- Joint Commission accredited
- Girls-only home
- Ages 12 to 17
- Admissions 24/7
Eating disorder treatment for teen girls near Surprise, AZ.
Moving to a fast-growing city like Surprise can mean leaving behind the pediatrician, therapist and school counselor who knew your daughter, right when her eating starts to worry you. Nexus Teen Academy can be your first stop: a Cave Creek residential program where girls aged 12 to 17 get help for ARFID, bulimia, anorexia or binge eating disorder, and where we help you assemble a care team near your new address.
- 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
Still getting your bearings in Surprise? Share a phone number and one of our admissions counselors, all licensed, will ring back quickly to talk over her eating, coverage, and where to begin. 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
About Nexus Teen Academy's eating disorder program for girls.
Nexus Teen Academy runs a state-licensed, Joint Commission-accredited treatment home in Cave Creek, where girls 12 to 17 with eating disorders are cared for by one clinical team. Plenty of families who call from Surprise are still unpacking boxes, and the eating changes surfaced amid the upheaval of a move, a new school, and friendships left behind. Restricting, bingeing and purging often start as ways to manage that kind of stress, so we treat those roots alongside the eating itself.
Should she be medically unstable, say a pulse that has slowed too far, repeated fainting, or abnormal bloodwork, hospital doctors steady her first; admissions then times her Cave Creek start to match their clearance. The home is AZDHS-licensed, Joint Commission accredited, and LegitScript certified.
Nexus Teen Academy provides residential treatment for teen eating disorders for families from Surprise, 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
Inside our eating disorder treatment program for teen girls.
If residential care is new territory, here is the lay of the land. Meals, therapy, classes and family time all follow one plan, in a house only for girls that keeps a dependable rhythm, and every week the team checks it against her own physical and emotional progress.
A full picture from day one
Her eating, weight history, labs, psychiatric background and records from any past school districts are reviewed side by side.
Stabilized first when needed
Unstable vitals or labs mean hospital care comes first; admissions then plans the move to Cave Creek around her clearance.
One therapist, every weekday
A licensed clinician, known to her by name, meets her daily to work through food rules, fears and the feelings the disorder covers up.
Meals shared with staff
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks at a shared table with staff, on a plan whose portions rise as she regains strength.
Families learn alongside her
Weekly family sessions, plus parents' Saturday meetups, get you ready to back up meals at home in Surprise.
Prescriber on site
A prescriber on the premises manages medication for anxiety, depression or OCD symptoms, with your consent required for each change.
Classes that transfer
Credit-bearing lessons each weekday with a certified teacher, so the move into Dysart Unified stays on track.
A local team waiting at home
Referrals near Surprise to a counselor, a dietitian and a pediatrician, plus meal steps and warning signs written down.
- Her meals, her moods, and the story underneath, together
Often paired
Conditions we treat alongside eating disorders.
Many girls arrive carrying more than one diagnosis. A federal NIMH survey found 3.8% of American girls experienced an eating disorder somewhere between ages 13 and 18, and most adolescents with a binge eating or bulimia diagnosis also qualified for a separate psychiatric condition, anxiety and mood disorders chief among them.
For a family without an established network, that is one less search. Instead of hunting down separate specialists across an unfamiliar city, you get a single Cave Creek team handling the eating disorder and the anxiety, trauma or low mood around it together, which is how the gains tend to last at home.
Recognizing disordered eating in your daughter
Primary focus
Bulimia, OSFED, binge eating disorder, anorexia (atypical too) and ARFID in adolescent girls
Depression
Sadness that can grow as meals get smaller.
Anxiety & perfectionism
Worry that hides behind strict food rules.
Trauma & PTSD
Eating changes that cover up an old hurt.
ADHD
Impulsive moments that can start a binge.
Substance use
Vapes or alcohol to push hunger away.
Dual diagnosis
A mental-health diagnosis alongside a substance problem.
Self-harm
Screened at intake, as it may rise when eating shifts.
Safety firstSuicidal ideation
Evaluated first, before treatment begins.
Safety first- No matter what lies under the eating disorder, she has one team and one plan in one residential home.
The setting
A licensed residential setting for teen girls.
The residence is a working home set on open desert in Cave Creek, about thirty minutes from central Phoenix; from Surprise it is 45 to 55 minutes, most of it along the Loop 303. Days keep a steady rhythm around meals, food is cooked and eaten together, overnight staff stay awake until morning, and the house holds a full AZDHS license.
Take a self-guided 3D walkthrough of the home
Life inside
A typical day in residential eating disorder treatment.
At first, sitting down to eat is the toughest moment of her day, so that is where staff pour in support. Because each adult meets fear and food rules with the same steady tone, the disorder runs out of room to bargain.
- 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
How we treat eating disorders in teen girls.
For newcomers sorting through options, here is the evidence in brief. The American Psychiatric Association's 2023 practice guidance favors family-led treatment that targets the eating disorder directly for adolescents, and CBT-E has backing in teenagers. Residential care layers on meal-by-meal support that weekly outpatient visits cannot supply.
Core therapies
- 1
Family-based treatment
You learn to guide meals for a season, then return decisions to her as she heals, an approach the APA 2023 guideline supports.
- 2
CBT-E
Works on the food rules, mirror checking and outsized weight on shape that keep the eating disorder going.
- 3
Emotion-regulation and distress-tolerance skills
Daily practice with emotion and distress skills gives her something to do with an urge besides restricting or bingeing.
Supporting care, running alongside
Exposure and body-image work
Once her body is steady, feared foods and places are added back gradually, with her therapist in the room.
feared foodssmall stepsFamily therapy and parent group
A family session every week, at the residence or through a secure video call, and a Saturday group where parents meet others in the same spot.
weekly family timeparent communityEquine, art and experiential
Friday time with horses, plus art and music, so she knows her body for what it does rather than how it measures.
horses on Fridayscreative work
Your teen's clinical team
Meet our licensed clinical team.
You will meet the people by name: a primary therapist who is licensed, a prescriber for psychiatric medication, and the staff who run the house. And since you may not know anyone locally to ask, every license below is public for you to check.
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
What Arizona families say about 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
The admission process, step by step.
- 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
Your first call is the orientation. A licensed counselor wants to know how meals have been going lately, any weight change, purging or bingeing, physical warning signs, earlier diagnoses and any treatment back where you lived before, plus her safety, and then gives you an honest opinion on whether residential care suits her.
- What to have ready: nothing. Just call, questions are welcome, and there is no obligation.
2
- Same day
- Free & confidential
Coverage check
If you switched insurance with the move, we can sort that out too. With your permission we verify the new plan's residential behavioral-health benefits, our network status with it, and what you would likely pay out of pocket, free and usually within the day. Eating disorder treatment sits within the mental-health benefit.
- 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
A clinician reviews whatever records you have, her eating and psychiatric history, weight trend, earlier care and safety, and recommends a level of care. If you do not have a pediatrician here yet, we explain which vitals and labs are needed to rule out hospital stabilization first.
- 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
Your coordinator handles medical clearance, travel, records from her old and new school districts, prescriptions, and a packing list screened for safety.
- 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
Her first day brings new faces and her first meal at the shared table; by the time you drive back to Surprise, you know when your first family update will happen.
- From here: predictable days, weekly updates, and a team your teen knows by name.
Coverage & cost
Insurance coverage for eating disorder treatment
Most major private plans classify a residential eating disorder stay as behavioral-health care, and Nexus Teen Academy accepts plans from most large commercial insurers. Whether your policy is brand new or carried over from before the move, we look up her benefits, in network or otherwise, without charge and in private, frequently within hours, and explain any amount you would owe 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 your current insurance will pay for a residential eating disorder stay, at no cost and in confidence.
After discharge
Step-down care and aftercare near Surprise.
This is where we help most with a new city. Weeks ahead of her discharge, with you part of every decision, we arrange partial hospitalization or IOP if it fits, locate a pediatrician, an outpatient counselor and a dietitian close to Surprise, write out meal steps and warning signs, and pace her return with Dysart Unified.
Answers
Frequently asked questions about eating disorder treatment
Questions from Surprise families who are still learning the Valley, covering the drive, care levels, costs, school, and privacy.
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, there is care within driving distance. Plenty of new Surprise families search near me and land on the girls-only Cave Creek home run by Nexus Teen Academy, reachable in 45 to 55 minutes by the Loop 303, which treats girls ages 12 to 17. Reach admissions at (480) 485-3424.
It sits on E Saddle Mountain Rd in Cave Creek. From Surprise, most families follow the Loop 303 eastbound and get there in 45 to 55 minutes. We will talk you through the route and the visit schedule.
Eating disorder work touches body changes, periods, social comparison, dating and sometimes sexual trauma. With only girls in the house, she can speak about these things openly in groups and at meals, which helps when she is already adjusting to a new place.
Start with one call. Admissions can tell you which level of care fits, from outpatient to residential, and if residential is not right, we point you toward the kind of provider to look for near Surprise.
Care & cost
Binge eating disorder, anorexia nervosa (atypical cases included), OSFED, bulimia nervosa and ARFID. Her plan is shaped by the purpose each behavior serves, rather than the diagnosis alone.
Hospital care comes first when she has a heart rate that is very slow, fainting, falling blood pressure, electrolyte problems or rapid weight loss. If you have no local doctor yet, we explain what to ask the hospital, and her Cave Creek admission waits until doctors clear her.
Three meals and planned snacks, staff eating alongside her, on a meal plan that increases as she recovers, and support after each meal while the hard feelings settle.
We accept most major private insurance, and plans generally pay for eating disorder treatment through the mental-health benefit once medical necessity is shown. If your coverage changed with the move, we check the current plan free, usually the same day.
Plan on about 30 days or more, adjusted to her clinical progress. Before discharge we connect you with a step-down program if it fits, plus a counselor, dietitian and pediatrician around Surprise, so you are not starting from scratch.
Licensing & privacy
Look up three public records: the AZDHS behavioral-health residential license for the Cave Creek house, its Joint Commission accreditation, and its LegitScript certification.
HIPAA protects her records. We share them only with people you approve, such as her new pediatrician, a Dysart Unified school contact, or your insurer. Talking to admissions is confidential.
Yes. Family therapy runs weekly, at the residence when you can come and by secure video when you cannot, her primary therapist keeps you posted on a regular basis, and the Saturday parents' group connects you with others who understand.
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.
Know the facts
Teen eating disorder statistics parents should know
In the CDC's 2023 survey, most American high school girls (more than half) described sadness or hopelessness that would not lift. The eating disorder figures below each name their source.
3.8%
of American girls between ages 13 and 18 have experienced an eating disorder, while the rate for all adolescents is 2.7% (NIMH, NCS-A).
3.0%
have had one by the time they are 17 to 18, a climb from 2.4% among those 13 to 14 that tracks the high school years (NIMH, NCS-A).
49%
of adolescents with anorexia were fully remitted a year after completing family-based treatment, as opposed to 23% after individual therapy (Lock et al., 2010).
1 in 4
Arizona teens seeking mental-health care found the door very difficult or impossible to get through (AZDHS, 2026).
The numbers rise across high school and fall hardest on girls, so if her eating is changing, an assessment now makes more sense than waiting.
If you are new to Surprise and still finding providers, Arizona's access figure is reason enough to call early and let admissions help you pin down the right level of care quickly.
Residential care vs. a teen group home
A real home, with treatment built in.
Exploring group homes for a teenage daughter who is struggling with food? Girls from Surprise and all over Arizona live in our girls-only Cave Creek house, and its AZDHS license covers residential behavioral-health treatment, so meals, therapy and school happen together under one roof.
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
These are some of the cities girls travel from to reach Cave Creek. We help plan each trip, and parents join in each week's family therapy in the house or over secure video.
Across Arizona
From Surprise to Cave Creek: travel and visits.
Most Surprise families head east on the Loop 303 and pull into Cave Creek 45 to 55 minutes later, near enough for weekly visits. Relatives flying in can land at Phoenix Sky Harbor, and admissions takes calls at any hour, day or night.
Surprise to Cave Creek, by car
Head out on the Loop 303 eastbound; 45 to 55 minutes later most Surprise families are pulling into Cave Creek, so a weekend visit or weekly session fits easily into one day.
Sessions in person or online
Weekly family therapy takes place face to face at the residence or, on weeks you are still juggling a move, new jobs and school registration, by secure video.
A local team, built for you
We set up a PHP or IOP step if it fits and referrals near Surprise to a therapist, dietitian and pediatrician, then plan her school re-entry with Dysart Unified.
Nexus Teen Academy, Cave Creek · girls’ residence
Admissions 24/7
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Directions from Surprise to Cave Creek
Loop 303 east, 45 to 55 min
Saddle Mountain Rd, 85331 · 20 min north
Sun City West and El Mirage
Travel, telehealth & aftercare
Every Nexus program, statewide
Find the right program for your daughter.
A single clinical team treats many conditions for girls across the state. Choose whichever sounds most like what your daughter is going through, and explore how treatment works from where you now live.
At Nexus Teen Academy, licensed residential treatment serves teens ages 12 to 17 for bipolar disorder, trauma and PTSD, eating disorders, anxiety, ADHD, depression, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and substance use. Girls in eating disorder care live at the Cave Creek house, a residence set aside for girls. Families settling into Surprise or anywhere in Arizona get route guidance, help lining up local aftercare, and secure video family sessions when visits are hard.
Depression care, statewide
Nearby cities we serve for eating disorder care
Families from the cities below bring their daughters to Cave Creek. Each page walks through the drive, how school re-entry goes with that district, and the aftercare questions local parents ask.
Related teen treatment programs
Choose a condition for its statewide guide, or a neighboring city for the drive and local steps from there.
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
Don't see your city? We welcome girls statewide and from beyond Arizona's borders. Call (480) 485-3424 to learn how getting to Cave Creek works and what each admission step involves.