were MTF and they all were able to keep taking their estrogen, one man who was FTM who was able to keep taking his testosterone, and one NB who was able to keep taking their testosterone.
PTW [possible trigger warning] for some questions regarding safety issues (SH):
I have fairly significant issues with SH, so it’s been a bit of a struggle to find a center that would be willing to accept me and also not be completely terrible with handling SH aha, so if anyone could answer these questions, that would be great!
How do staff respond to a client disclosing SH urges (e.g. offer some skills/distractions to try, try to talk it out, immediately place client on 1:1)? Do the techs and nurses seem to be fairly comfortable with supporting people struggling with SH, or do most seem out of their element? Do nurses tend to be pushy about utilizing PRNs for de-escalation?
How about if the client actually engaged in SH? Assuming there was no medical intervention needed, how would this be handled (e.g. offer support without any punishments, take away privileges, put client on 1:1, “administratively discharge” or transfer to psych IP)? If medical intervention was needed, would the client just be sent to the ER then allowed to return to ERC, or would they be kicked out?
Also, I noticed in packing list that it said fully-healed SH scars are expected to be covered at all times — is this actually enforced, or would I be allowed to wear clothing that I feel comfortable in?
When I was at ERC, there were LOTS of people with scars. Nothing was ever mentioned or enforced. Although it was a different ERC location, I assume it would be the same
Thank you for letting me know! Hopefully that’s the case for this location as well! I’ve always thought it was weird to ask people to cover up scars, like you’re essentially just telling me that my body is bad/triggering/unacceptable, which is a really messed up message to be promoting in an ED treatment center :’)
Hi! Just want to give a continued TW–I’m trying my best not to be triggering while still explaining some of the details of the ERCWA SH protocol.
So while I was there, when I disclosed urges to my team, they made a plan with me and let the BHCs know that I might come to ask them for support when I was having urges. So at night sometimes I would come out and just do origami by the BHC desk when I was having a harder night, they would offer me hot and cold packs as a distraction, and would try to offer other distractions or talk with me. Some BHCs were definitely better at being supportive and calm than others. Half the nurses were good, a few of them made me feel a little uncomfortable during the process of wound care, but would still know how to handle things. I didn’t have any PRNs to take as a part of my care plan so I don’t know if they are pushy or not.
If you engage in SH, you will be placed on SH protocol, which means that you can’t go on outside breaks, you have some stuff taken out of your room, you might have less downtime in your room, and you aren’t eligible for other privileges like going on outing. They will not put you on 1:1 unless you’re also struggling with SI and I did not see anyone get administratively discharged while I was there. If they can do wound care just in the nurses office they will do that, otherwise, they will take you to the ER across the street and then bring you back to ERC. This happened to me and other patients while we were there, and there was never any major issues with that process.
Any fresh wounds need to be covered, and while in the immediate process of healing things are expected to be covered. But many of us had scars and we were allowed to wear comfortable clothing that showed our scars. That rule wasn’t really enforced.
If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
This is very reassuring, thank you so much for the response!
I was at ERCWA, several years ago, and I have a few minor scars. No one ever said a word about them needing to be covered. I think you’d be fine. As for how urges are handled, it’s been so long I feel like I’m not sure how things would go anymore because it seems so much has changed. However, I feel confident you can wear whatever you want.
i was in residential adolescent treatment last year and suffered heavily with sh urges as well as several other patients at the time. when i disclosed my self harm urges to my therapist, all hard objects that i owned were taken away (writing utensils, fidget toys, etc) and i was put on 1:1 though they did not have enough staff to accommodate so instead i was not to leave the sight of the bhc desk for the entire day. none of the bhc’s i knew had any sh training as most of them were new employees, they would often have the nurse come speak to me instead if i was struggling (there was only ever one nurse present at a time and there was 18 patients so i’d sometimes go without any support). i never engaged in self harm while i was in treatment so i can’t speak on what happens then, however nearly all of my privileges were taken away when i was on sh protocol. me and every other patient with self harm scars were strictly enforced to keep scars covered even at night when alone, though only when staff noticed them, if they were faded they didn’t care. i don’t know if these will apply as my history of self harm has been very severe and they were therefore very strict about my treatment but i hope this helps.
I FINALLY found my weekly schedule from ERCWA res (adult) program as of 3ish years ago! I know a lot of people have been asking about schedules. This is a public link to a specific file on my Dropbox so you can save it, whatever you want.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7jj7ovawfbr988i/20220926_134529.jpg?dl=0
Lmk if you need it zoomed in or if you want parts explained.. note: This is all ADULT RES @ERCWA. As of about 2 years ago. My email is smallsingularity@yahoo.com
has anyone done adolescent res that could review?
When were you there: December 2015 (ERC of WA Adult Residential Program)
How many patients on average?
When I arrived there were only 3 other women (I was in the adult program) but by the time I left there were 7
Does it treat both males and females? Both
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
Doctor- at least 1-2 times per week or as needed
Psychiatrist- 1 time a week
Therapist- 2-3 times a week
Nutritionist- 2-times a week (whenever you get a meal plan change)
What is the staff ratio to patients?
Pretty bad to be honest. When I was there, there was a real shortage of staff. That could’ve been due to the holidays but I’m not sure.
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc?
A lot of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) and DBT
Describe the average day:
5:45-6 am: wake-up, vitals
6 am: Spa (the bathroom) opens- get weighed, and you can shower/get ready
7:30- 7:45 am: Medication window opens, Rooms locked
7:45- 8 am: Daily Intentions/goal setting
8- 8:30 am: Breakfast (it’s usually late though)
8:30- 9 am: Mindfulness Group
9- 9:15 am: Outside Break
9:15- 10am: more group (DBT, ACT, etc)
10- 10:15 am: Med Window and Spa opens
10:15- 10:30 am: Morning Snack
10:30- 11:45 am: more group (DBT, ACT, music group, etc)
11:45- 12 pm: Med Window and Spa opend
12- 12:30 pm: Lunch
12:30- 1:30 pm: more group (ACT, DBT, self-care, depending on the day)
1:30- 2:30 pm: Process Group
2:30- 2:45 pm: Outside Break
2:45- 3 pm: Med Window and Spa opens
3- 3:15 pm: Snack
3:15- 4:15: group (Art Therapy, Relapse Prevention, Spirituality Group, Inspirations Group, etc)
4:15- 4:45: Vocation! (you get to access your phone, laptops, and other electronics!)
4:45- 5 pm: Med Window and Spa opens
5:15- 5:45 pm: Dinner (usually late)
5:45- 6:15 pm: Goal Reflections
6:15- 7 pm: group (Recovery Journal, DBT Chain-Analysis, etc)
7- 7:45 pm: More Vocation! Rooms unlocked too!
7:45- 8 pm: Med Window and Spa opens
8- 8:15 pm: Snack (always late)
8:30- 8:45 pm: usually some free-time, sometimes more group
8:45- 9 pm: Med Window, Spa, and Rooms are opened
10:30: lights out (but you can still stay up, the check on you like every 20 minutes)
What were meals like?
Pretty normal like most treatment centers I’d say. Some staff are more strict than others of course. They usually try to make conversation (not about food, because that is not allowed) and sometimes play table games like “Target”.You can’t talk about controversial topics (like politics) at meals either.Or really anytime, actually. They were pretty strict about food and controversial topic talk.
What sorts of food were available or served?
All sorts. Breakfasts had turkey sausage, eggs (omelettes or scrambled), bacon, yogurt, oatmeal, toast, english muffins, bagels, waffles, peanut butter, syrup, lots of fruit (the fruit is really good too!), tea, coffee (decaf at first but then you can have regular if you complete your meals/snacks). They also had “combo” meals, like oatmeal with fruit, breakfast burritos, etc
Lunches included turkey and cheese sandwiches, chicken quesadillas, tex-mex salads (with chicken, black beans, corn, tortilla chips, and dressing), veggie burgers, BBQ chicken sandwich, pizza, quiche, mac and cheese, fresh shrimp spring rolls, etc
Dinners included lasagna, white chicken chili and cornbread, spaghetti and meatballs, turkey burger, tomato and basil bisque with beans and pesto, philly cheese steak sandwich, almond and coconut crusted mahi-mahi fish and rice with mango salsa, teriyaki chicken and rice, pork potstickers and veggies, salmon and rice, greek chicken with feta cheese and wild rice, etc
Snacks are 3 different levels, A, B and C. A snacks are the least dense and C scnaks are the most dense. A snacks included apples and peanut butter, kind bars, luna bars, potato chips, cereal and milk, fruit and yogurt, peanut butter crackers, half of a peanut butter sandwich, trail mix, mixed nuts, etc
B snacks included probars, cliff bar and milk, wheat thins and hummus (they give a TON of hummus with this, beware), half of a peanut butter and banana sandwich with milk, 2 servings of trail mix, granola and milk, candy bar (like snickers), chocolate covered almonds and milk, 6 oreos and milk, yogurt and granola parfait, etc
C snacks included milkshakes (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream), cheese and nut plate (really big), full peanut butter and banana sandwich with greek yogurt, etc
Some people get desserts too after dinner which include ice cream, brownies, cookies, etc
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Yep. They supplement with Boost. You have to stay at the table after everyone else leaves and then they give it to you. You have 15 minutes to finish.
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
Boost, but if you refuse boost enough times then they tube you. Or they force you to leave since you aren’t complying with treatment.
Are you able to be a vegetarian?
Yep, no to Vegan though
What privileges are allowed?
On the adult unit you are allowed your electronics at vocation time. You can also go on outside breaks if you have been compliant with your meal plan. There is also an outing out to Barnes and Noble or Michael’s every Tuesday. You have to have finished all of your meals/snacks for the week and be medically stable to go though. You also have to be there for a full week.
Does it work on a level system?
Not really. Everyone is kind of on the same level. I think technically PHP is level 2 or something.
How do you earn privileges?
Eating all meals and snacks. That’s pretty much it haha.
What sort of groups do they have?
ACT, DBT, Art Therapy, Family Relationships, Body Image Group, Relapse Prevention, Music Group, Yoga (no one ever got to do it though…), Spirituality Group, Inspirations Group, Daily Intentions, Goal Reflections, Process Group, DBT Chain Analysis, Recovery Journal, etc
What was your favorite group?
Art Therapy for sure. The rest of them were all really boring to be honest and not that helpful.
What did you like the most?
The food was actually really good I thought. Also the nurses were all SUPER friendly.
What did you like the least?
Everything else. The staff (PCAs) were mostly rude except for a few who really seemed to care. I honestly discharged early because some of the staff treated me so poorly. I felt like I had to apologize for everything that I did. It was awful. I felt like I wasn’t respected at all. I was treated like an eating disorder, not a person.
Would you recommend this program?
Yes and no. I mean they do stabilize you medically and got you eating “normally” again but besides that I didn’t find it to be that helpful. My therapist was just okay, but the doctor and psychiatrist were both very friendly. I just think that there are much better programs out there that actually treat you like a person, not just some illness.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
None haha. They would put sensors on you if you move to much. Yoga was always canceled too.
What did people do on weekends?
A lot of people got visitors on the weekends but other than that it was pretty much the same as weekdays, just a bit less busy. None of the doctors or therapists are there on the weekends so it’s a lot slower. And boring. Very boring.
Do you get to know your weight?
Nope
How fast is the weight gain process?
I don’t know it varies for everyone. When I was there, I seriously gained 5 pounds a week. No joke. But for some it was slower. I’d say that typically the weigh gain rate is 2-3 lbs/wk. I was just very underweight so I gained super quick.
What was the average length of stay?
I’d say anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months. I was only there for 2 weeks since my insurance ran out. Insurance is the biggest factor in how long you stay.
What was the average age range?
I was on the adult side but I’d say that most of the patients on that side were in there 20s and 30s. I was only 18 and was (obviously) the youngest.
How do visits/phone calls work?
You can call whoever during vocation and visitors can come during a special time on the weekends. You can talk with your therapist if the times don’t work with their schedule.
Are you able to go out on passes?
Only if you have been there for a minimum of a week, are medically stable, have completed all of your meals/snacks for the week prior. The passes are on Tuesdays.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
Yeah they set-up aftercare for you, rather that be through their PHP or IOP program or through someone you choose.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
Not that I know of but they might? I know that for the PHP program they have housing available.
Can anyone give a review?