The Healthy Teen Project offers eating disorder treatment for adolescents and their families, including PHP and IOP. They have locations in Los Altos and San Francisco, California.
Any current reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
If your child has an Eating Disorder, I would highly highly discourage you from sending them here. I was there for roughly six months, and the entire program only increased my behaviors and caused new problems. They placed me at a weight range xx-xy pounds HIGHER than my pre-ed weight (putting me in the overweight category which I had never been). They completely ignore symptoms, and blame everything on the ed. I had a chronic stomach illness that only worsened over time, but all symptoms were ignored and chopped up to my AN, however, a year later I was diagnosed. if they had cared enough to look into it, I could’ve saved myself so much time, doctors appointments, and money. More than that, the program shelters you from everything and everyone. I was even told to avoid family members as they might be “triggers”. I was forced to stop exercise for 5 months even though I was fully weight restored and my vitals had been stable for months. The milieu counselors treated you as babies and often played favorites. They would say the most incredibly inappropriate things at the wrong times. They had no Psychological certification and talked down to me. Every single one of my friends who I knew there either relapsed and is currently struggling or got sent to residential. They forced me to drink extra supplement if I did not listen to them, and when I told them the impact it was having on my health (undiagnosed severe gasteroparesis), they ignored me, and told me it was the eating disorder talking. I have never felt as helpless and unvalidated as I did then. They treated me as a case study. At one point, I lost a quarter of a pound and had multiple meetings with my family to discuss what they said was a “relapse” (I had not restricted). They forced me away from my friends and into isolation. We were banned from talking about any eating disorder talk, and they would listen in and stop our conversations. I am an extremely picky eater and always have been, so the “experimental nights” or whatever (they would purchase food from the outside for dinner on Wednesday night) was absolute hell. My dietitian and my team had my long assortment of food I disliked, yet every meal would have 5-10+ items or flavors that was on my dislike list. They told me and my family it was my eating disorder, and that if I wasn’t eating it, I wasn’t recovered.They consistently argued with my family, trying to tell my own mother they knew what was best for me. Almost every meal id cry or have a panic attack because I just could not handle being there [at HTP]. Even if I drank over xxx calories of boost, regardless if it was more calorically dense than the meal, they would count it as restriction. They banned me from eating the only couple of foods I liked for snacks because they told me it was the eating disorder. I would get yelled at for not doing yoga, even though I told them that I had a back problem, and it caused pain. I would also get yelled at for doing ‘behaviors”, even though I told them they were not eating disorder related. They did not care, however, if they had it could have saved me a year and a half worths of arguments with my family, compulsions, and mental hell as my (then, undiagnosed) ocd only spiraled more after / during treatment. My therapist would defend my family, saying she knew them, even if she had only met them a handful of times. I full heartedly believe that going to HTP was worse than my AN itself. Truly the most traumatic period of my life, and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. This was almost two years ago now and I had almost completely blocked it out, and have a hard time even talking about it with family and friends. However, most of the staff was quite nice and nurturing, even too much so at times.
I was at SF location 4 years ago so not sure how helpful this will be.
Twice in the beginning and end of 2021 (I was 14/15)
San Francisco location: PHP, IOP – they also did outpatient, but not sure anymore.
The main first floor would be, there is a weird second floor with a couple of offices that isn’t accessible, but clients never went there.
5-7, although that was maybe reduced COVID numbers.
All genders I believe, I am trans and they were very inclusive around that.
Yes.
For full individual sessions
Therapist 1/2 x a week
Dietician 1 x a week
Medical NP 1/2 x a week depending on need
Psych NP every 2 weeks maybe? I don’t remember seeing her much
Nurse 2 x a week
Although because it is so small it is easy to see someone more if needed, or have a quick chat.
It’s well staffed. There were like 2/3 milieu counselors (specific floor staff), but therapists and dietitians were often present as well.
It is pretty family based, a lot of FBT or EFFT stuff.
Individual therapy depends on your therapist and need. I think mine was FBT/traditional talk therapy, but there were people who had more trauma specific therapies and exposure therapy.
Groups included DBT, CBT, ACT, etc. DBT skills were encouraged and practiced.
Describe the average day:
PHP: you arrive at 12pm and stay until 6pm. 5 days a week. You can then reduce your days.
At PHP you have lunch, pm snack, dinner at program.
IOP: you arrive either at 12pm or at 3pm and stay a three hour slot. 1-5 days a week as needed.
At IOP you have either lunch and pm snack or pm snack and dinner at program.
You sat at one long table with often multiple staff members and normally at least one dietician. Therapists and MCs would often join for meals and sometimes snacks too.
30 minutes for meals and 15 minutes for snacks.
They have a strict list of rules and what you can and can’t talk about.
They were able to offer quite a lot of attention and often gave people thinks like essential oils or frozen lemons to help.
You played games, the normal ones.
Staff gave verbal redirections for ed behaviors.
They use the plate by plate approach or the plate method, which I immensely prefer to exchanges. If appropriate you were given tools to transition to intuitive eating.
You brought your own food for meals which was a first for me. My parents prepared it and then for each meal there you would help plate it and the dietician would help or okay it. But some people prepared their own food and then the dietician would help them plate it.
They had a big fridge/freezer to store things. They also had tons of snacks, drinks, desserts so you didn’t bring your own snack and if the dietician thought you needed anything more added to a meal they had loads of choices to add.
On Wednesday dinners they would order from a local restaurant which people sometimes took turns choosing. You could normally choose your food and the dietician would help you.
They used boost plus normally, ranging from a minimum of 1/2 a boost plus to 2 boost plus’, in 25% increments.
You had 10 minutes to drink the supplement at the table with the support of dietician/staff.
Some people, like me, later transitioned to intuitive eating so I didn’t have to supplement as long as I ate 75%. Although they monitored this to make sure you were ready, weren’t abusing it, etc.
You could supplement. If you did not finish at that point you were given some behavior chain analysis papers.
If it became an issue your team would talk to you and your family. They often had meetings with family, regular updates, etc.
Most people finished their meals/snacks.
Vegetarian yes. Vegan, I am not sure, as no one was when I was there. I imagine they could be flexible though as long as it precedes the ed.
It’s PHP/IOP so the only restrictions were in programming.
There was, although when I was there I don’t remember there being much emphasis on it. I think you could only drive on Level 3.
I do not remember having to earn anything in particular. Although I think bathroom obs could be reduced, can’t remember.
I started intuitive eating but that was just about where I was in my recovery and my dietician. Exercise was generally about what was medically needed.
Skills groups like CBT, DBT, ACT
Medical group, education from the nurse or NP on a specific topic
Process group
Cooking/baking group
Nutrition group
Assignments
Art groups
Yoga
Baking – first genuinely good experience of baking, far better than any of the weird ERC ones I had done.
I would probably say no. They kicked me out twice. The first time was totally fair because I needed more support than they could offer. The second time I was so close to graduation and they administratively discharged me for my ‘hostile attitude.’ Although what these ‘hostile’ behaviors were I still don’t know. I could definitely be a little teen angsty and had a lot of trauma from previous treatment which they were aware of, but I was never intentionally rude and certainly not aggressive. I was close with someone else and I think they thought I was a ‘bad’ influence? It kind of felt like they discharged me for having bad vibes.
My dietician because she was genuinely amazing (although I think she may have left), some other staff, general atmosphere, the walks, and I genuinely got a lot better here.
Probably some of the staff.
They fired the really nice NP and then we weren’t allowed to talk about it. The program director who was also an NP freaked me out a bit. I always felt like the clinical director and the other therapist hated me, although my actual therapist was super sweet.
The psych NP had me on a lot of benzos which now I think they should have done something about.
Just feeling confused about why I got discharged really sucked.
Generally yes.
I would say no for any significant co-morbid issue aside from an ed.
It depended on your personal needs, and what your team thought.
If you completed then we went on walks daily which were really nice around the local area and to the dog park. Yoga was about twice a week and everyone could participate.
No.
It varies. A lot of people arrive from res or ip weight restored though.
Completely depends. I was so motivated so did PHP and IOP in about 2 months, but saw most people stay longer and some much longer. It just depends on need.
14 – 20, but I think they take 13 – 25.
You hand in electronics when you get into program.
You are expected to sort your own schooling in your own time.
I think my family could call people as they did once when I was in crisis, but nothing for clients particularly.
I already had one, so not sure.
I had friends who used to go there for outpatient medical monitoring and NP visits although I am not sure if they still do that.
During the pandemic, very well. Temperature at the door, masks at the door, reduced participants etc.
PROs:
CONs:
Recent Review of Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP) at Healthy Teen Project
This place saved my daughter’s life and saved our family. It was an absolute godsend. I would take the negative reviews with a grain of salt, keeping in mind how difficult recovery is for the clients themselves. As a parent, we are forever grateful that we found HTP. After admitting my daughter they began to think she needed a higher level of care. When we said that we would not consider residential at that time, they were flexible and worked with us- with amazing results over time. I am forever grateful that they were understanding, compassionate and flexible.
I know that when I began this journey, we had no idea what PHP would be like, so here are some basics (will be common knowledge to many here). My daughter went from 11am to 6pm five days a week. Would have lunch, snack and dinner at PHP. Lunch and dinner were brought from home (guided by the nutritionist), and one day a week there would be a “challenge dinner” where takeout was ordered. In all cases, the clients ate together at the table, guided by staff. Supplement (Boost drink) was then given for anything not completed (which we had been doing at home as well). Other than meals there were group activities and group therapy sessions, as well as 1:1 meetings with the nutritionist, therapist and medical doctor. Medical doctor visit included weigh-ins, but weight was NOT revealed (unlike FBT- Family Based Therapy- where weight is revealed).
My daughter was in PHP for the summer and when school started we switched to IOP- Intensive Outpatient Program which is the same thing but you show up at 2 or 3 instead of at 11am.
Then when ready the client is discharged, complete with a ceremony, beautiful cards from clients and staff, etc. My daughter’s “graduation” day from HTP was one of the most proud days of her life. She was so overjoyed and SO proud of herself (as were we as parents). It was one of the most memorable moments of my life as well. We were so proud of her and so thankful for the staff at HTP.
We now go to outpatient (regular outpatient instead of “intensive outpatient”) appointments with individual providers —- nutritionist, medical doctor and therapist. You can use your own providers, or contract individually with those who work at HTP. We did a mix of the two.
I would highly highly recommend this to anyone who is in the situation we were in a year ago. Looking back now it is amazing how far she- and we- have come. We now do things like go to restaurants and travel just like we used to. There were days I didn’t think we’d see that ever again. There is hope.
This place was hell. My dietitian was very kind and empathetic but the other dietitian was really unkind and mean. The medical providers are decent, but their therapists are hit or miss (mostly miss) I was there for 4 months and they kept telling me recovery wasn’t linear and that I was going to go through ups and downs. I found that the whole program made me very unhappy, my whole life was stripped away. I barely went to school and lost touch with many of my friends, I could not dance even though my vitals were stable and I was on a weight gain diet and I weighed a healthy amount because if I could not eat a challenge food and I drank the supplement it was considered restricting. My family became entirely focused on my ED and we rarely had conversations that did not revolve around food. I felt trapped and frustrated. We were not allowed to talk about any ED feelings or anything about our bodies which was somewhat reasonable but how ere we supposed to recover if we cannot talk about it? The milieu monitors were a joke they had no idea what we were feeling and they were almost clueless about how to serve us and they have no psychology certification. They speak to you as if you were a child and it’s awful. We are allowed to play some games but if we struggle to eat we are not allowed to play the games. We were rarely ever allowed to go on walks and even walking around the block at home required an extra snack. Most kids come in needing to gain a few pounds and have their mindset changed but instead everyone in my milieu left with extra weight and SI, they were all sent to residential too. In my entire 4 months of being there only 1 person graduated and 6 people left. Everyone looked at me as my AN not as me. The deprivation and damage this program did to my mental health was evident. I ruined relationships and developed SI and SH habits. Luckily they did one thing good which was send me to a residential. I would NEVER ever send my child here.
worst place ive ever been. absolutely do NOT send your child here.
Thanks for posting. Can you write more about the program, and what you didn’t like about it / why you don’t recommend it? Since this is a review site, reviews need to be longer to be helpful. Parents usually want to know the reasons why previous patients don’t recommend a place, because otherwise all they have to go off of is the place’s website. A more in depth review will also benefit teens whose parents are thinking about sending them there! It will give them something to show their parents.
Some ideas of things to answer are:
– When were you there (you can just say the year, you don’t need to give specific months if you aren’t comfortable doing so)?
– What was the average length of stay?
– How many patients were there?
– What was the building like?
– What were the staff like? Did they treat you with respect? Did they seem to understand eating disorders? Did they create a recovery-positive environment?
– Did they have a lot of rules or punishments?
– What were groups like?
– What were meals like? Did you have any say in your food choices or in your treatment, or did they have it so your parents decided absolutely everything for you?
– Was there anything you liked about the program (even just something like the beds or the other patients or electronics use)
– Have you been to another program or know of another program that you would suggest parents send their kids to instead?
I cannot speak more highly of HTP. Other than one of the medical doctors, I felt welcomed, cared for, safe, and listened to during my stay at HTP. Although ED recovery is extremely difficult, HTP made it as easy as possible, making meal times fun (we played games a lot), groups inclusive (everyone always got the chance to talk if they wanted to), and all of the therapists were so compassionate and kind that you felt worthy of recovering, and their motivation for you to get back to your life rubbed off. They are super organized, efficient, and structured. There are strict expectations at meals, and they will make comments if you are engaging in ED behaviors, but they do so as non-intrusively as possible and don’t make you the center of attention. They would let people eat individually with their therapists if they were struggling as well. You have one dietician appointment per week (regardless of PHP/IOP) and 1-2 therapy sessions (1 for IOP, 2 for PHP). Groups were DBT, ACT, bibliotherapy, CBT, art therapy, yoga, ED recovery group, weekend planning, relapse prevention, goals, etc.. Some of my favorite groups were just the ones where we’d talk about stuff, rather than fill out worksheets, etc.
My only complaints looking back were that sometimes there was too much random art stuff (you spent a lot of time cutting up magazines and gluing it on stuff), but when we’d present it, you always got great feedback from staff and other clients.
If you are struggling with an ED, I recommend HTP whole heartedly.
This place is horrible. I left with knowing that I would relapse. They aren’t flexible, but I guess that’s common for ED treatment places. My therapist was wonderful, but my dietician was horrible. Also, they are really bad with insurence. They double chanrged me and I’m still dealing with getting my money back(almost a year). They don’t allow schooling(a big problem) and expect you to give up normal teenage life. They only good part was my therapist, but I have better therapy outside now.
This program is terrible. I came in with a mild eating disorder and a need to gain a few pounds. I left with a patern of self-harm behaviors, suicidal thinking, and a need to lose a few pounds. Beyond just those symptoms, I found the program inflexible, the staff slow and unwilling to communicate, and, while the other kids were great, most conversations were off limits at all times i.e. parts of our body we didn’t like, suicide, self-harm, etc. The diotitions were frankly wrong about things. They replace based on what portion of your meal you complete–however, either their math skills are just not there, or they purposely punish you by replacing extra. They go on the control everything model, because they need to ‘disconnect’ your eating disorder. The doctor who took my vitals, Dr. Mart** was particularly damaging to me. She would yell at me while I was getting my blood pressure taken and stuff, and refused to carry on a simple conversation unless it revolved around my ‘bad eating behaviors’. I lied my way through treatment; all I wanted was to get out. So I lied, and lied, and lied. One truth, getting my life back from the monster of healthy teen project was worth every lie. I’m just glad that after I was done, I was able to heal both my AN (B/P) and the issues that healthy teen project had given me with the help of a great therapist. I would not recommend this program. Ever.
When were you there?
I was a part of this program from Feb 2014-Aug 2014, and again in March 2015.
What was an average day like?
PHP: arrive, check in, snack, group, lunch, group, snack, group, check out
IOP: you arrive in time for lunch and join the groups afterwards
*individual sessions with therapists/dr are within that schedule and you are pulled out of groups when necessary- I find this to be disruptive but totally understandable.
What about school?
While I personally was not in school during my time there, I know the staff communicate with schools and do their best to assist clients with schoolwork. There is now a dedicated slot during the day where clients can work on their homework in place of a group (art group for example).
What were the foods and mealtimes like?
HTP uses the plate model and is individualized to the client- if you need to gain the dietician will add portion sizes or food items depending on what you need. Parents or the individual pack their own meals. They have a small pantry and refrigerator with items to add if the meal is insufficient/lacking in components. Dieticians and DC/staff sit with you during meals and engage in games/discussion. HTP does a great job with keeping the table a safe place, meaning that triggering talk or behavior is not tolerated. This was one of the best things about HTP for me. You would be gently or not so gently encouraged to stop behaviors which really helped everyone learn. There is a challenge snack every week where the dietician and the clients create a snack in the kitchen. Anything from homemade guac and chips to cookies and milk. Also, every Thursday there is a challenge meal outing and lunch is take in or you walk over to the diner/restaurant down the street-it’s a fun way to bond with the clients as well as face the inevitable of eating tough meals.
Did they supplement?
Yes, with Boost/Ensure. The dietician determines the amount based on the percentage of the meal completed.
What groups do they have?
When I was in program: art, dbt, relapse prevention, yoga, process, nutrition, healthy mind/healthy body
What did you like the least?
Treatment in general is frustrating and tough. Having been there for some time, I found that the hardest part was feeling like they waste time with filling out DBT/CBT worksheets or reading hand-outs…when I was at HTP in 2014, the groups were productive but later on, the groups became really limited and repetitive after a few staff members left. Also, the energy of the group realllllly depends on the census. HTP can at one week have 2 clients, and then within the month grow to 8-9. It can get overwhelming and if everyone is at REALLLY different places in their eating disorders, it can be hard to make it a healing environment. BUT, that’s practically with any place you go.
What did you like the most?
The staff are amazing- especially K*** and Dr. *. The staff communicate really well and invest time in you. I loved working with my individual therapist and over time, the place felt like a home. I could be ME- both the nasty ED side and healthy side and they would accept me for where I was and would help pull me through.
Would you recommend the program?
If I was asked this in 2014, I would say YES, IN A HEARTBEAT- mostly because it was my first time in treatment and I connected so well with the staff and clients.
Today, I highly recommend it but with a bit of hesitance because after receiving treatment in other programs, I see that they can improve with group variety and initiating discussion that gets to the root of the problem. No place is perfect. This place is VERY good at what they do.
Hi Just read your review. What was the other program you did that you felt was an improvement over HTP. I am looking for an outpatient program for my daughter.