Empower U.

What Empower U. does

Empower U is a privately held, for-profit behavioral health provider founded in 2015 by Dr. Marlon W. Gray and headquartered in Hazlet, New Jersey, with a second office in Paramus. The company delivers a comprehensive suite of mental health services in New Jersey, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for autism and developmental disabilities, Intensive In-Home and Behavioral Assistant services, outpatient therapy (individual, couples, family, and group) delivered in-person and via telehealth, and respite care for children with developmental disabilities. Services are reimbursed through insurance: Empower U is in-network with most major commercial payors (Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Empire BCBS, Horizon BCBS, Optum, Oscar, Oxford, UMR, United Healthcare) and three NJ Medicaid plans (Aetna Better Health of NJ, Horizon NJ Health, United Healthcare Community Plan), with out-of-network options available. Patient acquisition relies on a hybrid of SEO-optimized location pages, an educational blog, organic social (Facebook/Instagram), consultation CTAs, and a Zocdoc booking integration; respite applications are facilitated through the PerformCare system.

The company employs 251-500 staff led by multiple managing partners, including a BCBA (Gabriel Theosmy Jr), LCSW and LPC clinicians, and a PhD-level clinical development partner (Dr. Elena Mazza). Multilingual clinical capacity across English, Albanian, Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, Creole, Polish, and Serbian is a stated differentiator. The organization also operates a Training & Development department that runs internships and continuing education with educational institutions, and is developing Insightium, a multi-modal learning management platform for mental health professionals (status: Coming Soon). No external institutional funding, M&A activity, or revenue figures are disclosed.

Name

Empower U.

Legal name

Empower U

Website

https://justempower.me

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Empower U is a New Jersey-based behavioral health provider delivering ABA therapy, outpatient counseling, in-home services, and respite care to children, adults, and families, reimbursed through commercial insurance and NJ Medicaid.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAKAHAA

ABA Therapy Providers (Clinic-Based)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Behavioral Intervention & Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

SECONDARYEDAKAHAB

ABA Therapy Providers (Home-Based)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Behavioral Intervention & Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

SECONDARYEDAKAHAG

Parent/Caregiver Training & Family Consultation (ABA)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Behavioral Intervention & Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)

SECONDARYHSAAAIAA

Autism (ASD) Support Childcare

Home & Personal Services/Childcare, Babysitting & Nanny Services/Special Needs & Inclusive Childcare Services

SECONDARYEDAKAKAG

Autism Communication Support (AAC, Pragmatics & Language)

Education/Special Education & Learning Support Services/Autism Support Services (Educational)

Keywords

• Behavioral health services
• Applied behavior analysis
• Outpatient mental health therapy
• Intensive in-home services
• Respite care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hazlet

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Insurance Reimbursed Therapy Services: The company generates revenue through insurance reimbursement for mental health services. They accept most commercial insurances including Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Cigna, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, Optum, Oscar Health, Oxford, UMR, United Healthcare, and NJ Medicaid plans including Aetna Better Health of NJ, Horizon NJ Health, and United Healthcare Community Plan. Out-of-network options are also available.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Empower U. is a New Jersey-based mental and behavioral health services provider delivering Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities, outpatient therapy (individual, couples, family, group) for all ages, intensive in-home and community-based services for at-risk youth, and respite care for children with developmental disabilities. Services are reimbursed through commercial insurance and NJ Medicaid plans and delivered via in-person offices, in-home visits, and telehealth across New Jersey.

Product overview

Empower U is a mental health services organization offering a comprehensive suite of therapeutic services in New Jersey. The core service portfolio includes Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for autism and developmental disabilities, In-Home Services (including Intensive In-Home, Behavioral Assistant, and Mentor services), Outpatient Therapy (both virtual and in-person for individuals, couples, families, and groups), and Respite Care for children with developmental disabilities. The company also operates an Education & Development department providing professional training and development for clinical providers. A forthcoming multi-modal learning platform called Insightium is under development for mental health professionals. Services are delivered across New Jersey with locations in Hazlet and Paramus, serving Monmouth County and surrounding areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Services Evidence-based ABA therapy for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, focused on improving communication skills, social abilities, and independence through personalized treatment plans. Delivered in New Jersey by BCBA-credentialed clinicians.
• In-Home Services Home and community-based therapeutic interventions for children, adolescents, and young adults in New Jersey, including Intensive In-Home (IIH) services, Behavioral Assistant services, Mentor services, and Biopsychosocial Needs Assessments.
• Outpatient Therapy Services Virtual and in-person therapy services for individuals, couples, families, and groups across all ages, covering conditions including anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, and relationship issues. Accepts most major commercial insurances and NJ Medicaid plans, with out-of-network options available.
• Respite Care Services Respite care services supporting children with developmental disabilities and their caregivers by providing relief, social interaction opportunities, skill development, and recreational activities tailored to unique needs.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Educational Institutions (Internship Partnerships)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Education and Development Department establishes partnerships and collaborations with educational institutions to share resources, best practices, and expertise through experiential internship-based placements and supervision for mental health professionals.
• ZocdocminorGTM or Marketing PartnerEmpower U offers appointment scheduling through Zocdoc's online platform, allowing clients to book therapy appointments digitally through the Zocdoc marketplace.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ABA Centers of America: Large multi-state ABA therapy provider serving children with autism. Directly comparable to Empower U's ABA service line in modality, payer mix (commercial + Medicaid), and target population (children with ASD).
• CPC Behavioral Healthcare: New Jersey-based nonprofit behavioral health provider offering outpatient, in-home, and substance use services — closely matching Empower U's mix of outpatient therapy and in-home IIC/Behavioral Assistant services in the same NJ geography.
• Legacy Treatment Services: NJ-based behavioral health and I/DD services provider offering outpatient counseling, in-home, and respite programs. Overlaps directly with Empower U's mental-health-plus-developmental-disabilities service portfolio in NJ.
• Preferred Behavioral Health Group: NJ behavioral health nonprofit operating outpatient, intensive in-community, and children's mental health programs. Comparable to Empower U's children/adolescent-focused IIC and outpatient therapy model.
• Beacon Behavioral Health Services: NJ-based outpatient behavioral health provider offering individual, family, and group therapy for children and adults. Directly comparable to Empower U's outpatient therapy service line in NJ.
• Autism Learning Partners: Multi-state ABA provider serving children and adults with autism. Comparable to Empower U's ABA service line in clinical modality, in-home/clinic delivery, and insurance-based billing.

Broad incumbents

• Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care: Large NJ academic-affiliated behavioral health system offering outpatient, IIC, and developmental disability services statewide. Broader portfolio and scale than Empower U, but overlapping in outpatient and IIC service lines.
• Hackensack Meridian Health (Behavioral Health): Large NJ health system operating behavioral health and addiction services across the state. Competes for the same NJ patient pool and same payer relationships, but as part of a much broader healthcare portfolio.
• Sevita Health: National provider of home and community-based behavioral health, ABA, and I/DD services. Comparable to Empower U's in-home and respite services, but operating at much greater scale across multiple states.
• Catalight: National nonprofit serving people with developmental disabilities through ABA and family support services. Comparable to Empower U's ABA and family/caregiver support offerings, but with a broader geographic and programmatic footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/weareempoweru
• Instagraminstagram.com/weareempoweru
• Xx.com/weareempower_u
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/empower-u.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Empower U.