Lindner Center of HOPE is a psychiatric hospital in Mason, Ohio that treats addiction, mood disorders, co-occuring disorders, and eating disorders in adolescents and adults. It offers a full continuum of care for people with eating disorders.
The Eating Disorders Program at Lindner Center of Hope offers the following levels of care for adults and adolescents:
Adults (18+):
- Inpatient Care: Adults (18+) are treated on the general mental health unit at Lindner Center of HOPE, on the eating disorder track.
- Partial Hospitalization Care (PHP): Adults (18+) are treated in Lindner’s specialized EDO PHP from 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. (Note: It operates in conjunction with “Mindful Transitions,” the Adult Partial Hospitalization Program for patients with diagnoses including but not limited to: mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, adjustment disorders and thought disorders not requiring hospitalization).
- Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP): Adults (18+) are treated in Lindner’s specialized EDO IOP.
- Outpatient Care
Adolescents (ages 12-17):
- Inpatient Care: Adolescents (ages 12-17) are treated at Cincinnati Children’s general mental health unit, on the eating disorder track.
- Residential Care: Lindner has a general mental health residential care program for adolescents called the Williams House. It offers an eating disorder track.
- Partial Hospitalization Care (PHP): Adolescent PHP occurs at Cincinnati Children’s general mental health partial program, on the eating disorder track. It runs from 8:30am-3:30pm Monday through Friday.
- Outpatient Care
Any reviews or information about Lindner Center of HOPE or Cincinnati Children’s? Please post in comments below! You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions to answer in reviews. Thank you!
?Review
I haven’t seen many reviews for the adolescent unit for Lindner Center of Hope or inpatient at Cincinnati Children’s. I thought I’d share my experience. I had a really positive experience at Lindner (adolescent unit) but not as good of an experience at the Medical hospital. At first I was at the Liberty Campus, but due to refusing to be tubed ***, I was transferred to base campus where I could have a 1:1 (because they didnt have the staff to do that at liberty). I think it could’ve been ok or at least better in the hospital if I complied more and could’ve stayed at liberty. At base campus, I was given consistent bolus feeds through a tube, but wasn’t given the option to eat any of the nutrition through food/boost PO which was super frustrating (I guess that’s what I get for not being compliant ?) I was transferred to Lindner after I was medically stable.
I’ve been to Lindner a few times, and each time was a bit different. The first time I was REALLY struggling, so it was pretty traumatic, but each time it got progressively better. I HATED (I understand the strength of that word, but that’s the truth) my doctor the first two times I was there. But the third time was MUCH better (because I had a different doctor). The second time I was there I was more complaint, but was almost completely reliant on a tube. That’s when I formed the best relationship with staff. Staff would play games with me at night to ease my anxiety regarding night feeds. They would talk to me for hours and genuinely cared about how I was doing.
One positive (or downside depending on how you view it) is that it’s a general psych ward with an “ED track.” We had an hour of day of EDO group which was AMAZING. It was so nice to finally talk about something specific to ED’s rather than general mh stuff. One thing I liked was privileges you could earn. If you reach a goal (intake wise) you could earn the privilege of watching YouTube/TV on a laptop, could paint your nails, or become attended. Groups were pretty great- recreational therapy was the best- you would play games and do arts and crafts. There were also more treatment focused groups such as DBT/ CBT/ Goals/ Goals review (stuff like that).
They were reallllyyyyyy strict about ED behaviors: they watch you like a hawk lol. At the beginning, you eat 1:1 with an RN or BHS. From then, if you are completing meals, they might pair you with another EDO patient or 2. I found that the most helpful, and most motivating because (largely depending on the staff) some staff are not very fun (and are awkward) to talk to haha. The meal plan was pretty aggressive!!! It starts off smaller, then can get quite large depending on how your body responds to the nutrition. Your first day you have 3 meals and 1 snack. After that, you have at least 3 meals and 2 snacks, but might also have 3 snacks. They supplement with ensure plus: strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. If you refuse, you will be tubed pretty quickly (time being dependent on your doctor and intake). They manage tube feeds by giving you whatever you missed orally through the tube as a bolus after each meal. In some cases night feeds will be prescribed. I know the reason I had them was because my nutritional needs were so great and they didn’t want to overload my stomach. I don’t know all the other reasons one might have night feeds.
Most people come from the Liberty campus hospital once they are medically stable. Most people stay at Lindner Center for between 2-3 weeks (depending on intake, weight, and progress overall). I was there for a while because I was struggling a decent amount and very resistant to treatment- but the better you are doing completion wise, the quicker you leave *yay* Once you meet discharge criteria from inpatient, you will likely go to PHP at Lindner’s partial program. There is a possibility of residential if you aren’t at a specific weight, have a history of relapsing after inpatient, or are continuing to struggle with completion (while inpatient).
While you are there, your family becomes increasingly involved. You will have “family meetings” with your family and social worker. It is basically FBT. Your social worker will also help establish aftercare. Also, your family can come for breakfast, dinner, or afternoon or evening snack while you are there. Starting off, a staff member will eat with you all until your parents get “checked off” to eat alone with you.
Overall, Lindner Center probably saved my life. It was the intensive treatment that I needed at the time. If you were to ask me if it was a good treatment center after my first admission, I’d say most DEFINITELY not. But, as a got more and more less resistant to treatment, I found it more and more helpful. Unfortunately, if you are stuck in what I called “ED brain,” you will be utterly miserable as you will be forced to recover (to a certain extent). They WILL help you physically without a doubt. Whether you benefit mentally is totally up to you. I wish the best for all of you warriors!! Keep fighting!!
?Review
this program has its downsides, but it saved my life when i wasn’t sure i’d make it another day. so many of the staff members are caring and struggled in the past with their own mental health issues (ed related & non ed related), so empathy is extremely evident. lindner can be a very difficult and stressful place as it is a pysch hospital, but the staff is very helpful to make you feel safe at all times. i felt very supported by almost ever single mental health tech/specialist. the program does have downsides, one of which being that it’s not an ed only program, but at times i found that very helpful as i got to witness people with positive relationships with food and i also got to talk to patients about things completely unrelated to eating disorders.
were you in their adult or adolescent programs?
?Review
Lindner Center of Hope
The eating disorder program is mixed in with the other inpatient programs on both the north and south adult units. It is more of a track that you follow while you are there. Groups are optional depending on your team and staff who is working. They want you to attend normal groups during the day (rec therapy, DBT, CBT, etc.) as well as the few eating disorder groups (RO-DBT and body image) that happen throughout the week. As far as meals, you sit with the other EDO patients. You typically have 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day. A tech sits with you while you eat your meals and supplement is given for the percentage that wasn’t completed. I was never allowed to pick my meals, but most patients were able to meal plan with one of the dietitians – it really just depended on the circumstances I think. As far as support around eating disorders, there wasn’t a whole lot. I know a lot of people go there while waiting to get into treatment somewhere else in order to be stabilized. Also, if you struggle to comply they can court order you (I don’t say this to scare you – it happened to me and only one other person the whole time I was there) but it can be helpful in getting on the right path to recovery if that’s what you need. The daily schedule is pretty much the same for all patients (both general psych and EDO) except you get woken up for weights and vitals at 5 but you can go back to bed until breakfast and there are a few eating disorder focused groups. They also have PHP/IOP which I know quite a few people did once they left inpatient or transitioned to once they came back from residential and found it helpful.
I hope this helps…let me know if you have anymore questions or want to know anything else. I hope you’re doing okay, I know recovery and treatment is hard but you are strong.
if over 18 and medically unstable, can you admit to cincinnati children’s? their website says up to 25 yo?
Yes, you can. Their adolescent medicine team that treats eating disorders takes care of patients up to 25 years old, especially if they had been following them before they turn 18.
I just talked to intake manager on the phone.
She said you plan your meals (I don’t have teeth and asked about any accommodations given)
They will not keep you there if you are unhappy with your care or don’t want treatment as long as you’re safe to leave. (I’m assuming medically stable and are not a threat to yourself or others)
She says they DO NOT ACCEPT [low bmi].*
*per site policy, number redacted by admin. please contact intake coordinator for specifics.
Thank you for sharing this! Were they willing to let you pick foods that you would actually be able to eat?
You may not know this, so ignore if not, but re accommodations — Do you know how they handle accommodations in general? E.g. do they accommodate physical disabilities? Would they allow prospective clients to petition for or be approved for accommodations prior to admissions? We have so many community members who can’t get treatment because they have physical disabilities that require reasonable accommodations in order to allow equal access to medically necessary care. Pisses me off to no end. I’m so sorry you’ve had to deal with this BS.
any recent reviews for adult ip with all the basic questions answered?
Has anyone done either inpatient or PHP/IOP here with Medicare?
has anyone been here within the last few months and can give a review?
*cross-posted by admin from discussion on the client general forum. original comment here: https://edtreatmentreview.com/client-general-forum/comment-page-10/#comment-18766* — thank you kayla!
*** One thing I can think of (it is inpatient) but Lindner Center of Hope in Ohio might be an option. I was there for a few months but most people came for a few weeks while waiting for a bed to open up wherever they were wanting to go. It is a strict program but they have some good groups and it can help to keep you from falling even further during that waiting period. I hope this helps. If you have any questions about it I am happy to answer them. ***
Has anybody been to Lindner Center of Hope recently? I see there isn’t a page for it on here but was hoping to see if anybody has been recently. I was there a few years ago but wondering if anything has changed. It is an inpatient hospital in Mason, Ohio.
I was there from July to October of 2021. It was my first time so I can’t compare it to how it was in the past, but let me know if you need any information or just want to talk about it.
Thank you. Is the eating disorder inpatient program still mixed with the others or does ED have its own unit now? Do they require you to go to groups or are you still free to rest and do what you want during the day? How do meals work and do you still get to meal plan/choose ahead of time from a menu? What’s the daily schedule like?
?Review
Lindner Center of Hope
The eating disorder program is mixed in with the other inpatient programs on both the north and south adult units. It is more of a track that you follow while you are there. Groups are optional depending on your team and staff who is working. They want you to attend normal groups during the day (rec therapy, DBT, CBT, etc.) as well as the few eating disorder groups (RO-DBT and body image) that happen throughout the week. As far as meals, you sit with the other EDO patients. You typically have 3 meals and 2-3 snacks per day. A tech sits with you while you eat your meals and supplement is given for the percentage that wasn’t completed. I was never allowed to pick my meals, but most patients were able to meal plan with one of the dietitians – it really just depended on the circumstances I think. As far as support around eating disorders, there wasn’t a whole lot. I know a lot of people go there while waiting to get into treatment somewhere else in order to be stabilized. Also, if you struggle to comply they can court order you (I don’t say this to scare you – it happened to me and only one other person the whole time I was there) but it can be helpful in getting on the right path to recovery if that’s what you need. The daily schedule is pretty much the same for all patients (both general psych and EDO) except you get woken up for weights and vitals at 5 but you can go back to bed until breakfast and there are a few eating disorder focused groups. They also have PHP/IOP which I know quite a few people did once they left inpatient or transitioned to once they came back from residential and found it helpful.
I hope this helps…let me know if you have anymore questions or want to know anything else. I hope you’re doing okay, I know recovery and treatment is hard but you are strong.
Thank you for your response! Are visitors allowed right now with Covid? Are there any times that we are allowed to have our phones? I am admitting there next week before I go to Alsana for residential.
When I was there (July – October) they were allowing visitors…I am not sure if that has changed since then. You’re not allowed to have your phone, however there are a few phones on the unit that you can use to make calls during most times of the day. I wish you the best of luck, keep fighting. You deserve recovery, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Level of care: IP (but they have PHP as well)
When were you there?
April 2016
Is it co-ed?
Yes, and it is not all ED patients, because it is general psych IP, so not everyone is on ED protocol.
How many patients were there?
At most they can have 16 but it was generally closer to 10. When I was there 3 others were on ED protocol.
What was the admissions process like?
Unsure because I came in on a psych hold at 3am, on a weekend.
Describe the average day:
5-5:30: wake you up for vitals and weight, which they did in your room
8-9: Breakfast (though was usually late)
9: Goals/Community Group
10: Rec Therapy – would do morning snacks around 10:30 if you had one
11: CBT/DBT Group (sometimes separated for an ED specific group)
12:30ish: Lunch
2: Group, usually CBT/DBT or IMR/Spirituality
3ish: Afternoon Snack, Rec Therapy
4: Outside (or gym if weather was bad)
5:30ish: Dinner
6:30 Wrap up/Process Group
7: Gym (or outside if people wanted)
8:30 Evening Snack
9-10: Vitals at some point
What were meals like?
Everyone on ED protocol had to sit and eat all meals and snacks together with a staff member. It was usually pretty quiet and you had 30 minutes for meals, 15-20 for snacks. Some staff would try to talk or ask questions. You were not allowed back to your room for an hour afterwards.
What sorts of food were available or served? Did they accommodate for dietary needs or vegetarians/vegans?
They let me be vegan. The food was not great but I am very picky. They will go out of their way to accommodate and work with you individually.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Yes with Boost. Full refusal -16 oz, Each side or fluids not being completed was 4oz each, Entree not completed was 8oz. You can refuse but they do use tubes eventually.
What privileges are allowed?
It is pretty restricted since it is a mixed IP unit. There was a computer on the unit you could get privileges to use and you could get off unit privileges to go outside or to the gym, but if you’re on ED protocol you are probably not allowed to walk around or exercise. You can ask to be allowed to have things like stuffed animals, etc and they try to be accommodating if possible.
Does it work on a level system?
No.
What sort of groups do they have?
A lot of DBT – mostly focused on emotion regulation. Some ED specific groups which are DBT based as well. Rec therapy they played games and did crafts. Goals/Process. Once every 2 weeks a therapy dog comes. Social workers would do skills and life management groups. There were spirituality ones that were not religious based as well with topics like heroes and bullying. Pretty standard and they start to repeat if you are there more than a week or so.
What was your favorite group?
The ED specific ones just because they were smaller and there was more individual attention.
What did you like the most?
Most of the staff would go out of their way to try to help or advocate for you.
What did you like the least?
Staff do not consistently know the rules or enforce them for ED protocol, and it is hard to get a specific discharge date.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
None really, they even make you sit down to speak on the phone, but you could ask for walking privileges
What did people do on weekends?
Same as weekdays, just usually one or two less groups.
Do you get to know your weight?
No.
How fast is the weight gain process?
Unsure due to not knowing weight.
What was the average length of stay?
I was there about 10 days. Some people are there for a couple of months. It is very individualised.
What was the average age range?
It is an adult unit so 18-40. Most people were pretty young, 18-22. There is a separate unit for older adults (above 40) that they combined with ours for a while due to low population.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
They generally refer you to their PHP or to PHP elsewhere. They offer recommendations for outpatient if needed.
Would you recommend this program?
I have never been IP for an ed before, but I would say yes. They really do try to work with you and be as accommodating as possible, and most staff are really nice. Having your own room and bathroom also makes a big difference, as does everything being so individualised in terms of food and meal planning.
Hello, I have a review for a center that is not currently listed. Where should I submit? The center is called The Lindner Center of Hope and is a private mental health hospital located in Mason, Ohio
I will add it today, thank you for the information!
Emily, I would love to read your full review for Linder Center for Hope! I spoke with the clinical coordinator at length and they sounded great by phone.
But…you never really know until someone who has been there supplements that w/ their actual personal experiences.
If you know anything about their vegan and vegetarian food options, that would be helpful to me! Also, how often did you have 1:1 appointments w/ therapy, nutrition etc?
If you stepped down to PHP, could you also distinguish the differences between PHP and IP there?
Has anyone been to the Lindner Center of Hope? If so how was it?
Has anyone been to the Lindner Center of Hope? If so how is it?
Lynn,
I have not been to Lindner myself but have had a couple of friends go there for IP. My doctor sends a lot of her patients there and regards it highly. From what I’ve been told, it’s a locked psych unit and furthermore very clinical feeling. Stays are for the most-part short term – a couple of weeks or so. Focused on reducing behaviors. Strict and not very homey, but those whom I know have been treated there have found it a successful place to kickstart recovery.
Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful. Good luck!