- Joint Commission accredited
- Girls-only home
- Ages 12 to 17
- Admissions 24/7
Eating disorder treatment for teen girls near Sun City, AZ.
Grandparents raising a granddaughter often spot the skipped suppers and oversized sweatshirts first, then wonder whether a teenager's trouble with food looks anything like it did a generation ago. Nexus Teen Academy cares for girls ages 12 to 17 with bulimia, binge eating, anorexia and ARFID, in a state-licensed Cave Creek household reserved for girls, east of the Sun City area.
- Free & confidential · No obligation · (480) 485-3424
- 4.7 Google · 37 reviews
- AZDHS-licensed residential facility
- Most major private insurance accepted
- Free consultation
- Counselor online now
Leave your phone number and someone licensed on our admissions staff will return the call, generally within minutes, ready to hear about her eating, your role as guardian, coverage, and what happens next. No pressure at all.
- It's now where you are · typical callback under 10 minutes.
- Secure, private, and HIPAA-protected. By submitting you agree to be contacted about care; message/data rates may apply.
- 4.7 Google · 37 reviews
- Joint Commission accredited
Every credential is independently verifiable. Joint Commission · AZDHS registry · LegitScript.
Joint Commission accreditedAZDHS-licensed · LegitScript certifiedAbout Nexus Teen Academy
How Nexus Teen Academy supports Sun City families.
Nexus Teen Academy is a Cave Creek program, state-licensed and accredited by The Joint Commission, in which adolescent girls with eating disorders receive care from one clinical team while living together. Many callers from the Sun City neighborhoods and the surrounding northwest Valley are grandparents or relatives who stepped in as guardians. Today's pressures, from phone-screen comparison to diet chatter online, can feel foreign, yet the roots are familiar: fear, a hunger for control, or grief never spoken aloud. We restore steady eating and tend those roots.
A girl whose pulse runs dangerously low, who passes out, or whose bloodwork is off must be stabilized by a hospital beforehand; we then set her start date around her medical release. The residence is AZDHS-licensed, Joint Commission accredited and LegitScript certified.
Nexus Teen Academy provides residential treatment for teen eating disorders for families from Sun City, Arizona, for ages 12 to 17. Girls live in a licensed home in Cave Creek with daily therapy, accredited school on site, and weekly family therapy. Most stay 30 to 60 days, and the team works with AHCCCS and most private insurance.
Cave Creek
Girls, 12 to 17 · Phoenix metro
Cave Creek
Girls, 12 to 17 · Phoenix metro
Accredited Arizona centers
Ages we treat, gender-separate
Awake clinical staff, every hour
A primary therapist, by name
Where residential care fits: IOP, PHP or residential
The subacute level between weekly therapy and a hospital bed.
Therapy once or a few times a week. Your teen stays home and at school.
Live-in clinical care with 24/7 awake staff, daily therapy, and accredited school, in a real home.
You are hereShort-term acute stabilization for immediate medical or safety crisis.
| Question | Intensive outpatient (IOP) | Partial hospitalization (PHP) | Residential (RTC) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | A step down from PHP, or a starting point for teens who need more than weekly therapy | A step down from residential care, or a starting point for teens who need structure without 24/7 care | Teens who need 24/7 care in a safe, immersive setting |
| Where your teen sleeps | At home | At home each evening | A licensed, home-like residence with 24/7 awake staff |
| Weekly schedule | About 4 hours a day (10:30 to 2:30 or 1:00 to 5:00), 3 to 4 days a week | Several days a week, multiple hours a day | Daily therapy, with care around the clock |
| Typical length | 30 to 90+ days | 30 to 90 days | 30 to 60 days |
| School | Stays in school; IOP is therapy-focused, with no academic support | Daily schoolwork time in a classroom, with educators on staff | Accredited, credit-bearing classes on site |
| Family | Weekly individual therapy and family counseling every other week | Family therapy sessions included | Weekly family therapy, in person or by secure video |
IOP and PHP run at NexStep Teen Academy, the Nexus outpatient program in Scottsdale for teens ages 12 to 17.
Not sure which level your teen needs? A licensed counselor will walk through it with you on the phone, free, and tell you honestly if a lower level of care is the better fit.
Speak with our admissions teamThe program
What our residential eating disorder program includes.
Her meals, counseling, lessons and family meetings are woven into a single plan inside a household of girls that keeps a steady daily cadence. Clinicians revisit it weekly against her physical and emotional gains, so she stays as long as recovery asks, never a number fixed in advance.
Assessment of the whole girl
Her eating patterns, weight over time, lab results, emotional background and school records are read together, so her plan reflects who she is.
Medical safety comes first
When vitals or bloodwork raise alarms, a hospital steadies her, and her admission follows once doctors release her.
A named therapist, daily
Each weekday she meets with her own licensed clinician to untangle the fears, food rules and emotions sitting behind the eating disorder.
Supported meals, every day
Three meals and planned snacks shared with staff, following a structured food plan that expands in step with her returning strength.
Family sessions for guardians
Weekly family therapy and the Saturday group welcome whoever is raising her, grandparent, aunt or parent alike.
Medication, with your consent
An on-site psychiatric prescriber treats worry, depression or obsessive thinking, and the adult who holds consent approves each adjustment.
Credit-bearing classes
A certified teacher holds lessons every weekday, and credits transfer, so her Peoria Unified or Dysart transcript keeps moving.
A plan for the home she returns to
Meal guidance, red flags to watch for, a nearby outpatient team and a gradual school return, written for the household she lives in.
- Her eating, her feelings and their roots, cared for as one
Whole-girl care
Mental health conditions linked to eating disorders.
Rarely does a girl face an eating disorder by itself. Federal survey data from NIMH put the lifetime figure at 3.8% for girls aged 13-18, and in that same research, teens with bulimia or binge eating usually had a further psychiatric condition as well, commonly anxiety or depression.
For a guardian, this means a single set of clinicians to talk with. The Cave Creek team caring for her eating also addresses the worry, sadness or trauma alongside it, so you never have to carry messages between separate offices or retell her history again and again.
Eating disorders, explained for guardians
Primary focus
Anorexia, ARFID, bulimia and binge eating disorder in girls during adolescence
Depression
Heavy sadness that grows as her eating shrinks.
Anxiety & perfectionism
Perfectionism that turns food into a set of rules.
Trauma & PTSD
Past hurt she tries to quiet by restricting or bingeing.
ADHD
Impulsive moments that can set off binge episodes.
Substance use
Appetite-curbing vapes, pills or alcohol.
Dual diagnosis
Psychiatric symptoms and drinking or drug use together.
Self-harm
Tends to rise when eating habits change; screened at intake.
Safety firstSuicidal ideation
Evaluated before any other care begins.
Safety first- Whatever lies beneath her eating disorder, a single team and one residential home keep all of her care in one plan.
The setting
The Cave Creek residence for eating disorder treatment.
Her new address would be an ordinary-looking family house resting on open desert land at Cave Creek, about thirty minutes' drive past downtown Phoenix and a trip east across the Valley from Sun City. Snacks and meals set a dependable routine, girls help cook and dine together with staff, night staff never sleep on duty, and full AZDHS licensure covers the home.
Take a self-guided 3D walkthrough of the home
Life inside
Structure and routine in residential care.
Mealtimes carry the most support early on, because they are the hardest hours. Every adult at the table meets her worry and bargaining with the same kind, unhurried reply, and that sameness gradually loosens the eating disorder's grip on the conversation.
- MorningHygiene, meds & breakfast
Hygiene and meds from 6:30 to 7:30, then breakfast from 7:30 to 8:00.
- - Morning
Gratitude journal & education
A gratitude journal from 8:00 to 8:20, then education from 8:30 to 10:45 and a snack at 10:45.
- MorningGroup therapy & lunch
Group therapy from 11:00 to 12:00, then lunch and mindfulness from 12:00 to 1:00.
- - Afternoon
Group therapy
Group therapy from 2:00 to 3:00, a snack at 3:00, then group therapy again from 3:15 to 4:00.
- - Afternoon
Movement, dinner & evening activity
Movement with nursing from 4:15 to 5:00, dinner at 5:00, then evening activity and meds from 6:00 to 7:00.
- - Evening
Free time & lights out
Free time from 7:00 to 8:30, evening hygiene from 8:30 to 9:00, gratitude journal at 9:00 and lights out at 9:30.
Weekends run differently
Saturday and Sunday follow a lighter routine than the weekday schedule above.
Click here for a free consultationTap to call (480) 485-3424 and our admissions team will walk you through a full weekend. Someone answers any time.Awake clinical staff are on-site every hour, including overnight, at both Arizona centers.
How healing happens
Evidence-based therapies for teen eating disorders.
The APA's 2023 practice guideline favors treatment that puts the family to work against the eating disorder for adolescents, and research supports CBT-E for teens too. Here, family means the adults truly raising her, whether a grandmother, an aunt, or a parent who shares that role.
Core therapies
- 1
Family-based treatment
The adults raising her, grandparents included, are coached to steer meals for a stretch of weeks, then gradually return that control to her.
- 2
CBT-E
An enhanced form of CBT that works on food rules, repeated body checking, and how much her self-worth rests on size and appearance.
- 3
Emotion-regulation and distress-tolerance skills
Skills she rehearses each day, so a strong pull toward restricting, bingeing or purging can be met with something other than the behavior.
Supporting care, running alongside
Exposure and body-image work
Foods she fears and situations she avoids are faced gently and in stages, after she is medically stable, with her therapist present.
small stepsfeared situationsFamily therapy and parent group
Weekly sessions for whoever raises her, at the residence or on secure video, plus the Saturday group for parents and guardians.
guardians welcomesecure videoEquine, art and experiential
Fridays bring equine time, and art and music fill other afternoons, helping her feel capable and settled in her body without any talk of size.
horse sessionsart and music
Your teen's clinical team
Meet our licensed clinical team.
Guardians are introduced by name to each person involved, from her licensed primary counselor to the medication prescriber and the house staff. Arizona credentials are public, so you may confirm every one at your own pace.
LPC, BC-TMHHannah Carr-Unquera
Executive Director
Leads the clinical program, licensed in Arizona and board certified in telemental health.
LCSW, DSWDr. Tyler White
Director of Adolescent Clinical Services
Sets the treatment plan each resident’s team works to, and supervises the clinicians who deliver it.
DNP, PMHNP-BCAlexandria Penner
Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner
Runs psychiatric evaluation and medication management on-site, so prescribing stays inside the house.
House teamAshley Daniels
Director of Family Services & Education
Runs family services and education, after directing theatre and teen programs and building liberal-arts residential summer camps for Mount Holyoke College and Bryn Mawr College.
House teamJennifer Inderberg
Education Supervisor
Twenty-five years in education, supervising the accredited school that runs inside each house and the credit transfers back to your district.
House teamMelissa Stockmar
Director of Food Operations
Leads the kitchen team behind the chef-prepared meals, and runs the cooking group where residents learn to feed themselves.
Arizona-licensed clinical team.Every Nexus Teen Academy clinician is licensed in Arizona. Verify any license on the AZ Board of Behavioral Health Examiners directory.
What families say
Family reviews of Nexus Teen Academy.
4.7/ 5
Read them all on Google★★★★★
“Nexus Academy was a wonderful place for my daughter. The staff were amazing and so supportive. They worked with our entire family. Highly recommend Nexus.”
★★★★★
“Sending your child or teen to a residential treatment facility is a difficult and heart-wrenching decision. The team at Nexus Teen Academy was exceptional. Our daughter’s therapist was a great fit for her and played a significant role in helping us grow as a family.”Read the full review →
★★★★★
“The program at Nexus was a lifesaver for my 15-year-old daughter. After a tough year in and out of different levels of care, my husband and I had truly hit a breaking point and knew a residential facility was needed.”Read the full review →
These come straight from our public Google Business Profile, anyone can read all 34 and add their own.
Getting started
How admission works, from first call to first day.
- You set the pace, with no pressure to decide
- Clear answers to every clinical and financial question
- An honest recommendation, even if another program is the better fit
1
- Today · 24/7
- ~15 minutes
One calm call
The first call is a conversation, not a commitment. A licensed counselor gently asks about her eating, shifts in weight, purging or bingeing, fainting and other warnings, what doctors have diagnosed before, and whether she has been safe, then gives a candid read on whether a residential stay suits her. Guardians may call together.
- What to have ready: nothing. Just call, questions are welcome, and there is no obligation.
2
- Same day
- Free & confidential
Coverage check
Whether she is covered through a parent's policy or one you hold as guardian, we contact the insurer with the policyholder's permission and learn what residential behavioral-health benefits exist, if Nexus is in network, and what you would likely spend, then explain how the mental-health benefit applies.
- What you get: your coverage answer, usually the same day, every option mapped, including in-network and out-of-network paths.
3
- Within 24 to 48 hrs
- Licensed clinicians
Clinical assessment
Before the clinical review, we confirm who may legally consent for her, so gather guardianship or custody papers if you have them. A licensed clinician then weighs her food history, weight pattern, mental-health background, past care, safety, and her doctor's vitals and labs.
- Your input matters: what you have seen at home is a key part of the clinical assessment.
4
- Within days
- Named coordinator
Plan the arrival
A named coordinator handles medical clearance, moving her school file, prescriptions and what to pack, walking guardians through each form by phone.
- No surprises: you will have the packing list, schedule, and your coordinator's direct line in writing.
5
- Welcome day
- Never out of the loop
A gentle, planned arrival
On her first day she meets her care team and eats alongside the other girls, and before you leave, the date of your opening family session is already set.
- From here: predictable days, weekly updates, and a team your teen knows by name.
Coverage & cost
Using insurance for residential eating disorder treatment
Residential eating disorder care usually falls within the behavioral-health coverage of large private plans, and Nexus Teen Academy is in step with most big commercial insurers. Whether a parent or you as guardian holds the policy, we look into her benefits and network status free of charge, discreetly and generally that same day, then explain any cost to you plainly before you decide.
- 1You send your plan detailsTwo required fields. Member ID optional. Takes about a minute.
- 2We verify with your insurer directlyIn-network or out-of-network, free and confidential, usually the same day.
- 3You get the number in plain EnglishYour exact out-of-pocket cost, explained before you commit to anything.
- Meritain
- UMR
- + more
Out-of-network or unsure about your plan? Call anyway, cost should never be the reason a teen doesn't get help.
- Free benefits check
Learn what her plan covers for a residential stay, at no cost, in confidence, and without any obligation whatsoever.
After discharge
Aftercare planning for Sun City families.
Guardians sit in on discharge planning from early on: a PHP or IOP bridge if it suits her, a counselor, nutrition professional and children's doctor close to your home, a written sheet on food and red flags for your kitchen, and school re-entry arranged with Peoria Unified or Dysart.
Answers
Eating disorder treatment FAQs for Sun City families
For grandparents and relatives around Sun City who are raising a teen girl and weighing residential eating disorder care.
A licensed admissions counselor can answer it on the phone right now, no script, no pressure, and no obligation to enroll.
Talk to a counselorAnswered 24/7 at (480) 485-3424Centers & getting there
Yes. Guardians around Sun City who look up help near me can turn to Nexus Teen Academy, whose Cave Creek house for girls ages 12 to 17 lies roughly 40-50 minutes east. Please call (480) 485-3424 at any hour; someone always answers.
Most families plan on 40-50 minutes heading east, depending on traffic and the time of day. Many grandparents make it a morning outing for a family session, and we can help you settle on a visiting rhythm that feels manageable.
Certainly. Family therapy meets weekly, either in the Cave Creek living room or through secure video, and our team will help a grandparent get the video call working before the first session, so distance never keeps you out.
Visits follow a simple schedule set with her therapist. Bring patience more than gifts; the early days can be emotional for her, and staff will guide you on how to keep conversations warm and away from food and weight.
Care & cost
Yes, if you are her legal guardian or otherwise authorized to consent to her medical care. Bring guardianship or custody documents to the clinical review. If a parent still shares decision-making, admissions explains who needs to sign which forms.
The illnesses themselves are not new, but today's pressures include constant social media comparison and diet content online. Girls may also be diagnosed with ARFID or atypical anorexia, which may not match the very thin, restricting picture many adults remember.
Cave Creek is not a hospital. A heart rate far too slow, fainting spells, sinking blood pressure, electrolyte imbalance or sudden weight loss mean hospital stabilization happens first, and admissions coordinates so her residential stay begins once she is cleared.
Yes. With the policyholder's permission, we verify whichever plan she is enrolled in, without charge and confidentially, often within the day. Nexus takes most large private insurers, and eating disorder care draws on the mental-health portion of a policy.
Bring her latest report card, any IEP or 504 plan, and your guardianship papers so records can be released. Her certified teacher holds weekday classes that earn transferable credit, and we coordinate her return with Peoria Unified or Dysart, whichever enrolls her.
Licensing & privacy
Yes. Arizona's health department licenses the house for residential behavioral-health treatment, it has earned Joint Commission accreditation, and it carries LegitScript certification. Each of these can be confirmed through public sources.
Only people the consenting guardian authorizes in writing, such as her doctor, school or insurer. HIPAA protects her records, and calls with our admissions staff remain confidential.
Whoever is raising her is the family in family therapy. Weekly sessions, the Saturday group and meal coaching are built around grandparents as readily as parents, and a parent who remains involved can join too, with the guardian's agreement.
Admission & daily life
Often within a few days. Admissions calls are returned within 24 hours, usually within minutes. A counselor checks your insurance benefits and licensed clinicians complete an assessment, and if everything moves smoothly your teen can move in shortly after. A coordinator walks you through travel, paperwork, and the first day.
Yes. Nexus Teen Academy offers tours of the home by appointment, so you can see where your teen would live and ask the team your questions in person before you decide anything. Call admissions to schedule a tour at a time that suits your family.
Yes. Family therapy happens once a week and is typically followed by about an hour of visitation, and parents are expected to take part. After orientation, teens can call home during designated hours most days, and families can also join a weekly virtual Family Empowerment group with other parents.
No. Personal phones and other devices stay at home for the length of the stay. Teens use tablets for video calls with approved contacts and computers for schoolwork, so contact with family continues through approved channels while the focus stays on treatment.
School continues during treatment. Teens attend accredited, credit-bearing classes on site, and education supervisors help with coursework and stay in touch with families. Bring a copy of any 504 plan or IEP at admission, and before discharge the team plans a staged return to your teen's home school.
Pack about two weeks of clothes without laces or drawstrings, alcohol-free toiletries, and any prescribed medication in its original packaging with a current medication list. Bring a guardian ID, a copy of any 504 plan or IEP, and school books. Personal phones and school-issued tablets stay at home.
Numbers worth knowing
Research on eating disorder in teen girls
Upward of half of all U.S. high school girls described lasting sadness or hopelessness in 2023, a sign of how much today's teens carry. Every figure here names where it came from.
3.8%
of U.S. girls aged 13-18 carry an eating disorder somewhere in their history, compared with 2.7% among adolescents as a whole (NIMH, NCS-A).
3.0%
of teens have been affected once they reach 17-18, rising from 2.4% in the 13-14 bracket, as risk mounts over adolescence (NIMH, NCS-A).
49%
of adolescents with anorexia whose families led their care were in full remission after one year, while only 23% in individual therapy were (Lock et al., 2010).
1 in 4
Arizona adolescents who required mental-health care described access as very difficult, or impossible (AZDHS, 2026).
Risk climbs across the high school years and weighs heaviest on girls, so changes a guardian notices at the dinner table merit a real evaluation.
When one in four Arizona adolescents struggles to reach mental-health care, grandparents and parents around Sun City gain a great deal by calling early rather than joining a long outpatient queue.
Group home alternatives for teen girls
The warmth of a home, with clinical care inside.
Some grandparents begin by searching for group homes once a granddaughter's eating spirals. Girls from across the northwest Valley and far beyond share our Cave Creek house, licensed by Arizona as a behavioral-health residence, where counseling, meals and lessons all take place together.
A typical group home
- Licensed for shelter and supervision
- Daily living and structure
- Supervision, not clinical treatment
Nexus homes
- AZDHS behavioral-health residential licence
- Daily therapy and psychiatric care
- Accredited school on site
Families from the Phoenix metro 9 cities
Families from Greater Arizona 6 cities
Each community on this list has had girls in our care at Cave Creek. We help families plan the trip, and guardians join family therapy once a week, sitting with us in person or connecting by secure video.
Across Arizona
Residential eating disorder care within reach of Sun City.
Allow between 40 and 50 minutes to reach the residence heading east from the Sun City area, so a grandparent can attend a family session and still be home by afternoon. Our admissions line is staffed at every hour, weekends included.
East across the Valley to Cave Creek
From the Sun City area, allow 40-50 minutes driving east to the residence. A grandparent can attend a family session and be home the same afternoon, and video fills in on other weeks.
Video sessions made simple
Weekly family therapy happens at the residence or on secure video, and guardians who are new to video calls get help with setup beforehand, so no one is left out.
Aftercare near the northwest Valley
Before discharge, step-down care plus a counselor, nutrition expert and pediatrician are arranged close to home in the northwest Valley, with her classroom return coordinated through Peoria Unified or Dysart.
Nexus Teen Academy, Cave Creek · girls’ residence
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Distance from Sun City to the Cave Creek residence
A 40 to 50 minute drive to Cave Creek
Saddle Mountain Rd, 85331 · 20 min north
Peoria, Surprise and Youngtown families too
Travel, telehealth & aftercare
Every Nexus program, statewide
Teen treatment programs by condition.
The same clinical team treats a broad range of conditions for households all over Arizona. Select the concern closest to what your granddaughter is facing and read about care from where you live.
Nexus Teen Academy provides licensed residential care to young people ages 12 to 17 for depression, eating disorders, anxiety, trauma and PTSD, self-harm, bipolar disorder, suicidal ideation, ADHD, or substance use. Girls receiving eating disorder treatment reside at our Cave Creek house, set aside for girls, and guardians around Sun City, like families statewide, get directions, travel help and video family therapy over a secure link.
Depression care, statewide
Eating disorder care in other Arizona cities
The cities below each have a page about how girls from there are treated in Cave Creek, touching on travel, support with meals at home, school re-entry and common family questions.
Other conditions we treat for teens
Tap a condition to read the Arizona overview; nearby community pages show how guardians and parents from each town handle care.
Talk it through with a counselor
Tell an admissions counselor what you are seeing at home, and they will say plainly which program fits.
Girls-only programs
Treated only at the Cave Creek girls residence
Five programs for teen girls, each with an Arizona guide and a page for families from each nearby city.
Co-occurring mental health and substance use
Eating disorders in teen girls
Sexual trauma in teen girls
Severe mood swings in teen girls
Not seeing your community? Girls come to us from all parts of Arizona and beyond. Call (480) 485-3424 and a counselor will describe the route east to Cave Creek and each piece of the admission process.