The Emily Program Eating Disorder Treatment Center - St. Paul, MN - Como Ave. — Local services in Saint Paul

Within a day or two of walking into the program, I was greeted by name. I was blown away by the amount of caring that the staff showed me by simply remembering my name. It was honestly the first real time I felt like someone genuinely cared about me and my wellbeing. To some, it might seem like a simple gesture, but to me, it meant the world. I felt very welcome, and not once did I feel like the staff/doctors/therapists were just there for a paycheck, or that I was being pushed through for someone else to deal with. And unfortunately for me, I've felt like that more often than not whenever I've received medical attention in the past from providers. The way that blocks/appointments were structured was incredibly helpful to me, as I've often struggled with structure. So between having an eating disorder and struggling with timing things, it was incredibly difficult for me to eat on a regular basis. It's still going to take me a while to be able to get into a solid schedule with getting in my meals and snacks, but creating these habits while in the group has gotten me off to a great start. Some of the teaching exercises seemed silly to me, and I didn't always want to participate in them, but I understand that while they may not beneficial to me, they could help others in their journey, and I'm still thankful I was able to experience them. I think my favorite parts of being in the program were yoga/art, personal therapy, and working on exposing myself to more and different kinds of foods. There are probably so many more great things I could talk about from being in the program, but these were the things that stick out the most to me at this time. I joked with multiple providers at the program about how I adore everyone there, but I hope I never see them again. Every single time, it was made abundantly clear that if I ever need or want help in the future with battling this disorder, I am more than welcome to reach out again, and will be welcomed back...

Awful program. I first started in their IOP which was 5 days a week. I was there for 2 days and the whole time I got 0 help, didn't get taught the "rules", and felt alienated the entire time. I've never been meant to feel so out of my comfort zone by a group therapy ever before. I left telling my therapist there that I felt like I was thrown to the wolves with no help, no guidance, and felt like I was just not feeling like I belonged at all. Mind you I had waited 3 months to get into this program hopeful that it would help me with my ED habits. I then got put on the waitlist for the outpatient therapy that was 1 day a week. This was a 6 month+ wait. It was all virtual which does not help me or my depression in the least. The "therapist" was not very good either. She never gave me any tips or anything on how to stop the thoughts or habits other than 3 meals a day and 3 snacks a day. She never really talked to me about what mattered. She ended up leaving the Emily Program and asked if I would like to get a transfer to another therapist within the Emily Program. I said an emphatic no. I then was told I could always come back. The worst part is that I was billed over a thousand dollars for the 2 days I was in IOP. Now at the beginning of going into IOP I told them I could not afford it and they told me they were going to cover it all for me because of my predicament. They lied. I was then told by billing that because I could not pay my bill that I would never be able to return to the Emily Program. I've been receiving these letters from them for months after I was even in their system. I would never recommend this place. I would say that if you need help with an ED like I did, either go to Melrose (which I have heard great things about) or find an individual therapist who specializes in EDs not related to the...

Emily Program helped me get from being on my deathbed to seeing the light in recovering from an ED. Some strengths? Psych education was highly beneficial for me, their meal plans are individualized, and every staff member I met with from dietician to therapist had my recovery goals in best interest. The only negatives I really have are that they didn’t really enforce the attendance policy within my group and it was super distracting for me to have people trickling in 1-2 hours late all the time. Also that they try and convince you of things that aren’t true, like that processed foods are the equivalent to fresh, which is fine but I have knowledge in nutrition so it didn’t work to try and fool myself like that. Otherwise the only thing I have to close off with is join The Emily Program with the mindset of ready to start recovery and get better, as it is not their job to force you to get better, and it is a much more enjoyable experience if you are willing to work with the staff members to...