Eating Disorder Treatment in St. Louis, Missouri

When an individual receives early, adaptive, and developmentally appropriate care, their recovery from disordered eating is not only possible, it’s probable!

Residential eating disorder treatment
St. Louis - Ballwin Area

Alsana St. Louis rests on a serene 55-acre campus, where our clients can enjoy peaceful walks and group activities during their stay.

Alsana’s Ballwin-Area RTC is led by...

a team of dedicated and compassionate, eating disorder professionals who are committed to each unique client’s road to recovery. For greater ease and convenience for clients transitioning out of residential treatment, our PHP/IOP offerings are located in Fenton, Missouri, providing holistic programming seven days a week.

Alsana St. Louis, Missouri also offers treatment for ED-DMT1 (“Diabulimia”) clients.

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Eating Disorder Treatment Programs

A continuum of care options to meet you where you are on your eating recovery journey.

Alsana in Pacific, MO:
NOW OPEN

Juneberry common area

Missouri is now home to a second Alsana residential treatment center, expanding much-needed care access throughout the greater St. Louis community. A caring team of eating disorder treatment professionals welcomes adult clients of all genders, offering holistic residential treatment and industry-leading eating recovery programs in Pacific, MO.

Alsana in Pacific, MO, is now open and serving higher-acuity clients out of our beautiful new facility.

Meet the Care Team

Our most valuable asset as a company is our people. Compassionate and collaborative ...

professionals, our Alsana staff work together to serve and help you on your path to recovery.

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Rebecca A. Barach, M.Ed., MSW, LICSW

Regional Executive Director | she/her/hers

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Rebecca A. Barach, M.Ed., MSW, LICSW

Rebecca received a B.A. in psychology and criminal justice from Indiana University-Bloomington, a M.Ed. in Special education from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and an MSW with a specialization in clinical mental health from Washington University in St. Louis. She has worked in IOP with adolescent substance abuse, general psychiatric residential facilities with children, adolescents, and emerging adults before moving into eating disorder-specific treatment in 2011. She has been a body image therapist, individual therapist, family therapist, clinical director, and site/executive director in eating disorder treatment centers (inpatient through PHP) before coming to Alsana.

She is a licensed independent social worker supervisor in Ohio, a licensed clinical social worker in Alabama and Indiana, and a licensed addictions counselor in Indiana.

Rebecca is enjoying getting to know the different staff and roles that exist at Alsana, and how each role works together to support the Alsana mission.

In her spare time, Rebecca enjoys going to comic book conventions, exploring the local hiking trails, and spending time with her 3 cats.

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Erin Jones

Director of Clinical Services

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Erin Jones

Erin has worked in the behavioral health field for just over 20 years, specializing in substance use and mental health disorders. In 2002, she graduated with her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Western New Mexico University where she was offered a volleyball scholarship. Erin returned to her hometown of Las Vegas to begin her career in the behavioral health field. In 2010, she graduated with her Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and continued pursuing her administration and leadership goals. In 2020, Erin moved to St. Louis to be with her husband and their blended family, joining the Alsana team in December 2021.

Erin serves as the Director of Clinical Service, focusing on the five dimensions of Alsana’s Adaptive Care Model®: Medical, Relational, Nutrition, Therapeutic, and Movement. She has direct oversight of all therapists, dietitians, and chefs, ensuring clinical excellence is woven through every aspect of Alsana’s program delivery.

In her free time, Erin enjoys playing sports, playing video games and board games, escape rooms, snuggling with her dogs and cat, and spending time with her family.

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Blake Veglia, RN, MSN, MBA

Interim Director of Nursing (PHP) | he/him/his

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Blake Veglia, RN, MSN, MBA

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Ebony Jonas, RN, BSN

Nurse Manager

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Ebony Jonas, RN, BSN

Ebony, RN, BSN, is the Nurse Manager at Alsana’s St. Louis RTC location. Ebony has a background as Lead RN for Covid Triage and Labor and Delivery. She enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends!

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Holley Moates, MS, RDN, LD

Lead Dietitian

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Holley Moates, MS, RDN, LD

Holley Moates, MS, RDN, LD graduated from Saint Louis University with her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Nutrition and Dietetics. She also completed her Dietetic internship from Saint Louis University with a concentration in pediatrics. Holley is the lead dietitian over Hawthorn and Honeybee Residential facilities, overseeing both the nutrition and movement dimensions of Alsana’s Adaptive Care Model®. She guides nutrition rehabilitation through a shame-reduction lens, utilizing compassion-focused therapy as one of the primary modalities. Holley is very passionate about utilizing food as a way to cultivate joy and connection with others.

She is a member of the International Association of Eating Disorders (iaedp) St. Louis Chapter and is in the process of becoming a certified eating disorder dietitian. 

In her spare time, Holley enjoys reading, trying new restaurants in St. Louis, attending symphony concerts, and spending hours over coffee and sandwiches with friends.

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Meredith Throop, MD

Psychiatrist | she/her/hers

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Meredith Throop, MD

Dr. Meredith Throop is a practicing psychiatrist treating the 15 and older population. She attended Amherst College in Amherst, Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Science in Health Psychology. She continued on to Columbia University in New York to complete the Post-baccalaureate Premedical Program. She completed medical school at Saint Louis University and her residency in the Department of Neurology and Psychiatry at Saint Louis University Hospital. She is board certified through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology.

Dr. Throop has extensive experience as the Vice President of Medical Services at Places for People, a community behavioral health organization, as well as in private practice. She has worked with the Department of Corrections and continues to work with the Probate Courts.

Dr. Throop’s approach is patient-centered/patient-focused. Patient-centered care is a concept that gives primacy to the voice and concerns of the person using the health care service. The goal is to enable and empower patients to better appreciate, and play an active role in their overall health. Dr. Throop aims to take a holistic approach to mental health. She has studied traditional healing systems and medical anthropology in India as well as several countries in Africa.

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Dr. Michael Schachter

Internal Medicine | ED-DMT1 Care Team | he/him

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Dr. Michael Schachter

I am board certified in Family Medicine with a special interest in preventative medicine and eating disorders.   I graduated from medical school at Tel Aviv University and trained at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. 

I’ve been working with diabetes for four years. Helping manage diabetes is a team effort.  I feel privileged every time a patient and their family allow me to participate in the treatment.  Because diabetes can affect so many different aspects of our life and at every stage of our life, in the process of treatment, I gradually form relationships with both the patient and their family that grow to be deep and meaningful.  With any chronic disease, there are ups and downs.  I am available when they may be struggling, but I can also share in their successes. 

Our knowledge and understanding of this disease have grown enormously, even compared to how we managed it just a few decades ago.  Persons with diabetes now can do remarkably well.  Helping contribute to that success is one of the most rewarding parts of being a doctor.

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Rachel Sappington, FNP

Nurse Practitioner | she/her/hers

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Rachel Sappington, FNP

Rachel is a family nurse practitioner who works in private family practice, in addition to working with Alsana. She attended the University of Missouri, St. Louis for both her undergraduate and graduate degrees, and has a diverse nursing background which includes working with trauma/ortho, labor & delivery, and urgent care.

Rachel found her passion for working with eating disorders while working in family practice when a colleague spoke about the need for the treatment of medical conditions related to eating disorders. Rachel’s goal is to establish relationships with clients that will help to restore their confidence and trust in the medical treatment of their symptoms that relate to the eating disorder.

Rachel is married with 3 children, and also has a Doberman and a Siamese. She enjoys reading, boating and spending time being active with her family.

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In their own words

Let Alsana help you write your own story of hope and healing. We would like to be your eating recovery community

  • The staff at Alsana proved to be extremely talented in the art and the skill of not colluding with my eating disorder while...

    also not treating me as if  I was an eating disorder. They treated me like the real, whole person that I had lost sight of. They have an ability to hold nuance gently and they aren’t afraid to wade into the hardest waters, which is so much more helpful than receiving treatment that is guided by a rigid manual. There is an unbelievable amount of safety at Alsana because of this and my gratitude is crazy high!
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    Sydney
    Sydney
  • As I began to apply the knowledge I gained from Alsana into my daily life, I found that my anxiety, guilt, shame ...

    and self-criticism steadily faded like a candle flickering on its last legs. I found authentic joy in things I used to reprimand myself for doing. I took, and continue to take pride in the progress I made and continue to make. Most importantly, I am now capable of self-acceptance and self-love whether I succeed, fail or anything in between.
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    Paul
    Paul
  • Before coming to Alsana, I had never had a treatment experience in which the "how" and "why" of the eating ...

    disorder were addressed. This has proven to be essential in my treatment at Alsana and also in my daily life as a member of society. Alsana providers led me through so much illuminating self-reflection about topics that I had never before considered relevant to my treatment, recovery, or self in general. Alsana staff appreciate and treat the individual, and I felt this in and outside of therapy sessions. They always humored my random geography facts and propensity to trail glitter wherever I went. 🙂 Ultimately, my treatment experience at Alsana taught me how to be a shamelessly authentic individual, and it gave me a sense of safety to explore what it means to be myself. With so much love,
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    Kate
    Kate

Our locations

Alsana is proud to serve clients across the the United States at Residential, PHP, and IOP levels of care. We also offer Virtual Treatment options.

We will support you in finding your balance, purpose and possibilities. Welcome to Alsana. We are so glad you found us.

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