Any current reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
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Any current reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
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This program now only offers PHP and IOP in Las Vegas, and looks like it might be closing entirely. The website is not updated and they have been hard to reach. Over the past few years the program has been financially struggling so take that for what it’s worth. I wouldn’t recommend a facility that is on its last legs.
I am a mother of a former patient and consider CFH a complete hustle. They capitalize on the fact so many ED patients are vegan and there are very few treatment facilities available for vegans. If you have a loved one under the age of 25 who is impressionable, I would RUN from this place. Their staff is unprofessional and one of the counselors is an intern without a license. They talk a great game to get you there (and your money) and then don’t deliver on anything. I hope I can save at least one patient from wasting their time and money but most importantly a damaging experience. Please hear me that if you have an impressionable young person CFH will do more harm than good. Please look at any other place for treatment besides CFH.
Please refer to the Center for Hope of the Sierra’s page in the “Ask the Treatment Center” forum, especially in regards to accurate information about therapist’s and interns.
Review from BG:
CFH was a great program for me. I loved that the residential house was cozy & had a beautiful back yard. The food was prepared fresh daily & tasted good.. which made meals a little easier. I learned a lot in groups & was able to take at least one thing from each one I went to (information I still find helpful now). I also learned how to sit with being uncomfortable with my thoughts, urges & body, which was & is vital to my recovery. I really enjoyed weekend outings/coffee, mindful walks, equine therapy, massage, yoga & reiki. They were all great ways for me to relieve physical & mental stress. When I stepped down to PHP/IOP, the support I received there was equally amazing. Upon discharge, I decided that I didn’t want to return home, & the staff helped me to plan every detail for my new future. I adore the RAs, they all have very unique & uplifting personalities. The nurses were very knowledgeable, helpful & supportive around my ED, Type 1 Diabetes & medications; also all unique & pleasant to be around. The nutritionist is absolutely fantastic & has helped me through countless other struggles I’ve had- also awesome with diabetes management & support. The PA is really sweet & easy to reach out to, I’ve never been more comfortable discussing my medical problems/history before. My therapist truly saved me; she helped me find my unapologetic, authentic & happy self for the first time that I can remember. She taught me an abundance of positive coping skills, how to stay present, how to set clear & firm boundaries, & how to look at things objectively. She helped me to decrease the shame & judgement I carried, find a peaceful relationship with my diabetes, improve family relationships & so much more. I could continue on with the list forever. I’m eternaly grateful for the help & support I’ve received from every single staff member there. Because of CFH- I’m the healthiest & happiest I’ve ever been, my co-morbidities are well managed, and I’ve been able to maintain sobriety for the first time in my life. This program has truly saved my life & has helped me to create one worth living. I would highly recommend them to anyone.
I’m looking at this facility and it’s helpful reading some of the reviews, although some really seems to be almost like the paid Amazon reviewers. It’s a big decision to me to pick the right facility and I’d love to hear some recent reviews.
Not harsh negative ones by upset parents or confused rebellious teenage kids.
I agree, this review doesn’t sound authentic. Honestly the way it is written makes me suspect the author is a staff member at the center. If not a staff member, then a patient who was prompted what to write by a staff member. Hopefully that’s not the case!
When were you there: April-July 2013 Resi and PHP, this review will focus mostly on Resi i think
How many patients on average? Residential Holds 10, PHP/IOP had maybe 16 at most.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined. Yes, however there are no males in residential.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? This was a mess. I saw the nutritionist once a week (she was spectacular, tbh) The medical doctor was not really seen unless you were a diabetic ( I was) and then you saw an endocrinologist about once a week (he was actually pretty good) The psych was a complete nutcase himself, nice guy, but basically a pill mill, he would just prescribe and change and he prescribed two girls topamax which completely suppressed their appetites and would handout xanax like it was nothing (he gave it to me and i was a minor) There was a huge staff turnover rate with the therapists, mine would come at random times, would forget about sessions, especially family sessions, and i never got anywhere with her and she basically said that. They also didn’t give my parents any information even when they called and basically begged, and i was a minor, so they should have.
What is the staff ratio to patients? Usually at resi there were 2-3 counselors for the ten or less patients, and about that much at php also with more girls.
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc?
CBT DBT
Describe the average day:
wake up around 630ish and you could do personal hygiene
7- yoga if you wanted
815- premeal goal group
830- brekky
9-post meal group
915- group
10-snacky
1030 individual time
1215-115; pre/lunch/post
1230-3 bunch of random groups and stuff
3- snack
4- group/individual
5 group/ individual (we got electronics at this time as well)
615-715- pre/dinner/post
715-845- groups
9- snack
we had to be in our rooms by 10, in bed by 11 with electronics turned in
we went out to eat for lunch wednesdays, out for an activity friday nights
^ weekdays
What were meals like? what weren’t meals like tbh… always something different, prepared by a cook usually but a lot of times we made our own meals (sandwiches and chips usually) the meals weren’t all that great, the chef left while i was there and the “handyman” took over, he was an excellent chef, but had other jobs to do, they hired a new cook but i left before they started. I wouldnt say the meals were bad overall especially because you do get a lot of freedom on a lot of meals and we have post where we can complain about what we didn’t like and they try to change things. pre was where you set a goal for the meal and stated your hungry, then in pre you stated your satiety and we talked about the meal and someone sitting across from you and an RA would comment on how you ate. This was supposed to be 15 minutes but i kid you not there were times it lasted upwards of an hour. we played games, mostly contact, but honestly we all got along pretty well and were able to just have conversations and support each other, it was a home dining room feel.
What sorts of food were available or served? ^ also we ate out on wednesday and went to snack challenges at coffee shops usually on sat and sun
Did they supplement? How did that system work? In PHP there was a woman who was on boost, but other than that they just increased your MP
What is the policy of not complying with meals? there were only two incidents of people not complying with their meal plan, once a girl didn’t eat for literally days and was eventually sent away, but didn’t have to have supplements, she just sat there falling asleep at the table and triggering us all (i think the psych may have put her on topamax, but I’m not sure) another girl was not able to go on an outing. I should also mention that i like a lot of other self portioning girls greatly restricted basically without the staffs knowledge (although the other girls clearly caught on)
Are you able to be a vegetarian? yes, even vegan, one girls veganism however was so completely disordered, despite the nutritionist basically begging her to not be (always some excuse that she was allergic to literally everything, and would make other girls feel guilty for eating meat)
What privelages are allowed? walks, passes although not frequent, elliptical for diabetics, self portioning snacks/ meals, not being on observation, hot tub
Does it work on a level system? yes, 1-5
How do you earn privileges? eat, comply basically.
What sort of groups do they have? the usually, also equine therapy and art therapy, yoga, reiki, and massages, goal work, intuitive eating was big there.
What was your favorite group? massages obvi, also equine
What did you like the most? the girls and certain members of staff, including a few absolutely wonderful RAs, nurses, and the nutritionist. I enjoyed going out as well, made me feel not so… hospitalized, and having my electronics.
What did you like the least? other members of staff, and the handling of girls who were EXTREMELY out of control and triggering. i mean sometimes things got completely insane.
Would you recommend this program? NO.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? you could go for walks, do yoga (only one a day) and diabetics could use an elliptical.
What did people do on weekends? we had a few groups, but fun ones like poetry or goals that you didn’t have a breakdown in… we went to equine therapy and church if you wanted. coffee outings both days, and pottery and target usually every week. we got electronics all day we were home and not in group, relaxed day
Do you get to know your weight? no
How fast is the weight gain process? i had just come from another resi and php and did not need to gain weight but it seemed to be slow than other places.
What was the average length of stay? no real average when i was there, but i guess 2-3 months
What was the average age range? 20s id say, youngest was me at 16, oldest believe was a 60 something year old at php
How do visits/phone calls work? visits/ passes were scarce, but you had access to your phone so that was whenever
Are you able to go out on passes? yes, but id only seen it happen twice i think
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team? they have their own php/iop/op and they offer apartments to those who live far away, but as a minor went to php but still lived in the house so it wasn’t really php and nothing was set up for me after
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? the apartments i guess?
Other? honestly, this place was a lot of FUN, but thats all really, i didn’t learn anything, didn’t cover the issues i needed to, and literally went back to behaviors in the airport when i left. I loved a lot of the people, but not the right ones (therapist) the staff turnover rate was crazy. i can’t emphasize enough how little they did to treat non compliant patients, there were girls who triggered the hell out of others and it severely hurt others recovery. They also just didn’t really confront a lot of issues people were having and in php there was a lot of behavior using on site. they tried to hold community meetings to discuss what needed to be changed, but it was just a ton of complaining and nothing really getting done.
I was at Center For Hope for three weeks and I HATED it. It was the worst thing that I could have ever done for myself. To start out, the nutritionist is great but she is the one who told me to go to CFH. I was seeing her for awhile before entering treatment. She is the ONLY good thing about this place. The food is terrible. It is bad for any persons health and that is not coming from an eating disorder stand point. I was once served a plate of a baked potato, chicken, and broccoli. My food was practically swimming in butter and there were only a few pieces of broccoli drowning in cheddar cheese. Not to mention the food was supposed to be hot but it was served to us cold. And no one would reheat it for us. That wasn’t even the worst part. There was way too much down time that is meant for “Goal” work. We are given goals by our therapist (whom we only see for 45 minutes twice a week) and encouraged to work on them. We get to read or knit or whatever. But I still think we could be doing more productive things for treatment. This program manipulates, brain washes, and dehumanizes patients. It disgusts me and I have lost a little faith in humanity due to this repulsive program. The staff are TERRIBLE to us. They treat us as if we are special ed or as if we can’t make basic decisions. We have eating disorders we aren’t stupid. Most of us carry jobs, have families, go to school, drive cars, etc. The current director is terrible! She threatened me on my last day at CFH and grabbed my phone out of my hands and took it away from me. She refused to give it back. I was PHP and never signed a paper saying that I wasn’t allowed to have my phone or that they are allowed to take it away from me. I am a minor and I asked multiple times from different staff to please contact my parents and notify them that I am having my rights being violated and they never once called my parents (this was the same time I needed my meds and they didn’t have them) As you can imagine my parents are furious. I suffer from anxiety and panic attacks and the staff made them worse. They forgot to bring my meds from the house where we are on weekends back to the building where we are on week days. I was having anxiety and needed my meds and they forgot them. Isn’t that their responsibility to take care of that stuff? I am not allowed to take the lock box where my meds are with me, so the staff is supposed to transport them. Staff members eves drop on conversations and make us stop talking. I was even told to “shut up” once by a staff member. I am a very calm, peaceful, and mindful person and this program brought out the worst in me. Not because of my struggles with my eating disorder but because of the way I was treated. By some of their words they were trying to brain wash me and strip me of my human rights. I left today AMA and they called the police on me but I just drove home and was with my mom. My parents handled the situation and I got my phone back (which Katie never should have had in the first place) and I am in a much better place now that I am not there. This is the last place I would recommend to a friend or to send my child. The staff aren’t properly trained to deal with patients. They often showed us little to no respect. CFH has serious power & control issues with patients. I had been constipated for the past few weeks I had been at CFH and every meal I ate I felt sick to my stomach afterwards. When I ate the food of my choice when I was not at CFH I felt fine, no stomach pains or constipation. If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder this is the last place I recommend going to for help. It made my anxiety and depression much worse. And the only reason I believe my eating disorder is a little better is because of the help from the nutritionist at CFH. Talk to a therapist about other options for treatment. I will be doing so.
Sounds like things have changed a bit. I left in July 2013. I am 26 and when I was in residential it was hard because I had bills to pay and be on the phone to do certain adult things. I butted a lot of head with a lot of RA’s. My therapist and dietician were wonderful and I couldn’t have asked for anyone better! Overall I think Center for Hope is average. Nothing is ever consistent. I have done better in recovery outside of this place than in this place.
I have to agree with the negative comments about the psychiatrist. I think his prescriptions completely defeated any possible positive outcome from the program. My daughter now has to overcome her dependence on Xanax, which was first prescribed by the Center’s psychiatrist, as well as going through the months long process of weaning of meds which are not considered appropriate for her diagnosis. I believe these hardships have severely hampered my daughter’s recovery.
After gaining a large amount of weight in the residence program, my daughter, resorted to her ED to lose the weight while she was still in IOP! A serious relapse while still in the program. The program is somewhat a “One Note” program which focuses on destigmatizing junk food and forcing everyone to eat way too much sugar and junk- to eliminate their psychological response to food. It seems that no one understood that most cannot eat intuitively while eating so much sugar and junk food. But there was little or no emphasis on the value of food and its purpose in living a strong and healthy life. It appears that there was no examination that the food forced on the women could be contributing to the anxiety and that the anxiety might be ameliorated by good nutrition. Instead, a prescription for Xanax was offered to many of the women.
Our daughter loved some of the folks who helped her at Center. And at points it appeared that the program was helping her. There were indeed some caring folks, but there was little of the kind of passion generated by life experiences. There was no leader who had overcome the kinds of challenges faced by some of the women in the program. I observed little inspiration and too much boring downtime. It does appear that the schedule posted on the website is good marketing and was not followed.
Would I recommend this program? Absolutely NOT. Our daughter is still suffering and, in my opinion, a good part of the suffering comes from her experience at the Center for Hope
I was in support group at CFH I was asked to leave after a little less then a year was told support group was not ongoing. and they wanted paying clients. I was dumped. along with the other 3 ladies in group.
I was a patient there and I would not recommend this program. I still suffer from my ED and I left AMA because they were only making me feel worse.
I got out of Center for Hope in late may of 2013. I still struggle but I am doing better than when I entered the program. I think if anything I don’t want to go back to another residential program, and that is the biggest motivator to keep recovering. I was in the outpatient program for four weeks prior to staying for six weeks in the residential program, but I’m sure they would have liked me to stay longer. The length of stay seems to depend on insurance more than anything else. I have good insurance and a pretty solid history of being confined to mental institutions so they never cut me off. Other women, however were sent home or to outpatient within a couple of weeks even though they were no where near well enough to leave. They would have kept me there longer, but I left to get Electro Convulsive Therapy which has helped me more than Center for Hope ever did.
As far as the actual programming goes you see your individual therapist three times a week for forty five minutes a session, you see the nutritionist once a week and then have a short five-ten minute check-in with her later on in the week, and you see the psychiatrist once a week for a very short period of time. The rest of the day is spent in group therapy. Groups are pretty standard for any eating disorder treatment facility. I found some of them to be helpful but most of them were a waste of time. As far as alternative therapy goes there’s equine therapy, art therapy, yoga, massage, meditation, and reiki healing. I found most of it to be complete bullshit but really in a residential treatment center you just need someone to babysit you and make sure that you eat. Computers and phones were allowed on weekends and after 5:00. I found this to be very reasonable. Visitors had to be approved by “treatment team” along with everything else. If you wanted someone to visit they had to meet your therapist beforehand, which I found a bit ridiculous and was definitely a rule that kept me from wanting my friends to visit. The weekends are pretty low key. You have coffee outings in the afternoons and go on outings Friday and Saturday night (think bookstores, the movies, plays, pottery painting, ect…).
I have a serious mental illness (bipolar I, rapid cycling with mixed episodes) as well as an eating disorder and the psychiatric care was absolutely horrendous. Upon arriving at the center the Psychiatrist took me off my mood stabilizer, saying that I didn’t seem bipolar to him. I had literally just gotten out of the mental hospital (which he worked at as well) with a bipolar diagnosis. He left me on my prozac which sent me straight into mania. By midweek the mania had turned into a mixed episode and I was threatening to runaway from the home and was legitimately crazy, as someone who’s bipolar gets when they’re on antidepressants. After hearing of this incident he decided to put me back on my mood stabilizer and try another antidepressant. The mood stabilizer however was not even close to a therapeutic dose, and most psychiatrists with any sense don’t even give people who are bipolar antidepressants. The cycle continued and I had yet another mixed episode resulting in absolute craziness. The staff had absolutely no idea how to handle mania, and treated me horribly. I still have nightmares about one of the directors screaming at me to go to art group when I was in the midst of a severe mixed-episode. I kept telling her “no” and her response was that “I could leave at anytime I wanted and that this was not a locked facility.” I then asked her if she would release me AMA because at that point I really did want to leave but she refused to answer me. I stuck it out thanks to a great nurse who unfortunately no longer works there, but overall the experience was horrible.
After I developed a rash from the mood stabilizer I was on, the psychiatrist put me on another one that was supposed to be “great for bulimia.” When I first arrived I was diagnosed as anorexic but as I started to gain weight as one is apt to do in an eating disorder recovery center he decided that I was bulimic. The mood stabilizer (topamax) is also used as a weight-loss drug. Between that and the antidepressant I was on I had no appetite what so ever. Do you know how hard it is to recover from a restrictive eating disorder when you don’t have an appetite? Pretty damn impossible. It took a group meeting with the nursing director, clinical director, the psychiatrist and me to finally get me on medication that didn’t make me absolutely crazy. The medication didn’t end up working, but I got off antidepressants and was able to function at a sustainable level.
I wish I could say I was the only woman who dealt with psychiatric medication woes, but multiple women dealt with similar problems with their medication. Eating disorders are often masks for other serious mental illnesses. A new psychiatrist is absolutely crucial for Center For Hope. I saw many other women become sicker, simply because their medication had been messed with in an un-responsible way.
The therapists are either very new or interns. It seems kind of absurd to have people with so little experience working with people that are obviously severely mentally ill and have probably been in therapy for years. I went through three therapists during my time at Center for Hope. The first therapist I saw suddenly quit without notice. The second therapist I saw had very nice shoes, but other than that we didn’t really get along. They have a policy in which your therapist has to approve all your reading material. I could understand this, maybe not wanting girls to read Vogue or anorexia memoirs, but other literature just seems ridiculous. My favorite book (Infinite Jest) was deemed to be too “triggering” for me to read because it had short sections that spoke about depression and was “sad.” I obviously threw a fit about this and hated my therapist for not allowing me to have my book. This book is really important to me and for someone to take it away from me was demoralizing on a pretty fundamental level. I’m pretty sure that I used the words Hegelian and Fascist to describe the place at that point. I understand the need to monitor reading material but I don’t think it should be done by one’s therapist. The client-therapist relationship is very delicate and once they’re making decisions like that the relationship is bound to get thrown off. I had to push for it, but luckily I was able to have my personal psychologist come in and do sessions with me a few times. Those sessions were probably more helpful than any therapy I received from Center for Hope. Granted, my psychologist is very good, but that seems a bit ridiculous.
After that whole fiasco, and the issues with medication I was ready to transfer to another facility. I had a meeting with the clinical director and she offered to take over as my therapist and talk to the psychiatrist with me. I agreed to stay, and asked her point-blank if she would have time to meet with me. She assured me that she would and I mistakenly believed her. It started out fine, but then she started missing sessions with me, and by the last week I was there she missed two sessions with me and didn’t even bother to tell me she wasn’t going to be there. My assigned leaving day was Monday, but I decided to just pack up my bags and leave Saturday afternoon. I had had it. I missed my ceremonial goodbye circle and goodbye meal, but walked away with my dignity.
Good things about Center For Hope
The nutritionist is fantastic. She seems very genuine and like she knows what she’s doing. The nutritional philosophy is also very good. They stress an intuitive eating approach rather than an exchange system which I found to be very helpful. Sometimes I thought we had to eat too much junk food (we had to eat chips every time we had a sandwich), but I know I don’t have to do that in the real world and I’m no longer afraid of eating chips.
The food was decent, there was occasionally a bad meal but for the most part meals were good. Everything was home cooked and there was a lot of variety. There were some safe meals and some more challenging meals. They were also very accommodating to vegetarians and even vegans. I’m a vegetarian and got a little annoyed about all the fake meat they used, but I asked for it to be changed and the chef started using more tofu, tempeh, and other sources of protein.
The house is very nice. There can be ten residents at a time. I somehow ended up with my own bedroom with a queen size bed so I can’t complain there. The other rooms each had three beds in them. There was a nice front and backyard, both of which were great for relaxing.
I’m sure there are other positive aspects to Center for Hope, but I personally didn’t experience any of them. Maybe we just weren’t the right fit, or I just happened to have really bad luck. I, however would not recommend this facility to anyone.
I was a paticipant in out patient support group. I was told that support group is not on going and that I was asked to leave 3rd week in may. All they care about is making money and they dont make money on free support group!!!!!!!!!
Just be thankful you got out when you did. I’m sorry they pulled the group right out from under you but you want to stay away from this place. They pick and choose who they like and play head games with the residents. They denied a friend of mine treatment for the sole reason that they didn’t like her. Her insurance only covers in state so she is now without treatment. They know this is the case but don’t care. She may lose her life to this disease and the entire place could care less.
Center for hope is a great place. I’ve been here 5 months and its so far the only treatment center that had helped me. I recommend this place.
Would you be willing to give a detailed complete review (including most up to date schedule, privileges/outings/passes, computer and cell phone at all times, how/when do they weigh you and do you get to know your weight, meal plan/specific foods offered/sample menu, number of therapy appointments per week, groups, number of girls, massages, etc.). Thank you!
I have to agree with what was said above about the clinical director. She is the worst kind of bully and I only wish someone would listen and remove her from this profession. She blame shifts onto the client and never takes responsibility for her own actions. She lies and is hateful to those around her. I hear she used to be a really nice person but changed when she took over. I cannot imagine her any other way. I don’t say this to slam her but to warn people. Things happened behind closed doors there that should never be allowed. The people that are higher up say they care about the clients but allow her to do anything she wants. They have the power to make her stop but allow her to abuse clients emotionally. I would stay away from this place. What it once was is no longer. the psychiatrist is a joke. He will get you hooked on benzos and then send you on your merry way. The food is ok….they don’t have a real cook. She is nice but you will eat a ton of chicken that is poorly cooked and veggies that made me want to gag. A lot of the RAs are great but some of them repeat everything back to the director so I would be careful. The only person there who is trustworthy without a shadow of a doubt is the nutritionist who is a better therapist than any of the mfts there. You can have all of your electronics until they decide to take them away for whatever reason. You can have all kinds of privledges til they take them away and keep you secluded in the living room with no walks, electronics, books, sessions, or humane treatment. Trust me they will punish you by taking away sessions. You pay 1500 a day to be there and are treated like children. Don’t go there. I’m a very compliant person and am 9 months in recovery but no thanks to this place. The psych ward here in town is a better option than CHS. Trust me.
The clinical director was fired recently, but a friend of mine is there right now and has chosen to leave AMA to transfer to a different facility. They’ve given her a lot of grief over her personal likes and dislikes, not food or ED wise but things like her interests, what she reads, what she likes to do on her down time. She’s been shamed by the staff as well. I’ll definitely say that the nutritionist is one of the most amazing people ever, but she’s currently acting as clinical director and it seems obvious that she doesn’t know what to do in that position.
I was at CHS before the changes and it helped me IMMENSELY, but all of the changes and the harsh treatment from staff that I’m hearing from my friend is ridiculous. They’re basically trying to dehumanize the patients and force them to stick to little boxes. That’s incredibly counterproductive to treatment. I’d have to agree with everyone else, you’d be better off at a facility that runs smoothly and treats the girls with respect.
Wow I’m so happy they fired the clinical director! That is amazing. I don’t know about the other stuff but I definitely believe that you should go somewhere that doesn’t dehumanize you. The RD and stand in CD is really not cut out for that position because she is too nice. I just have to put that out there because I’ve been working with her for almost 8 years and she is amazing. I believe your friend is valid in her beliefs though and I hope she finds a better fit.
I had some problems when I was here the first time, largely stemming from my own unwillingness to actually get better…however they were also reorganizing [switching from two houses to one residential house] and that left staff and residents scrambling to operate re: a new schedule etc.
Staff were very kind; some issues with homophobia, but upper level staff firmly corrected the staff responsible for these remarks.
I would have liked some more structure, for myself; we had hours in the middle of the day with nothing scheduled, and that was difficult for me.
They worked around my food allergies.
I did NOT like the psychiatrist working there; he was under the impression for weeks that I had entered the program bulimic, though I had answered in our first interview that I was not and had attempted to be as insistent as possible on the issue. THAT I found annoying.
My only big problem was that when I refused the low level dose of antidepressants the psychiatrist put me on, my insurance dropped me from PHP level of care; the Center for Hope assured me when I stopped taking the antidepressants that it was “no big deal” if I did not want to take them, and did not warn me being dropped down a level of care was even a remote possible consequence as the result of me refusing these meds.
I entered the program saying I was anti-meds, and my experiences with the psychiatrist did not impress me or inspire particular trust in me for his expertise or ability to correctly diagnose or medicate me.
Also staff were mostly recommended as employees by other staff, so if one had a problem with staff it was difficult to get it heard objectively….I didn’t have many problems with staff if any during the days I was there, but if I had, I doubt any staff members would have been able to be objective about it.
I also felt the stringent dress code [‘no stomach showing’ meant whenever my shirt rode up against my will I was chastised] was a bit much.
Otherwise….overall, a great treatment center. The staff were kind and attempted to be understanding and all seemed very committed to being there.
PRE-2012 REVIEWS
1) If one resident refuses a meal, the whole group can be held back from activities.
Don’t you think this could be helpful? Having the support of all the other residents and knowing you may hold them back if you aren’t responsible?
2) Too much down time, not enough therapy sessions
Down time makes you think, really think about what made you use an eating disorder to deal with life.
3) They are overemphasizing “no bad food” to the point that we eat lots of high sugar foods that are mandatory. i.e. we only get eggs for breakfast 1x per week, other mornings are cereal, bagels, muffins, waffles, or pancakes. Syrup mandatory. Very few vegetables = severe constipation for most of us here. Lunches out, they strongly encourage desserts. Mandatory snack challenges on Friday, this week we had to have ice cream sundaes or milkshakes and consume entire thing.
It’s called intuitive eating. They want you to start eating these things knowing they are choices in real life. It’s only while you’re there. If you don’t want/crave them when you are out on your own than don’t have them.
4) Minimal activity levels, and if they feel you are not gaining weight properly then you don’t get any activity at all.
Ummm, doesn’t this kinda make sense?
5) Once you get on level 4, you can go for a 20 minute walk 5x per week. Yoga 2x week (only stretching) and horses (1-2 hrs depending on how many go.) Otherwise, you sit all day and get yelled at if you stand.
Same as #4
6) The cook is nice, awesome personality but no formal training and a few meals have been rough
Yeah, I remember a bad meal or 2 there though it was nice having ‘home’ cooked meals.
7) Cook does not work on weekends, so you have sandwiches and chips for lunch both day
It does kind of suck though you can order take out one day right?
8)Dairy mandatory at every meal unless allergic
Calcium, how dare they make you consume it!
9) No staff have eating disorder histories
Currently none of them do. They are trained highly and when I think back most knew what they were talking about.
10) Locked bathrooms, door cracked open 6″ and they listen. You can only be alone in bathroom in morning. No showers allowed at night.
Yeah, the shower/bath at night stinks. The open door is a no-brainer, this is an eating disorder treatment center.
11) Lots of relatives, i.e. One person has husband that works here, her daughter is the cook, niece is therapist, and sister in law is RA (Resident assistant). Seems a little nepotism is going on to me, not professional
I work for a small business and my sister and 3 cousins work there. We all have different jobs like they do at the center. And Mel the mom, what a pistol. I love how open and free her and Melina are.
12) They refuse to reschedule phone times, so if you want to go on your walk you will lose at least 20 minutes of morning phone. If you choose to go to church on Sunday, you will lose the phone time during the service.
I understand your distaste in this and I had it big time when I was there. I used it as an excuse to leave many times though I stuck it out knowing treatment was more important than everyone being contacted while there.
13) They are very strict in their beliefs, and if you disagree that eating by their standards is unhealthy, it is eating disordered
Yes, sometimes what you do do or believe is valid though most of the time what they are saying rings true. I had an RA tell me it was disordered for me to eat my sandwich they way I did. I know in my heart it’s not disordered. And if I want to eat all the crust first and save the yummy center for last than I will do it:)
14) A diabetic here is being held hostage under the threat of being discharged AMA. She is unable to get physical therapy in this state or to see a GI specialist for severe constipation. Also, she has severe back pain and is forced to sit for hours and not allowed to lay down. She cries frequently,and her suffering is almost unbearable to watch. We are all affectionate here, and hate the lack of care.
I find it strange that they won’t let her see a GI specialist as they said I could see one it I wanted. I went through terrible stomach problems and constipation while there. They gave me a ton of different stuff to try and it helped only on occasion. Now that I’m out I use Magnesium Oxide tablets and another supplement to keep me regular. Keep in mind that we were abusing our bodies and it needs to heal in order to work properly.
15) They will absolutely discharge you AMA (against medical advice) or ACA (against clinical advice) if they do not feel you have a good reason to leave. This can cause your insurance to refuse you additional treatment, and I feel that to be very wrong.
They have been doing this a long time and I would like to think they know what they are doing when it comes to discharge dates.
Most of what you wrote does sound eating disordered. You probably want to stick a knife in my back for saying it though I have been there and thought most of the same things you wrote while I was in treatment there. I have been out for 3 months and have not relapsed once since being home. That is after almost 15 years of leading an eating disordered life. I didn’t even know who I was without it. I’m pretty f-ing fantastic without ED!
You will be too. Please give the process a chance.
There are reasons for everything you are going through there and with time you will see that.
God Bless!
k, arrived yesterday. FYI, you get to use your cell phone or laptop for one hour in the mornings, 1/2 hr on certain evenings, an hour other evenings/weekends. Not happy, even when I arrived I was first told by intake coordinator I got to keep phone the whole time. Bathrooms are locked always, except first thing in the morning. Otherwise, they are outside the door listening for the duration of stay. This residence is clean and nice, not run down. The back yard is beautiful. Last night for dinner: Angel hair pasta with chicken and vegetables, salad. For snacks, there is a snack list to choose from, anything from crackers and cheese or fruit and cheese to pretzel m&ms. For breakfast today we are having waffles, fruit, and one dairy choice (I picked cottage cheese). You give your order the night before. Staff seem genuine and caring, other girls are very nice and welcoming.
Breakfast is usually cold or hot cereal (your choice) with fruit or bagel with fruit and dairy.
Both lunch and dinner are varied. I enjoy most of the food though get ‘difficult’ foods for me on occasion. That’s part of the process. They give you a small portion to start and start bumping your portions once your treatment team decides you’re ready.
Intuitive eating is something they do teach you. In the beginning you will learn how hungry and full you feel before and after meals. It goes from there. As you progress you will start self portioning a snacks, than a meal and so on until you eat intuitively.
It’s very homey here. I don’t know that I would call it new-agey. Each RA and nurse brings a different personality to the center and I love them all. You learn who you feel most comfortable sharing thoughts/emotions with and they encourage you to do so.
I highly recommend Center of Hope. I have made great strides in my recovery and hope you decide to take advantage in meeting the wonderful residents and staff here!
If you have more questions let me know.
Bathrooms are locked, they stand outside the door when you use it with door cracked; for your entire stay. Yes to laptop and cell phone, you can use them all times except groups. NO YOU CANNOT KNOW YOUR WEIGHT that would be counterproductive to recovery, but if you ask the dietitian she will tell you if you are gaining, losing, staying same. But at a certain point they are going to ask you what your motivation is in always wanting to know, and will probably challenge that. There is a girl here who doesn’t really eat vegetables, they work with her. But it will depend on your individual situation; they are pretty individualized when it comes to your needs for a group setting. There are no supplements (except vitamins) so you have to be well enough and recovery minded enough to eat 100% of your portions if you want to stay. Weekend outings aren’t the best in my opinion, we usually do the clay painting thing, coffee shop or bookstore, nail salon, planetarium, horses, local shows or movies (but very limited as not to be triggering). This is Reno, so there aren’t a lot of choices really. Right now there are about 6 girls, its usually 6-7 average. Extra massages probably not, its every other week. Exercise depends on your history, medical issues, readiness. I am on the higher end of what I’m allowed to do, and I do 20 minutes on the eliptical in the mornings, 20 min walk in the afternoon (depending on weather), and horses on Saturday (but I have no history of over-exercising and I am a diabetic). The people more limited on exercise just get to do the walk, and yoga 2-3 times a week, plus horses. Passes is something individualized depending on the person. I am just starting passes now, and I have been here about 6 weeks, but I havent exactly wanted to do passes either, it was kind of scary. I am going 3 times a week for a few hours at a time. They drop me off and pick me up. I have never done family therapy, my insurance is pushing for it, but my therapist understands that family therapy for me might be a negative for my recovery. But they will question why you don’t want it, so again it’s individualized. Average length of stay really depends on the person, honestly. There is someone here that has been for 4 months and is still staying, another girl who came for 6 weeks and is now in IOP/PHP. It really is how you progress and your insurance of course, not a set time. You do not get to chose your therapist, but there are 3 and I know the two women are great, not sure about the guy therapist never worked with him but he is nice. There is only one dietitian and she is the GREATEST. She is more than just the dietitian, you soon see that she is as much your therapists as anything, and she will talk with you about anything that is bothering you, not just food. Read my earlier posts for info on the food/meal plan. I am personally glad I chose here, but IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE. There is one girl who came for a day and left. So you have to know what YOU want. If you have any other questions feel free to ask.
Food is on a rotating menu, I think for 30 days. I have been here about 3 weeks and haven’t had many repeats that I can think of (except for sandwiches for lunch, those are at least weekly). Most of the food is pretty good, a mix of American, Mexican, Italian, just typical meals. Snacks you have a large list to chose from so you can have a lot of say in that (2 snacks and 3 meals required per day). Everyone eats about the same meal, but they do compensate for vegetarians (if you are vegan they may question if that is ED or you). The portions are different for different people. Also, you get more choices once you are an intuitive eater, which is when you get to portion your own meals and add stuff as you please. You are always allowed to ask for more if you want, and can also add whatever you want that is reasonable, except hot sauce. You can have five foods on your exclusion list and they will make substitutions. The dietitian decides the portions, so if you need to gain weight the portions will be bumped up as needed. Weights are not discussed with us, but she will tell you if you are making progress in that arena. You can have laptops and there is wireless, and you can use your cell phones when not in group. My complaint might be that there is some inconsistencies between staff (but I guess that can be anywhere), and that sometimes the downtime is too much (but at the same time I think it may be good because I need to learn how to deal with down time in a positive way). Even though some staff I have butted heads with, the vast majority of staff is very safe and really cares about what they are doing. And the director is very receptive to our needs if the residents do have complaints, I feel like we are heard and things actually do change. I would say that another negative is having so much controlled for you, as I am older and you must have someone stand outside the bathroom the entire time you are here, and must be in common areas 1 hour after meals so staff can see you, no matter how long you are here. So if you need more independence, that might be a problem for you. Any more questions?
I am here at CHS now. There is a lot of down time, which is looked at as a negative but for some people who are used to distracting themselves and having to be on the go 24/7, its a good way to actually have to process the thoughts and feelings and how to deal with them when not distracted. Meals are sitting in the dining room, they start you off on a set portion that you are required to eat 100% of. Eventually, they graudually let you portion for yourself, with assistance, because the idea is to get back to intuitively eating, where u eat until you are full, not more not less. It sounds scary but they will not do that until you are ready and the dietitian is wonderful and knowledgeable. And if you are a self portioner and you restrict, you will be called out (in a constructive way) and if you do it too much they will probably put you back on required portioning. Before and after meals we meet to discuss thoughts, feelings of fullness, etc. You can have coffee 4 times a week to the coffee shop outing. You are only on a level system for exercise, if you are a high level you can do the treadmill/eliptical twenty minutes a day and also go on a walk when the weather is nice. There is horses every saturday and yoga two or three times a week I think. there is a mix of girls here with a range of issues. There are a few with traumas who are working through that as well. The program has some problems, things I could complain about, as Im sure all places do, but I am definitely glad I came here. I also know different people find different methods of treatment helpful, so if you want you can ask some more specific questions and i would be happy to answer.
I’ve been to The Center for Hope of the Sierras 2 times over the past 7 years. The first time I was there it was still owned by the orginal owner W-OPP. She is the best psychiatrist i’ve ever encountered and she created a wonderful thing. It has since been bought by a corporation. I would caution going there anymore because the new clinical director comes off as one of the nicest people on the phone but is quite different in person. Her staff can’t stand her and the morale around there is depressing. She used to be a therapist there and was AMAZING, I worked with her personally many times before she took her new position and she was one of the easiest people to talk to. Power does a lot of things to people and sadly it took a very good therapist from chs. She isn’t around much but when she is her presence is felt. My recommendation would be to stay away from her and her wrath. If she likes you, you’re golden. If she doesn’t she will make it known. I got the priviledge of being on both sides and it hurts when she starts hating you. That being said if you can get past her there are amazing people there who really do care whether or not you recover.
If you find yourself there you can count on the rest of the team being very helpful. The nutritionist is willing to go out on a limb for anyone and truly wants you to recover. It is intutive eating and dbt based and they definitely know their stuff. The house is beautiful and is located in the most beautiful area in Reno. You are allowed phones and laptops although they go back in forth with letting you have it 24 hours a day or having designated times. I found designated times more helpful because you don’t get as distracted. The food is excellent and you are allowed 5 foods you refuse to eat. They can’t be food groups unless you are vegetarian and if that’s the case they work with you and don’t “punish” you for not eating meat. They are also extremely good at gluten free so if you suffer from celiacs disease this would be the program for you. They do follow a schedule with very little deviation from it. They have 24 hour nursing there which I found very comforting. The nurses are awesome and take you very seriously if something doens’t feel right. They lack in psychiatric care so if you require more than a standard anti depressant this may not be the place for you. The psychiatrist will not know your name and hands out benzos like they are candy. The physical activity there isn’t very much but I found it really helpful to have to learn to sit with myself. You have outings all weekend and really only are housebound Monday and Tuesday. Lunches out are really helpful and they always have the best staff those days. I found treatment teams on thursdays really anxiety provoking but it’s a great way to get to lay everything out there and see how the team thinks you are doing. They do have levels there but it really doesn’t apply to much except exercise and half the things you are allowed to do no one does so reaching the highest level isn’t really a big deal. Overall I would reccommend this program. With the exception of the clinical director EVERYONE there is so helpful. If you have a positive attitude this place can really help. While I struggled with my relationship with the director the beautiful women who do really care make it worth it. I would still reccomend their residential to most people but stay away from their php/iop. It’s very poorly run because it’s new but I’m sure in several years once they get their grove it will be much better.