Cielo House is located in the San Francisco Bay area, and offers residential, PHP, IOP, and transitional living for men, women, and adolescents/young adults. They have four separate locations:
- Cielo House San Jose: PHP, and IOP Adult Treatment Center
- Cielo House San Jose: PHP, and IOP Adolescent Treatment Center
- Cielo House Moss Beach: Residential Treatment
- Cielo House Burlingame:PHP, IOP, Transitional Living
They also offer a specialized treatment track for Binge Eating Disorder.
Any current reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
Cielo House was just reopened under the name Cielomar recovery https://www.cielomaredr.com/
It looks like they turned it in to a virtual only program for teens…in a metaverse? Huh? From their site:
This sounds like a terrible idea.
Agreed! I’m not even sure it qualifies as an idea.
As someone who has worked for my fair share of tech companies, I’m quite familiar with a solution looking for a problem. This is exactly what seems to be happening here.
Hi All,
This is Matt Keck, the founder of Cielo House. I wanted to provide some clarifying information about Cielo House and my new program Cielomar Recovery. Cielo House was acquired by Optum/United Healthcare several years ago, and as the earlier posts discuss, unfortunately it was closed down along with all their other eating disorder facilities nationwide.
Cielomar Recovery, which is my new treatment offering has nothing to do with Optum.
The idea for Cielomar came from the IOP programs that we ran at Cielo House for 14 years. During COVID, when we had to shift our IOP Programs online, we found that even though we made the best of virtual treatment, it was just missing a level of engagement, community, and fun that the in-person IOP offered. On the other hand, virtual treatment is highly convenient. So we thought there must be a way to make it better!
Fast forward a few years and I am observing my teenage daughter playing Fortnite online with her friends, and I think, ‘you know, this looks like a lot of fun, and a great way for people to engage in an online environment’. So the idea came for a virtual IOP program that is engaging, fun, and builds community in a modality that young people are already familiar with. The Cielomar Immersive Virtual IOP takes place inside a “metaverse” (basically an online video game world similar to Fortnite). But the cool thing is that the clients are ALSO on zoom at the same time, so they get the best of both worlds, a virtual environment in which their avatars interact, and an environment in which the clients themselves interact.
It’s kind of a hard concept to explain in writing, but we would love to give anyone who is interested a tour to experience what it is like, or answer any questions.
We are still in early days at Cielomar, bootstrapping our mom and pop treatment program the way we did back in 2010 with Cielo House. And although Cielo House was closed under circumstances beyond our control, we remain committed to providing innovative, quality treatment options for Eating Disorders. Stay tuned for more updates and more treatment offerings!
Do you offer services for adults struggling though. Cielo house and two of the Bay Area Cfd res and php options that took medi cal closed, limiting options for adults over 26 with eating disorders and also are on medi cal
Hi N,
We are actually about to announce a program for adults. Ironically, we have gotten interest in the immersive virtual program for adults, so we plan to offer a separate track.
While we are not able to accept Medí-Cal directly, depending on what county you live in we have contacts who can approve treatment and we are in the process of becoming contracted providers with all Bay Area counties. I would be happy to give you more information. Feel free to reach out to me at 650-556-4565.
Matt
Hi can you elaborate more about your new program and how it works and what your current housing situation looks for those interested
Any recent reviews on the new ceilomar?
BIG NEWS! Cielomar is set to (re)open all of their levels of care (res, php, transitional housing) in-person!! Set for opening in early 2026 and they are taking rsvps for the waitlist
Do you allow for coffee, electronics, gum, and some type of movement?
Does anyone know how rooming works and if they will offer single room dynamic
No
No what
They don’t accommodate single rooms there’s no room
In general there is a waitlist and you get the bed vacated by the previous client. If there is a male client, they’d ask before rooming together. The Moss beach house is relatively small compared to other treatment houses. Con for being near the beach. There are three bedrooms upstairs with two beds each. The master closet is the nursing room. All the rooms/bedrooms downstairs are used for individual and group therapy. If you were in PHP with supportive housing, you might be solo assuming no other clients were at the same level of care. PHP with supportive housing is typically a half-step down for clients who get the boot from insurance
So there are no bedrooms on the first floor that a disabled person who can’t walk up stairs could sleep in? Everyone sleeps on the second floor? Is the nursing room on the first floor?
When I was in the residential house we had a resident with a disability and they ended up making one of the group therapy rooms a bedroom for them. It wasn’t ideal, though, because it wasn’t meant to be a bedroom and we were then short a therapy room, plus the bathroom situation got weird. I think they try not to do that, especially since nursing is on the second floor. In the PHP house you have to navigate stairs because the apartment is a condo above the garage.
Thanks!
This place is reopening in the first week of Jan of 2026
But only for php they don’t have a set date for residential yet
do you know if they’ll have supportive housing? Thanks!!
They said yes for their PHP
Thanks!!
can I get the most recent review of this place?
Not sure if this has already been mentioned, but Cielomar Moss Beach residential will be reopening in January 2026! Glad to see this since we’ve already lost so many treatment centers in the Bay Area. https://www.coastsidenews.com/news/eating-disorder-treatment-center-to-reopen-in-moss-beach/article_0c8eac37-3691-4ddf-843c-102be70c5ab7.html
URGENT CALL TO ACTION‼️
Please sign this petition to stop Optum / United Health Group from closing 16 treatment centers, including Cielo House: https://www.change.org/EatingDisorder
Cielo is closing due to being apart of optum which is closing a lot of their eating disorders centers. Cielo is one of the rare places that take medi-cal and Medicare/ state insurance.
The exact date is March 8th
I’m very concerned that since Optum bought Equip years ago that they intentionally bought up all these in person treatment centers solely to close them and drive people toward virtual treatment where they as an insurer pay less for care. I think the FTC should investigate
Sharing experience on transitional housing at Cielo. When I moved in, the unit was missing the smoke detector. The bathroom and kitchenette had ants. There is also no central heat, only a space heater. Really not conducive to my recovery.
yes, same for me. also not really a kitchen to cook in and more of a “make-it-work” situation with fuses blowing constantly. they let three of us live there but we only had one twin bed. it was very weird and stressful.
Answering for their Moss Beach residential:
When were you there?
beginning of 2022
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)?
I’ve done their residential & their php at burlingame
How many patients are there on average?
maybe an average of 7-8 while I was there but it ranged from 5-10
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
both & combined
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
doctor & psychiatrist are 1x/week each. therapist I believe was 2x/week & dietitian was 1x/week.
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
usually 2-3 floor staff per shift in the day & 1 staff overnight
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)?
dbt, cbt, art/recreational, ecotherapy, equine therapy, act, etc.
Describe the average day:
630 – weight & vitals
meals & snacks at around 830,1030,1230, 330, 6, & 9 (I can’t remember exact timings)
walks after breakfast
3 groups/weekday & 2 groups/weekend day – each were about 1.5 hrs
I think 6-7 smoke breaks a day
What were meals like? What sorts of food were available or served?
some were better than others but pretty decent, homemade meals. takeout for wednesday dinners. you make your own meals for breakfast & twice a week for lunch. you can chose/make all of your own snacks. they had lots of options & you could always request for them to get something.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
supplemented a certain amount of ounces based on percentage of incomplete
100% of an incomplete meal would be two supplements; 100% of an incomplete snack would be one supplement
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
you would have to fill out a behavior chain analysis worksheet & it would prevent you from leveling up.
Are you able to eat vegetarian?
yes
What privileges are allowed?
you can have tech all the time except phones get taken 10 am-330 pm on weekdays
more exercise & outing privileges as you level up
Does it work on a level system?
yes
How do you earn privileges?
I think just meal compliance, medical stability, & participating in groups
What sort of groups do they have?
might be different now but when I was there it was: goal-setting, experiential, therapeutic writing, cooking, life after treatment, process group, ecotherapy, body image, act, equine therapy, nutrition, seeking safety, farm ecotherapy, interpersonal, mindfulness, dbt, yoga, music, & creative expression/art
What was your favorite group?
the ecotherapy groups & therapeutic writing
What did you like the most?
I made a lot of really good friends there & I loved the location & going out for walks by the beach
What did you like the least?
I think there could have been more transparency and communication between clinicians & clients
Would you recommend this program?
yes
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
depending on your level, different lengths of walks & yoga
What did people do on weekends?
visiting hours & a lot of free time
Do you get to know your weight?
no
How fast is the weight gain process?
different for different people
What was the average length of stay?
it depends. maybe 1.5-2 months?
What was the average age range?
depends. it’s 18+ but there were people of all ages while I was there. maybe the average person was in their 20s.
How do visits/phone calls work?
visiting hours on weekends, phone timings mentioned above.
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
mentioned above.
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go out on passes?
I think so but while I was there, we only went to certain places for groups & not on individual passes due to covid.
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours?
you use recovery record & they have (limited) housing available but not much out of programming hours support
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
they usually make sure you have some kind of discharge/step down plan
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
not sure
If applicable: How is the program responding to COVID? (Less patients, virtual programming, no visitors, masks, social distancing, etc)
when I was there, we wore masks & the dining tables had socially distanced seating
does anyone that’s recently been here know if they accept anthem blue cross medi-cal? Im currently in the process of getting back on my moms insurance but was wondering if there’s a waitlist and if they take state insurance. Thanks in advance!
No they do not
They actually do. You just have to get a referral from your county.
They take medi-cal but you’d have to work out a single case agreement. It can be a huge hassle and may not work out.
Yes they do. I’m in the process of getting one worked out and I also qualify to go back on my moms insurance since I’m disabled so that might help my case.
It depends on your medi cal and your county I was on anthem blue cross medi-cal in placer county and they didn’t take my county’s medi-cal where Santa Clara or San Francisco county medi cal might take it. Also cielo is really selective, they tend to deny people who have been there before even if it’s their only option with insurance
Yeah, they do deny a lot of people and also administratively discharge people for very poor reasons without giving them a plan to go somewhere else. But people don’t really have options with medi-cal, there’s not really any other places that take it depending on the county.
Has anyone been to their transitional living house? And if so how was it? This is the longest I have been out of treatment and don’t need to refeed more so help to transition into the world… except PHP and me don’t work… and most transitional living programs don’t take EDs…
I lived in both their burlingame and SJ houses. They closed their SJ apartment and last I checked burlingame had a very long waitlist but that may have changed this was in Feb. But they give priority for housing to repeat clients and people coming from res. Burlingame holds 2 people it’s a 1bdrm apartment a minute walk away from program. On the second floor. Pretty run down. It’s VERY small. They don’t offer any after hours support or anything it’s just a place to stay if you’re from out of town. There aren’t any staff there. You buy your own food and stuff. CH also does basically nothing for aftercare planning or helping you prepare for going back into the world. That’s probably the area they lack in the most. They don’t even offer groups for it. Also you have to be going to PHP to stay there. You might look into Lotus Collaborative they used to have a good transitional housing program but I’m not sure if they’ve reopened it yet at either of their locations.
When were you there? Multiple times between 2020 – 2022
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)? Residential, PHP
How many patients are there on average? 6-10
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? all genders, combined
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? Residential – medical doctor weekly (in person, if she gets to you), psychiatrist weekly (zoom, for about 3 minutes, if she gets to you) therapist 2x weekly (in person or zoom) dietician weekly (in person) PHP psychiatrist weekly (zoom) therapist weekly (in person) dietician weekly (in person/zoom)
What is the staff-to-patient ratio? Residential – 1-4 staff members from 7am – 10pm and 1 staff at night php 1-3 staff
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)? DBT, CBT, experiential, art, cooking group one day a week.
Describe the average day: 3 meals, 3 snacks, 3 groups a day. lots of free time to smoke/vape and watch tv
What were meals like? Meals were repetitive, bland, not very edible. They consist of one meat-based protein usually chicken and a frozen microwaved vegetarian option. a random grain like quinoa, lentils or rice and overly greased vegetables. 1-2 times a week it would be soup instead. take out one time a week. dessert is mandatory and every day. fat is HIGHLY over portioned. vegetables and soups are drenched in it. Awful seafood that smelled up the entire house was served once a week with no other protein available besides the vegetarian option. You could sometimes have a frozen Amy’s meal instead. Everyone eats in the conference room and plays repetitive games the whole time. meals are 30 minutes. Snacks eaten in the dining room or kitchen sometimes and you can get up when you’re done and go sit on the couch. supplements are 10 minutes supervised. RC or dietician sits at meal and usually doesn’t eat. You are allowed to choose 2-3 dislikes and generally they can be broad like mine were seafood and meat substitutes.
What sorts of food were available or served? food was cooked in the bigger kitchen by the chef and reheated in the microwave, usually still cold when served and not fresh. meals were rarely coherent just some protein with random sauce, a grain and vegetables covered in oil. two times a week you have to make your own meals like sandwiches and stuff or heat up leftovers or cook a frozen Amy’s meal. Once a week they bring in take out. Dessert is daily and not optional and not part of your meal plan which doesn’t make sense at all. You make your own breakfast and you can have whatever you want like eggs oatmeal etc.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? supplements (ensure or kate farms) are based on percentage of meals completed. However if you supplement more than a couple times you WILL be discharged.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? You will be discharged without notice and no further plan for care even if you came from out of state.
Are you able to eat vegetarian? Yes they accommodate this, gluten free, dairy free as well with dietician approval.
What privileges are allowed? Everything
Does it work on a level system? Yes – you don’t have to do anything to move up levels they just do it automatically.
How do you earn privileges? You don’t there are no privileges to earn.
What sort of groups do they have? DBT, CBT, Art, random things where they read from books or random handouts that don’t have anything to do with anything. Equine, farm, gardening, animal care. The groups are extremely unhelpful and the therapists are interns with very little supervision and don’t actually know what they’re doing
What was your favorite group? Art when they actually did it
What did you like the most? Spending time with the animals
What did you like the least? Being treated horribly by clinical staff, the fatphobia, being told I was worthless and helpless and lied to constantly. Seeing others go through the same thing when we’re literally fighting for our lives. No one understanding what you’re going through. Literally the moment I met my therapist after speaking to her for not even a minute and she dismissed me and said she can’t help me and threatened to hospitalize me because I was having a panic attack and couldn’t think. Being gaslit constantly by the two-faced clinical director who regularly does this to other clients because she takes one look at them and decides they’re not good enough.
Would you recommend this program? No. This place needs to be shut down as do the other treatment centers owned by Refresh.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? None – clients are allowed to go for daily short walks as a group
What did people do on weekends? Hang around, have visitors in the front yard. Occasionally a therapist will show up and do some sort of “group” that is equally as unhelpful as all the other “groups”
Do you get to know your weight? No
How fast is the weight gain process? Depends on the client
What was the average length of stay? Highly dependent on the client and if the clinical director feels like dealing with them
What was the average age range? early 20’s many still in high school or just starting college
How do visits/phone calls work? Phones available in the morning until 10 then again after 3:30, visits on the weekend
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)? All electronics allowed you can have your laptop all day in between groups nothing allowed during most groups/meals
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go out on passes? depends on COVID protocols not at all while I was there unless you were going for labs/doctor appointments
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours? I was able to email/text my therapist/dietician but I was in transitional housing I don’t know if it was different for others
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? No aftercare planning whatsoever
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? No. You pay for your flight there/back.
If applicable: How is the program responding to COVID? (Less patients, virtual programming, no visitors, masks, social distancing, etc) Last time I was at res clients had to wear masks at all times as did staff and visitors, testing was happening regularly. Same for PHP. They were doing virtual programming half the day but went back to fully in person for PHP. At the beginning of COVID they had less people at the end they bumped it back up to 10 which was a terrible idea as they were so short staffed and people had to quarantine they literally put a wall up in the master bedroom to separate it and turned the group room into another bedroom just to shove more people in when they already weren’t taking care of anyone.
Other? I had a very good experience when I first went there in 2020, the staff genuinely cared and did everything they could to help and were really good at working with insurance and making sure everyone got what they needed and were on the right path. However my latest experience was incredibly harmful and traumatic and I still haven’t recovered. I and many other clients were treated horribly by the current clinical staff who have no business working with people with eating disorders or in the mental health field at all. The clinical director and her little minion are evil. I don’t know any other way to put it. The executive director is clearly over it and should just dip at this point.
When were you in res and who was in charge of programming? Were therapist and dietician and groups any good?
I was there recently do not recommend, they don’t want people with eating disorders and if you show any sign of an eating disorder your out with no follow up care
When were you last at their res?
I’ve been to CH at least 5 times since the beginning of 2020. The programming is run by the clinical director who has no experience with eating disorders outside this job. She’s a general anxiety/depression therapist and yoga instructor in her private practice and has no care for or empathy for ED patients. The therapists who do 1:1 therapy and groups are interns and have no idea what they’re doing. Their techniques are harmful more often than not. They receive the absolute minimum supervision/coaching. The groups are not helpful at all, mostly filling out worksheets or answering questions from books. The process groups often turn toxic because the therapists can’t give productive advice. The dieticians I worked with at residential are all gone now. However, the dieticians at the SJ PHP/IOP location I believe are still there and I really like both of them.
When were you last at their res?
I left in Feb and cut all ties last month.
Describe the average day: wake up at 6:30-7am get vitals weight and get ready. Breakfast is at 8 then animal care or gardening, snack is at 10am, the group from 10:30-12 then lunch and dessert then group is at 1:30-3 then snack then group from 4:30-6, then dinner then down time from 7-9 then snack then bed.
* What were meals like? They have the same types of food. It was weird theres a lot of weird soups lol and every type of greasy veggies and every type of potatoes dish, different rice dishes, noodles and meats. They have like a veg meat and carb so every day is the same either some type of potatoe, some type of noodle some type of rice etc.
* What sorts of food were available or served? Different types of Rice, quinoa, different types of potatoes, different types of soups, different types of noodles, and pizza and take out. Is wednesday. And they have dessert every day and tuesday thursday you don’t pick and 100% meal completion is required and no supplementing except leas then 1 time a week so it could be a cupcake, cake, danish etc and they expect you to eat it or you risk getting kicked out.
* Did they supplement? How did that system work? They supplement but require 100% compliance and no supplementing unless absolutely necessary if you refuse a supplement or supplement like more then twice a week even if you finish the supplement you get kicked out. Which is really odd
* What is the policy of not complying with meals? ^
* Are you able to eat vegetarian? Yea
* What privileges are allowed? Most things because you have to be 100% anyways
* Does it work on a level system? Yes 1-3 after level one you can go on a 2 minute walk down the street and back lol fun. But get to go to equine and farm. And 2+ you get a ten minute walk
* How do you earn privileges? Medical stability and seniority (being there longer)
* What sort of groups do they have? Dbt cbt family dynamics process
* What was your favorite group? Process
* What did you like the most?staff
* What did you like the least? Strictness I sometimes felt you basically have to be “cured” to be there it’s normal to struggle but they expect you to be 100% when your there for a reason lol because you struggle
* Would you recommend this program? No
* What level of activity or exercise was allowed? Walks
* What did people do on weekends? Nothing lol
* Do you get to know your weight? No
* How fast is the weight gain process? 0-2 pounds
* What was the average length of stay? 2 weeks to 2 months
* What was the average age range? All different types mostly people in their 20s
* How do visits/phone calls work? Visitors on Saturday or Sunday 3:30-6 and phones from 3:30-bed and wake up to 10:30am
When were you in res and who was in charge of programming? Were therapist and dietician and groups any good?
This place worsened my ED and created new problems for me. A certain dietician holds EXTREME views that are harmful. DON’T COME HERE. I regret it so much. The staff and program is one size fits all and is very fat phobic and trans phobic. If your not what a typical person with an Ed looks like your brushed to the side and put on extremely small meal plans even if your coming in for restricting. They told my friend that insurance wasn’t going to cover her because Ed treatment is for “weight restoration” and said said bmi which was soo uncalled for
Hey do you mind explaining more? you can contact me directly!
Any reviews for the San Jose PHP with housing?
San Jose got rid of their housing 2 years ago. Their phps are not as good as most other programs so I recommend if you have other options to look elsewhere. I’m pretty familiar with all locations and for their php they are undergoing a lot of constant staffing issues and staff leaving. It’s 12-7 but there isn’t really groups. There’s supposed to be three in a 7 hour period but a lot of the time you just sit there for the whole day with nothing to do. For me that was hard because I like structure. It’s not really put together as I would like. It’s mainly down Time and nothing to do but drama between clients. I’ve had a lot of people I know recently go there too and last a few days before leaving and go else where because it’s such a disaster. Their Burlingame is a little better but still is a disaster they are also undergoing a lot of staff leaving. I’m not sure what’s going on there but the staffing issues has gone on for a few years and they haven’t been able to manage to get long term people so the clients suffer with no actual therapy because the therapist just leave or don’t show up.
Oh ok, yeah i was looking to go to either Residential at moss beach and then the PHP with housing or just do the PHP with housing. Im guessing it would be the burlingame location then. Do you know what that would look like?
Maybe i can just do Residential at moss beach
My other option is CFD but i dont think i need such an intense program rn, been there 3 times for Residential because i live 2-3 hours away. I could possibly do their php if i pay for an appartment nearby i guess. But it would most likely be Residential again
I recommend cfd over cielo house I’ve been to both and cielo isn’t the best program out there
I recommend Burlingame they have a pretty decent program it’s 12pm-7pm with 2 meals and a snack I like the staff there better
Ah ok, can you tell me why you would recommend CFD more? What do they do differently/is more helpful? I would probably go to the fremont location.
Ive decided i definitely will need residential but not sure which program will be more beneficial to prepare me for going home. My outpatient team arent specialized in EDs and the dietitian im seeing just gave me plate model handouts, and she supposedly treated eds, i dont really have many options due to medicaid. Im hoping to stay i. The program for weight restoration and some maintenance. But im not sure how they teach maintenance/intuitive eating
If you need weight restoration go to CFD. CH cannot help with that they will just kick you out. If you’re not 100% meal plan compliant and stable (so basically already ready for outpatient just need a “touch up”) when you go in they don’t want to deal with you. The clinical director is awful and immediately hates 99% of the clients. Gets rid of them and brings new people in to see if they are any better. Their outpatient programs are not better. I don’t know a single person from my extended time there that has recovered from their programs I do however know people that are dead or dying. Also housing at burlingame last I heard is “indefinitely” full because they let long timers stay forever
As far as PHP, have you looked into Lotus Collaborative? They get pretty good reviews, especially among people who have struggled to maintain recovery after going through other treatment programs.
https://www.thelotuscollaborative.com/eating-disorder-recovery-services.html
Ill look into it! The problem is that I have Medi-cal and so I would have to get a SCA through the county.
Cielo house isn’t really good with medi-cal patients I’ve known people who have gone there with it and haven’t had a good experience compared to Fremont cfd or granite bay.
CH very very rarely will do a single case agreement. They are mostly willing to work with Kaiser or PPOs. These days they favor Kaiser patients.
Lotus should be willing to do a SCA, they are in my case.
Has anyone been here recently? Do they do holds? What were meals like? Do you get to have smoke/vape breaks? What was the level system like? Do they have supplements? Do they tube? Do they have a nurse on staff 24/7? Do they allow visitors? What about phone time? Do u have roommates? Can you choose to shower in the morning or at night?
I have I’ve been there multiple times. And there recently. They don’t do holds but you have to be willing to be there and if your not you won’t last long. most places are super relaxed and are flexible your first few days/weeks but you can’t supplement to much or refuse meals what so ever or they start to talk about administrative discharge. Or higher level even if it’s a few meals which is hard because you go there for help but they expect you to be perfect but I guess the accountability is good. Except if you live out of state then your screwed because they don’t usually send you to a higher level and just discharge you with no plan. You get smoke breaks, they can’t tube but if your not in a medically stable place or refuse meals they will send you out fast.
I second this I wrote the first comment they aren’t qualified for Ed’s. They don’t want to deal with Ed’s which is so stupid because it’s an Ed center you basically have to be Ed free to get help for your Ed here which is pointless because you go to them for help but if you show symptoms of an Ed your out. That therapist intern literally told someone they didn’t meet criteria for an Ed because of their weight which was so traumatic to watch let alone I can’t imagine that person felt. She never specialized in Ed and has no filter idk why she works there because she says such harmful stuff like comments on how residential is for weight restoration only which EDS DONT HAVE A SIZE! And any professional should know that and those words damage. Staff knows she said that but she’s still there
I’ve spent a lot of time here and I don’t recommend it. I’m significantly worse off because of it. The clinical staff is highly unqualified to work in this type of setting. They play favorites with clients and everyone else gets no help/attention. If you’re not already basically recovered and especially if you have co-occuring disorders they will just discharge you with no plan or resources for getting the care you need. As another person said if you are struggling to complete meals or supplements you’ll be gone very quickly, which is highly inappropriate in a residential level of care. They are not an inpatient facility or hospital they do not do holds or tubes. They also don’t consider themselves a medical facility at all. They may call an ambulance on you though and have you placed on a 5150 at a nearby hospital then not accept you back to the program after. Medical care is limited, the doctor is there once a week in person (and she doesn’t always get to everyone) and psychiatrist once a week by zoom. The nurses are great though, I will say that. Most of the RCs too. And yeah like the other person said, this is not a good place for out of state patients. You’ll spend your own money to fly there (something that’s also weird to me. All the other residentials I looked into when I went back there the last time paid for your flights) then they make up an excuse to discharge you 1-2 weeks later and don’t help you get home or to a safe place. There is also a specific therapist intern there right now who is the worst mental health “professional” anyone has ever worked with. Literally every client has issues with her. The directors are well aware. They refuse to do anything knowing she’s actively harming people’s recovery. No matter how many people complain. They defend her to the end of the earth especially the clinical director. The dietician is OK but not qualified to work in a residential setting. She’s just out of school though and trying to learn and she improved a lot during the time I was away. Up until recently they only admitted 6 people at a time but went back to squeezing in 10 people, which is stupid because they’re so understaffed and under qualified. So if you’re not perfect they’ll get rid of you and just hope the next client is more worthy of their treatment. Which they are delusional if they think is helping people. I know A LOT of clients and 90% of them are doing worse after their time there.
Has anyone been here recently?
me, Ive been here a few times and recently for 5 months and still have friends there.
Would you recommend it?
Has anyone done PHP here? Reviews? Do they have supported housing?
when were you there?
how often do you meet with the medical doctor, your individual therapist, the nutritionist?
what therapies do they use most (DBT, CBT, IFS, EMDR, nature therapy, massage, acupuncture, reiki….?)
what types of groups were there?
was it all group based/ any individual sessions? do they involve family?
what were meals like..
what kind of food/brands?
how was it served (serve yourself buffet style, plated for you)
was there a chef? like some places you make your own breakfast and snacks and then a chef does lunch and dinner
how were the meals decided
exchange system used?
did they supplement?
is there a level system?
did you feel like you were treated well/listened to?
is there phone/computer rules?
did a lot of people come from different states?
php housing available? prices? laundry?
When were you there? September through October 2020-I had a very good experience here. The staff is knowledgeable, the groups were engaging and “higher level” than other treatment centers I’ve been to, and the food was decent. Beautiful location in Moss Beach
How often do you meet with the medical doctor, your individual therapist, the nutritionist? Physician: weekly, Therapist: 2-3 times/week, Dietician: weekly, Psychiatrist: weekly
What therapies do they use most (DBT, CBT, IFS, EMDR, nature therapy, massage, acupuncture, reiki….?): DBT and CBT
What types of groups were there? Discharge planning, nutrition, CBT, DBT, ACT, Experiential, yoga on Saturdays, Equine on Thursdays, Farm
Was it all group based/ any individual sessions? do they involve family? Yes, individual sessions with psychiatrist, physician, therapist, dietitian
What were meals like: Everything works on exchanges (provided to you by your RD). Breakfast and snacks you make yourself (must be checked off by a staff member), and lunch and dinner are made by their chef (you plate your own to be checked off by the RD). On Tuesday afternoons, you have cooking group and the clients make lunch and dessert to have that day
What kind of food/brands?
Breakfast: cereal, yogurt, cottage cheese, waffles, toast, eggs/omelets, fruit
Lunch: salads, soups, sandwiches (good variety, I never had the same lunch twice). Mondays you make your own lunch using leftovers/supplies on hand, and Tuesdays you cook lunch for the group with the chef using a recipe that everyone agrees on
Dinner: pizza on Fridays, salads, chicken, pasta, etc. Decent variety
How was it served (serve yourself buffet style, plated for you): Buffet style-all meals and snacks must be approved by a staff member or dietician
Was there a chef? Yes, for lunch and dinner
Exchange system used? Yes, decided on for you by your RD-they are flexible with when you get your exchanges and what your exchanges are, esp if you are feeling hungrier at certain times of the day
Did they supplement? Yes, Boost and Orgain for meals/snacks not completed
Is there a level system? Yes, based on your progress, allows privileges like longer walks or added movement opportunities based on your individualized treatment plan
Did you feel like you were treated well/listened to? YES! I felt like treatment at Cielo House was very individualized and clients were well respected by staff
Is there phone/computer rules? You can have your phone after 3:30 and overnight, and then you turn it in prior to breakfast the next morning
Did a lot of people come from different states? Most people were from California (I was an exception)
php housing available? prices? laundry? Free laundry on site, not sure about PHP housing-I didn’t do PHP, just Res
thank you SO MUCH for this response. Sounds pretty good. I have a lot of weight to gain so I worry about the food and supplements as my digestion is slow and its uncomfortable. do you know if the supplements are built into the meal plan or only if you do not finish? how many times a week is there dessert? what brands of snacks, breads, nut butter, yogurt etc were there?
Me too, dessert is once a day and they make you eat 100% of everything
I was here in 7x in 2016, 2017, 2018 and this month 2021
when were you there?
This month and 7 or 8x in 2016, 2017, 2018
how often do you meet with the medical doctor?
1x a week
your individual therapist, the nutritionist?
2x/week [combined]. for therapy some residentials do 3 but here it’s 1x and 0-1x with a dietitian
what therapies do they use most (DBT, CBT, IFS, EMDR, nature therapy, massage, acupuncture, reiki….?)
Dbt, cbt where some places do more ed based groups
what types of groups were there?
Farm, equine, dbt, process, cbt, family dynamics, animal care, etc. there’s not as many groups as most residentials and a lot of down time
was it all group based/ any individual sessions? do they involve family?
Group based and sometimes family. Sometimes insurance will require family therapy to get you longer but it’s not always the case and not mandatory
what were meals like..
By exchanges and cooked by a chef. Most places let you choose meals or different options but here you only get to pick snacks
what kind of food/brands?
Safeway
how was it served (serve yourself buffet style, plated for you)
was there a chef? like some places you make your own breakfast and snacks and then a chef does lunch and dinner
Only lunch and dinner
how were the meals decided
Weight or why your there
exchange system used?
Yes
did they supplement?
Yes and you have to be 100% and can’t not supplement more then three times a week so you have to eat everything without ensure
is there a level system?
Yes
did you feel like you were treated well/listened to?
is there phone/computer rules?
did a lot of people come from different states?
php housing available? prices? laundry?
Has anyone been here recently?
any recent reviews please!
Could anyone provide a recent review of Cielo House’s residential program?
Were there smoke breaks?
You can smoke pretty much any time you want. You’re allowed to be outside any time you’re not in an activity, and whenever you’re outside you can smoke. Not during groups or meals, obviously, but other than that it seemed like people smoked all the time. They were able to either have a PHP person get them cigarettes from the grocery store when they went for their weekly trip or would find a way to stop on the outing. Cielo House is really good about making sure people get their needs met, even if that is their smoking.
I was there August 2020 and smoking wasn’t allowed whenever you wanted. They had specific breaks built in (about 6 a day) and would confiscate cigarettes/vapes at all other times.
How did they handle clients who cannot consume gluten or dairy due to medical reasons? Is a different summer supplement available for people with food allergies besides ensure?
They would likely find another commercially available product for you, like Ensure Clear which is dairy and gluten free.
How is Ensure Clear being passed as a dairy free option? It’s whey protein! This is the kind of madness that still drives me bonkers! It’s said they only care that they have a lactose-free option. Meanwhile, only 25 years into suffering was I ever offered a food allergy test, which explains sooo much now that I understand dairy protein allergy is a thing! Grrr!
Is that what their using now
I cannot consume gluten and have significant issues with lactose. When I attended this program they were very good about lactose/diary free options and gluten free options. I had my own fridge and drawers for my specific gluten free foods. If i remember correctly, the chef is actually gluten intolerant herself so you always have very good options for meal alternatives and snacks in general. Some of the gluten free things I had access to were pasta, bread(sandwich/bagels/hamburger buns), pretzels, various cookie and cracker types. In terms of diary free options they had a few different types of milk, cheeses, butters and ice cream.
I was pushed on my lactose issues and they had me start slowly reintroducing it with lactaid which I was nervous about but it ended up working out ok. They also pushed me on my gluten issues. I have never gotten a formal diagnosis for celiac but my mother was diagnosed and I have been off of it since middle school(well before the onset of my eating disorder). I was very against trying to reintroduce gluten for obvious reasons and they essentially told me that my unwillingness to “challenge” this particular intolerance was noncompliance and that it showed I wasn’t fully committed to the process. All of this is to say that if you have a medically documented allergy or intolerance you should be more than fine but if its not “official” you will likely be met with a fair bit of resistance.
• When were you there? I was there twice, once in 2018 & 2019
• How many patients on average? 6 or 7 in res, 10 total
• Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? Yes treatment is for males and females, it is combined, but males usually sleep in a different room unless you are ok with having a male roommate
• How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? You see the therapist 2x/week, medical doctor, psychiatrist and dietitian 1x/week, though dietitians are always around for you to check in with.
• What is the staff ratio to patients? 1:2
• What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? They use all types of therapy such as DBT, CBT, and ACT. I know that some people did EMDR and other types of trauma work. They also have equine therapy
An average day for residential patients:
6:30- weight, vitals and UA (urine analysis every day), usually when you get ready.
7:30- breakfast prep in kitchen
8:00- breakfast
9:00- group
10:00- snack
10:30- group
12:00- Lunch
1:30- group
3:00- snack
3:30-4:30 free time and individual sessions
4:30- group
6:00- dinner
7:00- group
9:00- snack and night meds
10-11 bed time (they close downstairs at 10, but you can stay up however late you want, usually they say something if it’s past 11)
• What were meals like? Meals were the exchange system. You had complete autonomy for breakfast and snacks, staff would just check you off. For lunch and dinner the amazing cook would make that on the weekdays and it was a lot of farm to table sort of foods. Some were better than others.
• Did they supplement? How did that system work? They use ensure plus and supplement based on how much you didn’t eat. If you supplement 3x in one day you get moved down an exercise level and if you supplement most of the time, they send you to inpatient until you can eat more.
• What is the policy of not complying with meals? Non-compliance with supplement and meals means you can’t go on outings or anything and you have to fill out a form as to what you can do differently. They give you opportunities to make it up throughout the day too.
• Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes you can be vegetarian, just not vegan. They have a lot of tofu in the menu from the cook.
• What privileges are allowed? You have your phone after 3:30 and until breakfast. You can go on passes with family about 2-3 weeks after you get there.
• Does it work on a level system? The only level system was exercise levels. There was restricted- which is basically no unnecessary ADL movement. Then Mild- you could go on outings and walk, but no equine. Then moderate- you could go to equine and walk. For full exercise depending on what your dietitian thinks
• How do you earn privileges? Stable vitals, meal compliance, working hard in therapy and etc…
• What sort of groups do they have? All types, ACT, DBT, CBT, Nutrition, process, body-image,
• What was your favorite group? Definitely nutrition or process
• What did you like the most? The staff, the clients and how close we got and they have goats and chickens you can hang out with and take care of.
• What did you like the least? Sometimes insurance sucked and they would move you to PHP with little warning.
• Would you recommend this program? YES
• What level of activity or exercise was allowed? Walking and if approved exercise in the gym/garage, but most people didn’t get to that point.
• What did people do on weekends? Weekends are very chill
• Do you get to know your weight? No
• How fast is the weight gain process? About 1-2lb a week
• What was the average length of stay? 30 days in res, 30 days in PHP
• What was the average age range? 16+ (mature 16 year olds)
• How do visits/phone calls work?
• What is the electronics policy? (ex: cell phones, iPods, Kindle, laptop, tablets) You can have your laptop at all times, cell phones from 3:30 until breakfast.
• Are you able to go out on passes? Yes after a few weeks at residential.
• What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? They have several PHP/IOP programs and connect with your team when needed.
• Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? Ask Matt- CEO about this. Sometimes they fly people out for treatment.
Do they provide organic options or make homemade supplements (not ensure drinks).. one center would make fresh shakes with a special recipe with flax and other protein and fats. I’m decided between here and another residential that I’ve already been too and I enjoyed their food approach and am nervous to try a new place like Cielo with a different food philosophy.
What is the other residential you are considering? And where was the place they made the homemade supplements?
Mirasol
i mean, i am considering mirasol or tapestry. mirasol made the supplements homemade. any experience with any of these places? do you recommended anywhere?
Sarah,
I’ve been to Mirasol too. Cielo House doesn’t do homemade supplements. Monte Nido used to but I’m not sure if they do any more since their ownership changed.
when you were at Mirasol? if within the last year, can you do a review since there is a new director? any major changes?
also, cielo vs mirasol?
– typical breakfast/lunches/dinners for clients I would appreciate it! house chef?
– almond and coconut milk items are available? snack/breakfast pick your own?
– Do clients plate their own portions? exchanges?
– Is there a level system?
– housing fee?
– bathrooms locked/checked?
– how they take care of laundry?
Sarah, I was at Mirasol in 2009, so I don’t have recent experience there at all, and I know there have been massive changes since I left.
– typical breakfast/lunches/dinners for clients I would appreciate it! house chef?
At Cielo you make your own breakfast. Mostly people do cereal, oatmeal, toast, stuff like that. They have a ton of fruit, yogurt, eggs, etc and pretty much anything goes. They do have a chef but man, she makes pretty bad food. We had many meals that had people rolling their eyes. Many soups with rice and meatballs/plain tofu in it that were just weird.
– almond and coconut milk items are available? snack/breakfast pick your own? No almond or coconut milk unless someone has a soy and dairy allergy. Snack and breakfast you do choose yourself.
– Do clients plate their own portions? exchanges? Clients plate their own portions based on exchanges. You eyeball, you don’t measure. Staff helps but sometimes it feels hard to trust.
– Is there a level system? Nope! It’s nice that way.
– housing fee? Yes. Housing in PHP is fairly expensive and nobody I know of had a scholarship.
– bathrooms locked/checked? Yes. They are always locked and the staff always stands outside. You never get off obs.
– how they take care of laundry? They have a washer and dryer in the garage you take turns using.
Rachel,
I don’t recommend Cielo House. I spent a total of eight months at all their levels of care last year, and looking back I wish I had transferred somewhere else. The therapy, both individual and groups, was a joke. Even if it were free, which it wasn’t, it wasn’t a good use of time. I would strongly suggest you look somewhere else.
This is really helpful, thank you. Would you mind doing a full review? There isn’t much info out there on Cielo House, so it could help a lot of people. Here are some suggestions for questions: https://edtreatmentreview.com/how-to-write-a-review/
Thank you Presly and Macy for your reviews!
I have a couple questions, for you or anyone else:
– What is the average length of stay?
– What is their electronics policy?
– On their website they mention a financial aid program, have you heard anything about that or about how it works?
Thank-You!! May I ask when you were there ?? Also, would you mind giving examples of typical meals and snacks ?? Thanks!!
I went here for residential and it was a good program. Very individualized. The food was wonderful and the portions extremely reasonable. The medical dr was very through and the nursing care was compassionate and detail oriented. My target weight was extremely reasonable (under the normal bmi standards) bra size they also took into account frame size and medical stability.
There were a good variety of activities. The group therapy was lacking in my opinion, but otherwise a good (often overlooked) place.
Thanks for the review! Would you mind giving me a few examples of typical breakfast, lunches and dinners? I’m trying to get an idea of what typical meals look like there! Thanks!
Meals were all based on exchanges, and everyone has a different meal plan based on nutritional & medical need.
Here’s a look at an example meal plan (not mine).
Breakfast:
2 Grains
1 Protein
1 Fat
1 Fruit
1 Dairy
An example breakfast that could meet this meal plan would be:
2 slices of toast (grains) w/ 1 TB butter (Fat), 1 egg (protein), 1 banana (fruit), and 1 yogurt
Everyone made their own breakfast. It’s open kitchen. So the options are endless. This was very overwhelming for me during my first week, but it helped prepare me for when I was discharged. Mostly everything is labeled so you know exactly how an item might meet exchanges. The staff are also very helpful and there is a binder that outlines everything as well.
Lunch & Dinner:
2 Grains
2 Proteins
2 Fats
2 Vegetables
Lunch & dinner were made by the home chef Fiona. She makes something different every day for both lunch & dinner. I was there for 2 months and I only had a few dishes twice.
An example meal would be: 4 oz chicken (about 1/2 a chicken breast) made with butter or oil as fat, rice, and fresh veggies.
OR
Grilled cheese sandwich (Cheese as protein & butter on bread as fat) w/ tomato soup.
Meals were done at a long dinning room table. There were about 10 clients and 2-3 staff per meals. Meals were up to 1hr.
Snacks were 3x per day and were to be completed within 30 mins. Snack exchanges varied.
Morning snack:
1 Dairy
1 Fruit
1 Grain
Afternoon Snack:
1 Grain
1 Protein
1 Fat
Night Snack:
1 Fruit
1 Dairy
4 oz Ensure Plus
Dessert:
We also had dessert everyday. It could be anything that met 1 dessert exchange.
Example Desserts:
1 handful M&Ms OR 1 ice cream cone OR 1 big cookie, etc.
They did supplement with Ensure Plus for any food left uneaten. 1 meal would be about 2-2.5 Ensures.
Meal plans were adjusted weekly, or more frequently if needed, based on medical stability, vitals, and weight goals.
A typical day:
7:00AM: Vitals & weight (blind weight)
8:00AM: Breakfast
9:00AM: Group
10:00AM: Morning Snack
10:30AM: Group
12:00PM: Lunch
1:00PM: Free time
2:00PM: Group
3:00PM: Afternoon Snack
3:30PM: Free Time
5:00PM: Group
7:00PM: Dinner
8:00PM: Group
9:00PM: Night Snack
9:30PM: Free Time
10:00PM Lights Out
Groups: Yoga (morning and night), Equestrian Therapy, DBT, CBT, Body Image, Garden, Cooking Group, Animal Care, Nutrition, Discharge Planning, Art Therapy, Movie Therapy, and a ton more.
Visiting hours were on weekends only from 2PM-6PM I think. They also gave out day passes & night passes.
We met with our therapists 2x per week, Dietitian, Medical doctor, and psychiatrist once a week. Additional sessions as needed.
Attending certain groups, weekend outings, and getting passes were based on medical stability & how well you were doing overall.
Overall, staff were great! They are all so supportive & empathetic. Clients were also amazing. They became family.