- I have been to this program twice. I did their full day pt all the way down to OP treatment (which they do not offer anymore) they stop at IOP and then refer you out for OP. I think it has a good foundation but it is lacking in a lot of important areas. they mainly focus on DBT skills. They do a lot of groups literally from the book. You can buy these books at Barnes and Noble. Basically they read out of the book and discuss with everyone. They are really laid back when it comes to meals. You are not monitored appropriately while preparing/plating food nor are you watched while you eat. They have an extremely relaxed approached described to me as they beleive more in making you hold yourself accountable. Which is nice but not always when treating ED’s, in my experience. I would say you could learn a lot from edcasa for a few months then it becomes extrememly repetitive and a waste of time. I had two stays there one was 4 months and the other 6 months. By the end of my first stay I could have taught the groups it was so repetitive. They do not do groups like body image, CBT or anything like that. The have a family group which I always told my husband not to bother attending because it was such a waste of time. They attempted to teach families DBT skills instead of educating them and teaching them about how to support us. Main groups are DBT 4x a day, nutrition edu and art therapy (which is basically free art, you could twiddle your thumbs and they woudln’t care) a waste of an hour. The staff is also an issue. They have a few great therapists and then everyone else is either rude or only wants your money. In the end I would rather go anywhere but EDCASA again. I will def. never be attending their program again and I would not recommend it to anyone.
This isn’t an inpatient program, but has anybody been here for PHP or IOP?
After a cumulative 14 months of treatment at Edcasa, and upon learning that my insurance provider would no longer cover my treatment at the facility, I was unceremoniously shoved out of the program at the tender age of 19. The treatment staff knew that I was still struggling with daily use of “behaviors”/symptoms. They forced me to disclose information about childhood trauma to my family, and offered me no support after. I was “graduated” from the program 4 days later, with no support net in place. This all suspiciously occurred within weeks of a threat of lawsuit from my family for suspicious interaction with my insurance provider.
They knew I was still sick, and they threw me out.
(Also, Edcasa has since been bought out by ERC, ANOTHER hospital that kicked me out of their minor program, at the age of 17. The forgiveness for my accumulated debt at Edcasa suspiciously coincided with the facility being bought out by a much more wealthy company that could absorb such a cost.).
Edcasa wants your money. They do not care about your sickness or your child’s sickness. Do not seek treatment at Edcasa, or any other ERC (Eating Recovery Center) affiliated facility.
I totally agree!! Stay AWAY FROM ALL ERC!! They only hire incompetent people!! DO NOT TRUST ANY INSIGHTS EITHER, IN TX or Chicago.. THE kind of people they hire Don’t care if they break ethical RULES or STATE LAWS!!
EDCASA is now partnered with Eating Recovery Center and has changed names to ERC San Antonio. I went to residential at ERC in Denver and stepped down to PHP at EDCASA. I was readmitted to ERC-SA (after the change) to PHP after a relapse. After experiencing residential at ERC in Denver, I can say that ERC-SA is very similarly structured with the exception that you go home at night or to one of the recovery centered apartments. Basically, the days are roughly the same as in residential, but you leave after dinner.
7:45- arrive, weights/ vitals
8:30- Breakfast
9:00- groups
10:40- snack
11:00- groups
1:00- lunch
1:30- flextime
2:30- groups
3:30- snack
4:00- groups
6:00- dinner
7:00- leave
They do prepare the meals there and you pick your menu with your dietician based on your meal plan. Snacks usually only have 1 option with levels A, B, and C, with A being the smallest and C being the largest. Usually its the same thing, but B and C have more exchanges added. If you don’t finish your meal/ snack in the allotted time (25 mins for meals, 15 mins for snacks), then you supplement with boost.
When you go in, you’re automatically on level 1. If you finish meals and are compliant and stuff, you get moved up and get more privileges. I’ve had a good experience with ERC in both Denver and San Antonio.
I’m a bit concerned about some of these reviews. The positive were all written around the same time. Very close together which is odd, and make me question their validity. I hope the reviewers weren’t asked by the center to write them. Does anyone have a recent and more in depth review of EDCASA? Including what meals are like, groups, etc. Thank you!
I worked at EDCASA for the past year and had the opportunity to interact with both staff and patients on a daily basis. While therapy of any kind is emotionally taxing for patients and their families, and the path to recovery from an Eating Disorder specifically is a trying one, I cannot imagine a more supportive, accepting, and validating environment to be seeking treatment in. The staff, whether it was dieticians, clinicians, reception, etc., often went above and beyond to ensure the needs of the patients were met not simply because it was their job, but because it is their passion. It was a pleasure to have worked at this clinic, and without a doubt I would absolutely recommend anyone who is struggling with an Eating Disorder to seek the support and treatment they need from EDCASA.
I absolutely LOVED this program! I struggled for years with an ED, when I started I was on the verge of hospice care. I felt they were incredibly supportive and helped me learn the skills to get past it.
I was sick for 17 years and now recovered 5. I am still very close to the staff there, I actually named my daughter after my therapist. I felt the staff was very patient with me, they were firm when I needed it. I credit them fully with my recovery, they have supported me every step of the way. They actually are very educated and trained.
I would recommend this program to anyone!!!
I would HIGHLY recommend EDCASA to anyone struggling with an eating disorder or even those trying to figure out/decide if an eating disorder is an issue for him/her. I began treatment at EDCASA in 2011 as a part of one of its smaller programs with only 12 hours/week. I was inconsistent in my attendance and compliance with dietary requests. Despite my struggles to commit to treatment, the staff, both dietary and clinical, remained committed AND compassionate toward my journey. In the Fall of 2013, it was suggested that I enter the full-day program in order to make my commitment AND progress more consistent. I did so and would never have it any other way! The clinical and dietary staff have highly qualified training in DBT. While the dietary staff does not HAVE to use DBT techniques in their area, they do so willingly when possible in order to remain consistent with what the clients are familiar with. In return, the clinical staff has sufficient knowledge of dietary issues in order to also integrate such knowledge into their sessions with us. I was also pleasantly surprised to realize pretty early on that ALL of the staff are familiar with each client’s situation which enables them to address us individually even in group settings. The evident team effort of the staff has encouraged the clients to bond with each other and depend on each other for support. This kind of support is invaluable in that we understand each other’s struggles, regardless of differences in our symptoms or experiences. EDCASA is all about educating the clients so that we can live independently and joyfully with confidence. The family-type environment allows clients who’ve “graduated” to feel welcome if/when they need to return for a “refresher” or boost in recovery. The staff encourage the clients to contact them when outside of the clinic in order to help get through our struggles. I found this so unique and comforting: to know I was NEVER left to fend for myself when I was weak. I also think that the opportunities for practium studentsinterns to train at EDCASA under their careful supervision is so important. It allows future clinicians to truly experience what they will be doing. Most of all, I value that EDCASA is willing to push the clients to make progress while having compassion for where we are at and how we got there. One of the hardest things about recovery is the anger and sadness. EDCASA knows this is a part of the process and are not pushed away when these emotions come out. At the same time, the staff are human and do not hide this from the clients. They do not pretend to know it all. And when something comes up that needs answers, they are willing to seek such knowledge. There will always be times when clients do not agree with suggestions made by the staff or that the staff DO make mistakes. HOWEVER, the DBT skills that they teach are encouraged to be used while in treatment with those who understand the skills best. I felt very comfortable approaching staff with concerns; knowing that I may not get what I want if the staff do not see the therapeutic benefit, AND that I WOULD always be heard and my thoughts valued. This has enabled me to improve my communication and understanding of my family and loved ones! Overall, I cannot think of anything that would deter me from seeking EDCASA’s help in the future or recommending them to anyone!
EDCASA was recommended to me after the first two therapists I saw regarding my eating disorder realized that it was much more serious than they were prepared to deal with, and I am thankful every day that I ended up there because the team truly saved my life.
When I started at EDCASA I was on the verge on inpatient therapy or potentially a medical break down if something wasn’t done quickly. I won’t pretend like every day was easy or that I like the staff the whole time I was there, but I am so grateful that they were there for me when I couldn’t be there for myself.
Recovery is never easy, but I truly believe that I would have died without EDCASA. I even believe that the dietician there is heaven sent because her job is so incredibly difficult and few people really give her the credit she deserves for being the one to make us do the thing patients hate the most which is eat.
I would recommend EDCASA in a heartbeat, and I stand firmly by the support and care I received there.
I personally loved EDCASA. I went there two years ago when I was 14 and it was the first treatment I ever received. I do believe that at that time in my life, I needed much more than IOP and needed residential (which I ended up getting about a year later) but for the time being, EDCASA was helpful in that they helped me realize things about myself I hadn’t before. I will say though, that EDCASA is not for anyone who is not willing to recover (I wasn’t at the time) because they’re pretty lenient and I was able to get away with a lot of behaviors. As for the staff, I personally liked all of the therapists and mine especially was the best one I’ve ever had; I am still in touch with her. I hated the main dietitian because she was very judgmental and based what happened to me and the other girls upon statistics and it was not an individualized approach. I miss it and I recumbent EDCASA to anyone who is willing to recover or who is coming back from inpatient and needs structure.
Eating Disorder Center at San Antonio (EDCASA) saved my life. The team at EDCASA is caring,gentle, professional, and knowledgeable of the most effective treatment options for this deadly condition. Eating disorders are so much more than vanity or just wanting to look “thinner.” Eating disorders are complicated in that they are often developed from trauma and deeply impacting family systems. There is no pill, words of encouragement, or standard answer that can “fix” a person with an eating disorder. The team at EDCASA understands this and has a solution. I went into treatment with EDCASA barely hanging on. I was welcomed in by an amazing team of caring, bright, educated professionals who understood me so much more than I did myself. Slowly and gently, the staff guided me on a journey of healing. I began to understand where it all began for me, I was provided with the tools to dismantle the shame, anger, sadness, and paralyzing fear, and taught a radically different way of life. Through a great deal of patience and understanding the team at EDCASA provided me with a new road map to my life. I have my health back, my self-worth intact, a purpose in my life, and my relationships have mended and are growing daily. If anyone is struggling with an eating disorder of any kind, I would highly recommend calling EDCASA.
I would NOT recommend this facility to anyone suffering from and ED. The dietician is utterly clueless, her messages are damaging, and she has major countertransference issues. The co-director also has no personal boundaries and her ego is blatantly in control of her “therapy” sessions. The majority of the staff have no training in ED’s and just try to teach DBT from a book. If you need help, seek treatment out of town.
I agree entirely. I had an absolutely HORRIBLE experience with this program. (I was in the extended day program.)
It was disorganized and extremely counterproductive half of the time. The groups didn’t focus on anything that was actually helpful in terms of learning how to recover, and almost encouraged not accepting responsibility for your own actions and choices by teaching you that you are “powerless to your eating disorder”, and instructing you to refer to your eating disorder as “Ed”. They even took it so far as to instruct you to say things like, “these were Ed’s choices, not mine”, etc. For me, this only made me feel more out of control and by looking at things that way, I felt that I was regressing rather than progressing.
And yes, the staff. What a joke! They monitored your bathroom time but not much else! The meals were chaotic and stressful and the “therapy sessions” were far too short and infrequent to do any bit of good.
When problems would happen with other girls there, I would tell the staff and rather than try to address the problem with the people causing it, they would be extremely dismissive of me and imply that I should probably just keep it to myself.
Finally, when I decided to leave, as I wasn’t progressing and I was wasting a ton of time and obscene amounts of money, the main directior HERSELF told me that I was not ready to leave and that I would “fail upon leaving.”
Recovery should be a supportive, structured, and safe place. This was none of those things.
EDCASA was one of the worst experiences of my life and I would not recommend it to anyone for any reason whatsoever.
Note: ESPECIALLY for young girls under 18. Please do not send your daughters to this place.