Any current reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
Shoreline Center for Eating Disorder Treatment/Satori House – CLOSED
- July 6, 2012
- Closed, Corporate, For Profit
- 20
Any current reviews? Please post in comments below. You can check out the FAQ and Guidelines for suggested questions. Thank you!
Just an fyi to anyone looking into treatment at shoreline that they recently just closed this December. They no longer have any ED programs in CA, although there are a few in other states through odyssey behavioral health!!
I don’t know about this facility I’m particular, but there are absolutely Ed treatment centers in CA. I went to Montecatini 4 years ago and my friend just got back from there last month. and there are plenty others
I think this comment just meant that Shoreline doesn’t have any programs in California, not that none exist! I can see how you read it that way, though!
Hi! I was in the shoreline adolescent res program and then the PHP earlier this year but ended up in ip before I could discharge. My team is thinking about trying the PHP program again. I was wondering if anyone has any recent reviews of the Long Beach PHP? I know they moved and the staff is a bit different now. I’d like to know things like the average length of stay, discharge criteria, schedule, meals etc. :))
A horribly sickening place. I stayed in the adolescent res program for about 7 weeks. They start off by taking away your phone for the first week, which isn’t the worst thing. restricting you to a 15-minute phone call on the oldest nurse’s phone from 2011. the first week they don’t allow you to see your family or see any dietician/therapist. took them 4 weeks to assign me to a therapist ultimately delaying my discharge. the days are boring and filled with pointless groups. Most RCS are just lazy so for any groups they run they’ll just give you self-care time, which is essentially just sitting around for an hour. there are only 2 bearable group therapists. The virtual group “therapist” would just vent and dump about her ed when she was an adolescent. the dietitians think everything is a behavior limiting you to 3 exceptions (things you won’t/can’t eat) and 3 meal swaps a month. My dietitian refused to respect that I was a pescetarian for RELIGIOUS reasons and served me turkey, pork, beef, chicken, and so on. Having lived most of my life abroad I wasn’t used to American foods, instead of making a compromise or any other sort of solution, I was forced to eat foods I tried and didn’t like, bean burgers, meatloaf, ham salad, jello, sausage, green beans, etc. I gave my dietician a list of things I would not eat consisting of meat, mayo, tomato, mashed potatoes, beans, and pineapple (allergen). She asked if I could just eat them even when I explained that I had never been around these foods, religious reasons, texture, and flavor. My therapist was judgmental, telling my mother that I was a liar consumed by my ed. Whenever I would try to convince her I was ready for a step down from res she would tell me “That’s your eating disorder talking. 60% of the nurses were incredibly strict, making it a hostile environment. There was a single night nurse that I was able to talk to, more than my own therapist. On multiple occasions clients were served allergens such as gluten and peanuts, a DT tried to serve me pineapple, a deadly allergen, and I didn’t eat it. I even asked her to text my dietician. She was then increasingly rude and inconsiderate towards me when she had to switch out my snack. satori is a horrid place for recovery
Satori damaged me when I needed help and support to recover.
I was harassed for my body by a 30 year old man, in front of staff, who allowed it. I was 16, and a previous S A victm.
There was clear favoritism. Some were granted special privileges, while others of us were treated like prisoners. I was constantly bullied by both staff and clients.
*** I could not physically finish [the portions], and staff aggressively pushed me to continue, past the point of fullness and sickness. I often went days with hardly any vegetables, and became severely consti pated.
Snacks often included things [that normal teens eat], including for a girl with diagnosed diabetes. She had to take a bunch of insulin and deal with it.
I was more anxious and afraid of staff than I was of the food. One nurse tried to make me drink my supplement in front of the clients, then left me alone with it, and when I didn’t drink it, she yelled about it in front of the clients. The same nurse left the door open while I was using the bathroom, so others walking by could see me.
I had my private diary taken away by staff, claiming that I shouldn’t have something to hide by writing in it.
I was shocked by the lack of compassion. I will continue to speak out against the trauma I experienced for the rest of my life. Treatment is supposed to help people heal, not harm them and scare them into eating.
I called the number you suggested several times. They do not respond.
***triggering descriptions of food removed or redacted by admin, per site policy
Part 1:
Wow, taking down my review. I will not be silenced.
My therapist claimed to insurance I decided to go to res. I did not. My therapist lied to insurance, then told me I would be leaving in a week.
She also broke my confidentiality. I revealed I am neurodivergent. She specifically said she would only tell the PHP staff, then told the res staff without my knowledge/permission. The res staff treated me like a child. ***, therapist, talked slowly, as if I’m unintelligent, used our sessions to work on social skills.
The rules were unclear. I was constantly getting in trouble for doing anything. Standing up. Stretching. Going outside. Speaking wrong. Even things I didn’t do. Every day there was a room search, several things went missing with no explanation.
It’s inhumane to expect anyone to be sitting for 24 hours a day for an entire week. When I said this, *** said I don’t have an eating disorder. So my eating disorder invalidates my human rights and you can treat me however you want. Got it.
The redirections were more intense than the large portions. *** A girl with diabetes was forced to eat this way. I received no accommodations for my gastroparesis. *** Beyond that, every single move I made was watched. I couldn’t go hardly a minute without being redirected at the table. And if I stopped eating? I was aggressively pushed to keep going.
The first community meeting was directed towards me. They were mad at me for not counting out loud while pooping. *** opened the door all the way, so that everyone walking past the kitchen could see me. This was a punishment.
Then I was SEXUALIZED by an ADULT MALE. He said I was being provogotaive by stretching. The staff backed him up! If you are sexualizing a 16 year old girl as an adult, you are the problem.
I had anxiety constantly. Staff were cold and indifferent. Especially ***. The dietitian said if I completed my supplements for 3 days, I could earn snack pick. I worked my butt off to do that, and I did, but she lied.
The one time I was late to breakfast, I was yelled at by ***, as I often was. I got supplemented. Being only my 3rd or 4th day, the supplements were still a challenge. Because, you know, I have an ED. This was supposed to be done privately. But Nurse * sat me down in front of everyone and said “Seriously, you need to drink it!”
I asked, “Shouldn’t we go somewhere else?”
“It doesn’t matter. As long as I’m supervising you. But seriously, drink it!” I really didn’t want to trigger anyone.
“We should go somewhere else.”
So she took me to the therapy room next to the kitchen, leaving the door open. “DRINK IT!”
She left the room, and came back 5 minutes later.
She snapped, “So? You just stared at the wall for 5 minutes?”
“Yes.” Then she pulled me into the kitchen and yelled loud enough so the group room could hear, “Ok, she refused to drink it, she SAT AND STARED AT THE WALL FOR 5 MINUTES!”
Everyone was staring at me.
*** then tried to take my laptop, accusing me of face timing someone. I had not. And I legally had a right to do homework.
Part 2:
They consntatnly labeled me as “noncompliant” “resistant” and made me prove I “wanted recovery enough.” For struggling.
We as a group went to throw ice at the back wall. Nurse * told me I’m not allowed to throw ice because it’s “exercise.” Everyone else, including a girl with a medical condition that made it dangerous for her to exercise, were allowed to throw ice.
A girl had her birthday. She wasn’t allowed to call her family. I wasn’t “cleared to walk” despite being medically stable, so I wasn’t allowed to go to the beach. A girl with an actual medical condition preventing exercise was allowed. When I brought this up in group, everyone was furious at me for “resisting the rules.”
I was told by clients that I should just go home cuz no one wanted me there. The staff agreed.
During a panic attack, I ran out of the house. Staff members came with me. In process group, clients asked me why I did that. I explained that I wasn’t thinking well of the consequences. Everyone laughed at me, and I started crying. No one cared.
Later, my journal was missing. The staff had stolen it, didn’t tell me until an hour later, so I panicked. They already read my other journals (which is grossly unethical.)
I tried to log my calories. One of the clients looked at my screen, and brought in all the other clients. No nurse or staff were in the room at this point. She announced all the features to everyone out loud.
After all of them making fun of me, they THREATENED me.
Client went on this rant “I’m not threatened by you! You’re just a 16 year old girl, like me!”
“I’m sorry, did I give you the impression that I wanted you to feel threatened?”
“No! But we’re not!”
“Neither am I,” I lied.
I was SHOCKED by what happened next:
She leaned in, real close and said, “If you wanna play this game, we’ll play this game with you. You don’t get to act like you own this place. We’ll make sure of that.”
Then she got up, leaned in my ear and whispered, “Welcome to Shoreline B***H.”
These threats drove me to another panic attack. The nurse and I made a report to *** but as far as I know, nothing was done.
I talked to *** about the journal, she told me that the concern was that there was a lock on it. Apparently, they were concerned about “what I had to hide.”
Then started talking about a behavioral contract. If I don’t consent to all of it, I will be kicked out. No stretching or movement, no *** , completing at least 50% of every meal. I asked if there was room for error. Was I expected to just magically stop having an eating disorder?
If you are a treatment center that can’t handle the behaviors you are treating, you are the problem.
The next day, it was sprung on me that I would leave in just an hour.
As a last joke, the staff handed me my art project, squished.
So how did this affect me at home? Anxiety, hyper vigilance, shame.
I carried my journal with me. I was kicked out with no support, even though I needed it. One day my mom got frustrated with my math homework, and it freaked me out so much that I burst out crying and ran outside. I wanted to eat alone. What if someone gets mad at me? When my sister came over, I couldn’t eat anything with her.
I was making progress in PHP. And Satori took that away.
I felt hopeless, lost. Untreatable.
Let me be clear. I am not a failed patient, you are a failed treatment center.
Also, these numbers? They’ve never answered me. It’s all so you can look good and keep making money. Treatment is supposed to be a place of healing, not a prison to punish adolescents for struggling.
*names and triggering descriptions of food redacted by Admin per site policy
Wow, I’m so sorry you had to go through that. Thank you for sharing, you are strong and brave. Who took down your review? This is the first you’ve posted here on EDTR, and we don’t take down reviews here, so you might be thinking of a different site. That’s awful, you should never feel silenced. Your voice and your story and your truth MATTER. Never let someone try to take those away from you.
Thank u so much! My review was taken down on google maps page 🙂 sorry for not clarifying
That’s horrible! I’m so glad you stayed strong and posted it here and didn’t let yourself be silenced. Google Maps may have let your review be taken down, but you know what? It’ll still show up in Google search results here anyway! You did an amazing job. And I’m so grateful that you shared your experience here, it’ll help a lot of people. Be proud of yourself and thankful for your voice, because I can say for sure that I am!
Any recent reviews? I might be going soon
Unlike Renfrew or Alsana etc, Shoreline’s company, Odyssey Behavioral, gives each of their ED clinics a different name. So it is difficult to trace. I was in another one of their ED clinics, the Toledo Center for Eating Disorders, Apr-Jul 2019, which was a traumatic waste of my resources (see my review.) Worse, their lack of not only recompense but even response to my complaints cultivated a passion for better care and I’ve been monitoring them ever since with a growing sense of responsibility for getting the truth out and fighting their censorship. The first Google reviews you see for Selah are from fellow clinicians which appears solicited. I assure this, the one I’ve been leaving, is not: 5+1+1+1+1+5+1+5+1+1+1+1+1+1+5+5+5+1+5+1+1+1=50/22=2.3=Google’s star-based rating system for TCED since Odyssey took them over. TWO POINT THREE. Odyssey is the same company who runs Shoreline. I spent 3 mos. at TCED during the actual transition & witnessed, first-hand, how much they value $ over & above patients’ health. They overworked the staff, have a ridiculous staff turnover rate, low employee ratings/satisfaction, low staff/pt ratios, admitted sicker pts than they could care for, not enough individual therapy, not enough therapy groups run by therapists & I could go on. See my own Google review for them. The company who owns Shoreline is owned by Nautic, an investment firm, which exists solely to make money, & like many other firms bought up mental health clinics after the parity bill passed & opened the opportunity for them to earn a killing off vulnerable sick people & their insurance. There was a great article about this in the NYTimes called “Centers to Treat Eating Disorders Are Growing, and Raising Concerns.” And please don’t tell me to “contact *** ***, our CEO” about my concerns, because he and the exec director not only ignored my emails, they blocked my emails, then, blocked me on their FB page. Now, they not only erased MY bad review on their FB page, they removed the entire review section, so they erased everyone else’s bad reviews, too. That’s why I’m posting this on the company’s other ED clinic’s pages and websites, to fight censorship, and get the truth out, to protect the vulnerable mentally ill who deserve respect and dignity. If Odyssey is willing to repay every cent of money they made off of me and every patient I was admitted with in the summer of 2019, (not just from us but from our insurance companies) I MIGHT be willing to edit these reviews.
any recent feedback or experiences?
When were you there:
Summer 2013
How many patients on average?
Hard to say. 5-12?
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined.
Yes, they treat both. It’s combined.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
You see the psychiatrist once a week, the dietician once a week. In PHP, you have 2 individual sessions a week with your therapist, once a week if you’re in IOP.
What is the staff ratio to patients?
Groups are run by 2 therapists, meals are run with 2 staff members (usually a therapist and a diet tech).
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc?
DBT, CBT, yoga, drama therapy, play therapy. Play therapy consisted of playing games with a diet tech.
Describe the average day:
What were meals like?
Honestly? The meals are alright. The food is often lukewarm or cold, though the quality of the food is pretty good. They claim to feed us on a monthly rotation, even though when I was there it seemed like we had burgers and fries once a week… Meals are often heavy and very filling. PHP goes on a lunch outing once a week, PHP and IOP go on a dinner outing once a month.
What sorts of food were available or served?
Pasta, different types of salad, burritos, sandwiches, etc.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
If you didn’t finish your meals within 30 minutes, you had to drink an Ensure.
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
If I recall correctly, the first week, you can refuse two meals, but you have to drink an Ensure.
Are you able to be a vegetarian?
Yes.
What privileges are allowed?
At a certain point, they allow you to pick our own snacks at snack time and portion your own food at meals.
Does it work on a level system?
No.
How do you earn privileges?
Progress in your recovery.
What sort of groups do they have?
DBT, CBT, process group, art, yoga, Body Image, goals, relapse prevention, Assignment share, drama therapy, play therapy.
What was your favorite group?
Process group
What did you like the most?
Their dietician was amazing but she no longer works there. I’ve heard mixed reviews about their new dietician. *** (the director) and the therapists are very kind and caring. I liked hearing other clients’ autobios. The location is great: a few blocks from the beach and in a nice shopping area. The yoga teachers are great.
What did you like the least?
Being expected to do yoga right after dinner when I was very full, cold/lukewarm dinners, some of the diet techs let clients do whatever behaviors they wanted during meals and wouldn’t call them out, other diet techs were overly critical and picky, drama therapy was kind of ridiculous at times, body image group wasn’t helpful. Some of the staff were unskilled, but most of them no longer work there.
Would you recommend this program?
Yes, if you live in the area.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
Yoga once a week, talking walks to the beach or to local parks.
What did people do on weekends?
Saturdays consisted of an outing or a movie. I don’t know what Satori residents did after program and on Sundays.
Do you get to know your weight?
No.
How fast is the weight gain process?
I don’t know.
What was the average length of stay?
Depends on your insurance.
What was the average age range?
13 to mid-fifties
How do visits/phone calls work?
I never lived at Satori, so I don’t know how that worked. When you get to program each day at 12 or 4, you have to check your cell phone at the door, and you get it back at 7:30.
Are you able to go out on passes?
I dont know.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
Tuesday night alumni group. They don’t really help set up an OP team, just told me to contact my insurance and look for an OP team on my own. Other clients were able to see the dietician and therapist as an OP, but I didn’t have that option as it wasn’t covered by my insurance.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
I don’t know.
Other?
It’s been a few years since I’ve been there but I wanted to echo others sentiments. I feel cheated for the time and mobey I spent there. The person that runs the place is really nice and super helpful until she gets your money, then you’ll fight for any attention what so ever. Thankfully I found real treatment somewhere else sometime after surviving that place. It is a breeding ground for learning new tricks and learning how not to trust treatment and the turnover rate is seriously scary. The groups I was promised were inconsistent and it makes me sad to know that people who really need help (like I did) are getting stuck there until they get sick enough to leave and get real help.
I noticed that they just turned over their psychiatrist, which is a good thing in a way, in that the one they had before was completely out to lunch and makes dangerous misdiagnosis. I don’t know how this place stays in business, really.
Does anyone have any recent reviews on Shoreline/Satori? I was there three summers ago and found it very beneficial, but I know some things have changed.
FROM AN ANONYMOUS POSTER
When were you there:
I started at the end of 2010, but my most recent was a few months ago.
How many patients on average?
4-12
Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined.
There are rarely any males, if so they would be the sole male, and no treatment is not separate.
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc?
Depending on your insurance, you might be lucky to see the psychiatrist once a month. Your therapist you see once a week if you’re IOP and PHP, twice a week. The dietitian you see once a week.
What is the staff ratio to patients?
There’s usually 2 therapists/staff per group and dinners.
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc?
DBT, CBT, Art, movement…
Describe the average day:
What were meals like?
In my personal opinion, meals are rich and heavy and not too “realistic” in the sense of something a person without an ED would eat daily. Meals are monitored, but depending on the staff that is monitoring, there are a lot of inconsistencies in monitoring, catching, and correcting behaviors. I know a lot of people who have gotten away with hiding food.
What sorts of food were available or served?
“American food”…an array of pastas, and such. There’s always a fat, protein, and carb at every meal.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Supplementing was more like a “punishment”. For example, if you didn’t finish your meal on time, you had to supplement, regardless of it being one bite or the whole plate.
What is the policy of not complying with meals?
It depended on the staff that was monitoring. In my opinion, there was some “favoritism” going on and certain people got a lot more slack while others were punished. Often times, if one did not comply with meals, there was the internal fear of having to sit with the director and having the threat of being kicked out.
Are you able to be a vegetarian?
Yes, but only if you are a “real” vegetarian for religious or activist sake.
What privelages are allowed?
At a certain point you can start picking your own snacks on the spot instead of filing out a sheet the week before. Other privileges…movement therapy?
Does it work on a level system?
Nope.
How do you earn privelages?
Not really. There really isn’t too much “rewarding good behavior” there, and there’s a lot more “punishing bad behavior” which is really discouraging for those folks trying…
What sort of groups do they have?
DBT, CBT, Process, Art, Movement, Body Image, Inner Child, Goals, Relapse, Assignment Share
What was your favorite group?
None…
What did you like the most?
The dietitian is very passionate about what she does and easy to open up and talk to. Furthermore the location is really nice.
What did you like the least?
The director and numerous threats and the fear of being kicked out of treatment for doing something “wrong”.
Would you recommend this program?
No, not at all. Go somewhere else, don’t waste your time here, unless it’s to see the dietitian outpatient.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
It was dependent upon each individuals recommendation.
What did people do on weekends?
It’s in a beautiful location where the beach is close by along with some shops…
Do you get to know your weight?
Nope. Blind weight.
How fast is the weight gain process?
Depends on the person…
What was the average length of stay?
Depends on insurance…and the director.
What was the average age range?
Early teens to mid-twenties.
How do visits/phone calls work?
Satori house, you can have your cell phone. Visits are dependent upon each client.
Are you able to go out on passes?
Yes. They get reviewed by treatment team on whether you get them granted or not.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
They have an alumni group. As with the OP treatment team…it really depends on who your therapist is and how you end up leaving.
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?
Don’t know.
Other?
There is potential for this treatment center to become so much better if the director stops controlling everything and everyone. She’s incredibly unethical and does NOT understand eating disorders one bit despite what she says. There are definitely structural and consistency problems here and the rules are constantly changing to the point where the staff is even confused and telling clients different things. It feels like good behavior is rarely recognized or rewarded here and “bad” behavior is threatened and punished. Furthermore the manipulative behaviors of some clients are not recognized or dealt with to protect the community. Often times clients are incredibly frustrated because they feel like their concerns and opinions are not heard. This often results in a “clique” of clients ranting about their frustrations and anger outside the treatment setting, which I feel like is inevitable because there’s no space for it in treatment. The dietitian is great…she just needs to LEAVE Shoreline so she can have more power and freedom away from the director’s grip. You can see her outpatient though which is probably a better option.
The staff turnover rate is extremely high here. It seemed as though a therapist was leaving and a new one was coming in every couple months.
All in all, I would not recommend this place due to the fact that it is poorly organized and inconsistently run. Also, I’m not sure there are very many people who recovered by JUST going to this ONE treatment center. Many have been elsewhere before, or had left and gone to another treatment facility before finding peace in their recovery.
My daughter has been in several treatment programs over the years – and fortunately, she is now in recovery. She spent a two months at Shoreline in 2010. It is one of the worst programs. When she discharged, they told her that she was at ‘a normal weight’ at 10-12 less than she really needed to be and gave her a diet/meal plan that would be appropriate for someone on Weight Watchers. The staff turns over frequently, and those that they have there (especially owner and psychiatrist) are ‘out to lunch’. And this is the best that I can say about the program – there is actually worse to say, but it’s not appropriate for this type of forum. Stick with the top-notch, highly reputable programs like Laureate, Center of Change, UCSD, Kartini Clinic (for younger clients) and ERC.
PRE-2012 REVIEWS:
(Transferred from Old Site)
—————
When were you there: IOP June 2010-August 2010
Describe the average day: For IOP, I arrived at 4, prepared snack, went to one group, ate dinner, had another group, left between 730 and 8.
What were meals like? Snack is prepared by staff until the dietician said I was allowed to pick and prepare my own snack. It was a challenge for me, since I was very afraid and overwhelmed of preparing food in front of people, so it helped me.
Dinner is prepared by staff and a client, so everyone has turns to prepare dinner. I believe the time limit for eating dinner is 30 minutes. I came from residential and PHP at another place, so I was used to eating meals like this.
What was your favorite group? DBT, inner child
What did you like the most? I liked that it gave me a sense of “real” life, as I lived only half an hour away, got to live at home while in IOP, and had most of the day to myself. In program, I liked that the staff was very caring and attentive to people’s needs.
What did you like the least? It’s always the luck of the draw with who the other clients will be, but when I was there, most of the other clients were treatment resistant and incredibly negative. It was very aggrivating.
I also didn’t feel I got anywhere in sessions with my therapist. The dietician didn’t seem to challenge me as much as I would have liked.
Would you recommend this program? Yes, to an extent. I’d recommend it to people who are local, AND who have been in higher levels of care previously. I think that is a must. I don’t think Shoreline is good as a first stop for treatment.
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? Individually set with help from dietician and staff. I was a compulsive exerciser, so I had more structure on my plan.
PHP has a few exercise groups a week. IOP gets NIA or yoga once a week.
What did people do on weekends?
I don’t know about Satori people. Once I got to step down to 5 day IOP (PHP and IOP is typically 6 days a week), I had weekends to myself.
Do you get to know your weight? No, thank God.
What was the average age range? when i was there, most were in their twenties.
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
I already had my OP treatment team set up. They also offer a free “alumni” group Tuesday nights, which I attend. It’s better than any of the regular groups I had at Shoreline
How would you describe the program? a bit rudimentary, to be honest. But the staff seemed qualified, to an extent. It wasn’t a great program, but it helped me through a relapse I had while in treatment, and got me on a solid path of recovery. However, I worked my ass off as well, and had continuing contact with my therapist at my previous center, and my OP therapist. It’s all about what you make of it. It wasn’t “horrible” by any means.
——————
If you are in Satori House/Partial program, you will not be able to go to the gym. You get yoga, nai and weight bearing exercises. As to freedom, your therapist decides how much freedom you can have – ie. passes, etc. They have an ‘all foods fit’ approach. I doubt they would go for gluten free.
Age range – mostly high teens to early 20′s.
Most of the people there are bulimic – few anorexia.
You cannot choose the intensity of your program.
I would not recommend Satori. Better programs in SoCal are Monte Nido, A New Journey and Montecatini.
—————
1. They deal with purging by monitoring you.
2. You are allowed to use laptop and cell phone.
3. You do not get to know your weight.
4. They go for all foods fit and the meals reflect that philosophy. They work with you if you have ‘issues’ and they do allow a few ‘exceptions’ on the foods.
5. The weekend outings are a joke and you can have passes if your ‘team’ approve them.
6. Dieticians are ok. The therapists are well-meaning but not very skilled and the psychiatrist is a lovely woman but totally not skilled with eating disorders.
7. There are no massages.
8. Exercise – yoga and/or nia dance 1x a week plus weights.
9. No family therapy.
10. Average stay – as long as insurance is willing to pay.
I would not recommend this program.
—————
Some of my primary concerns with the place are: you don’t stay long. Their intuitive eating approach is a little scary because you are made to eat (and “become comfortable with”) a lot of challenge foods (think trips to restaurants, chocolate, and candies for snacks). At Satori the Relapse Coaches are generally morons who I would never confide in. This is also NOT the place to go to for your first and only treatment. it’s just not sufficient. It’s watered down treatment. I would suggest coming to Shoreline ONLY as a transitioning place out of, or into, higher care like IP or residential. And for the people coming home drunk from pass? I may know the incident you are referring to because of a friend of mine who has lived at Satori for the past six months. Yes, there are people here with substance and alcohol addictions and just like some of us purge, some of them relapse into drinking etc. I can say though that in my stay I have not seen anyone coming home wasted, and the person I think you are talking about has maintained sobriety. We all struggle though, and when you live in tight quarters with sick people, it is bound to happen.
Anywho, those are my qualms. For the most part, I enjoy Shoreline and the moderate steps I have made towards getting better. I got the most use out of living at the house though, and although there is frequent drama living in that house with the other girls, it was a great experience that helped me a lot.
When were you there: June 2010-current
Describe the average day: wake up at 7, prep your own breakfast and eat it at 7:15. Everyone eats together with an RC and cannot leave until the last person finishes. After meal, everyone checks in with hunger/fullness and emotion scale and sit at the house during observation. The same routine is repeated at 10:15 AM snack. We have chores Wednesdays and Sundays and goals/affirmations/reflections sheets to turn in every day. On weekends, we can request passes to leave Satori. Curfew is 11 PM. There are three meals and three snacks a day, individualized meal plans, DBT, CBT, goup and individual therapy, a psychiatrist on site, yoga/nia, and fitness two days a week. On Fridays lunch is eaten at a restaurant. The first Monday of every Month dinner is eaten out. PHP is 12-7:30 and IOP is 4-7:30 with dinner eaten at Satori.
What were meals like? meals are prepared by clients and staff; assigned client shop for, find recipes, and prepare certain lunches and dinners. Meals are eaten together. Food is varried, but they use a lot of “challenges”.
What sorts of food were available or served? Nothing too “healthy” because they seemed overly paranoid of fostering some sort of orthorexia. I was on weight gain with 150% portions plus an ensure everyday; portions to me were so big that I would be keeled over in pain all day. Food was very rich which upset my stomach even more. There are veggie options too, which are overly-abundant in tofu and fake meat. We ate things like tacos, enchiladas, pizza some nights, wraps, etc.
Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Yes, first week you’re allowed to replace a meal with an ensure. PBJ is available to use three times. If on weight gain, add-ons were incorporated as well as an additional cup of milk or ensure plus. If you refuse a meal, you take a non. on your forth non is discharge.
What privelages are allowed? All discussed on individual basis. At Satori, we could submit requests to go out on weekends. Some people had exercise privileges, while others didn’t. I’m only allowed a 30 minute walk a week.
Does it work on a level system? No, but there is an observation period that gets lowered with good work.
What sort of groups do they have? The standard, DBT, CBT, CODA, Art, fitness, process, assignment share, nutrition, etc.
What was your favorite group? Process
What did you like the most? The people I met were some of the most fantastic I have ever met in my life.
What did you like the least? The staff sometimes bothered me immensely, the food was slow torture every day, and sometimes tempers flared with clients. Not everyone was gun-ho for treatment, some people were frustrated with the perceived special treatment of others, and sometimes personalities just clashed. It was also too tame of an approach for me. I wish I could have recieved some intense trauma and psychotherapy while there, instead of being put on a meal plan I can’t maintain when I leave, and thus I feel sets me up for failure. Staff was not always good at listening and compromising decisions.
Would you recommend this program? Yes, but ONLY as transitional into or out of treatment.