LGTC Group’s Eating Disorder Programs (formerly called Los Gatos Therapy Center) are located in Northern California. They currently have outpatient locations in Burlingame and San Jose, and a residential treatment program in Willow Glen. In addition to outpatient, IOP, PHP, virtual, and residential eating disorder treatment, LGTC offers mental health treatment, TMS and ketamine treatment. They treat children, adolescents, and adults of all genders.
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This is my personal experience, and others may have different ones. I share this in hopes of one’s own ability to discern. I also shared some positive experiences with a few staff but these don’t outweigh the program itself.
As someone who has a prior history of attending multiple eating disorder clinics, LGTC eating disorder clinic was by far the worst experience. I entered treatment in hopes of support, understanding, and professionalism, and instead received ultimatums, poor treatment planning, and punitive practices.
My first experience was an abrupt change to my level of care from IOP to PHP with no advance notice. I was threatened with being discharged if I didn’t comply. The lack of transparency from the team regarding specific goals during sessions, failure to discuss the contract verbally, and communication concerns led me being blindsided. In an instant, I was forced to step-up when I wasn’t even given the opportunity to make any changes. There were no warnings, no verbal feedback of expectations, just an ultimatum.
On another occasion, I was told I would be discharged from the program for “not participating enough,” again with no prior feedback or attempts to help me improve. This kind of punitive approach is not supportive and creates a tense environment. Many clients have different personalities and it is ridiculous that someone should be punished for being more introverted. As someone suffering from depression, it also makes it a lot more challenging navigating treatment. I needed support, not threats.
The last incident was when I was asked to sign a Release of Information (ROI) form. When I asked what it was for, I was given no clear answer. Instead of clarification, I was later accused of being “aggressive” and “hostile” even though I stayed calm the entire time. Being mischaracterized in this way was incredibly invalidating and offensive. Furthermore, forcing someone to sign is a violation of my rights, especially regarding my own personal health information.
So while some LGTC staff might scrutinize, gaslight, and deny my own experience here, I strongly urge everyone to reflect on my frustrations, the amount of AMAs, and most importantly on how the program itself is built. If truly recovery is so important here, then the focus should be on compassion, collaboration, and understanding, instead of ultimatums and control.
BTW!! They also completely violated HIPAA by contacting people without my permission and I am filing a Health Information Privacy Complaint to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.
Has anyone attended the PHP program in Burlingame for teens in the last few years? I’m looking for a PHP option in the Bay Area and this is the only one covered by our insurance.
Consider the benefit of moving through the spectrum of the care with the same program (start in res at LGTC and step down to PHP, IOP then OP)
Yes but I did it in campbell the team in Burlingame is really good though
i’ve done their php at the san jose location, but they’re both pretty much the same. i’ve been through all their levels of care including res. I know the people who wrote reviews below, and they are all accurate, up to date.
This is an updated review after having months of reflection.
(This review is for their ED program)
Yes there was some benefits of this program, but the cons outweighed them by far.
Some of the staff were absolutely amazing, others, not so much.
I wanted to put one staff in the spotlight. She goes by ****
. Honestly, originally I hated her once I got kicked out, how nothing she did helped me.
But thinking about it, there was times here and there where she was an amazing staff.
Sometimes when I would go to do a behavior, we would sit on the grass outside and talk, or just sit in the sun. And that helped a lot. She would help advocate for people’s needs. One thing I found fishy is how she would always have secret, sometimes day long meetings with the lead therapist. She would try her hardest to help work with people. A con is how much power she had over people being at the RTC, being able to kick people out.
Lgtc really would try to help me, they pulled every leg possible, but eventually gave up.
The food the first time I went there, was lowkey bad. If you like frozen veggies, chicken, and rice at least 3+ times a week, then this might be the best program for you. Otherwise not.
This program has the potential to help a lot of people. I feel like this program MIGHT be good if your in your first treatment center, or are extremely recovery minded. This program is very cookie cutter, if you struggle a little bit more than they allow you to, then you get kicked out with no supports. Some of the groups were absolutely amazing, others, weren’t as amazing.
Some were really repetitive, and I would sleep in them. I remember my last time there, my ADHD was unmanaged, so I would always get kicked out of groups. That is how I learn, stay engaged; my brain has to be constantly engaged, by asking questions, and making comments, or “not being quiet.” It’s not like I was hurting anything, for me personal, that is my learning style.
One thing that did not benefit my recovery here, is some of the staffs willingness to negotiate with my ED. For example, telling me that I can put the w3ight l0ss goal to the side, and wait until I’m 18 so my parents can’t send me to treatment. This caused me to still hold on to the thoughts to loose weight, and not letting it go.
Another thing was negotiating calories with me when I went home. Like “oh you can eat xxx amount of them, but xxx is too little” things like that.
The friendships, and some amazing staff here probably helped my time here go by faster.
Some staff were more patient than others, or we had more common interests. Others, I didn’t really click with.
There was this one staff named V***, and originally we didn’t click, but after a while we kinda figured eachother put, she ended up being one of my favorite staff.
The only thing that I can think of that could have possibly benefited me was getting kicked out, having to recover, and learning what has, and hasn’t worked in the past, to learn how to navigate my own road to recovery. I am doing very well now, and have been out of treatment for a little more than 4 months. I’m back in school now, tumbling , and creating a new life that doesn’t revolve around my eating disorder. I hope you take the time to read my review, this gives you insight to how the program is. All the other reviews I’ve seen on this facility, are all true,
This review is for the Ed program/residential. I started at php here in 2021 to get help. But if you struggle just a little they will call you non compliant and kick you out, with no resources or anything and they set you up to fail. You have to basically be recovered to go here. The groups were okay. They Don’t offer much meal support.
This review is for their res
The first time I went here it was great, I made long lasting friends, most of the staff you could tell they really cared about you, but some are just there for the money. My therapist was wonderful, she helped me get through a lot which I will forever be greatful for. The groups were bad honestly all we did was play card games in one of the therapists groups which was fun but not really recovery focused. The main therapists groups were great, very helpful. Especially the process groups. I started struggling towards the middle of my stay , (some) staff were very supportive in helping me.
The second time I went there I really struggled with everything , didn’t really want to recover. and after 6 days they kicked me out and called the police on me after a crisis, left me with no resources but to just be home and hopefully not ki** myself. I instantly regretted getting kicked out, really wanted to go back but the clinical director said no.
I spent 5 weeks inpatient and then they finally let me come back but put me on a strict contract. I was doing very well, following most of the rules, eating my meals/drinking fluids, attending groups to the best of my abilities. On my 6th day I really was struggling and stayed in my room most of the day. One of the staff was really trying to help me. The staff contiously were trying to get me out of my room but at that point I was too anxious to even move. I ended up missing snack, the program manager “[name redacted]” kept telling me all day ” well if you really don’t want to be here you can call your dad to come pick you up” which I feel like all she wanted to do was just be controlling whenever you wouldn’t do what she was requesting. **TW (self harm)** I banged my head on the wall like X times, she told the higher ups that I was doing it for a whole hour, completely exaggerated my symptoms I was having. For example I was banging my head for X min but she told the higher ups that I was doing it for a whole hour! **END TW** [Summary: She drastically exaggerated and lied about my SH symptoms to higher ups.] Which I didn’t find she told them that until later. And they refused to talk to me about it, even the therapist that promised she wouldn’t giveup on me gave up, now is refusing to work with me.
Overall unless your extremely motivated to recover, and are 100% compliant and do not show any signs of mental illness then maybe consider this program. They say they take duel diagnoses but they don’t, they def take them but kick them out a week later for struggling. But it’s a terrible program and def needs improvements. They only like perfect clients, if you struggle instead of helping you they kick you out. I hope someone reads this and it deters you from this program.
The only good thing about this place is **some** staff,but others were terrible. I met wonderful lifelong friendships here. The food is okay, the groups were mid. The new program manager is just bossy, power trips every chance she gets. And guess what? She’s not even a therapist! So if you really want to consider this program, do it but I warned you
I went to lgtc’s php and it was one of the most helpful phps I’ve been to. A lot of phps sometimes just feel like daycare and don’t really run groups where you actually leave the group and learn something but they have more unique groups then just dbt and cbt and I took a lot from each group and the ways they do meals and ERP. They also have a requirement of being 100% meal plan compliant (the first refusal of supplement you prep for discharge and then two more and they discharge you) which sounds harsh but honestly it benefited me and was what I needed in the time to actually get better and motivate me to do what I’m supposed to and a motivator to finish meals for myself and my recovery. They also do ketemine and TMS here (covered by insurance!! Which is so hard to find) and has really benefited me. They have a res now for adolescents which I don’t know too much about but I can vouch for their San Jose php and answer any questions
June-august 2022
6-10 some people are virtual if they want/approved
nurse practitioner who acts as medical and psych 1x weekly, therapist 2x and dietitian 2x
Describe the average day: starts at 9:30 you have an snack, group, group 12, prep, lunch group, group, snack and go home What were meals like? You bring your own food they don’t go by exchanges but make sure you have appropriate amounts and portions or they will make you add stuff
you bring your own or they have basic snack foods and you could request things too
I wrote this original review. I have been a patient of lgtc for 2 years. Doing their outpatient therapy, psychiatry, TMS and ketemine sessions and basically live here. Their mental health services and php is phenomenal and I couldn’t recommend them more, the mental health providers are amazing caring and my psychiatrist and nurse practitioner actually care and spend like 30 minutes with me compared to most psychiatrists that spend 3 minutes
but their Ed treatment is beyond toxic. I went to it a year ago when it was in Campbell and recently but it’s gone down hill. their Ed program the staff is so cliquey and will make fun of client and even the staff complains about their co workers. They deny people for the stupidest reasons you basically have to not have an Ed to get accepted into their Ed programs which is so stupid because you seek help because you need the support and wouldn’t need help and do it yourself if it was not bad enough to seek care. They honestly just don’t want to admit people and their adult Ed program has like 2 people in it because they just don’t want to deal with clients. The therapist M (I won’t leave names) I had in my short time there was so unprofessional she would cancel on me weekly, she was known to never show up to appointments or she would be 20 minutes late and all of a sudden I would be talking about something stressful and would just get distracted by something in the background like her dog barking or go to the bathroom in the middle of my sessions which made me kinda feel like she wasn’t listening to me because she was just not there and couldn’t pay attention since she’s virtual or turn her camera off while I was talking and who knows if she was actually listening. I had 10 sessions with her and she only showed up to 4 of them and they were not helpful. Apparently I wasn’t the only one who she was doing this for and didn’t even have to ask to switch therapist because they were well aware of her behavior and switched me to a better equipped Ed therapist while undergoing their mental health services. She would barely show up to the groups she ran and a staff would have to pick up the stress. Or if she did run meal support she would have her camera off and it was pointless. Despite this I recommend their mental health services or going to lotus if your looking for Ed only program or support.