The “freshman 15,” a joked-about term referring to rapid weight gain in the first year of college, has become a trigger for eating disorders. 

TCU acknowledges this reality and now has the tools to help students recover from such disorders without disrupting their lives on campus. 

What is TCU’s new Intensive Outpatient Program?

The Eating Recovery Center (ERC) and TCU have partnered to bring students an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). The goal of this program is to provide students with disordered eating help and give them a chance at recovery from the comfort of campus. IOP offers students a chance to maintain normalcy while improving their health and well-being. 

The program treats a variety of disordered eating, including anorexia, atypical anorexia, ARFID, binge eating disorder, bulimia, compulsive overeating, diabulimia, OSFED and orthorexia. 

“The program is a 10 to 11 hour per week commitment,” Landry Yarborough, the executive director of the ERC program, said. “There are group sessions three times a week (three hours each), as well as a session with a therapist and dietitian weekly.”

Yarborough adds, the “average length of stay is eight weeks, but some people stay for more or less time than that depending on their treatment plan.” 

The program has the capacity for 12 patients at a time.

How affordable is the IOP?

The program is meant to be a resource rather than a stressor. However, often with college students, money is scarce. Yarborough is happy to report that the ERC program is in network with most health insurance providers. 

“We are seeking coverage with all remaining commercial insurance plans and can discuss single case agreements and out-of-network costs if needed,” Yarborough said.

Additionally, TCU has a donor endowment for additional funding on a case-by-case basis.

If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating, resources are now available on TCU’s campus.