FYI, I just spoke to a representative at Columbus Park who said they’re no longer doing IOP or PHP treatment. They’re now just a centre for outpatient, one-on-one treatment.
A.F.
2 years ago
I was at Columbus Park IOP in 2023
The program is small by design – typically anywhere between 4-7 in a group.
They work with people of all genders.
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people? Yes
In IOP you have individual therapy 2x per week if you are in a 4-5 day/week level and 1x per week if you are in a 3 day/week level.
Staff-to-patient ratio: one staff to up to 7 patients in a group.
Therapies: the team is trained in a bunch of evidence-based treatments including DBT, CBT, and ACT.
Describe the average day:
What were meals like? We were given guidelines for preparing our own meals for group. Once in a meal group, providers would give us feedback and help us improve the balance of the meals if necessary.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? The protocol is that if you don’t complete your meal, you need to supplement so everyone is supposed to keep Boost or Ensure on hand. I don’t recall this happening during my time in IOP, though. Everyone completed their meals.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? The providers help encourage if you’re having a hard time. If you have trouble they talk to you individually and I think if you can’t complete a bunch, they may suggest a higher level of care. They do a pretty good job with admissions to be sure people are able to eat in the group when they join.
Are you able to eat vegetarian? Vegan? I think so but not sure.
Does it work on a level system? No
What sort of groups do they have? DBT Skills, ACT, body image and lots of meal support. If you need help with three meals per day, you can get that which is a big plus of this program.
What was your favorite group? ACT
If applicable: Is the program trauma-informed? Yes. The providers are all trained in trauma treatment.
What did you like the most? The providers are kind and really good at what they do so I’d say the staff is the best part of the program. It’s also a really flexible program which is helpful for people like me who are working. It’s definitely not one-size-fits-all which is also ideal. I felt like I got REAL therapy. The therapists are experienced and know what they’re doing. I can’t say the same about other programs I’d been to in the past.
What did you like the least? I loved the program. No complaints.
Would you recommend this program? Absolutely.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? Very individual.
What did people do on weekends? IOP is only 9-15 hours per week, so people are doing their regular routines on the weekends.
Do you get to know your weight? Yes. They recommend exposure to the number on the scale, so you learn to cope with it.
If applicable: How fast is the weight gain process? 1-2 pounds a week
What was the average length of stay? 9 weeks
What was the average age range? 18 and over. Most people were 20’s and 30’s.
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours? There’s not a lot outside of program hours but you use an app to log your food intake, feelings, struggles etc and the providers check in with you through the app. This is nice and creates more accountability.
Amy F
2 years ago
I had a very positive experience at Columbus Park. I’m not proud to say that I’ve been around the block a few times with treatment in different levels of care at a few centers and also just a lot of therapy providers. What I will say is that Columbus Park was my first time getting REAL therapy that actually helped me finally get better. One thing about their program is that their providers are more mature (I’m guessing 30’s or so?) than other typical centers. They’re experienced and seem to really know what they’re doing. So the therapy in their program is really therapy. If you don’t feel ready to get better, it can be a little hard (so I hear) because they focus a lot on change; I was more ready when I started with them so this worked for me and made me work harder and faster. I thought they were all very genuine and knowledgable and really seemed to care. From the first interaction through the last, I can say they were totally professional and serious about helping. It has the feel of a much smaller setting which is really nice. I’m grateful for my experience there and know that without that program, I would still be stuck in the rotation of professional ED patient.
The founder of the program is entirely money hungry and it seems as though she has an active eating disorder. I had a few meals with her and in one meal she only had a few bites of pasta and other meals that were not adequate-nor would clients be allowed to bring them, such as a salad with just lettuce and little to no dressing. She also makes many negative comments about her appearance, which made me and other clients uncomfortable. In one meal, she also violated HIPPA. If you ask most clients, they have had negative experiences with her.
This program used to be great because the other therapists were amazing and helped lead the program, but all of the good ones left within a few months of each other…which is sort of telling.
Anon
5 years ago
When were you there? 2020.
How many patients on average? IOP varied but around 4-8 people in each group session/meal.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? All genders but it was mostly females when I was there.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? They don’t have any medical doctors, psychiatrists or nutritionists on their staff, it’s only therapists, so you have to arrange all the other appointments yourself. You have 1-2 individual appointments a week with your therapist and meal support or group 1-3 times a day (it varies depending on what your needs are and what your insurance covers).
What is the staff ratio to patients? 4-8 people to one therapist in groups and meals. Mostly it was around 4-6 people in each meal.
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? DBT.
Describe the average day: It’s tailored for each person. Breakfast at 9, lunch at 1 and dinner at 6 each day but you don’t attend every meal, it depends on your needs and your insurance. Then there are some groups each week and you meet with your individual therapist 1-2 times a week.
What were meals like? Casual. When I was there it was done virtually because of the pandemic. Each meal started with a check in, you said what food you had and what the components were (fat, carb, protein) and what your intention was.
What sorts of food were available or served? You brought your own food.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? No. If they thought you needed to add more food they would ask you to get something else. This was difficult at times but not something that they addressed very well.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? Not much that I was aware of. I think it is something that you would discuss with your individual therapist.
Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes.
What privileges are allowed? Not applicable.
Does it work on a level system? No.
How do you earn privileges? Not applicable.
What sort of groups do they have? DBT skills group. I think they had other groups but I don’t know what they were.
What was your favorite group? The DBT skills group was the only group I went to. It was ok but it’s not tailored to EDs and I have had exactly the same skills taught in other DBT groups (at a fraction of the cost).
What did you like the most? It’s very flexible so you can still get on with your daily life. Most of the therapists were very nice.
What did you like the least? The therapist who ran most of the dinners when I was there was not great in my opinion and she set my recovery back a long way. She had a very ableist attitude and I found her detrimental to my progress. She ran the dinners like they a cliquey social club for the 18-25 year olds and it did not feel that inclusive or supportive. The other therapists are nice but overall none of them are very experienced. As far as I could tell the IOP is run completely by three or four young white women who are all in their 20s and I don’t think they are equipped to manage people with complex issues or anyone who does not already have a lot of other support. I don’t think they have the expertise that they claim to have. It was frustrating that their website claims that their team includes nutritionists and doctors when those people are all external providers that they don’t have much to do with, you have to organize those appointments independently and they didn’t liaise with each other. There was no nutritional advice or group which was disappointing, especially during the pandemic because you had to cook and prepare all your meals or order in if you could but not everyone had that option.
Would you recommend this program? No. It’s very expensive for what they offer which is just a friendly meal support service and basic DBT. It might be fine for people who have a lot of support already but I don’t know how much value that adds. As an ED treatment option they didn’t help me and I ended up having to find specialist treatment from another provider.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? You discuss it with your therapist but they don’t monitor it very closely.
What did people do on weekends? No program on weekends.
Do you get to know your weight? Yes.
How fast is the weight gain process? I think it varies for different people.
What was the average length of stay? It seemed to be a long time for a lot of people which points to the fact that they were supportive and generally nice but they weren’t doing much in the way of treatment.
What was the average age range? 18-45 but most of the people were in the 18-25 range.
How do visits/phone calls work? Not applicable.
What is the electronics policy? (ex: cell phones, iPods, Kindle, laptop, tablets) It was virtual when I was there so you had to have a computer or phone to access the program but you were meant to focus on the zoom and not be looking at other things.
Are you able to go out on passes? Not applicable.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? I had to arrange this myself.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? Don’t know.
dont go to columbus park they do more harm than good. one of the therapists was terible and the others were nice but not very heplful. for me they just made evrything much worse. i wish i never went near them. it was a waste of time and im in a worse place now than i was before. there are other options in new york dont waste your time with this provider.
Anon
6 years ago
When were you there? During 2018 in both Outpatient and IOP services.
How many patients on average? In IOP it varied depending on the time of day you were there, but in a single group and at meal support they could accommodate 6-8 people at any one time.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? Yes, they treat all genders.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? Since it’s IOP you are on your own with the MD, Psych and nutritionist. You meet with your therapist 1 – 2x per week for IOP.
What is the staff ratio to patients? 6 – 8 clients to one staff member
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? They are a DBT focused program. When I was there they integrated in a CBT for EDs program.
Describe the average day: It depends on when you come in for programming. But typically for evening IOP, you would have dinner at 6:00 PM. You could come in at 5:00 for an individual session, and you would normally have a group session at 7 PM after meal support. You could also come in for Lunch at 1:00 and have a session before or after the meal, or a group before or after. Most people are there for 2-3 hours a day, 3-5 days a week.
What were meals like? They were pretty casual. They would redirect your table behaviors if they saw you doing something. The dining room is tiny, so it’s pretty cramped (it doubles as a group room after meals). You play a lot of table games to pass the time and to try to ease the tension in the room. One therapist would sit with you during meals. Each meal would start with a check in about how you were feeling about the meal, and at lunches you were asked to name the protein/carb/fat in your meal. You would end each meal with a check in about how you thought you did and what you want to work on.
What sorts of food were available or served? While I was there you had to bring your own food or order from meal an approved meal delivery service. They would provide guidelines for what you should bring, and if it was inadequate they would add something from their kitchen (nuts or tortilla chips). You could bring pretty much whatever you wanted to bring, as long as it met the guidelines (i.e. had a protein, carb and fat).
Did they supplement? How did that system work? Yes, they supplemented with Ensure if you didn’t finish at least 75% of your meal. It wasn’t required even if you didn’t complete your meal. They would ask if you were “willing” to supplement. They didn’t do much about it if you weren’t willing to though.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? Since it’s IOP they would maybe talk to you about a higher level of care, but truthfully not much was done outside of a conversation about whether or not you should step up to a PHP or Res, or leave the program.
Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes.
What privileges are allowed? There weren’t privileges since its IOP. No one was on observations for bathrooms, so even that wasn’t monitored. I guess a privilege would be being able to come to fewer meal supports and groups?
Does it work on a level system? No, it wasn’t on a level system.
How do you earn privileges? You don’t.
What sort of groups do they have? DBT skills group and DBT processing Group. CBT for EDs with an educational group and a process group.
What was your favorite group? DBT skills group.
What did you like the most? I could go about my daily life for the most part, while still attending some form of treatment. The clinicians are very kind. The outpatient DBT program is good. The groups are relatively small and you formed a pretty tight-knit community with the people who were in IOP/your groups. The meal support at least got some food and/or supplement into me when I was really struggling.
What did you like the least? Their IOP was basically a holding place for people in NYC who needed to be in a higher level of care. You weren’t really pushed to do anything there. I only know of a couple people who were able to actively battle their EDs while they were in their programming and that was with a lot of family/outside support.
Would you recommend this program? I would recommend IOP ONLY as a step down for someone who has gone through a residential/php stay and is doing well with their ED. OR for someone who is HIGHLY motivated to recover, has a good team of clinicians, has ample outside support, and whose symptom use is mild.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? They don’t monitor your exercise, which can be problematic.
What did people do on weekends? There was no IOP/OP programming on the weekends.
Do you get to know your weight? Yes, if you and your clinician agree on that being helpful to your process.
How fast is the weight gain process? It varies by client, but since its IOP/OP it’s pretty slow.
What was the average length of stay? That’s something I have an issue with. They keep clients in their services for WAY too long, even if it’s evident they need a higher level of care. I know of people who were in IOP there for close to a year.
What was the average age range? 18 – 30, though they did have some younger clients who would do meal support. It’s mostly college students/young professionals.
How do visits/phone calls work? Since it’s IOP/OP, you don’t have to deal with that.
What is the electronics policy? (ex: cell phones, iPods, Kindle, laptop, tablets) No phones during meals or groups.
Are you able to go out on passes? Again, IOP/OP so no passes.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? If you don’t have an outpatient team, they’ll help you set one up. If you’re coming in as an outpatient, you’re expected to have one already set up.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? Not that I’m aware of.
Other? It’s a very convenient location. Right near the 123/ACE/NQRW trains, and right across the street from Central Park.
RNR
10 years ago
(I forgot to say that review is from 2014)
RNR
10 years ago
I have been to CPC several times and their programming is always changing. Sometimes they have an IOP program, but it is not always running. At the least, they always have lunch and dinner groups Monday-Thursday, lunch on Friday and Saturday, a 1x week DBT group, and a 1x week free processing group. You can choose to attend however much programming you want, and depending on how much you are doing, you will have a private session with a therapist either once a week or once every other week. You can also arrange 1-on-1 meals at any time. All of the therapists at CPC are social workers, and there is no psychiatrist, nutritionist, or psychologist there. Because of the somewhat limited programming, most people go to CPC for step-down/maintenance while also having a full outpatient treatment team. CPC treats men and women and the groups are mixed. I have never seen someone younger than 16 there, but I think they do treat children and adolescents. Most of the clients are college-aged.
What are meals like?
CPC is small, I have never seen more than 10 people at a particular meal. I really liked the lunch there because you are given guidelines but than can bring your own (if your meal is somehow inadequate you will be asked to add something from the kitchen). This is another reason I would recommend this program for step-down–because you can bring your own food, you learn to eat things there that you are likely to continue eating after treatment, rather than just going from being served every meal on tray to completely on your own. One lunch per week is also from whole foods. You meet there and then when everyone is done buying their meal you walk back to CPC to eat. Dinner is provided there you do not bring your own. Sometimes it is served family-style, and once a week it is takeout (sushi, chinese, pizza, etc). Generally there is some rice with vegetables and a source of protein. Sometimes it would be a pasta with tofu or chicken. There is always a vegetarian option, but the dinners are not always vegan. Dessert is offered at every dinner and is always an option, but it is required if you do not finish your meal. Dessert and supplements could also be required if you were working with a nutritionist outside of CPC but who was in contact with them and required it for weight gain. I don’t think they ever put anyone on supplements on their own. The meals were generally pretty calm since it is a small group and most of the people there have been going for a while. The staff kept conversation light and all of the clients were very nice and supportive of one another.
Would you recommend this program?
Like I said, I think this program is wonderful for step-down and maintenance because of how much flexibility there is in what groups you choose to attend, but I imagine it would be very difficult to succeed here if it was your first and only line of treatment. Because it is not a typical day program, they can’t kick you out if you skip groups or meals, meaning you need to be motivated to attend. If you skip a meal you are still charged for it, but there is no additional punishment. Everyone is usually pretty compliant with the meals, but if you make a habit of refusing to finish and refusing the dessert option, they will ask you to leave the program.
Hey! I’m going to be at CPC in a few weeks. How’s the Whole Foods lunch, do you pay for your own? And what are the guidelines/how do they help you portion/select things? How’s the open group, and how are the meals like do they check you for rituals and will they enforce rules about finishing things and other table behaviours? I’m leaving Monte Nido EDTNY soon so I’m just trying to prepare myself for what it’ll be like. Thanks!!
FYI, I just spoke to a representative at Columbus Park who said they’re no longer doing IOP or PHP treatment. They’re now just a centre for outpatient, one-on-one treatment.
Describe the average day:
I had a very positive experience at Columbus Park. I’m not proud to say that I’ve been around the block a few times with treatment in different levels of care at a few centers and also just a lot of therapy providers. What I will say is that Columbus Park was my first time getting REAL therapy that actually helped me finally get better. One thing about their program is that their providers are more mature (I’m guessing 30’s or so?) than other typical centers. They’re experienced and seem to really know what they’re doing. So the therapy in their program is really therapy. If you don’t feel ready to get better, it can be a little hard (so I hear) because they focus a lot on change; I was more ready when I started with them so this worked for me and made me work harder and faster. I thought they were all very genuine and knowledgable and really seemed to care. From the first interaction through the last, I can say they were totally professional and serious about helping. It has the feel of a much smaller setting which is really nice. I’m grateful for my experience there and know that without that program, I would still be stuck in the rotation of professional ED patient.
Would you mind doing a full review?
The founder of the program is entirely money hungry and it seems as though she has an active eating disorder. I had a few meals with her and in one meal she only had a few bites of pasta and other meals that were not adequate-nor would clients be allowed to bring them, such as a salad with just lettuce and little to no dressing. She also makes many negative comments about her appearance, which made me and other clients uncomfortable. In one meal, she also violated HIPPA. If you ask most clients, they have had negative experiences with her.
This program used to be great because the other therapists were amazing and helped lead the program, but all of the good ones left within a few months of each other…which is sort of telling.
When were you there? 2020.
How many patients on average? IOP varied but around 4-8 people in each group session/meal.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? All genders but it was mostly females when I was there.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? They don’t have any medical doctors, psychiatrists or nutritionists on their staff, it’s only therapists, so you have to arrange all the other appointments yourself. You have 1-2 individual appointments a week with your therapist and meal support or group 1-3 times a day (it varies depending on what your needs are and what your insurance covers).
What is the staff ratio to patients? 4-8 people to one therapist in groups and meals. Mostly it was around 4-6 people in each meal.
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? DBT.
Describe the average day: It’s tailored for each person. Breakfast at 9, lunch at 1 and dinner at 6 each day but you don’t attend every meal, it depends on your needs and your insurance. Then there are some groups each week and you meet with your individual therapist 1-2 times a week.
What were meals like? Casual. When I was there it was done virtually because of the pandemic. Each meal started with a check in, you said what food you had and what the components were (fat, carb, protein) and what your intention was.
What sorts of food were available or served? You brought your own food.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? No. If they thought you needed to add more food they would ask you to get something else. This was difficult at times but not something that they addressed very well.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? Not much that I was aware of. I think it is something that you would discuss with your individual therapist.
Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes.
What privileges are allowed? Not applicable.
Does it work on a level system? No.
How do you earn privileges? Not applicable.
What sort of groups do they have? DBT skills group. I think they had other groups but I don’t know what they were.
What was your favorite group? The DBT skills group was the only group I went to. It was ok but it’s not tailored to EDs and I have had exactly the same skills taught in other DBT groups (at a fraction of the cost).
What did you like the most? It’s very flexible so you can still get on with your daily life. Most of the therapists were very nice.
What did you like the least? The therapist who ran most of the dinners when I was there was not great in my opinion and she set my recovery back a long way. She had a very ableist attitude and I found her detrimental to my progress. She ran the dinners like they a cliquey social club for the 18-25 year olds and it did not feel that inclusive or supportive. The other therapists are nice but overall none of them are very experienced. As far as I could tell the IOP is run completely by three or four young white women who are all in their 20s and I don’t think they are equipped to manage people with complex issues or anyone who does not already have a lot of other support. I don’t think they have the expertise that they claim to have. It was frustrating that their website claims that their team includes nutritionists and doctors when those people are all external providers that they don’t have much to do with, you have to organize those appointments independently and they didn’t liaise with each other. There was no nutritional advice or group which was disappointing, especially during the pandemic because you had to cook and prepare all your meals or order in if you could but not everyone had that option.
Would you recommend this program? No. It’s very expensive for what they offer which is just a friendly meal support service and basic DBT. It might be fine for people who have a lot of support already but I don’t know how much value that adds. As an ED treatment option they didn’t help me and I ended up having to find specialist treatment from another provider.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? You discuss it with your therapist but they don’t monitor it very closely.
What did people do on weekends? No program on weekends.
Do you get to know your weight? Yes.
How fast is the weight gain process? I think it varies for different people.
What was the average length of stay? It seemed to be a long time for a lot of people which points to the fact that they were supportive and generally nice but they weren’t doing much in the way of treatment.
What was the average age range? 18-45 but most of the people were in the 18-25 range.
How do visits/phone calls work? Not applicable.
What is the electronics policy? (ex: cell phones, iPods, Kindle, laptop, tablets) It was virtual when I was there so you had to have a computer or phone to access the program but you were meant to focus on the zoom and not be looking at other things.
Are you able to go out on passes? Not applicable.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? I had to arrange this myself.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? Don’t know.
dont go to columbus park they do more harm than good. one of the therapists was terible and the others were nice but not very heplful. for me they just made evrything much worse. i wish i never went near them. it was a waste of time and im in a worse place now than i was before. there are other options in new york dont waste your time with this provider.
When were you there? During 2018 in both Outpatient and IOP services.
How many patients on average? In IOP it varied depending on the time of day you were there, but in a single group and at meal support they could accommodate 6-8 people at any one time.
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? Yes, they treat all genders.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? Since it’s IOP you are on your own with the MD, Psych and nutritionist. You meet with your therapist 1 – 2x per week for IOP.
What is the staff ratio to patients? 6 – 8 clients to one staff member
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? They are a DBT focused program. When I was there they integrated in a CBT for EDs program.
Describe the average day: It depends on when you come in for programming. But typically for evening IOP, you would have dinner at 6:00 PM. You could come in at 5:00 for an individual session, and you would normally have a group session at 7 PM after meal support. You could also come in for Lunch at 1:00 and have a session before or after the meal, or a group before or after. Most people are there for 2-3 hours a day, 3-5 days a week.
What were meals like? They were pretty casual. They would redirect your table behaviors if they saw you doing something. The dining room is tiny, so it’s pretty cramped (it doubles as a group room after meals). You play a lot of table games to pass the time and to try to ease the tension in the room. One therapist would sit with you during meals. Each meal would start with a check in about how you were feeling about the meal, and at lunches you were asked to name the protein/carb/fat in your meal. You would end each meal with a check in about how you thought you did and what you want to work on.
What sorts of food were available or served? While I was there you had to bring your own food or order from meal an approved meal delivery service. They would provide guidelines for what you should bring, and if it was inadequate they would add something from their kitchen (nuts or tortilla chips). You could bring pretty much whatever you wanted to bring, as long as it met the guidelines (i.e. had a protein, carb and fat).
Did they supplement? How did that system work? Yes, they supplemented with Ensure if you didn’t finish at least 75% of your meal. It wasn’t required even if you didn’t complete your meal. They would ask if you were “willing” to supplement. They didn’t do much about it if you weren’t willing to though.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? Since it’s IOP they would maybe talk to you about a higher level of care, but truthfully not much was done outside of a conversation about whether or not you should step up to a PHP or Res, or leave the program.
Are you able to be a vegetarian? Yes.
What privileges are allowed? There weren’t privileges since its IOP. No one was on observations for bathrooms, so even that wasn’t monitored. I guess a privilege would be being able to come to fewer meal supports and groups?
Does it work on a level system? No, it wasn’t on a level system.
How do you earn privileges? You don’t.
What sort of groups do they have? DBT skills group and DBT processing Group. CBT for EDs with an educational group and a process group.
What was your favorite group? DBT skills group.
What did you like the most? I could go about my daily life for the most part, while still attending some form of treatment. The clinicians are very kind. The outpatient DBT program is good. The groups are relatively small and you formed a pretty tight-knit community with the people who were in IOP/your groups. The meal support at least got some food and/or supplement into me when I was really struggling.
What did you like the least? Their IOP was basically a holding place for people in NYC who needed to be in a higher level of care. You weren’t really pushed to do anything there. I only know of a couple people who were able to actively battle their EDs while they were in their programming and that was with a lot of family/outside support.
Would you recommend this program? I would recommend IOP ONLY as a step down for someone who has gone through a residential/php stay and is doing well with their ED. OR for someone who is HIGHLY motivated to recover, has a good team of clinicians, has ample outside support, and whose symptom use is mild.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? They don’t monitor your exercise, which can be problematic.
What did people do on weekends? There was no IOP/OP programming on the weekends.
Do you get to know your weight? Yes, if you and your clinician agree on that being helpful to your process.
How fast is the weight gain process? It varies by client, but since its IOP/OP it’s pretty slow.
What was the average length of stay? That’s something I have an issue with. They keep clients in their services for WAY too long, even if it’s evident they need a higher level of care. I know of people who were in IOP there for close to a year.
What was the average age range? 18 – 30, though they did have some younger clients who would do meal support. It’s mostly college students/young professionals.
How do visits/phone calls work? Since it’s IOP/OP, you don’t have to deal with that.
What is the electronics policy? (ex: cell phones, iPods, Kindle, laptop, tablets) No phones during meals or groups.
Are you able to go out on passes? Again, IOP/OP so no passes.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? If you don’t have an outpatient team, they’ll help you set one up. If you’re coming in as an outpatient, you’re expected to have one already set up.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? Not that I’m aware of.
Other? It’s a very convenient location. Right near the 123/ACE/NQRW trains, and right across the street from Central Park.
(I forgot to say that review is from 2014)
I have been to CPC several times and their programming is always changing. Sometimes they have an IOP program, but it is not always running. At the least, they always have lunch and dinner groups Monday-Thursday, lunch on Friday and Saturday, a 1x week DBT group, and a 1x week free processing group. You can choose to attend however much programming you want, and depending on how much you are doing, you will have a private session with a therapist either once a week or once every other week. You can also arrange 1-on-1 meals at any time. All of the therapists at CPC are social workers, and there is no psychiatrist, nutritionist, or psychologist there. Because of the somewhat limited programming, most people go to CPC for step-down/maintenance while also having a full outpatient treatment team. CPC treats men and women and the groups are mixed. I have never seen someone younger than 16 there, but I think they do treat children and adolescents. Most of the clients are college-aged.
What are meals like?
CPC is small, I have never seen more than 10 people at a particular meal. I really liked the lunch there because you are given guidelines but than can bring your own (if your meal is somehow inadequate you will be asked to add something from the kitchen). This is another reason I would recommend this program for step-down–because you can bring your own food, you learn to eat things there that you are likely to continue eating after treatment, rather than just going from being served every meal on tray to completely on your own. One lunch per week is also from whole foods. You meet there and then when everyone is done buying their meal you walk back to CPC to eat. Dinner is provided there you do not bring your own. Sometimes it is served family-style, and once a week it is takeout (sushi, chinese, pizza, etc). Generally there is some rice with vegetables and a source of protein. Sometimes it would be a pasta with tofu or chicken. There is always a vegetarian option, but the dinners are not always vegan. Dessert is offered at every dinner and is always an option, but it is required if you do not finish your meal. Dessert and supplements could also be required if you were working with a nutritionist outside of CPC but who was in contact with them and required it for weight gain. I don’t think they ever put anyone on supplements on their own. The meals were generally pretty calm since it is a small group and most of the people there have been going for a while. The staff kept conversation light and all of the clients were very nice and supportive of one another.
Would you recommend this program?
Like I said, I think this program is wonderful for step-down and maintenance because of how much flexibility there is in what groups you choose to attend, but I imagine it would be very difficult to succeed here if it was your first and only line of treatment. Because it is not a typical day program, they can’t kick you out if you skip groups or meals, meaning you need to be motivated to attend. If you skip a meal you are still charged for it, but there is no additional punishment. Everyone is usually pretty compliant with the meals, but if you make a habit of refusing to finish and refusing the dessert option, they will ask you to leave the program.
Hey! I’m going to be at CPC in a few weeks. How’s the Whole Foods lunch, do you pay for your own? And what are the guidelines/how do they help you portion/select things? How’s the open group, and how are the meals like do they check you for rituals and will they enforce rules about finishing things and other table behaviours? I’m leaving Monte Nido EDTNY soon so I’m just trying to prepare myself for what it’ll be like. Thanks!!