My experience with The Emily Program was deeply disappointing and frankly alarming. I entered treatment for binge eating disorder and ARFID genuinely hopeful. On paper the program sounds exceptional with access to a dietitian a therapist a psychiatrist and a nurse. In practice that promise did not materialize. The program is overwhelmingly group based consisting of sitting with the same group of participants for six hours a day eating meals on camera with minimal individualized care. Despite being scheduled for one hour appointments my interactions with both the nurse and psychiatrist were consistently rushed and abbreviated often lasting no more than 20 minutes. There was little opportunity for meaningful assessment follow up or personalized treatment planning which is especially concerning given the complexity of eating disorders. It also became very clear that the program primarily caters to bulimia. A significant amount of time is devoted to discussing bulimic behaviors and recovery frameworks and the majority of participants in my group appeared to have that diagnosis. While that may be appropriate for some patients it left those of us with different disorders feeling sidelined. I would have felt significantly more comfortable and better supported if I had been placed in a group with individuals who shared similar diagnoses. Grouping patients with vastly different disorders is not only ineffective but can be actively distressing. The group format itself was extremely challenging. Participants are not grouped by diagnosis which made the environment highly triggering rather than therapeutic. Much of the content felt repetitive and superficial recycled week after week depending on group turnover. Sessions often consisted of listening to podcasts or reading aloud from workbooks an approach that felt less like specialized medical treatment and more like busy work reminiscent of grade school. Additionally the group setting is not always an appropriate space for emotional disclosure. There is not enough time for everyone to be heard and many people are understandably uncomfortable sharing deeply personal experiences in front of a room full of strangers. This discomfort is visible. When facilitators ask if there are any questions the group is typically silent. Anyone reviewing the session recordings would clearly see how often participants disengage rather than participate. What I find especially troubling is that my ARFID was barely addressed until nearly week 6 of an 8 week program. This delay felt intentional rather than clinical. When concerns were raised the response was repeatedly that treatment is not just one session and that it may require multiple rounds of programming. That explanation felt less like a treatment philosophy and more like a justification for extending care without actually addressing the presenting disorder. If a patient enrolls for ARFID it should not take 6 weeks for it to be meaningfully acknowledged. The most serious issue however was financial. Before enrolling I was explicit about my income which is approximately $1,500 per month and repeatedly asked for a clear cost estimate after insurance. I was contacted daily by a representative who I later realized functioned primarily as a sales rep and was assured that the total cost would be $2,700. I have now received a bill for $7,104.34. That is not a small discrepancy. It is a massive misrepresentation. Had I been given accurate information I would never have agreed to treatment. To make matters worse when attempting to apply for financial assistance the online application link does not work. The only alternative is to call which is an ironic barrier for a population where phone communication can be especially difficult. The lack of transparency and accessibility raises serious concerns. At this point the experience feels far less like ethical healthcare and far more like a high cost operation that benefits from prolonged participation rather than effective individualized treatment. The repeated implication that unresolved issues simply mean more programming raises uncomfortable questions about incentives. For a fraction of the cost I could have received individual therapy and dietetic care that was actually tailored to my needs. I cannot recommend this program. Patients seeking eating disorder treatment deserve honesty individualized care and financial transparency. Unfortunately that was not my experience here. read more

The Emily Program adolescent PHP in Columbus helped our daughter immensely. We are so fortunate to have a program like this so close to home. Intensive therapy all day every day, five days a week, equipped her not just to better manage her ED but also cope with her anxiety and depression in general. We saw such growth and development in her during and after her time at TEP. I will say it's not all perfect. There are excellent staffers and some who weren't my daughter's favorites. Everyone truly seems to care deeply about the clients, though, and that was appreciated. The adolescent PHP program takes a ton of commitment and time from at least one parent - if I hadn't already quit my full-time job to better care for our kiddo, I would have had to take leave while she was in TEP. We are definitely better off after Emily than before, and that's a good thing. I am grateful to the caring staff here! read more

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The Emily Program actually helped me way more than I thought it would. I went into this program scared, nervous, and worried. I thought that there was no such thing as recovery until I came here. I had my doubts at first because many of the reviews are very...questionable...but it was the complete opposite of what they said. I got taught so many skills there that serve my recovery in numerous ways, I made life-long friends that I'll never forget, and the staff always made it easier. This place has helped me so much; it practically saved my life. If I didn't get the help that I needed from this place I could very much be gone by now, but this place exceeded my expectations. I'll never forget The Emily Program. -TEP ghost ;) read more

This program saved my child's life. My teen struggled with an eating disorder. They treat your child with a team of specialists. Everyone there was AMAZING to my daughter. We could not recommend this place more if your child is suffering from an eating disorder. I'm so thankful to everyone there! read more

While no program is perfect, this program saved me from myself. I learned so much and connected with so many great people, both clients and staff. I am in outpatient treatment now and I attend a support group, plus EDA, and I try to meet up with those I have met along the way for socializing outside of treatment and ongoing support. That connection to others is really where it is at. IOP was virtual, so for me, I struggled due to not feeling as connected I'm sure. I did residential in Cleveland and let me tell you, there is an awful lot of love and understanding bestowed on you here. This has been an experience I will never forget....in a very good way. I am glad I chose to do treatment with TEP. The people have made it all worth it and then some. read more

TEP sets you up to fail. They put a Bandaid on the problem and it's not surprise that most of the people in there are repeats. Your program stepped me down to IOP before I was clinically appropriate to do so simply because I had been in PHP more than the usual time. Then, I was not met with by my dietician or therapist for over two weeks in IOP while I was quickly losing the fight. I eventually quit when I was told my target weight literally would put my BMI in the overweight category - 5 feet 4in and they wanted 140 minimum. As for PHP... When I first got to PHP, I had no meal plan or time with my dietician for two days, plus a weekend, and another two days - basically told to just eat "what I thought I should" in the meantime. The meal plan I was eventually out on was WAY TOO low and I was STARVED. And then lost weight. Go figure. My therapist never actually got down deep into my problems. The psychiatrist care was a joke and mostly he spends time talking about his interests instead of wanting to actually figure out a med or some techniques that might help me with my clinical depression and suicidal ideation. All you are ever get is trite words like "I think you can do it," but not actual help or steps "do it." The program never addressed any of my specific, eating disorder, related issues or rules, and instead relied on tired curriculum that has been used over and over in any other program out there with the same old "skills" that are never actually applied to real issues we are dealing with. Even specific behaviors (like over exercise) are never really delved into and how to combat them - those are all fought supposedly behind closed doors. Except they are not and you just are on your own own. The adult unit did not have a resident dietician for over half my stay and basically I received no regular guidance and help combatting my main problem with my ED - orthorexia and restricting. The food at the Columbus facility is all about scaring the living daylights out of patients and not actually teaching you anything about what a well rounded meal sustainable would be or what real eating will should look look like outside of a facility that isn't all about pushing the fear foods on you. it's ridiculous to have 30 year olds eating things like uncrustables for lunch. We will NOT be replicating such stuff outside in our world and it's setting us up to fail. Not to mention it the meal plan guide with food exchanges that they give you make absolutely no sense, and are not based on any kind of scientific evidence or actual data or food components (like peas aren't a carb!?), so if you were to question it, or try to understand it, the Dieticians will just tell you to be flexible and trust them. That doesn't work. There has to be a way to teach us how to eat and put meals together that makes a logical sense on what the food components actually are and what they should count for. Balance needs to be taught so we can feel safe. The TEpmeal plan need to be redone to actually account for a logical breakdown of the macros because they make ZERO sense - the ranges in exchanges for 1 serving of protein, for example, could count as a protein with a caloric range of 35 cal (1oz tuna) to almost 250 for one exchange (sausage patty or bratwurst). That's ridiculous. Not to mention that the food itself was poorly cooked, often burnt, and usually inedible. For example, a biscuit I was given for breakfast I literally COULD NOT CUT with a STEEL knife, but i was forced to eat it anyway, because otherwise, it was an "eating disorder" thing. Or I had to be punished for not eating half an indelible biscuit with an entire Boost Plus. The menu is also the same meals on rotation so there really is not stretching beyond the few challenge meals that are on their menu (hot dogs, spaghetti and meatballs, nuggets and Mac and cheese, and a butter grilled sandwich). That's it. Then it's over and over. Breakfast is much the same - and usually burnt. Eggs are made only once in week, the rest of the time it's sausage from the freezer. read more