What Aurora Center does

Aurora Center NYC is a New York City-based outpatient healthcare center founded in 2015 by Marissa Sappho that specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, with an explicit focus on being the first NYC-area center dedicated to Binge Eating Disorder. The center treats children, adolescents, and adults, and serves a deliberately inclusive set of populations including the LGBTQAI community and people of color through targeted programs such as Recovery In Color and Recovery Reboot College Programs. Service intensity spans from individual psychotherapy through IOP and PHP levels, with modalities including CBT-E, DBT, RO-DBT, ERP, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, alongside nutrition counseling built on the proprietary Aligned Eating approach, meal support, yoga therapy, psychiatry and medication management, family and couples therapy, and support groups.

The underlying technology stack is deliberately light. Core infrastructure consists of a HIPAA-secure video conferencing system that enables intake assessments and treatment for out-of-state clients, MyTheraNest for online appointment scheduling, and a Squarespace-hosted marketing website. The proprietary clinical IP sits in treatment methodologies (Aligned Eating, Reframing Recovery Model) and packaged patient resources (9 Dimensions of Wellness tool, 4D's resource, HALT the BS guide) rather than in software platforms or AI systems. No mobile application, API, or third-party EHR/EMR integrations are disclosed.

Commercially, Aurora operates as a for-profit private-pay professional services practice (legal entity Aurora Behavioral Health LCSW PLLC). All services are billed fee-for-service with transparent pricing; the center does not contract with insurance companies, instead supporting clients in seeking out-of-network reimbursement. A secondary transaction-revenue stream exists through a small Recovery Store selling branded merchandise such as Aurora Daily Centering Meditation and COVID-19 care packages. GTM relies on community-led referrals from prescribing psychiatrists and existing treatment teams, founder-driven thought leadership at national/international conferences, and direct-to-consumer online appointment booking. Geographic scope is the NYC metro area in person, with telehealth extending reach to out-of-state clients.

Name

Aurora Center

Legal name

Aurora Behavioral Health LCSW PLLC

Website

https://auroracenternyc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aurora Center NYC is a private-pay outpatient healthcare center in Manhattan's Upper West Side that specializes in eating disorder treatment, including Binge Eating Disorder, serving children, adolescents, and adults with psychotherapy, nutrition counseling, meal support, yoga therapy, and psychiatry services via in-person and telehealth delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Outpatient Treatment Services: Fee-for-service model for outpatient eating disorder treatment including individual psychotherapy, family therapy, couples therapy, group therapy, meal support, nutrition counseling, yoga therapy, and psychiatry consultations. Private pay facility that does not contract with insurance companies directly.
2. Recovery Store: Sale of recovery-related products including Aurora Daily Centering Meditation, Aurora Hand Sanitizer, and Aurora Covid-19 Care Packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aurora Center is an outpatient eating disorder treatment center providing integrated psychotherapy, nutrition counseling using the proprietary Aligned Eating approach, meal support, yoga therapy, family therapy, psychiatry and medication management, and outpatient group therapy. Services span individual therapy through IOP/PHP levels of care for children, adolescents, and adults, delivered in-person at the Upper West Side Manhattan office and via HIPAA-secure telehealth for out-of-state clients.

Product overview

Aurora Center NYC is an outpatient eating disorder treatment center offering a comprehensive, integrated approach to recovery. The center provides a portfolio of services including individual psychotherapy (CBT-E, DBT, RO-DBT, ERP, Psychodynamic), nutrition counseling using the proprietary Aligned Eating approach, meal support services, outpatient group therapy (EMPOWER, Recovery In Color, RO-DBT, EmpowerED Self), family and couples therapy, psychiatry and medication management, yoga therapy, intensive evening programs (IOP/PHP levels), Recovery Reboot college programs, wellness retreats, and the 9 Dimensions of Wellness recovery tool. All treatment is conducted from the Upper West Side Manhattan location with telehealth options for intake assessments. The center operates on a private pay model with out-of-network reimbursement support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Psychotherapy Individual and family psychotherapy services using evidence-based approaches including CBT-E, DBT, RO-DBT, Exposure Response Prevention, and Psychodynamic Psychotherapy for eating disorders and related mental health concerns.
• Aligned Eating Nutrition Counseling Nutrition counseling services based on the proprietary Aligned Eating approach, incorporating structured eating, mindfulness practices, and Intuitive Eating principles for eating disorder recovery, delivered by Registered Dietitians.
• Meal Support Services Meal support involving co-experienced eating sessions where reactions are addressed and processed in real time, utilizing the Aligned Eating approach and exposure response prevention therapy. Sessions occur in 45-90 minute individual and group formats at the office or at client locations including homes, dorms, offices, restaurants, or outdoor spaces.
• Outpatient Group Therapy Rotating schedule of outpatient therapy groups including EMPOWER Group for Binge & Emotional Eating, Recovery In Color for people of color, Radically Open DBT, and EmpowerED Self Group, with sessions ranging from 75-120 minutes weekly.
• Family Therapy and Support Family therapy, couples therapy, and parent/caregiver support groups for families affected by eating disorders, including Ask the Nutritionist and Sibling Support Night offerings.
• Psychiatry and Medication Management Psychiatry consultation services including psychiatric evaluations and medication management, with referrals to a network of trusted child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrists.
• Yoga Therapy Yoga therapy provided by licensed mental health clinicians as an adjunctive treatment for eating disorders.
• Intensive Evening Programs Intensive outpatient program (IOP) level treatment services offered during evening hours.
• Recovery Reboot College Programs Specialized eating disorder treatment programs designed for college students, including meal support services that can occur at dorm rooms.
• Wellness Retreats Wellness retreat programs as part of the comprehensive treatment approach.
• Awakenings Program Specialized eating disorder treatment program as part of Aurora's comprehensive approach.
• Intake Process Initial assessment process including phone screening, online intake forms, in-person assessment at the Upper West Side office, and optional HIPAA-secure video conferencing for out-of-state clients.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Recovery Warriors / Jessica FlintminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAurora Center participated in the Food Body Love Rally event organized by Recovery Warriors and Jessica Flint. Founder Marissa Sappho presented on the Nine Dimensions of Wellness as a recovery tool at this event.
• Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, CEDRD-SminorOthersCo-creator of Intuitive Eating referenced in Aurora's Aligned Eating nutrition approach. Tribole's principles of intuitive eating are incorporated into Aurora's proprietary nutrition methodology.
• Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD, F.iaedp, FADA, FANDminorOthersCo-creator of Intuitive Eating referenced in Aurora's Aligned Eating nutrition approach. Resch's principles are incorporated into Aurora's proprietary nutrition methodology.
• Linda Bacon, PhDminorOthersAuthor of Health at Every Size and Body Respect referenced in Aurora's Aligned Eating approach. Bacon's HAES principles are incorporated into Aurora's proprietary nutrition methodology.
• Dr. James E. Mitchell and Dr. Michael DevlinminorOthersCBT model for EmpowerED Self Group based on the work of Dr. James E. Mitchell (NRI Fargo) and Dr. Michael Devlin (Columbia Psychiatry). Aurora's group leaders received advanced training in this modality.
• Dr. Marsha M. LinehanminorOthersDeveloper of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) whose methodology is incorporated into Aurora's treatment offerings. DBT is one of the psychotherapy treatment options available at the center.
• Center for the Study of Anorexia and Bulimia (CSAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarissa Sappho serves as Faculty and Supervisor at CSAB, also serving on the Advisory Board and Executive Committee. Professional affiliation supporting clinical excellence and training.
• Academy for Eating Disorders (AED)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarissa Sappho serves as co-chair of the Psychodynamic & Integrated Psychotherapies Special Interest Group of the Academy for Eating Disorders alongside Douglas Bunnell, PhD.
• Center for Clinical Social WorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMarissa Sappho serves as Director to the Board for the Center for Clinical Social Work, which encompasses the American Board of Examiners in Clinical Social Work and the American Clinical Social Work Association.
• Network of Child, Adolescent, and Adult PsychiatristsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAurora maintains a referral network of trusted psychiatrists available for consultations, psychiatric evaluations, and medication management for clients.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AuroraCenterNYC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Aurora Center