Montecatini in Southern California treats only women, and offers residential, PHP, IOP, and transitional housing to both adolescents and adults with eating disorders. Any updates or current reviews of Montecatini? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
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Montecatini and Carolina house is permanently closing October 9th according to current patient.
Is this true? I was just about to look into them because they say they do single case agreements on the website.
Yes all the current clients have gotten letters and are working on transferring to other facilities I have a picture of the letter
Thank you so much for sharing this info. Your updates are invaluable to EDTR, and are usually the only way I find out about some closings and am able to update their pages! Nat do you know how many adult facilities are even left in CA? The past few years have been so devastating. Are there any left that still take MediCal?
For medi cal Cfd is an option I’m in La now so like Thousand Oaks 18+ or Del Mar <26 for res, ucla takes medi cal <26 but they will take you now as an older adult in their Santa Monica location and do Ed protocol if you go through the er. Reasons takes medi cal and Medicare (Medicare your only option is ip no php or res) Alsana will take some medi cal plans and do a single case, and ucsd Medicare and medi cal. If you live in north cal there’s no options really just Alsana for medi cal depending on your plan, Cfd php only in sac, and ucsf Stanford and Alta bates for ip
Options are pretty good if you have just medi cal in la. Even erc php will try for a single case. But since I have Medicare and medi cal the only option is reason ip or ucsd php
Anyone have updates on what it’s like here? Are there any consequences for those who still use behaviors [while in treatment]? Looking at admission and don’t want to be around that …
Anyone been to Montecatini pretty recently? I’m admitting I’m a few days and I’m pretty nervous. I’ve been to their RTC in 2019 & 2020 but it’s been so long and I heard they recently went through a massive staff change.
This is going to be long, but the tl:dr- NO I would say don’t walk, run from this place.
This is the only treatment center I have been to. I am 31 and have been dealing with ED since I was 12. I originally sought out treatment at a residential level because my home team, therapist, dietician, and psych all felt many of my issues were spiraling and they needed me to have more support. I was connected with an Acadia specialist, although I didn’t really realize what that had meant.
When I gave an overview of my issues, she immediately frontlined the ED and said any treatment center that doesn’t specialize in ED would take me for my other issues because of that (no idea if that was true) Long story short Montecatini swore up and down they were able to treat trauma and addiction- spoiler alert, they weren’t.
I flew across the country, LITERALLY, for the first time in my life and was picked up at the airport. Did you know when you leave they don’t drive you back to the airport? You pay for an Uber, or find another ride, I didn’t know that, not a huge deal but wow.
Anyway, it started off ok, all that was ever focused on was ED, nothing else. For alcohol, you are brought to AA. I was supposed to go 3 times a week, I think we went 3 times total in my time there, mostly due to a lack of staffing. I also am an active person from the East Coast and they were not at all happy with my desire to move, which is understandable, but being stuck in a house all day I was going stir crazy.
There were 3 houses opened when I first got there, they eventually opened the 4th. You are assigned your housing and then you combine with all of the other houses for basically the entire day, right after breakfast and before dinner. You do 2 snacks and lunch with houses combined, typically sitting with your own house.
The PCT’s and the nurses were some of the best people I’ve ever met. I became incredibly close with a number of the PCT’s and would never have lasted as long as I did without them. I would say they were life-changing for me, and groundbreaking in how I learned to trust people, but it ends there.
My specific therapist never communicated anything with me, I was put on LOS (line of sight) due to an ED symptom and was not informed of this when I met her that same day as well as my psych. Neither one of them told me. When we got back to the house that night, the PCT said “ok we’re putting your bed in the living room since you’re on LOS” I lost it and was so confused as to why no one told me. I almost AMA’d right then and there, but the nurse on duty convinced me not to and provided me with emails for my team to vent my frustration of having no heads up and a PCT who I had met for the first time was breaking the news. This was I think my 2nd or 3rd week there.
For me, it only went downhill with the treatment I received. There was no emphasis on any of the other issues of why I was there, and so many things changed and again nothing was ever communicated to me by my therapist, it was always the PCT’s.
In my time there I switched houses because I was originally put in one that was all teenagers (M1) and I was 30 at the time. M2 had adults my age and had space but I still wasn’t originally placed there. Like what? I formed great bonds with the other adult patients, and we still stay in touch. They were a great influence on me, and I felt when I switched houses I actually started to do a bit better because I was surrounded by others who wanted to recover and not younger girls who were forced to be there by their parents and actively competing with each other on who can eat the least. It is an ED center, so I totally have empathy and understand where they were coming from, but it is hard for it to not rub off on you.
In my time there, we had girls sneaking in drugs from family visits and were not kicked out. We had a patient run away. We had 2 minors “missing” for over an hour and no calls to their families or authorities were made, we found them hiding in a closet, but still, an hour?! I saw patients behave violently, scream, break things, etc. with no repercussions, and were allowed to stay. We had another patient leave with family on a visit that wasn’t approved and just went for hours, again no repercussions. Many girls were sent to psych wards for 24-72 hours and were able to come back with no problems. We had an elderly woman patient (over the cut-off of 65) who was self-pay there, and we all loved her but she needed serious medical treatment they kept her there with no access to it due to self-pay. I had a dental emergency at night (tooth broke, excruciating pain) and was denied medical treatment for hours, they only brought me to the hospital when I said I would AMA and take myself. We had nights with no PCTs and no nurses, we would have agency nurses with no ED training for our house often. Everyone was overprescribed benzos and took them and laid around all day. The list goes on and on. I again believe a lot of these behaviors could have been avoided if Monte was actually able to treat something other than ED.
Ultimately, at the end, I was due to step down to their PHP program. We found out my insurance was ending on Monday, it was a Friday. I was told that I was not a fit for their PHP housing, I was too much of a liability and I was to find housing in San Diego County by Monday LOL! I said I’m all set, I’ll go home. They didn’t like that, they finally called my team back for the first time since I’ve been there (even though my home team left countless voicemails to talk to them) and said if I wasn’t going to stay my home team would need to send me to a locked ward upon arrival home because they felt I needed a higher level of care???!? They sent over police officers to perform a welfare check and we were all laughing together at the table. Like what? I finally got to leave, and no my team did not send me to a locked ward. I was very upset about the sudden departure, due to having to leave my friends and certain staff behind.
I was told by my dietitian at the program, “Sometimes we really help people, other times we drop the ball. Unfortunately, we dropped the ball with you.” My therapist was supposed to reach out to me the next day and it took her over a week to finally make that phone call. She said she wanted to wait because of the way things ended, eyeroll.
The higher-ups are just as awful, and the last time I saw my therapist she involved a higher-up to let me know I wouldn’t be living in their PHP houses, she couldn’t do it herself. She also never said bye! My psych emailed me when I left, and I really appreciated her, although the med cocktail she had me on was completely unnecessary. Anyway, I could not in good faith recommend this place. I have plenty more to share but didn’t want to write an entire novel. I know A LOT of staff have left, including my therapist, my dieitican, and all of the PCT’s I loved. I can’t speak on it now, but if it’s anything like it was, PLEASE look elsewhere. ESPEICALLY if you deal with ANYTHING other than ED. <3
Adding on to my original to answer these questions:
Describe the average day:
anyone have a recent update? Specifically about staff!
Please feel free to read my review directly above your post. I was there from November 2022-Feb 2023. Not sure if that is recent enough for you. Any questions as well, pls lmk!
Could you do a formal review with the questions posted on the site, I think maybe that’s what anon was asking (I’d be curious too as it seems decent but you never know obviously as per your original review).
I just added that to my original comment. Waiting on approval.
When were you there? 2019 and 2021
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)? All
If applicable: Is it wheelchair accessible? Yes
What genders does it treat? Female-identifying/nonbinary
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people? Somewhat. Definitely not the first time I was there, but they improved by the second time.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? Completed less than 50% = two supplements, over 50% = one supplement
What is the policy of not complying with meals? Boost/Ensure/KF supplement, if you don’t supplement you fill out a behavior chain analysis worksheet. Consistent noncompliance > possibly bedrest, possibly higher level of care.
Are you able to eat vegetarian? Vegan? Yes to both
How do you earn privileges? Meal compliance
What was your favorite group? NIA dancing (outpatient). One of the most joyful forms of movement I’ve experienced.
Would you recommend this program? Hard to say. It built the foundation of my recovery in many ways but that felt more due to other patients. Most of the “lower-level” staff was great when I was there. I loved the exercise specialist. But the corporate greed side of everything was hard to ignore. Poor and often belittling treatment from upper management. Sneaky ED behaviors often went unnoticed.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? RTC: gentle yoga, occasional walks PHP/IOP: more intense yoga, NIA dancing, “Wellness Hour” in the gym room
How do visits/phone calls work? Designated hours for both
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go on outings/passes? Yes
This is a poor treatment center, the therapists, doctors, and higher ups dedicate their life taking as much money as they can from insurances. They’ll even push back your discharge date without clear communication to you or even to each other. The CEO and the other higher up will treat you poorly as if you are a little kid and they are a principal, really lack of professionalism and they truly take advantage of being in power. They are extremely disgusting, there was 3 rat incidents in which they had to close down one of the houses because of the amount of throw up outside. Which is disgusting, they state a lot on their website but don’t inform you there’s multiple houses on date of admission and they work on a privilege system that only gets reviewed once a week. Even the day before admission they don’t inform you of any type of copay. The only helpful team were the PCTS, which were very young women and I hold respect for them dealing with all the patients, and the nurses. Otherwise you only see your therapist about once a week (you have no access to them at ALL until they decide to see you) and they’ll pressure you for family sessions. The same goes with the rest of the treatment team.
They state that they’re very ‘individualized-‘ but to an extent they are not. They do not have the correct professionals onsite 24/7 to address behavioral issues or in a crisis, they leave it up to the caretakers and the nurse. There is no structure whatsoever, there’s literally people dazing off during the whole day because there is really a lack of communication, supervision, and therapy. Even when it comes towards behaviors.
When were you there?
Pretty recently, they’re undergoing issues where they held back 3 girls from stepping down– and they are withholding ROI’s for PHPS if you request not to go to their PHP. The CEO is also asking around, pulling girls aside, to as why a patient left. They have a huge case on them if they go over 30 days for the ROIS and for how dirty their houses are.
Can anyone who has been there answer some questions?
How often do you go to the beach?
Is there still water restriction?
How are they with doing online classes?
How is the chef?
Has anyone been to Montecatini recently?
I’m admitting to residential next week and will write an up-to-date review as soon as I can.
hey any update?
Hi! I am between Opal (which is my top choice just need to be cleared for php) or Montecatini and Laureate for res. I would love any recent reviews following the format. I am interested in Montecatini’s intuitive eating and holistic approach. I have tried “factory” like centers (erc/renfrew) and disagree with the fear based tactics. Thank you!
I personally found Montecatini very helpful. While no treatment center is perfect, I met so many kind hearted staff and other clients that I miss so much! It did not feel at all factory like to me and I do think they try their best to individualize care. I do think it was a bit unorganized at times but I appreciated the “humanness” of the place. I can answer any questions!
Current waitlist for residential?
Has anyone been here recently (like this year 2023 recent if possible) that would be able to provide a review and/or answer some specific questions I have? I was here in 2020 so I’m familiar with the program but I’m wondering about how/if certain things have changed more recently. Anything is super appreciated. Thank you! 🙂
Any recent updates/reviews on Montecatini in California?
*post moved here from general Q&A forum by admin
Just posted one two months ago you can read below!
Ideas of things to answer:
Describe the average day:
Ideas of things to answer:
When were you there? May 2022 – November 2022
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)? Residential, PHP, IOP
How many patients are there on average? About 15 in residential, and maybe up to 20 in combined php/iop
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined? No males.
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people? Yes, and each patient states their name and pronouns at the beginning of group.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? Medical doctor: weekly in residential; psych provider: weekly; therapist: 3x weekly in residential, 2x weekly in PHP, 1x weekly in IOP; dietician: 2x weekly in residential, 1x weekly in PHP & IOP; exercise physiologist: 1x weekly in PHP/IOP
What is the staff-to-patient ratio? I don’t have exact data but it felt comfortable. Higher in residential than PHP/IOP.
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)? CBT, DBT, ACT, RO-DBT (my favorite), talk therapy, etc.
Describe the average day:
What were meals like? They were definitely better than other treatment center meals I’m used to. In residential, you eat with your house and your PCT. In PHP and IOP you eat at large tables with PCTs. In residential you rely on playing table games to distract. Typically by the time you’re in PHP/IOP, regular conversation resumes and mealtimes become more fun than stressful.
What sorts of food were available or served? Everything! American food, Mexican food, Asian food; a pretty good variety. Meals were always accompanied by a fruit or vegetable.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? Yes, you’re supplemented for what you don’t finish. You get 10 or 15 minutes (I forget) to finish the supplement after the meal. If you don’t finish the supplement, you have to fill out a behavior chain analysis (BCA). One aspect that makes this program unique from other programs I’ve completed is that there’s no huge “consequence” (i.e. being tubed) for refusing meals/supplements, other than the obvious consequence of harming your body and not progressing in the treatment program. I think you really have to have at least some internal motivation to be successful at Monte, because there is a larger degree of intentionality required. This was a HUGE blessing for me, but I if you’re in a place where you really need to be “forced” into recovery before you are able to make the right decisions for yourself, this might not be the best place for you right now. Not saying there’s not ample support – there is – but this might not be the perfect program for those with 0% motivation.
What is the policy of not complying with meals? See above.
Are you able to eat vegetarian? Yes, and occasionally veganism is accommodated.
What privileges are allowed? In res, phones 5 days per week for varying amounts of time. Daily morning walks, passes, yoga, longer walks, beach time, and pool time are approved as the treatment team sees fit.
Does it work on a level system? No.
How do you earn privileges? Compliance/labs/attitude/motivation (basically it’s up to your treatment team but they want to see that you are trying).
What sort of groups do they have? CBT, DBT, RO-DBT, ACT, Substance Abuse and Other Co-Occurring, Art Therapy, Yoga, Rock to Recovery (lots of fun), NIA, Movement in Moderation, Wellness Hour, Process Group (3x weekly), Living in the Solution (Monte-specific group; kind of ties everything together), Community
What was your favorite group? RO-DBT. Highly applicable to me personally and to many others struggling with EDs, and the group leader, ***, ROCKS.
What did you like the most? Like I stated earlier, there is a level of intentionality required at Monte that I didn’t find at previous treatment centers. For me, that intentionality made a huge difference. It prompted me to evaluate my emotions daily, to review the last 24 hours, and to make daily goals. It took me a long time to connect my emotions, but once I did, I did more work than I’ve ever done in my seventeen years of fighting my eating disorder. I left knowing that I did the work with the help of my amazing team, rather than believing that my team saved me. I saved myself, this time. THAT is empowering.
What did you like the least? My length of stay was LONG (though warranted after 17 years of ED), but I do fully believe it was worth it. But with that length of time came a lot of expenses – paying for the duplex housing and a rental car (not necessary but I’m kind of a diva so I required it). I have very few complaints about the program itself. Honestly, if you’re ready for it, I think this is one of the best options out there.
Would you recommend this program? 100% YES – IF you have at least one bone in your body that’s ready to change. This program would be really challenging for those who aren’t ready. In fact, I can think of previous versions of me that would have really struggled with the increased intentionality and freedom. But since I was so ready to get rid of this eating disorder, I was able to learn from mistakes and move forward, intentionally J
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? You start with daily 10/15 min walks, and progress as your team sees necessary. By the end of my time in IOP I was dancing four times a week (which was healthy for me, but might not be healthy for everyone). Dance is joyful movement for me so I was thrilled about this.
What did people do on weekends? Weekends in residential can be SLOW. You get your phones longer. My house watched a LOT of Spongebob (shoutout to M2) and romcoms.
Do you get to know your weight? Okay I fought a lot on this one and was eventually allowed to do a weight exposure. I don’t think that’s normal, though.
How fast is the weight gain process? Not sure.
What was the average length of stay? Maybe 4ish months? I was there 6 months, and I’ve seen people there for 2-9 months.
What was the average age range? Twenties, probably. But I saw everything from 16-55.
How do visits/phone calls work? Visits on Saturday and Sunday, phones allowed 5 days per week in res for varying amounts of time.
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)? Other than phone/computer time, only iPods that have no internet access are allowed. That was rough for me, as I was used to being able to access my phone for music purposes.
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go out on passes? Yes!
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours? There are house moms that work 5 days/week until about 10 pm.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team? Setting up an aftercare team is a requirement for graduation.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? I came from out of state and they picked me up at the airport!
Montecatini helped me save my life. I’ve fought this eating disorder for seventeen years, and for the first time in my life I am confident that I can continue this fight on my own and live a life in recovery, forever. I will forever be grateful to my Monte team and the friends I made along the way. It’s not a perfect program – no program is – but the people put their heart and souls into helping you find recovery. Special shout out to *** and *** who will forever have a place in my heart for their dedication to my recovery. I am GRATEFUL.
If you have other questions, I’m happy to help.
Thank you!!! ? this helped ease my anxiety sooo much! I was wondering more about php and the housing. How is it? Did you have a roomate? How was getting groceries? What about free time? Transportation? Is the duplex nice?
I’m so glad! The PHP housing is homey :). You will most likely have a roommate, though it is an option to request a single. You get groceries on Sundays, but often other patients will have cars so they may go at another time and you can tag along. Everyone spends their free time differently. I explored a lot, because I had a car, but I usually had a housemate with me! My house often watched movies together and occasionally cooked “family” meals. It was fun. Monte provides transportation to and from programming. I found it helpful to have a car so I could drive to dance classes and have a little more freedom, but I know that’s not possible for everyone – and it totally works out!
Hi, i was curious how meal plans work? I hear they use plate methods? And portions? Can you give like a hypothetical example on how a day of mealplan may look like in php?
Thank you SO much for this review LEAL! I apologize if the formatting got messed up, I know you submitted it with bullet points but they aren’t showing up. I’ve been trying to fix it, but in case I don’t succeed, I hope it still looks okay. Let me know if not!
Thank you so much for this review it really helped me to decide on here for treatment. I arrived here at Montecatini a few days ago and just got my phone back so wanted to just let you know the review was very helpful!
Any recent review Following the format???
Montecatini was bought out in 2015, and is owned by Acadia Healthcare. Acadia is a for-profit acquisition company that is publicly traded on NASDAQ and run by investors (NASDAQ: ACHC). Since their founding, they have acquired 238 behavioral healthcare facilities with approximately 10,500 beds in 40 states and Puerto Rico. Those include Timberline Knolls and McCallum Place, both of which have had multiple allegations and investigations (including convictions) since being purchased by Acadia for allowing staff and other patients to abuse clients.
Montecatini’s page:
http://www.acadiahealthcare.com/locations/montecatini-eating-disorder-treatment-center/
Acadia Healthcare’s Investor Hub:
https://www.acadiahealthcare.com/investors/
Their most recent SEC Filing:
https://acadiahealthcare.gcs-web.com/static-files/3f9b5833-f52a-4fc0-8219-3f436d3b3ea5
For those looking at the SEC reports, for an easier read note that per Acadia all of the dollar amounts listed in these public filings are “[i]n thousands, except share and per share amounts.” Thus, you’ll need to add three 0’s on to the end of each dollar figure that isn’t a share price:
Their revenue for the past three (3) months ending September 30, 2022 is $666,732,000. Equity-based compensation expenses for that period is $7,240,000.
Their revenue for the past nine (9) months ending September 30, 2022 is $1,935,504,000. Equity-based compensation expenses for that period is $21,745,000.
Their stock is currently trading at $80.85, -0.31 (-0.38%).
Wow…
My post from yesterday (the other day? can’t remember) inquiring about organizations not owned by private equity firms/hedgefunds was just made even more important given this information (and the crap on the Montecatini thread). The level that these places go to in the name of money and ultimately greed is astounding – and that is completely separate from the sheer fact that HUMAN LIVES are directly impacted by this. It’s absolutely deplorable, and it’s no wonder why thousands of people are so extremely ill, have nowhere safe to go for help and in turn, suffer greatly and often die as a result.
Wait, so this is really nearly 2 billion dollars in revenue in 9 months?
The last full review sounds very hopeful, so maybe this Acadia location has really good staff advocates on the front lines steering the programming policy and procedures.
To everyone coming on here to post reviews of Montecatini right now (I think we are at five new Montecatini reviews in 12 hours?):
Please use the review template EDTR provides.
Your review most likely won’t be helpful to people otherwise. You can find it below.
If I keep getting more vague reviews submitted for Montecatini that don’t answer suggested questions or provide any specific information about the program, I will have to halt approving posts on this page. Currently they are all being posted from different locations, so while it looks extremely fishy I am giving you all the benefit of the doubt. I am going to assume someone made a Facebook post somewhere asking alums to write reviews here, and all of you simultaneously leapt into action. So I will allow all of them thus far to stay up. But if anyone who has written a review can reply to this letting me know what is going on, I would appreciate it.
Here is the template:
Ideas of things to answer:
Describe the average day:
I understand that these most reviews do not match up with some of these questions, but what about the other reviews both neg and positive? These past negative reviews, some are vague, and some reviews are more of a question. If you are going to call out recent posts should this not be all post who are not meeting criteria?
Because these ones all appeared at once. It’s not normal. If you look through past reviews you will notice they weren’t all posted on the same day. Site protocol requires me to apply higher scrutiny when there is either a sudden influx of glowing reviews or a sudden influx of negative reviews on a treatment center’s review page. Some further descriptions from the site guidelines (I’ve bolded the parts that are applicable when a ton of reviews appear at once):
You can write a review of your experience there without being biased — just state the facts of what occurred and what the program was like (schedule, meals, groups, etc.) If there have recently been a lot of changes, it could be really helpful to those considering going there to get a clearer picture of what the program is like so that they can make a more informed decision. Obviously, you shouldn’t feel obligated to write a review if you don’t want to, but I doubt anyone is going to be offended by whether you found a program helpful or unhelpful.
The only comments that are seen as “biased” tend to be either:
a) extreme over-generalizations — i.e., “Nobody could ever possibly recover here!!! — that are not supported by any actual examples of things that happened or specific elements of the program that caused the reviewer to feel so strongly.
b) glowing reviews that are written like a marketing brochure, which usually appear after a program has received negative reviews as if to directly counter those reviews but without actually refuting any or most of the facts stated in the negative review(s). These posts just seem suspicious and create doubts as to whether they are written by actual former clients or just someone who works for the treatment center.
c) posts written by people who have never actually been to the treatment center being reviewed and that warn people against going there and/or make negative claims about the center based solely on what the poster has “heard’ versus what they actually experienced. However, some people can come back, possibly still in their honeymoon phase, and have that glowing feeling. I am trying to moderate and check these as much as possible using various methods.
d) those who repeatedly post either to bash or praise a program and make comments invalidating and/or attacking anyone who disagrees with them about that program, making it appear as if they are posting because they have some sort of personal agenda
Hi Rachel,
If you are under some authority telling you what needs to be posted on this website, then I empathise with the fact that it is your responsibility to uphold certain standards. Whether or not that is true, I strongly disagree with the redirection of this conversation and others about various treatment centers. The outline that you are supporting can be abused by those struggling, and I speak from my own experience. Sharing what foods centers serve, weight / weigh-in protocols, schedules with specific times, etc can lead individuals to enter treatment centers that sound “easier” – or less harmful to their eating disorders. I know that this is not just my experience because I have shared about it in treatment and received feedback that others have done the same.
Comments like these on Montecatini are much more vulnerable, genuine, and personable. These are the kind that this website should promote – not ones that support comparison which we should ALL know eating disorders thrive on. The goal is to eliminate wasting disorders, not exacerbate them.
And finally, as a Former client at montecatini, I stand by all negative and positive reviews that have been posted.
– BUMA
You are welcome to start your own site.
I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt but clearly you do not understand l how triggering this website can be. What do you really think people are getting from knowing how fast the weight gain process is? Or learning that the center serves a fear food? Your blatant disregard is appalling. It makes me and others question the reason you have created this page because it definitely is not to assist in the recovery process.
It is against the rules to attack others on EDTR, myself included. This has been the rule on here since 2008, and it will always be the rule. I recommend that you focus on yourself and your own recovery rather than on the recoveries of others, and practice the skills you learned in treatment rather than taking out your emotions on people looking for treatment. I will be blocking you from posting here anymore.
Rachel, I just want to say that I appreciate the comprehensive review outline, not because it fuels my eating disorder or comparison, but because it helps me discern whether a treatment center will or will not be a good fit for my own unique needs. Many individuals with eating disorders have also experienced trauma, and knowing exactly what to expect helps survivors to make empowered decisions that feel safe, and I’m so grateful when individuals are willing and able to share comprehensive outlines that follow the template for that exact reason.
Thank you. ❤️ I feel the same way about it. I didn’t write the questions, our founder did, and I trust her. Those questions have been part of EDTR for well over a decade. I credit a lot of the work I have done here with my being in recovery for so long. I only occasionally add things to the outline (for example, questions about whether somewhere supports gender identities of trans/non-binary folks, whether a place is wheelchair accessible, what their COVID policies are, what their electronics policies are, and made it a bit more friendly to IOP/PHP levels of care rather than being geared solely towards IP/Res, and also put a lot of work into tagging places that accept Medicaid, Medicare, and Tricare). But her words will always be our foundation. This site was her baby. Just because she has passed away does not mean that she cannot live on in us, and in this site. She was, and still is, my mentor.
I just want to thank you again for all that you do on this site. It really helps ease the anxiety and the fear of the unknown. I completely disagree with the questions being triggering. I find them to be a very good framework and the posts I find rather unhelpful are the ones just bashing a program- that is not helpful to anyone. Also I am sure you would agree that if someone were to find that a single question were inappropriate they could absolutely skip that one. I am sorry for the hate you receive when you work so hard just to help us all!
That’s really an unfair appraisal of Rachel and this website. Rachel works really hard to make sure all reviews are respectful but honest. If you find this page triggering than I recommend you practice good self-care and refrain from being here.
Thank you L. ❤️ You are a rock here – to the community at large, to each person you help, and to me.
If this website is that triggering to you, I would highly advise not clicking on any link to it, or entering it into your address bar. Rachel does a phenomenal job monitoring the site for even potentially triggering content and has fostered an environment here amongst users that is the same. If you are so highly triggered by it, it’s on YOU to NOT seek it out.
What people are “getting” from knowing these very specific details is important information that can help them decide whether or not a treatment center can meet some of their individual needs. Is the information always used for that exact purpose? Probably not. Is it likely sometimes used for comparison? Yes. But at the end of the day it is on the individual who is actively seeking out this site what they do with the information. No one is being forced to explore it, and has autonomy in separating themselves from it.
This barrage of Montecatini reviews, while potentially genuine and heartfelt, are not very helpful. They aren’t particularly harmful either (save from diluting the pool of info and bumping potentially useful things down), but the intention behind them is more concerning and sure as hell isn’t “assisting in the recovery process” any more than the rest of the purely opinion-based ones, or ones with the “triggering” details like rate of weight gain, you called out.
Your own “blatant disregard” for the fact that some ED sufferers/their caregivers want to make informed decisions regarding where they choose to receive care and use the detailed info this site provides (instead choosing to look at as they are solely using the info to fuel their disorders) is more appalling than anything. It seems as if you are choosing to look at it solely from a lens of negativity; people want to fuel their disorders, they only seek comparison, “it’s the ED talking”, which frankly makes it appear and sound even more like you are a treatment center employee.
I hope you found help and healing as you said you did at Montecatini. Please let the rest of us find it in our own way on our own path, some of us using this site as a trusted resource, and leave people like Rachel who pour so much of themselves into these efforts in peace.
Hey Buma,
I don’t understand why you think there couldn’t be a benefit for any people to learn a place serves a fear food or to learn a rate of weight gain. It makes me feel like you only care about yourself and your friends, and you think that if this site doesn’t cater to you, it must be wrong, and even worse, that the admin much have malicious intents. That thinking pattern is so toxic! I can’t even imagine going about my life thinking that, if something isn’t the way I want it, or isn’t perfectly curated to my needs, or if a service/thing/person won’t make an adjustment to themselves whenever I talk loudly or rudely enough or insinuate enough legal threats or challenge their intentions, it needs to be changed.
For me a criteria for a treatment center is that they serve fear foods. Why go to treatment if I won’t get to learn how to eat /reclaim the foods I love? I wish I has known about this site before going to residential the first time, because I ended up at a place that didn’t have desserts or almost any caloric beverages (there was skim milk, soy milk, low sugar orange juice and cranberry juice, everything else was unsweetened or artificially sweetened and you could go the whole time without even having one of the caloric beverages — it suuuucked because I want to get to drink Sprite and 2% milk and chocolate milk and apple juice and sweetened ice tea and all of the normal things a 19 year old who has had an eating disorder should get to have in recovery), that would do room searches to make sure nobody had foods in their rooms (so if your great aunt brings you candy when they visit, you better hide it because everyone gets patted down after visiting hours and anything contraband goes in your box with all other prohibited things that they give it back to you all at once when you discharge) – I got in trouble one time for bringing a mini muffin back with me from breakfast so I could have it for snack (snacks were always only fruit). They were really focused on cooking with no salt and little sugar, and if you complained they would tell you it was your addiction/ED talking. It was horrible, and out-of-pocket max for insurance was $10,000 so I spent $10,000 up front to go there, and didn’t even get to eat the foods I like that my ED stole from me.
When I went back to treatment, if a place didn’t have reviews saying they served desserts and burgers and burritos and packaged snacks like chips and goldfish (or said they didn’t/rarely served them, or that they were optional), I immediately crossed them off my list. If reviews said they didn’t push supplements for noncompletion, I crossed them off my list – I don’t want to go somewhere that doesn’t challenge me, or that doesn’t take the option to not complete off the table, so my ED can’t use it. I know what I need, and that is something I need. What is the point in going to treatment then? I’d be better off donating my $10,000 to the library.
Also, one of the important things people talk about on here is whether somewhere uses exchange based meal plans, plate based method, intuitive, or straight up calorie based. I prefer exchange based. It makes it easier for me to challenge myself, because “all foods fit” – literally. The first place I went didn’t have that. A lot of people find that exchanges fuel their eating disorder because it is just tracking something else. So they come on here to find a place that won’t force them to count exchanges. Everyone I’ve ever seen on here looking for a program explicitly wants one that won’t require them to use calories – that sounds awful, and I can’t imagine how triggering it would be to accidentally end up at a place like UCLA where it is all calorie based
One other thing, there are a lot of people with genuine dietary needs, and a lot of treatment centers that say they will accommodate them but won’t actually be able to. A lifelong vegetarian deserves to know whether he/she can be vegetarian there, assuming their family can confirm they have been since they were a kid. A lot of places don’t allow that. And they deserve to know if they may be allowed to be vegetarian but will only be served cheese and tofu for proteins, because then they might look somewhere else that will give them a wider variety. someone whose religion says they can’t eat red meat deserves to know if they will be forced to eat something that goes against their religion. Someone who is gluten intolerant deserves to know what types of things without gluten they offer. A person who is lactose intolerant deserves to know whether they will just be given lactaid, or whether there will be actual nondairy options. Or someone allergic to peanuts, they might want to know if they have other spread options.
To the weight gain point, people who have a lot of weight to gain often want to go somewhere that has the capacity to do a rapid weight gain protocol, so that they don’t have to stay way longer and can get weight restoration out of the way and get back to life sooner! Or at least that knows how to help people gain at a faster tick. To me, if I see that a place has a very slow weight restoration process, I think to myself, well that means I’ll have to be here X amount of time, and I’m doing a lot of really good work with my outpatient team and I’d rather go to a shorter, more intense program that will get me to the weight I need to be faster, so that I can get back to my longterm outpatient team. Or, now that I have been weight restored for a long time, if I relapsed I may not want to go somewhere with a bunch of people restoring very slowly because it is triggering. Then on the other hand, people who have found that rapid weight gain always causes relapse often want to find a place that does it slower, so that they don’t relapse afterwards due to something super preventable.
Anyway, I’ll stop there haha, but this is the reason I am in recovery now and I’d hate for people to come away from what you wrote with the assumption that everyone is the same as you and your friends, and to not get the info they need so that they can recover sooner
Everyone has a different experience, and for you to criticize another person for being closed minded is very hypocritical. Many people avoid places that serve their fear foods and see a rapid weight gain process because they are too scared to recover, so they will choose one that may not. If we have no knowledge of what is served upon entry, we have no reason to back out before entering, no chance to play it safe. While knowing may help people like you , motivated from the start, choose to face their fears, it makes other not so motivated people run away. I’m sorry for your experience and am proud of the progress it sounds you make, but please do not criticize before hearing the other side. 🙂
But I didn’t criticize without hearing the other side? I heard the other side, understood them, and was replying to their perspective with my own. I did exactly what you are saying to do, because I read everything Buma and the other former Montecatini clients have been writing, and I heard them, and I understood/understand their perspective of them being triggered completely. All I said is that I find it confusing why Buma could think there is only one perspective, which I said in direct response to their post and not to anyone else’s and I solely said it because they said that there is no one who could benefit from the information. And I thought it was okay for me to add my thoughts into the ring too, so that it might be understood that other people feel differently. I don’t understand what I did wrong or why you are telling me I am hypocritical 🙁
Rachel, I think the vast majority of people who have seen these Montecatini reviews come in feel the same way, back you 200% in this. When multiple reviews come in at the same time, with no tangible or constructive information and are based solely on how each individual felt during their time in said program, it raises alarm bells. When I read even the first one alone, I was immediately skeptical as it sounded like an employee; so much of the phrasing is standard and overused copy out of marketing materials. Also some of the verbiage in them is strange…
“Special support friends”…. “eliminate wasting disorders”? It all seems fishy..
Whether or not it it is employees or prior clients, the information they are providing is purely opinion. And yes, historically there are people who have shared reviews like that and they are posted here, the motivation behind them seems less likely a treatment center promoting itself and more a jaded, cynical, hurting, etc. individual patient. We can take whatever we want with a grain of salt, but these Montecatini posts are diluting the quality of reviews by their sheer number alone.
Also, this line really stuck out to me….
“Comments like these on Montecatini are much more vulnerable, genuine, and personable. These are the kind that this website should promote…”
1.) While the comments shared may be vulnerable and genuine and personable, they are simply sharing opinion.
2.) The biggest piece: this website and what it’s done should not be PROMOTING anything other than the idea that every person is worthy and deserving quality treatment, and respect. Period. If this website were about “promotion” it would be a whole different ball game. The fact that the site DOESN’T promote anything, take “sides”, etc. is what makes it a safe, welcoming, and ultimately HELPFUL place for us all.
And at the end of the day, all of this makes me question Montecatini even more….so while they say there’s no such thing as bad publicity, they (or these clients that are posting all of a sudden in droves) sure as hell aren’t helping themselves.
Keep on doing the amazing work you do, knowing you have an army of supporters who back you wholeheartedly!
BUMA–Rachel is the moderator and owner of this site. She spends hours of her own time and her own money running this site. It was created by someone else and after that person passed away, Rachel took over and honors the founder’s legacy. She has worked tirelessly to keep this site ethical and helpful.
I am sorry you don’t agree with the mission here, but I am not sure if you are new here and have had time to read the countless pages of text. Maybe this site isn’t helpful to you. That’s fine. You don’t have to use it. Many other people have found it helpful. I hope you can allow it to exist, and go happily on your journey without creating negativity here.
I for one would stand behind Rachel 100% and I will stand behind her. I imagine many others would too.
I want to start by saying I believe that treatment is what YOU make of it. Monte was not my first center, it was my second after not getting better at the 1st- as I needed a higher level of care. I went into Montecatini ready to kick EDs butt and move on with my life. Residential helped regulate me, get me out of my old patterns, behaviors and thoughts. I believe Monte doesn’t have a one size fits all approach, they have each person on their own treatment program. I can say I was frustrated at times as I felt they were harder on me then they were on others and I remember thinking” this isn’t fair”, but now I look back 10 years of recovery later and understand why they did it. I needed a tough love approach. Thank you ***. Thank you to all Monte for helping me get my life back and for continuing to provide tools to members of the community and alumni. I appreciate you.
***name redacted by admin per site policy
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. According to our site guidelines however, this isn’t a review. Can you answer some of this site’s suggested questions? I’ve pasted them below. Sharing information like that will help people learn more about the program – and benefit everyone’s recovery – much more than general statements. Thank you!
Ideas of things to answer:
How many patients are there on average?
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people?
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)?
If applicable: Is it wheelchair accessible?
Describe the average day:
What were meals like?
What sorts of food were available or served?
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
Are you able to eat vegetarian?
What privileges are allowed?
Does it work on a level system?
How do you earn privileges?
What sort of groups do they have?
What was your favorite group?
What did you like the most?
What did you like the least?
Would you recommend this program?
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
What did people do on weekends?
Do you get to know your weight?
How fast is the weight gain process?
What was the average length of stay?
What was the average age range?
How do visits/phone calls work?
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go out on passes?
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours?
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
If applicable: How is the program responding to COVID? (Less patients, virtual programming, no visitors, masks, social distancing, etc)
Other?
I did digging and this comment is strait from yelp. It’s fishy and reminds me when timberline knolls messaged me and a few others a few years ago to write positive reviews on their yelp page. It feels like this is similar
This is copied and pasted from montecatinis website in the success story page. Not recent. Copied from https://www.montecatinieatingdisorder.com/admissions/testimonials/
I’ve heard that monte was good before they got bought out but as someone who is apart of the monte Alumni groups and attends the Saturday and Wednesday support groups of monte this is not how they are now and has gone down hill. I don’t discourage anyone from seeking care from them because despite it being run down and understaffed it’s still help but if you have the time to research better options I recommend it, because with a lot of centers they start out so good and they actually care so much but once they get bought out they care more about the money and under paying staff to the point that they just hire anyone and it dose damage to the clients and the staff just can be harmful because they don’t know about Ed’s or are so drained they take it on clients, I was there in 2018 and it was ok but in 2019 it was horrible and not the monte I’ve heard from others
omg, you’re right. it’s straight off the website. for shame. to engage in deceit in a place like this, and then deny it, that’s just deplorable. t doesn’t speak well for montecatini, that’s for sure.
And yet there are still treatment centers that are far worse than other and cause clients harm due to false advertising, punitive methods, lack of therapy, lack of compassion, and lack of educated staff. Some centers just suck. no matter how invested a client is in their own recovery.
I first entered Residential Treatment at Montecatini in November of 2012; I was there until March of 2013, returned in June of 2013 to discharge again in July of 2014, and readmitted once more in September of 2015, to discharge for the last time in December of 2015. I had been struggling with Anorexia for 15 years prior to the decision to go to treatment. Saying I was reluctant to fly across the entire country to “put my life on hold” to receive a higher level of care, is an understatement. Treatment is not a picnic, it’s not a beach vacation; it requires some of the toughest work anyone will ever do in their lifetime, but after admitting I knew it was the best decision I ever made. During the first time I admitted, I was a college student as well as a college athlete, playing lacrosse. For the first time in my life, I truly felt seen and respected for who I was as a person outside of my ED.
It happened by chance, that I chose Montecatini as the place where I was going to receive treatment, and I always have and will say that it was a miracle. During my first stay at Monte, I was impressed with how comprehensively they educated me on, and helped me to understand my eating disorder. I was truly naive to the gravity and danger of the way I was living my life; it was by the Grace of God that I even lived to see treatment the first time. In June of 2015, after being out of treatment for a year I was rushed to the hospital, and found that I had developed a liter of fluid around my heart, and a liter on each of my lungs. I was a short time away from death. I had an Emergency Open Heart Surgery, and that was a huge turning point for me.
Returning to Montecatini is what saved my life. I was angry, broken, and what I found out, just “done.” I was done barely existing, I was done lying. I was done being sick and exhausted every day. I was done being obsessed with how I looked and what I ate every single second of every day, and I was done being absolutely miserable; when I realized this, Montecatini was there with open arms. I have been through every level of care Montecatini has to offer- residential, partial hospitalization (PHP), and intensive outpatient (IOP), and all were extremely beneficial and critical for my recovery. Montecatini met all of my treatment needs; from assisting me with developing a sustainable meal-plan, addressing all of my concerns in therapy and groups, creating a plan for post treatment, as well as helping me to rebuild relationships and other aspects of my life that had been destroyed by my ED. The greatest gift they gave me, was showing me how to be successful and LIVE outside of treatment – outside of my eating disorder.
I have nothing but the best things to say about their staff, their facilities, and the way they run their program. I can honestly say that their entire staff is exceptionally knowledgeable in regards to how to treat eating disorders – from their CEO to their Patient techs. Although they will tell you that, “I did the work,” I would not be alive without every member of the staff at Monte. I have been blessed to have been able to work with THE best professionals in the Eating Disorder field, and I am eternally grateful for everything they have contributed to my life. Every day they inspired me, cheered me on, picked me up, challenged me, forced me to think outside of my eating disorder, supported me, loved me, and most importantly, saved me. If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. I would recommend Montecatini to any person in the world – to my own family, because I know they will be getting the best care this world has to offer.
Since beginning my recovery journey at Montecatini, I have become an Eating Disorder Therapist myself. As a past patient and a current clinician, I can say that from both perspectives, Montecatini has everything a person could possibly want or need to achieve a life of recovery from their eating disorder.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Can you answer some of this site’s suggested questions as well? I’ve pasted them below. You did the first two, which is super helpful. If you can answer some more of them, you will help people learn more about the program and benefit everyone’s recovery!
Ideas of things to answer:
When were you there?
What level(s) of care did you do (e.g., inpatient, residential, PHP, IOP)?
How many patients are there on average?
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people?
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)?
If applicable: Is it wheelchair accessible?
Describe the average day:
What were meals like?
What sorts of food were available or served?
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
Are you able to eat vegetarian?
What privileges are allowed?
Does it work on a level system?
How do you earn privileges?
What sort of groups do they have?
What was your favorite group?
What did you like the most?
What did you like the least?
Would you recommend this program?
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
What did people do on weekends?
Do you get to know your weight?
How fast is the weight gain process?
What was the average length of stay?
What was the average age range?
How do visits/phone calls work?
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go out on passes?
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours?
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
If applicable: How is the program responding to COVID? (Less patients, virtual programming, no visitors, masks, social distancing, etc)
Other?
This is straight from montecatini s website if you go to their testimonial page on their website and scroll down. Word for word this review is on their website. They just copied and pasted it here
I would like to share my experience at Montecatini I attended PHP as well as IOP from 1/20/22 to 5/1/2022
I struggled with an E.D. for many years. I was so impressed that they offered my input and suggestions and included me in my own treatment goals. It felt more like I was part of a team vs feeling alone on an island which is how some of my past experiences had felt prior to Monte.
Montecatini offered many support groups and visits with clinicians several times a week. I could also feel the support they offered to each other to better serve their clients. The patient care Technicians were warm , supportive and professional. I felt respected and listened to. What boosted my confidence was the invitation to share my ideas that pertained to and would benefit my individual care plan. Some of my favorite memories are when the fellow patients created a flyer to recognize the Montecatini clients. I also enjoyed the group activities. I’ll mention a few – after program hours we engaged in ie movie night, Bon fire with music and a game night. What a sense of community !!
I love that Monte encouraged connections between clients and honored their group input.
I still have contact with my special support friends.. I walked into Montecatini with uncertainty and left Montecatini with new found confidence.
I would recommend Montecatini to my Friends and Family. If you are ready to invest in treatment I can say with certainty…this is a safe place to begin.. best of luck .. Poju
Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Can you answer some of this site’s suggested questions as well? I’ve pasted them below. This will help people learn more about the program – and benefit everyone’s recovery!
Ideas of things to answer:
How many patients are there on average?
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined?
If applicable: Do they support the gender identities of transgender and nonbinary people?
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
What is the staff-to-patient ratio?
What sort of therapies are used (e.g., DBT, CBT, EMDR, etc.)?
If applicable: Is it wheelchair accessible?
Describe the average day:
What were meals like?
What sorts of food were available or served?
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
Are you able to eat vegetarian?
What privileges are allowed?
Does it work on a level system?
How do you earn privileges?
What sort of groups do they have?
What was your favorite group?
What did you like the most?
What did you like the least?
Would you recommend this program?
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
What did people do on weekends?
Do you get to know your weight?
How fast is the weight gain process?
What was the average length of stay?
What was the average age range?
How do visits/phone calls work?
What is the electronics policy (e.g., cell phones, iPods, Kindles, laptops, tablets)?
For inpatient/residential: Are you able to go out on passes?
For PHP/IOP: What support do they provide outside of programming hours?
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an outpatient treatment team?
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
If applicable: How is the program responding to COVID? (Less patients, virtual programming, no visitors, masks, social distancing, etc)
Other?
Are you sure you went to montecatini the treatment center? I went there twice (2017 and 2019) and this is not accurate at all. No place is perfect but monte is no where’s as close to it and they definitely only care about profit while I was there and had favoritism towards other clients. I was not treated with any respect there, and felt more like an insurance dollar and in day care then a place that actually wanted to help. My therapist stopped seeing me after a few weeks because “they had no hope in me” and “ I wasn’t making progress” so they just skipped sessions many groups were not run, many dinners were cold and late because they were understaffed.
This is copied and pasted from montecatinis website in the success story page. Not genuine https://www.montecatinieatingdisorder.com/admissions/testimonials/
*admin note: this is not a review by someone who has been there – see comments for follow up discussion*
Montecatini has professional yet personable staff members who provide exceptional care and comfort to their patients. Their residential location gives that at-home feel and warm touch that you can’t get at a hospital. I’ve heard many great stories of recovery from patients that participated in either or both Montecatini’s residential and out-patient treatments. If you’re on the fence about recovery, this is a trusting place to take that first step.
Hi Anonymous – I’ve approved your post because I am hoping you can provide more information. This is a review site and yours isn’t a review. Have you been to Montecatini yourself? If so, you’ll need to talk about your personal experience there. It sounds as if you are a clinician. I don’t think you are legally allowed to speak on behalf of the individual personal experiences of your clients unless they have given you express permission (whether you remain anonymous or not), and the entire purpose of this site is to share personal experience. If you have clients who have been to Montecatini you can ask them to post a review here themselves. If you have been yourself (or at least had a loved one go), please post a review about your actual personal experience there. Thanks!
man, my eyeballs are rolling right out of my head with these three posts. I shouldn’t say this, but I can’t help it.
SAME. ???
The wording is odd. The fact they refer to it as ‘Monte’ is weird, the details they give are vague, and the fact that there is not any negatives noted is suspicious. I was at over 20 different treatment centers and even the best ones still had some negative aspects.
I was denied treatment from this center because of my electric wheelchair. I am able to walk in the house, go to the bathroom alone etc I just need it when I leave and they told me no, they staff can’t deal with it. This isn’t the first time I was denied treatment from this place. Many years ago they told me verbatim I was too fat for their program. I thought maybe staff change but obviously they have not changed.
Maybe look at IP programs or residential in a more medical setting?
Firstly, I want to say that my life has changed for the better because of a very few key staff, the knowledge I never had before that I’ve had an eating disorder since I was a child, and the other patients I came to love and who loved me, despite our differences and how we appeared, and solely for who we are. My therapist, my clinical support person, my dietician, and a couple patient care technicians are the ones who are responsible for my new life, my strong eating disorder recovery, my sobriety, and the newfoundjoy I have in life. But there is so much foundational decay to this place that it seeps into every single aspect of treatment. Literally and figuratively this place is a mess. The website shows scenic backdrops with beautiful mansions, but that is the definition of false advertising. The bathrooms are not only incredibly filthy, bodily fluids on the seats and floor, dirt and hair all over the showers, but they’re so unhygienic that they were infested with ants. Several times we requested, begged, and eventually wrote notes pleading for things to be cleaned-not once in the nearly three weeks I was there did it happen. The kitchen appliances were often broken for long-periods of time-including the oven. The dishwasher was also broken, so we were using non-sanitized dishes for a good week before I left. Food was old, rotten, or just not replenished/restocked, More importantly, there is so much wrong with how this program works, and it is glaringly apparent by the chaotic mess of the useless daily schedules, improperly or flat-out untrained staff (by their own admission), abuse, negligence, and mistreatment. On more than a few occasions I witnessed patients being publicly shamed and bullied, intimidated, and verbally berated by staff. There is a lead “patient care technician” who sat at a table and ate outside takeout food while we sat and tried to stomach mostly less-than-mediocre food, while she bullied and shamed an 18 year old patient (who had experienced extensive lifelong trauma including verbal abuse) at a large table in front of over a dozen patients. I have witnessed my friend being snapped at sharply across a table full of people to eat in a way she saw fit, although this particular patient had been mid-dissociative episode and had requested a quiet and discreert redirect of her disordered behavior. I have seen patients self-harm at the table and staff completely ignore it. The ignorance is a largely-running theme there, as I watched many patients and friends I cared about fall through the cracks. Being denied the promised three-times-a-week therapy sessions, forgetting to make vital outside health appointments, altogether forgetting important outside appointments, and huge mistakes on labwork done by the facility were not uncommon occurances. Community meetings with “higher ups” were organized, but when they couldn’t handle the respectful criticism, they turned highly-defensive and started turning the blame on the patients. A friend of mine had things in her luggage missing for several days, and when she calmly tried to explain this at the meeting, one of the staff shamed her in front of all the patients by saying that she brought too much, that it took them over an hour to go through her things. I later watched that same patient being quietly approached by a member of staff who aggressively said that she had personally seen her things “with her own two eyes” and that her stuff wasn’t “thrown in the gutter”. It turned out that that same staff member had forgotten to label the patient’s boxes of things with their name, so they were lost in whatever abyss of that place for a good while. The same black hole made things magically disapper regularly, like an item that had sentimental meaning to me, two letters I wrote and specifically asked staff to send for me (one including some gifts for my son), a package a patient had ordered to be delivered there, and more. Many patients heard staff giggling about how they were not trained to check new patient admissions’ luggage, but they just did it anyway. There was also a staff member who talked about how she didn’t know what her job was, didn’t know what PCT stood for (patient care technician), she had no qualifications to work in healthcare, and she had casually found the job online.
I entered residential treatment the same day as another woman, yet we did not get an orientation until our fourth day, but were expected to follow the rules anyway, and were reprimanded by staff if we didn’t. It was upon this too-little-too-late orientation that we learned that we both could have spoken to our minor children since our first day, as it was an exception to the 72-hour phone blackout-period. But not a single time, by a single member of staff, were we made aware of that. My choice to leave “against medical advice” was solidified when I got an opportunity back home to interview for a job that was a dream and a chance to get me out of an unhealthy living situation. Although I had been compliant in every way since the moment I stepped in, they would not let me take a pass in order to attend the interview. Passes were granted for certain patients for 6 or more hours, but permission for me was not given. The main reason communicated to me was that “my team” (I still don’t know who most of those people were and have never met them) was worried I would get a panic attack on the train ride there. Montecatini is not trauma-educated. They may be trauma-informed, but even that is a stretch. They do not know how to handle trauma and anxiety other than prescribing patients medication to numb you. It had been my push and goal from before admission and since the onset of treatment to transfer to a mental health and trauma treatment center. I was strung along since the start, and when both times my insurance review came, they pushed for more time for me, despite more than one person saying I was ready for transition. I now share the same sentiment as many other patients I talked to and others who have reviewed this place-at the end of the day, they are in it for the money.
Montecatini told me they would call me to check up and given me referrals, resources, and support after I left, and three days later, I have yet to hear from them, even after I called and left a them a message. When I informed staff of my leaving, they refused to transport me to the train station 20 minutes away, and their reasoning was that I was leaving against medical advice. Fair enough, but what their excuse was for not picking me up from the train station upon arrival and making me get an Uber, I’m not sure.
About a week into my stay, I had about 3 days of extremely troubling panic attacks, that slowly transitioned into daily intense anxiety randomly throughout the day. Since the moment I walked out of that place, I have not had a single panic attack and my anxiety is nearly non-existent, and I no longer need the anti-anxiety medication I was prescribed there. I also got the job. Leaving that place was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. That feeling was made stronger by my longterm psychiatrist here at home who said today that the center never once contacted him to work with them to manage my care as they had promised to.
I wrote this in the hopes of encouraging people to advocate for their health and recovery, and if that means going to Montecatini because it’s your only option and you need to get stable, or if that means doing your research and finding a different treatment center, or reaching out for help, then I wish you the strength and hope to do what is right for you.
Can anyone provide a full review of their residential program?
Thank you!
What type of information are you looking to get? I know from personal experience, their intake team is pretty awesome and helped me with all my questions whether I had decided on going there or not!
One of the most horrible experiences in my life, fatphobic and classist. Treated the poor girls worse than they did the rich girls paying out if pocket. This rich girl got to pick the food she wanted and had her own private room that she didn’t share (just because) and they treated her so kindly. My friend fainted twice there, once in the shower once during php treatment. When we came dryer staff to help the girl that came to help said “it’s her choice not to eat” didn’t have cuffs or gowns my size (I am a fat woman who is quite large)
Also allowed fatohobic rhetoric come from the mouth of a smaller person but when I, a plus sized individual use the term fat as a descriptor, and a way to reclaim my body and autonomy they tried to censor me. ? Honestly very horrible if you are not white, wealthy, or”look” like you have an eating disorder.
Oh, Penelope, thank you for sharing your experience. I am so sorry that happened to you. I have found some of the most fat-shaming, abusive environments I have ever encountered have been ED treatment facilities. It’s horrifying because, obviously, EDs aren’t about size. I truly apologize for what you encountered. Thank you for being willing to revisit your time there and share it so others may avoid that happening to them.
I hope you have healing experiences now.
Do you happen to know of any locations that are better with the fatphobia?
In 2014, Alsana Birmingham PHP/IOP was pretty good with this. From reading reviews here lately, I don’t think that’s the case anymore though.
Also, check reviews for ERC Chicago. I haven’t been personally, but read about it here.
Will this center drop patients if they aren’t making enough progress with weight, meal intake, etc? I am an adolescent being forced into treatment and I want to make sure that this center would not transfer me to a harsher center if I don’t do well enough in their opinion. How quick is this facility to transfer patients to other facilities? How fast do they put people in the hospital?
Also, could someone explain more about how the meal planning works? Do you get to make food dislikes/exceptions? Do they allow vegetarianism/veganism? Do they ever do sub meals if someone is unable to complete the meal? I read that snacks can be chosen, but are meals ever chosen? What are all of the consequences if someone refuses supplement? Also, with meal plan increases, is the meal plan increased when someone is completing 100% of their plan and the dietician determines they need more, or is the meal plan increased regardless of completion? Is the “100%” a weight restoration mea plan or the full basic meal plan that everyone is expected to be on?
Furthermore, are electronics allowed at specific times in the day and what are people allowed to access on their electronics (watching videos, zoom calling family, social media,etc.) What do people do during downtime? I’ve heard conflicting information about this center regarding whether there are constant groups or a lot of downtime. If anyone has been in the Monte Nido/ Clementine system, how similar would they say Montecatini is to that system?
If someone is a minor who lives out of state, can Montecatini make provisions for PHP for them and their family?
Answers to these questions would be greatly appreciated as I am nervous about going into treatment again.
I was at Monte Nov 2021-Feb 2022. They aren’t quick to transfer clients for non compliance unless you are refusing to eat completely (even then I’ve seen them wait like a week which is not good imo). There are three meal plans I believe, 100, 75, and 50 (50 isn’t half of 100 though). Most people are on 75 but if you need to weight restore you will be put on 100. Snacks can be 1-6 portions depending on your needs, and once you’re there for a bit you are able to choose what snacks you want. They allow veganism and vegetarianism if it’s not related to your ED, and the options aren’t horrible. Once a week you get takeout and you can choose what you want but it has to be approved by your dietitian. If you don’t complete meals or snacks you will be supplemented with Ensure or Kate Farms. If you don’t drink your supplement you have to sit at the table with it for like half an hour and sometimes it will make you miss group or phone/free time. The weekly schedule often has mistakes so you might not get phone time when you’re supposed to, but you’re meant to get your phone everyday except Tuesday I think. You can have access to a laptop at other times if you do school but I would just use that time to watch the new Euphoria season lmao. I met some amazing clients and staff there, but it’s definitely not perfect.
is there any recent review of this res ?? really considering it so any feedback will help !!!
Has anyone been to Montecatini recently (preferably within the last 2ish years)?
Yes i can give you my experience thru email if you like! pennymlarios@yahoo.com
Penelope can you email your experience to me as well? We are looking into centers for my daughter and this was our front runner but now I’m having doubts.
Yes feel free to email me at pennymlarios@yahoo.com and i will give you my experience
Me too plz, i might be going soon to PHP
Hi just email me so i can tell you. My email is pennymlarios@yahoo.com
Does anyone have PHP recommendations for Southern California? I’m currently trying to get into Montecatini’s PHP but I’m not 100% sure I’ll be able to yet and I need to have some backups just in case. I’ve done a lot of treatment (mostly res) and most of it has been unhelpful and even damaging I’m some cases, and I really cannot handle going through any of that again. I don’t want to go back into the treatment system at all but I need help and I can’t stay in my current home environment and get well as it is triggering/toxic for me. I can’t find any residential that would be a good fit for me at this point, but I think PHP would set me up better long term anyway. Because of my experiences with treatment in the past though, there are certain things I know will and won’t work for me and I need to be specific about where I go. So a few important things are supported housing/transitional living options available, ability to be dairy free (and not by taking Lactaid as it doesn’t work for me, has to be non dairy subs), variety/options when it comes to food, like not having a super limited snack menu or strict exchanges, and being able to choose the food to some extent–just general flexibility/autonomy with food and not being overly rigid/unreasonable if that makes sense; and lastly, just a general sense of respect/being treated like a person rather than a patient and being willing to work with me on my own treatment (rather than a one track approach and having to be perfect and shaming or punishing for struggling). That last one might seem obvious, but in my experience it’s unfortunately usually not the case. I’m trying not to be too specific and I know I’m not going to find anything even close to perfect, these are just the things I really can’t compromise on. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated and welcome. Also if anyone has a recommendation that seems like it would be a good fit but isn’t in SoCal, I would still definitely be interested in looking into it. I just don’t know what to do if Montecatini doesn’t work out so I’m grateful for any help.
Hey, did you get into the PHP? How did it go?
Are there any updated reviews on Montecatini? Trying to choose a facility for residential in California and they are one of very few in-network with my insurance. Thank you in advance!
I’ve been in both their residential and PHP twice, and both times were very helpful. I learned a lot about myself as a person and I got closer to recovery than I’ve ever been. PHP is 8 hours a day, 6 days a week. You meet with an exercise physiologist, psychiatrist, and dietitian once a week while meeting with an individual therapist twice a week. Montecatini doesn’t tube but they do have you sit with 2 supplements if you’ve eaten 50% of a meal or any amount of a snack. Exercise is introduced slowly and carefully, but yoga, dance, and time in a room with exercise equipment are all part of the program and you can participate as long as you’re meal plan compliant for 24 hours beforehand. They have nearby housing with transportation but it’s 1200 a month for a room (yikes!). I recommend staying in the duplex if you can afford it because it’s really helpful in terms of being able to give and receive peer support.
what happens if you aren’t able to finish the supplements as well? do they not let you go for walks etc …?
When I was there in sep 2019 they let a girl go for so long not eating or eating the supplements she fainted twice. And they wouldn’t sign her papers so she could discharge and go to a higher level of care. And when we told them “hey she fainted she needs help” they said it’s her choice not to eat
Montecatini says they use a “plate model” they do not use exchanges. What does this mean?
They use portions.
Can you give an example of a meal? What types of food do they serve? What are snacks like? Do you have any choice? Do you plate? What is refeeding like? Any meal insight would be great!!
I’m trying to remember what some of the meals were. (I was on a special meal plan because of allergies so I always ate the same thing every day). I think they had stuff like chicken with rice and vegetables, pasta with shrimp, soups, tacos, salads, etc. Lunches and dinners are the same for everyone and you don’t get a say in them. Once a week you would have a group choice meal that you and your housemates would pick and help to make. This alternated with meal outing from a restaurant every three weeks. Portions are based on percentages, you’re either at 50, 75, or 100% depending on your needs. With refeeding lots of people started off at 50% and got moved up to 75% or 100%. Snacks in my opinion were great. There was lots of variety and you got to pick whatever you wanted as long as it fit your portions. There was veggies and fruit but they only counted for a 1/2 portion so you had to pair them with things like hummus, ranch, or peanut butter. They had fruit snacks, goldfish, nuts, dried fruit, m&ms, skittles, clif bars, granola bars, yogurt, soy or regular milk, granola, crackers and cheese, applesauce, etc. Seriously there were tons of options, I know I’m forgetting lots of things but you could even ask your dietician for something and chances are they would get it for you. One thing that is hard to get adjusted to is the way they supplement. Be aware that if you don’t finish snack you will always get 1 ensure, no matter how much you left, and if you don’t finish meals you get 2 ensures. They don’t do it based off percentage, it’s the same amount each time regardless of how much you ate. Let me know if you have any more questions!
thank you! definitely still trying to wrap my head around the portion % thing? how do you know what 50, 75 100 % is? i dont understand. who portions it?
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?
objective reviews would be very helpful if anyone has the time. ideas of FAQ are on the FAQ and Guidelines page. thank you.
I just recently was “Administratively discharged” because treatment has been virtual since I entered in March of this year and I just recently moved back home, this being that my therapist assured me she got it approved prior to me coming back! However, I had a good experience while there. Also, in PHP for it being virtual of course it was great. I loved my dietitian, she truly cared and helped me to get farther than I ever have in battling for more than half my life. I would say cons are they highly enable people to become “treatment dependent” and they advertise that they deal with ALOT more than just eating disorders and substance abuse, everything else they DO NOT specialize in or treat severe psychiatric illnesses.
Do not go to Montecatini if you actually want to get better from your eating disorder. The program is very disorganized, and they falsely advertise themselves (nothing for trauma, substances- some people go to AA at night/get back late if they go (only in residential), and not much for exercise (a little when you’re outpatient)). They don’t treat anything but eating disorders and don’t even treat those well. Everyone uses behaviors, and staff doesn’t do anything about it. They don’t challenge you and don’t make people gain weight and just keep them their for years while the person struggles, and then is eventually dropped by insurance at a worse place than when they got there (a lot of girls had been there at least a year and gone up and down in level of care and still not eating). They say they individualize treatment but it’s not individualized, and rules don’t apply to everyone either… Like other people have said, staff have favorites. The groups are awful (a lot of new therapists). Nothing is on time (especially meals). Some of the staff care, and are nice, and it’s a pretty location. But don’t go here unless they change their program…
If it’s okay to ask, around what time frame were you at Montecatini? I’ve been with Montecatini before but Im looking to admit with them again and am trying to get a feel for the current situation there and the vibe of the staff & milleu, but if this is the case I might look into going back to Monte Nido.
I would NOT recommend this place to anyone. They enable eating disorders, and only care about money. The director was awful and the treatment center was horribly ran. I was discriminated against because of false accusations. The staff have favorites and if you are not one of them and are having a bad day, you are on your own. They keep people there for years to get insurance to pay thousands when really I saw every single one of these people become so childlike and treatment dependent. Treatment is supposed to be a tune up, you shouldn’t have to stay for years. My therapist was so new, she was sweet but absolutely uneducated in the eating disorder field. I often felt no direction in our sessions. My dietitian was sweet but really didn’t start saying anything about my struggles until after I moved out of the duplex. Anorexic patients meal plans were understandably high and you had to finish, where as the obese and binge eaters would literally just binge all day long… when I say obese Im talking ‘300lbs. They would binge and that was considered “healthy’ and ‘listening to your body”. Honestly, you could get away with a lot and its just a place for your eating disorder to thrive in. Only positive was some of the girls I met there and the location. THEY DO NOT TREAT TRAUMA.
*name removed by admin per site policy
Although anonymous, I know who this person was based on context clues, as well as S, above. L died because of her ED. After railing against the people who were bigger than her and the people she thought were treatment dependent, she was the one who was treatment dependent and swore up and down into the grave that her ED had nothing to do with her gastroparesis which ultimately caused her death.
I knew L too and can verify this, l was semi close to her she was very kind in recovery but mean in her ed and would bully kids about them not being sick enough at ucsf
I entered eating disorder treatment for the first time ever at 30 years old at Montecatini. I was there from February 2013- August 2014, with a couple breaks in between. Having never entered treatment before I had no idea what to expect. What I did find was a very nice home located in a residential neighborhood in Carlsbad. It didn’t feel like I was in any type of facility or hospital-like atmosphere. The other patients were in varying ages. During my stay, there were girls as young to women as old as 50’s I would guess. The patient assistants were very kind and able to answer any questions I had, as were the other patients. There was a definite community feel.
My stay began in residential treatment. We had all of our meals and snacks together, had community meal planning/cooking nights, lots of groups, individual therapy, dietitian, psychiatrist, and nurse sessions. I learned a lot from the more typical groups ; DBT, CBT, Body Image, Nutrition, but I really enjoyed the other “out of the norm” groups like Yoga, Music therapy, Art Therapy, and Yoga. The house was very spacious and nice. You would share a room with one other roommate. There was a calming view overlooking a golf course with palm trees, and a nice fountain garden area in the front. We had phone/computer nights on certain days during the week, visiting hours Sunday, and group outings.
When I stepped down to the PHP program (5 days a week, from 8:30-4:30), there were still similar groups and all the individual sessions. We would bring our own approved breakfast at this level, and lunch and snacks were provided there. Both PHP and IOP (half days) were held at an office location nearby the residential house. I was so relieved to know that I would encounter the same staff at each level. This really helped ease my anxiety and trust issues. A great thing they offer at Montecatini is the availability of a transitional house. They have a group condo that is an option to stay at if you are from out of town, or if it’s determined a good option for your recovery. It holds 6 women and was such a great support to me by having other women to do recovery life with outside of programming.
My needs shifted throughout my time there and I was able to be moved up and down the levels as needed from Residential, PHP, and IOP. I had a really tough insurance, which I hear is really common case when dealing with eating disorders. However, the staff at Monti fought so hard with my insurance to get me the treatment I needed. I did have a relapse and needed readmission to treatment, it was no question to me to go back to Monti and get it right. They were able to not only help support me with my eating disorder, but also my substance abuse, self-injury, and trauma symptoms. I have a life today better than I could have ever imagined thanks to Montecatini.My therapist was Sharon and she is absolutely amazing and an inspiration. She knows recovery inside and out! Leah was my dietician and is so incredibly knowledgeable about nutrition, eating disorders, and one of the most compassionate people I’ve met. I left Montecatini feeling like I had a family there. I still get to go there weekly for their free support groups which helps so much. I would recommend this place to anyone!
i came into this place with a lot of hope after many failed attempts at recovery and a very serious suicide attempt. I was super motivated and ready to work hard on myself and work the “program” to its fullest extent.
After a day I knew I needed to transfer.
Several major red flags were raised for me here. I was very concerned with the length of stays and repeated stays that the clients were doing. They would be stepped down to partial before they were ready, ultimately relapse and have to go back to RTC. Repeatedly. For years. This place knows how to milk the insurance companies and definitely takes advantage of that. Two clients were readmitted during the five days I was there.
There was a complete lack of structure and horrible miscommunications. Groups were either constantly cancelled or started 20 minutes late. And mostly consisted of worksheets and completely useless information and discussions. During a nutrition group the dietician actually told us that she was so stressed out by working with us that her eye twitches all day until she gets home. And that wasn’t the first time I heard staff talking about how much we stressed them out. How am I supposed to feel okay about confiding in you and trusting you when I feel like I’m just going to stress you out and be a burden? They do no check ins/out during “group” at all and there’s zero community feeling within the TWO residential houses (6 patient per house, based on what level of care you need). I was promised AA three times a week, equine therapy and gardening classes. None of those were on the schedule. I felt very underestimated and had s ton of time to just lay around and watch TV and read. It was pretty obvious when staff was hungover on the weekends because they were “out of it and not feeling well”. Yeah I’ve used that excuse before also.
My meal plan was lowered without being spoken to about it because they believed I was going to go into refeeding- when I had told my dietician that I had just gotten out of the hospital and was being medically monitored by my doctor and attempting to eat normally without purging with about 75% success. There was no risk of refeeding. I had managed to get my heart rate back to a normal range of 55-60 and blood pressure was more stable. My meal plan was so low that my heart rate went back down to 42 and blood pressure went completely orthostatic. I was basically starving which was the whole reason why I came there in the first place!!!
I was not informed that I was back on Ativan which I desperately needed during several panic attacks during the days I was there. I was also prescribed a mineral for the severe constipation I was in and they “lost the paperwork”. Paperwork was constantly lost amongst staff, so if you had an pass request or some lame worksheet you worked hard on then you were screwed.
The real kick in the teeth was WATER RESTRICTIONS. 60 ounces of water every day per client. I’m an athlete so I was drinking upwards of a gallon a day because I needed it. Then I was suddenly shot down to 60 ounces. I was told this was because “no one needed more than 60 ounces of water a day”. This lumped- together non-individual type thinking carried over into the meal plans. When my bathroom was unlocked in the morning I had to sneak water from the tap in order to feel properly hydrated. Myself and another client were so hungry the whole time that’s he began sneaking into the kitchen to eat. I was told by the director, Sharon, that the PA (house moms) were supposed to call the dietitians when clients are hungry and asking for more food. That never happened and the PAs were too afraid to call the dietitians because they would get annoyed when contacted.
Everyone was on the same meal plan and you had 50, 75, 100%. I was NOT involved with my meal plan and had no idea what it was, really. Most of the cooks were very friendly but the head cook actually told a client who asked what good ideas for meals to cook after discharge was “well you’re Asian so like stir frys, rice would be good”.
There was almost no support during meals and after. Bathrooms were locked and you were watched while going; which I don’t mind so much. But it was the lack of emotional support when stopping symptoms that was extremely difficult. Why aren’t there process groups after meals? Or any helpful groups?
The state of the facility is fairly dismal. Very run down. My feet hung over my bed. I was given inadequate bedding that was uncomfortable to sleep with and irritated my skin. Your bedroom door was locked ALLLLLLL DAY except during “rest and relaxation” (as if I didn’t have enough downtime) in which you HAD to be in your room. The facility is pretty filthy. Stains on the carpets, on the walls, dirty floors, couches in various state of unravel.
There were a lot of strange rules like no blankets during the down times and they cranked the AC way up. So a bunch of people already susceptible to cold got even colder.
The most astonishing part of my whole experience was my discharge and transfer. As soon as I made it known I was leaving they pretty much stopped caring. I was treated curtly by staff. The best part is that they WOULDNT PROVIDE TRANSPORT TO THE AIRPORT. I do not live in San Diego and I have never been there. I was told that they wouldn’t be provided transport 20 minutes before dinner and before I was supposed to surrender my phone. I started to get hysterical and one of the other CLIENTS had to help me I’m at the airport now and have never been more relieved in my life.
This morning when they were doing my discharge paperwork and I was doing the last of my packing I was told how “inconvenient” my leaving at that time was for them since they had “other things to do”. The nurse gave me my paperwork, went back into the office with a slam of the door and not even a goodbye. No staff came back out to say goodbye to me or ANYTHING
They don’t do weight restoration at this facility so if you don’t actually want to get better, come on down.
If you wanted to be treated as a group rather than an individual human being come on down.
If you want your things stolen from you by the completely unstable clients that need a higher level of care then go to Montecatini.
It wasn’t all bad. Food was usually good and there was a few amazing staff members. My therapist, Whitney, was the sweetest and most caring person.
Overall however I don’t recommend coming here unless you are unwilling to get better or you can forge your own path and need this level of care.
I went to Montecatini three times. It has nothing to do with a horrible program or bad staff. It had to do with how this disease is relentless and most individuals need more than one time in treatment to reach recovery and stability. How can you judge a place by only being there a few days? I had the best experience each time and my therapist as well all the therapists, dietitian, and staff were amazing, respectful, knowledgeable, and empathic. Every Person and thing about the program played a part in my recovery journey. I am almost a year without behaviors and my mindset has done a 180. In my time there, I made lasting relationships and never heard of anybody hating the program or staff. Every program you go to will have a thing that you don’t like. If you stayed and really got to know your therapist and truly acknowledged that your powerless over this disease and put all all your control and trust over to the therapist, you would’ve seen remarkable changes. Montecatini saved my life. I have many medical problems because of ED and hit rock bottom. My therapist and the entire team brought me into the light and helped me help myself. It’s the best program at least in San Diego. I know all the staff and they want nothing more than to help you see what others see in you. Yes, RTC is very restrictive but that’s because the disease is at a place where it needs that. You’re an athlete and have to drink less water. But in reality you have to realize that you’re not going to be able to do the level of exercise you’re used to do because since your disease is so bad it requires RTC it is unsafe. The dietitian will work with you and if you get better they will incorporate exercise in your treatment plan. It’s a gradual process and you have to trust and surrender your control and all old distorted beliefs. All I’m saying is that you could’ve had an amazing experience and you can’t judge a program when you were only there a few days. I hope you find peace and are able to surrender and live a life that doesn’t involve maladaptive coping strategies. Good luck.
We are very sorry to hear that you were disappointed in your experience, and your comments mean so much to us. There are some things we would like to clarify, as we don’t want to deter the people who have found Montecatini to be life-saving, or those who are seeking help.
Our weekly Residential program is intensive, filled with three individual therapy sessions and a variety of therapeutic groups and activities. Our weekends, on the other hand, are designed to replicate real life experiences and give patients the opportunity to relax and rejuvenate. An admission just before the weekend and leaving at the beginning of the week would not provide someone the opportunity to experience the full spectrum of therapies and programs that we offer, many of which patients express to be transformative and healing.
We are deeply invested in our patients, and take great pride in our facilities. Our homes are in a destination location in an affluent community, just three miles from the Pacific Coast. We are very proud of the amenities we offer, and we’ve recently invested thousands of dollars into landscaping and refurnishing renovations to make Montecatini even more beautiful, so the perception of the facility is deeply concerning.
In regards to the bedroom and bathroom doors being locked, first and foremost, it’s due to safety purposes. It is also in an effort to help our patients create physical barriers to break away from the patterns of their eating disorders, which they have been unable to do on their own.
The first three days of treatment can be very challenging. This is why our registered dietitians, Executive Director, and your assigned primary therapist meet with you individually to share with you the protocols that we have in place for your physical health and emotional healing.
The meal plan is based on your 24-hour food intake recall and designed for not only your health, but your physical safety. Communication and collaboration between staff and patients is incredibly important here at Montecatini. The food plan is designed to increase daily, and this is communicated to patients by their primary dietitian. Each patient has an individualized meal plan based on their nutritional needs. There is always support during meals and staff available at the table. Goals are discussed before meals and experiences are discussed after. Regarding fluid intake, patients receive 72 ounces of fluids per day so as to prevent the serious risk of hyponatremia. It also prevents the potential for patients to alter their weight and create a false sense of fullness. Based on medical trends, that intake can be adjusted.
We make every attempt to schedule transportation for our patients, and ask for at least 24 hours’ notice. When requests are made in a short time, from a staffing perspective, it is difficult to provide adequate transportation as we want to ensure that all of our patients are given the attention and care they deserve.
We are glad that you felt so connected with your therapist, Whitney, and encourage our patients to come to us immediately with any concerns. We welcome feedback and try to address concerns in the moment. This is why we have a very high staff-to-patient ratio, a weekly community meeting, daily check ins, and a patient suggestions box.
Your thoughts and feelings matter very much to us, and we really appreciate you expressing your thoughts. From the bottom of our hearts, we wish you the best on your journey to recovery.
I DID NOT receive 72 ounces of water. ONLY 60 and was told that was all anyone needs. Which is not treating me as an individual and over 60 ounces would hardly put me at risk for water loading. I’m at a different treatment center now and drink at least 150ouncrs a day because as an individual THAT’S WHAT MY BODY NEEDS. especially in warmer climates. So don’t believe this reply people!!! It’s just yet more lies from this here. Regardless of how I was levying I still deserved to be treated with dignity and respect which I absolutely did not receive.
Any updated reviews? I’m thinking of going here in the next few weeks. :/
reviews of UCSD adolescent program please
I don’t know about the adolescent program , but I was in the adult program for 6-months and I thought it was ok. They are very clinical in their approach.
Do you have any specific questions?
What is the weight gain rate and how do they get you to gain? Do they use feeding tubes?
Montecatini is hands down the worst treatment facility that I have ever been to. I’ve been through all levels of care and many different facilities unfortunately but I cannot stress how awful my experience was there.
I’m sorry you had such a terrible experience there! Do you mind elaborating? I’m considering going there and would like to get as many opinions as possible to help me decide. Thanks!
can you please let me know why was it the worst treatment facility and can you recomend something else for me please please I am desperate in need of help. so every suggestion and help will help me to determane if i should go there please reply as soon as possible.
am thinking of going there soon and have been to other treatment centers. Why did you think this was the worst?
I AGREE. I just left this morning after five days for another treatment center. But they wouldn’t help me with transport so I had to figure that out and they complained the whole time how “morning discharges were the worst”. I heard multiple complaints from staff about how working there “stressed them out so much that their eye twitches all day at work” and my personal items were stolen from me. This place is a nightmare and you’re not involved with your treatment or looked at as an individual in anyway. They only allow you 60 ounces of water a day so I would have to sneak water when my bathroom was unlocked in the morning and at night. I’ll write a better review in a little while
My daughter attended Montecatini over the fall for a binge-eating/bulimia disorder. We flew to CA from the East Coast because the program really seemed to be the right choice for her. We were not disappointed. The program is compassionate and realistic – not like a hospital but with appropriate limits and oversight. The staff is very patient-centered and put my daughter’s treatment above everything. When our insurance company denied her residential treatment after a week, they worked to come up with a solution and did not cause any great financial burden for us. She entered partial treatment which, in the end, worked out well. It was so hard to be thousands of miles away from my daughter and they communicated with me closely and reassured me. They listened and made intelligent decisions. The director and staff are caring and professional and respected the dignity of all of us- this is something that can be missing in health care facilities which can be dismissive to both patients and families. The place itself is pleasant, casual and in a very nice location (Carlsbad).
While treatment is no holiday, my daughter changed dramatically in the 6 weeks she was there. Resistant to other therapies, she learned a lot about herself and was actually enthusiastic about trying new strategies. They took her shopping for food, to Starbucks and made sure that she could monitor both her purchasing and all of the emotions and fear that go along with it. She attended AA with her peers (even though she did not have a substance problem) to address the addictive nature of her condition. Whatever they did, they were able to work thru her resistance very quickly and effectively.
I am thankful for this program and recommend it highly. My daughter is now home and in intensive outpatient as a transition. Montecatini helped her to arrange this and to have a positive attitude about the next steps. She is doing well though she takes things day by day and knows it will likely be a life-long challenge. Montecatini was an excellent program for our family.
One note: Blue cross/Blue shield is notorious for refusing residential treatment for bulimia. Be aware that they will not pre-authorize, so you will be taking your chances if you enter residential treatment.
Your situation sounds very similar to mine. We live in Northern Michigan and I have been pouring over reviews and different types of facilities. My daughter has been suffering for close to 5 years. She has refused any type of treatment that could be offered locally. She has now approached us and asked for help. She has underlying/undiagnosed depression and anxiety. We did not send her when she was younger and first became aware and now that she’s older it’s way more difficult. The reviews are all so confusing. She is not under weight. She binges and purges but maintains, actually a little over weight. This was not the case originally. I feel this is our shot to really get on the road to recovery and I’m worried by picking the wrong facility/treatment plan she’ll never be open to treatment again. Did you pull your daughter out of school? My daughter attends college paid for by the school system. Would like her to finish the semester but the work load has really increased her anxiety. Any suggestions from parents or people that have or are still on this journey are greatly appreciated.
Pre-2012 Reviews
After several years of struggling, our daughter is now in recovery thanks to some good treatment and then our supporting her at home for about a year with the help of FBT and Maudsley team.
By the way, it’s good that your daughter is realizing that she needs treatment.
UCSD has a Partial Program for adults; they also do FBT/Maudsley for adolescents, teens and now young adults.
But Maudsley isn’t for everyone. With a young adult, you need a ‘willing participant’.
Montecatini has a very good reputation.
But at the end of IP or residential, it’s important that there is a continuity of care – as it takes time for someone to recover from this disease.
My daughter discharged from IP, then Partial and IOP last year, and what has helped her has been a good outpatient team of FBT, therapist, psychiatrist, medical doctor, an amazing RD and a great yoga instructor.
Just know that recovery is very possible.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
But the key is to select good treatment and know that for quite awhile you may play a key role in supporting recovery.
Best of luck to you!
2011
Thanks to all of you very helpful people! I just really need to learn more about the different programs and local therapists so we can get this done “right” the first time! Hugs to all of you!
Hating ED, on June 6, 2011 at 5:18 pm said:
Here is my full review of Montecatini that I posted on Shoreline’s page. keep in mind this is from when I was there a year ago, and things might have changed since then.
I truly believe that I wouldn’t be in recovery now if it wasn’t for Montecatini. It was an amazing place to be.
When were you there: Residential for 10 days May 2010. Had problems with insurance, so i did PHP and lived in their transitional condo for 6 weeks
Describe the average day: Residential — up around 630, downstairs by 7, fill out snack and morning check-in sheets, breakfast 730-8, gardening, snack, groups, lunch, more groups, dinner, hang out and watch movies or go on an outing till bed. A LOT of downtime.
PHP — lunch @ 1215 (bring your own lunch based on your meal plan. it will be checked by staff), one or two groups, snack, group, dinner (made by staff and maybe a client), group, leave at 8. IOP came at 4 (just after snack) and did the same groups/dinner as us.
What were meals like? Everything is based on exchanges. Your first three days are a standard “new patient” MP, then you receive your real MP. At residential, very strict. No food talk, hands had to be on the table. Everyone rated their hunger and goal for the meal, and stayed at the table till the last person was done. Then you rated your fullness and if you achieved your goal. One “family style” meal and “lunch outing” per week. Observation for 30 minutes (no using the bathroom)
at PHP, things were less strict, but same idea. You served yourself dinner to get an idea of portion sizes.
Everyone encouraged eachother, which was nice
What sorts of food were available or served? All over the map. . Every client is involved in the meal planning. One “dessert challenge” per week for snack.
Did they supplement? How did that system work? If you didn’t finish your meal, you had an Ensure Plus. at residential, if you refused Ensure, no outings for the week or exercise the next day. At PHP if you refused an ensure, no exercise and no one-on-one therapy appt. You had to fill out a “chain analysis” describing why you didn’t eat, regardless.
What privelages are allowed? After the first 3 days, you can go on outings and exercise. After 7 days, you’re allowed in the kitchen, phone privelages, and computer priveliges and can receive mail.
At PHP, you have all priveliges.
Does it work on a level system? No
What sort of groups do they have? CBT, DBT, body image, family issues, women’s issues, process, ANAD, pilates, yoga, NIA, relapse prevention, spirituality, menu planning, nutrition ed, meditation, weekend planning (for PHP people), art. Residential patients have 2 sessions with their therapist. PHP has one session. Weekly psychiatrist session. When I was there, there was one session with dietician a week, but I think they changed that to a group session. Not sure.
What was your favorite group? DBT, nutrition, art, weekend planning
What did you like the most? The staff was amazing. I still keep in contact with the girls there. I loved living at the condo because it was real life experience and got me used to living in recovery, while still being able to have the girls living with me to support me. I loved the groups, my therapist and dietician and the one on one sessions.
What did you like the least? The psychiatrist, the strictness of some things even though they were needed, obviously. Hated having to use the bathroom while the door was open a crack, but it curbed me from purging.
Would you recommend this program? Absolutely
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? If cleared by a doctor: beach walks (for residential), yoga, pilates (for residential), and NIA. PHP clients are given an exercise plan they’re expected to adhere to, based on their needs/disorder.
What did people do on weekends? Residential: a few groups, and a lot of sitting around. A couple of outings. Watch movies, do homework, go on the computer. Family visitations on Sunday.
In PHP, i hung out with my roommates. One day we went kayaking. We would watch movies, grocery shop, go out to eat, go to the beach a lot. Sometimes my friends visited.
Do you get to know your weight? No
How fast is the weight gain process? the weight gain process was different for everyone.
What was the average length of stay? Depends on insurance. Some girls stayed for months and months. Others a LOT less. Insurance sucks.
What was the average age range? 18-30ish. Lots of college students.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team? – They were in regular contact with my OP team, and my IOP center I would transition to. If you don’t have a treatment team, they set you up with one before discharge. I frequently called and emailed my residential/PHP therapist after I discharged, and she was happy to help me out.
How many IP beds? How many patients in PHP or IOP? – 12 IP beds (6 at the main house, 6 next door). 6 beds at the PHP condo. max of 12 or so in PHP/IOP
How would you describe the program? Individulized. At residential, the focus was weight restoration and curbing behaviors. At PHP, the expectation was that you were at restoration or well on your way, and the behaviors are minimized or gone. The focus is figuring out triggers, relapse prevention, and other skills. The staff is super caring and ALWAYS there for you to talk to. The director is awesome. The nursing staff is available 24-7.