Arabella House is now closed, but it used to be the residential program of Linden Oaks in Illinois.
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2011
I recovered in spite of this place. Extremely callous main therapist who played favorites beyond belief. She is downright rude and really isn’t supportive. Was extremely overmedicated and staff didn’t pick up that I was developing a complication from meds. A few awesome staff though. It wasn’t spiritual…it was religious. Staff doesn’t understand any needs outside the norm.
This place was amazing! Saved my life! I even established a job while I was there! The groups were only as serious as you took them. I took them very serious and got down to the deep down issues keeping me stuck in my disorder. I learned how to shop and cook and I’m 30 years old! I never went in stores because it was to fearful. There is so much support and encouragement there it’s unreal! Trust, honesty, and respect are the pillars and they are very serious about it. The girls make the house. If there is sneaky shit going on there and no one says anything then you are all enabling each other in your illness. You volunteer everywhere! It’s comfortable and homey and you always have someone to call if you need to. Even when your finished with the program! This place savedy life and can save yours too if your serious about recovery and are willing to go to any length for it! I wish you all the luck, you’ll be amazed!
towards the EDA review: the group has been established for quite sometime now and has many former Arabella residents there. Hence, a majority are in recovery, or RECOVERED from their eating disorder. The group abides by the 12 steps and has changed a lot from an old processing sort of group. The leaders are very professional and very experienced. They have seen many girls go through the house and work at the house as well. Before or afterwards some of the girls go out to eat which is something that we, people with eating disorders, feared and avoided for a very long time some of us. They go out together to fellowship and because it’s a normal thing to do. Also knowing that they are all there to support each other. Not to binge! If someone said that than they were probably being sarcastic. Ok, maybe they shouldn’t of said that but it also shows that they can laugh about their disorder now rather than it over powering every minute of there day. It the leaders though that was the case for one second they would bring it up to the entire group and speak to the individual with concern. The girls that go out together are well respected individuals that people look up to and that have made an inpact on their lives. I would recommend the group to anyone!
2010
its terrible
i was forced to be there for 2 months
just got home a few weeks ago
i cry so much and ever sense i got back im so irritable and nervous and i cant sleep
they put me on so many medications
my therapist even said “youve failed treatment once again” once
i started crying and she just left the room
i was shocked
the food was disgusting
the other patients were rude and sneaky
and the nurses were intolerant and unprofessional
i cant even begin to tell you how many people got away with purging/laxatives and hiding there food
people puked in the showers
it was disgusting
i cried every day i was there
and when i went home
i couldnt do anything but stay in bed all day because i couldnt deal with being home they dont even provide you with any after care!!
2008
When were you there: July – August 2008
Describe the average day: Wake up, breakfast, community, snack, group, lunch, group, snack, then gym on MWF, Humane Society on Tues, house cleaning on Thurs, meal prep, dinner
Nights varied – Monday was ANAD recovery night or a life skills speaker. Tuesday was visiting. Wed was art. Thurs was EDA. Fri was the family meal. Then snack.
What were meals like? Breakfast and lunch you made for yourself with whatever was in the house that fit your meal plan (exchanges). Every night two people made dinner. We all sat together. No time limits or anything like that.
What sorts of food were available or served? Literally anything you wanted. We did the grocery shopping and made the grocery list. And the dinners could be anything as long as they fit in the exchanges (everyone had the same meal plan for dinner)
Did they supplement? How did that system work? A couple people had supplements at snack for weight gain, but while I was there no one got supplemented for not completing a meal.
What privelages are allowed? Computer with internet, phone, everyone can exercise, passes after the first weekend
Does it work on a level system? No. After the first weekend you can go on passes and what not.
What sort of groups do they have? Art, spirituality, community, general group therapy
What was your favorite group? Surprisingly, spirituality
What did you like the most? The people, the fact that they let me go home for a long weekend, some of the counselors, learning to cook
What did you like the least? Having to go to church, cleaning a lot (which I just don’t do), the exchange system, and I only saw a therapist individually for a total of an hour and a half for the ENTIRE time i was there (two months)
Would you recommend this program? If you are coming from Linden Oaks, yes. I came from a step down program at Castlewood and I felt stifled. Plus going from 3+ hours of therapy a week to half that in two months was kind of a shock. That being said, I did get something out of it, and I met some AMAZING people.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? gym on MWF
What did people do on weekends? Most people went on passes. Otherwise Saturday we did absolutely nothing. There would be two people in the house and a counselor and they might take you shopping or something. Sunday we went to church, lunch, group, and then out for dinner and an activity.
Do you get to know your weight? You had to work it out with the dietician. I was able to see from the beginning. Most people can see at the very end of your stay.
How fast is the weight gain process? I came in on stabilization.
What was the average length of stay? I’d say 1-2 months
What was the average age range? while i was there.. 16-30 most people in early 20s
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team? Yes
How many IP beds? How many patients in PHP or IOP? 8
The Arabella house is amazing. The therapists are really understanding and they take the time to get to know you and they really want you to be successful. This program changed my life. There are multiple therapies throughout the day. I was with a great group of girls so we were able to motivate each other. Unlike most programs, if you are at a normal weight then you can exercise and you also get to go home for the weekends to practice using the skills you learn. I recently went there this summer and I’m so happy I did. Since there can only be 8 girls living there at a time it is really individualized and caters to each persons needs. I liked how all the therapists really trust in each member. I would definitely recommend it if you want to get better!
Thank you for these reviews. I just heard of this program and Lynden Oaks when looking on this site under the insurance section for anything that takes medicaid. My friend desperately needs a good treatment program yet being on medicaid only with no family or in person friend support is a huge barrier. Can people who have gone recently as in the past year or so give a review? And let me know if they take medicaid for over 21 years old? Thanks!
When were you there: 2014
How many patients on average?
The house has 8 beds for residents who are staying overnight, but they also allow more residents than that if there are IOP residents who go home at night. On average I would say there are usually about 4-5 PHP (those who stay overnight) and 2-3 IOP residents. Sometimes they may have a full house and sometimes they may only have one or two total residents, it really just depends.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined.
The house only treats females who are 16 years or older.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
In general you see your therapist 2 or 3 times a week, but the therapists are also there if you have something you really need to talk about and also they run the main group as well as eating lunch with the residents. You get to know them pretty well! I believe you see your psychiatrist twice a week and you see the dietitian once a week, but she also is available to talk to more often if you need it and she eats breakfast with the residents.
What is the staff ratio to patients?
I’m not sure exactly, but there are two main therapists, two psychiatrists, one dietitian, a music therapist, an art therapist, and an expressive therapist as well as a bunch of BHA’s.
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc?
There is a main process group that is once daily where you address whatever issues you need to. The group is based off of the pillars of trust, honesty, and respect. They also have a DBT (maybe CBT?) group once a week, expressive therapy, art therapy, music therapy, and two types of yoga. They no longer do equine therapy!
Describe the average day:
Wake up
Breakfast
Various groups (expressive, yoga, etc.)
Grocery Shopping (Wednesday)
Lunch
Process Group
Snack
Gym (M,W,F)
Various groups (music therapy, art therapy)
Dinner
Various Groups (sometimes visiting, recovery speaker, etc)
Wrap Up Group
Lights out
What were meals like?
Meals are prepared by the residents. Breakfast and Lunch are entirely prepared by the individual and when you go grocery shopping you can get almost any items that you need or want. Breakfast is with the dietitian and lunch is with the two main therapists. Dinner is a little bit different, but still prepared by the residents. One resident is the chef for the night and one is the assistant and those two residents are responsible for making the meal for all of the residents of the house. Every week the menu is planned and generally if you really don’t like a particular food the other residents will be pretty accommodating.
What sorts of food were available or served?
Really anything you wanted was available. As long as you put it on the grocery list and it gets approved by the dietitian it will be allowed in the house. Obviously low-calorie items, fat-free items, and any type of diet product will not be allowed in the house. Also on Sundays, you go to an activity (movie, pottery painting, museum, etc.) and a restaurant.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Generally they will not supplement. You are expected to complete your meals and snacks and if you feel that you are not at a level to do that, this may not be the place for you. I have never seen anyone there refuse a meal or ask for a supplement, no matter ho much they are struggling. Staff and peers are really helpful in getting you through even the most difficult of meals.
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
Like I previously said, it really does not happen at the house. The people who are there are generally very recovery focused and I have never seen a meal refused. I am sure that if you really were unwilling to comply with your meal plan they would recommend that you go to the hospital program, Linden Oaks.
Are you able to be a vegetarian?
Not really. You can manage it for breakfast and lunch, seeing as you make the meals yourself, but dinner is prepared by the other residents. Only two vegetarian dinners are allowed per week. If you are a vegetarian for religious reasons they will accommodate your needs though.
What privileges are allowed?
You are allowed to have your phone, laptop, and other electronics all day as long as you are not using them during groups. If it’s nice enough you are allowed to go on short walks. The house is not a locked down facility. Bathrooms are open at all times and you can go outside whenever you want to. Personally I think it is very helpful to be exposed to these real life situations because in the real world bathrooms are just not locked. There are visiting hours multiple times a week and they do allow residents to go on passes. Also, if you are not on exercise restriction you are allowed to go to the gym three times a week with the other residents.
Does it work on a level system?
Not really. You come in with pretty much the same privileges that you leave with, unless you are on exercise or cleaning restriction. The only thing that does change the longer you are there is the amount of passes you go on. The first weekend you are required to stay at the house, but the second weekend you get a day pass and on the third weekend you get an overnight pass.
How do you earn privileges?
Nothing is really earned except if you are on exercise or cleaning restriction. It will be determined by your treatment team when they feel like you are ready to have these privileges back.
What sort of groups do they have?
Process group, meal planning group, grocery shopping, two types of yoga, DBT skills group, music therapy, art therapy, expressive therapy, recovery speakers, dance movement therapy, gym, Nia (a form of dance), aftercare group, Sunday outing
What was your favorite group?
My personal favorite was process group. The majority of your therapy is done there and it is really supportive. Everybody gets a chance to speak and offer feedback and it is very recovery focused. It is run off of the pillars of trust, honesty, and respect and you are expected to abide by these values. Art therapy is also really awesome!
What did you like the most?
The amount of freedom you are given and the amazing staff!
What did you like the least?
There is nothing in particular I disliked, besides occasionally having to eat something for dinner that really is not to your taste.
Would you recommend this program?
I definitely would! In order to go though, I would say you have to be really committed to recovery and ready to give your disorder up to the process.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
Unless you are on exercise restriction residents go to the gym three times a week. You do 20 minutes of cardio and then some weights and stretching. There is also Nia a few times a month which is a form of dance and there is yoga twice a week (one regular and one Kundalini).
What did people do on weekends?
Like I said before, the first weekend you are required to stay in the house. The next you get a day pass, then an overnight pass, and then a weekend pass. On Sundays there is an outing (movie, pottery painting, etc.) and a restaurant trip. Staff are always willing to take you to a store or something though on the weekend!
Do you get to know your weight?
In most cases, no. It usually is not therapeutic. Your dietitian can tell you your trends if you really want to know though.
How fast is the weight gain process?
I have never had to gain weight while in the program, but I would say it is pretty slow. Again, I am not 100% sure!
What was the average length of stay?
The usual is 6-8 weeks, but some people are there for less and some people are there for up to 3 or 4 months. It really just depends on what they feel that you need.
What was the average age range?
On average, most patients are in their late teens to early twenties, although occasionally they have older residents.
How do visits/phone calls work?
There is visiting multiple times throughout the week and you do not have to earn your visiting hours. You are allowed to have your phone any time that you want, so you can make a call really whenever you want to as long as it is not during group time.
Are you able to go out on passes?
Yes! The first week you cannot, but you get more passes the longer you are there ( as described earlier). There are also the Sunday outings every week and if you have your own car they usually will let you go drive into town if you need something.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
There is an aftercare group that is run at the hospital’s outpatient center for people who have been in treatment at either Linden Oaks or Arabella House. A therapist there runs it and it is generally for people who are working towards recovery. It is NOT a therapy group, just a support group. They will set up an outpatient team with you and they are always willing to answer questions for you if you call them once you discharge.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
People who come out of state generally just stay at the house overnight longer than those who do not, due to the fact that they can not just go home at night and drive back in the morning. So an in-state resident may spend 4-5 weeks spending the night at the house and then 3-4 weeks doing an IOP transistion. Out of state residents just do all the of their time staying overnight. If your insurance drops you from PHP to IOP the overnight rate just goes from $100 to $200.
Kaitlyn-moved from Del Amo
Arabella house was the greatest thing that happened to me. It saved my life. I have only been out for a little but because of this place I am recovering. I would recommend arabella to anyone who is serious about recovering.
Honestly, I really don’t know where to start.
As I’m sure most of you know that all treatment centers are different for different people. So this is my experience.
It’s hard to give an example of the schedule, things happened at random times. No consistency which is hard because I think 80 or more percent of the girls come directly out of Linden Oaks or some other hospital. And to go further on that they only let you spend one weekend at the house, then you are to go stay the weekend with your family. Which was hard because it was one of the reasons for me being there.
I guess it’s good practice. But it just felt totally forced.
We went to the gym 2 or 3 times a week. Yes I said that. And at the time there was no dietitian. At times I really didn’t get the feeling it was a ED treatment center.
I did like what groups we did have. The art therapist is amazing! And also we went to a equine therapy group once a month which was again really fun and helpful, I learned so much from the horses 🙂 Also I do have to say the outings were okay as well.
So in that area things were okay.
About the therapist…I can’t decide what I thought/think.
Psychiatrist on the other hand. When I was about ready to leave, she told me I was lying about my trauma. A year later she told me I wasn’t making it up. Very confusing. It made me second guess myself completely.
Food wise, like I said NO dietitian which was a mess. We made all the meals. And the therapist ate breakfast and lunch with us and then dinner it was a BHA. There was no such thing as not finishing. They made me look at my food forever. It was awful and traumatic.
So I did learn some stuff, but I also felt traumatized. Looking back at it I’m happy that I did go “somewhere” but I really do wish I would have started at the another treatment center that I went to a month later…
I am trying to decide if Arabella house will be a good place for me and I really need some updated info soon, I go get evalued Fri. I struggle with anorexia, horrible depression, and horrible anxiety. Plus I have cronic headaches which I saw they have a pain clinic there. I have to make a choice between here or the Moore center in Seattle 7 days php but don’t want to go all the way to seattle. Also heard of a scholarship avail for living expense for Arabella house? Any info or advice please. Urgent.
In order to go to Arabella, you have to be almost near your ideal body weight. Most people do the program at Linden Oaks then transition to Arabella. I haven’t been to Arabella, but I did go to Linden Oaks.
Could you do a full review of Linden Oaks??? When were you there?
Can someone please do an updated review??? Thank you!!
I was hoping someone could please write an updated/current review??? Thank you!!!
I was at Arabella House and Linden Oaks in Aug/Sept/Oct of 2008. The staff was wonderful and incredibly helpful. I think organizations such as this only work if the patient is interested in getting better. If you go in with a negative mentality, you’re going to come out with negative reactions. The staff is there to help. If you use the system and program the way it’s meant to be used, you’ll gain much in life.
The staff has changed dramatically since you were there. 🙁 Not for the better. Some key staff are now gone.
Can someone update about this program? I’m thinking about going
Any recent reviews?? I am looking into going here and possibly Linden Oaks as well! Any info would be great
The MAKE you go to church? What if that’s against your religion? This is the USA where we have freedom of religious practice…or not to practice religion.
Julie
Can either of you tell me about the inpatient program at Linden Oaks?