?Recent Review of Adolescent Residential Program

I was just here recently – October 6th through November 17th…exactly 6 weeks.

IMO I was discharged WAY too early. I was admitted for trauma, anxiety depression, SH, SI, and a pretty severe ED.

I’ve always been medically stable, and after about two weeks of being there, I finally started to be able to complete my meals. 4 weeks in was both meals and snacks completed. The thing is I only did it so I could get out. Nobody ever bothered to ask where I was mentally. Don’t get me wrong, I want recovery. But my ED and SH are both very out of control. They don’t really monitor either very well unless you report doing things.

Phone time is 2x a day on the weekdays and 3x a day on the weekends.

Visiting is about 1hr 1x a week.

I haven’t been out for long when I’m writing this and I’ve already relapsed on multiple fronts.

I was on an adolescent lodge, being 15, so I’m not sure if maybe the adult lodges are better. I was allowed to hide in back corners out of sight from staff, crying, self-harming, and exercising. I do believe some of their problems may be based on the fact that they seem to be focused on the treatment of anorexia, and I’m bulimic. But it was ridiculous. I was never put on flush protocols and was taken off my lockout early, allowing me to purge again before I had to be put back on it.

The staff was horrible with my flashbacks too. I self-harm during my flashbacks and sometimes they seem even more traumatizing than the trauma itself. Residents told me that the staff said I was totally fine so long as I wasn’t hurting myself or others. Then I was told by other residents that when I did begin to self-harm, mind you I couldn’t hear or see or feel anything around me, the staff would attempt to talk me out of it. There were a few staff that were amazing.

We were usually incredibly understaffed and there was an incredible amount of violence on the lodge. Sometimes we only had 2 BHA’s for 30 girls. There were always supposed to be 2 nurses on the lodge, but sometimes we only had one.

My therapist was supposed to see me 2x a week, I was lucky if I got 1 session. My dietician and psychiatrist regularly saw me once a week, so that was good. I saw the medical doctor as needed if that.

We were woken up for vitals every morning at 5:30 am and then allowed to sleep until 7 am. We didn’t go to sleep until close to 10 pm and were locked out of our rooms from 8 am until 9:30 pm. For someone with chronic illnesses who was always tired, that didn’t go well.

I’d be happy to answer any questions about the adolescent lodge!

Also I’m highly suspicious I may be sent IP from PHP because of my SH relapse.

This place is not any good business. My parents forced me to go here. They dictate you and don’t let you have your freedom. I’m an adult and I have every legal right to leave when I choose to.

Can anyone do a post pandemic update? My 17 year old is suppose to check into TK this week for restrictive ED but She’s read some bad reviews and so have I. Let me know your thoughts.

Timberline Knolls is the worst facility I’ve ever been to. I was restricted to the unit and not allowed to go to the dining hall, yet they never brought in any meals for me, so basically I subsisted on yogurt apples and string cheese for four days. I met my therapist once, never a psychiatrist or dietician. They never instructed me on what groups to go to so I was left to float around aimlessly. The worst part was when I decided I wanted to leave after four days of being neglected, they wouldn’t let me discharge without a parent. I was 22, medically and psychologically stable, yet my mom had to take a red eye from California to sign me out. Horrible experience. Don’t go there.

This review may include information that only applies to Oak Lodge. Timberline Knolls claims they have a standard protocol for all lodges but it works poorly in practice and each ended up developing its own culture.

When were you there:
Three times. November 2016, January/February 2017, and March/April 2017. The reason I had so many stays bunched closely together was because my insurance company always discontinued coverage at exactly 21 days. Being dropped was extremely common and so there were many people who returned within a few months of being unexpectedly discharged.

Describe the average day:
Wake up for weights/vitals/labs between 5 and 6:30. The line can get painfully long so I always just brought my blanket and pillow and slept in the hallway while I waited my turn. A BHS will come wake you up for hygiene at 6:30 so you can get dressed, shower, do your hair, etc. You have Morning Reflections at 7:30, and then everyone goes to breakfast at 8. You go to TK Academy from 8:45 to 11:45, although once a week you’ll go back to the lodge at 10:15 for a general process group. Morning snack is at 10. After school you have a group with a specialist from 12 to 1. Lunch usually gets started at 1 and goes until 1:45. Another elective type group at 2, and at 3 you get phone time and PM snack. One more elective group at 3:30 and then everyone splits off for Art, DMT, or Body Image from 4:30 to 5:30. 12 Step is the last formal group of the evening before dinner at 6:15. Then you get a bit of leisure time from 7 to 8 on lodge or at Acorn and have phone time with HS snack until 8:30. Get through Evening Intent and they open bedrooms/bathrooms at 9 again. Lights out at 10. There is slight variation in the schedule day to day; you will be pulled once a week by your family therapist and twice a week by your individual, plus the psychiatrist once a week. Some people see the dietitian once a week as well and many meet with specialists for eating disorders, substance abuse, trauma, mood disorders, or an individualized purpose. You see the medical doctor on demand after you have your mandatory assessment.

What were meals like?
Usually about half the lodge has some kind of clinical or sub-clinical eating disorder which means you get put on Meal Support. In the dining hall that means everyone sits at one of 2 large round wooden tables with a BHS and you’re encouraged to participate in table games or conversation. The normal eaters sit in the booths at the periphery. You go up to the back of the dining hall and grab your menu and hand it to the servers if you’re on Meal Support. Some people get to a point where they are allowed to do ad-lib ordering, which means they don’t have to fill out a menu and get it pre-approved as long as the BHS checks off all their exchanges once they sit for the meal. Normal eaters don’t have to fill out any menus. Staff have silverware, condiments, and hot chocolate mix at the table that they’ll give you. You grab all the sides you need along with drinks and then you have 30-45 minutes to eat. If you’re running short on time or don’t want to finish you’ll be given the option to supplement. Everyone FaFs (Food and Feelings) and says how they liked their meal, how they feel physically/mentally, and what they’re grateful for. Then you clear your tray and line up by the door with everyone else to leave. Coming to the dining hall and doing all of this is conditional upon not being on close observations. If you are you have to stay on lodge at all times, including meals, and you eat in the kitchen. CO’s involve people admitted for less than 48 hours, suicidal/homicidal ideation, elopement precautions, etc. The meals are gross on lodge so I really recommend trying to stay off CO’s. Everyone eats snack on lodge, but not everyone has a required snack. If you do you go in the kitchen and pick what you want, show the BHS, sit at the table, and check in with the same BHS to prove that you completed.

What sorts of food were available or served?
Breakfasts were cereal, bagels, pancakes, scones/pastries, eggs, burritos, potatoes, oatmeal, veggie patties, etc. Lunch and dinner have a daily special, sandwich bar, Boca burgers, hot dogs, salads, cookies, frozen yogurt, chicken tenders, and loads of other things you could get. If you have to weight restore you’ll have extra exchanges added to meals like yogurt, another fruit or vegetable, extra fats like margarine or peanut butter, things of that nature. Exchanges are sorted into categories of pro (proteins), cho (carbohydrates), produce, fats, and milk. You can have an optional soft drink at lunch or dinner and a coffee at breakfast. Some people get orders for Powerade because of unstable vitals/electrolyte imbalances. Snacks are basic and pretty much always the same; the most common ones are chips, fruit cups, yogurt, peanut butter, juice, bagels, and the like. Make sure you grab a peanut butter or cream cheese at the beginning of snack if you have a fat exchange because otherwise the normal eaters will take it all.

Did they supplement? How did that system work?
Yeah, they use cans of Ensure for most people. They eyeball sliding scale but usually it goes by half-cans (0% completion = 2 cans, 25% = 1.5 cans, 50% = 1 can, 75% = 0.5 cans). One really odd thing is that the BHS will let you pour your own supplements in the dining hall. People also tend to abuse it and drink it because they just like how it tastes. If you have weight to restore they’ll usually offer you supplements at snacks too so you’re not eating massive amounts in tiny time frames; snack supplements are Boost instead of Ensure. Personally I had the choice to switch it up between a Boost Plus on its own or a Boost Breeze along with a fruit + fat or cho + fat at all 3 snacks and that was pretty standard if you had anorexia. Not sure about bulimics but I do know they were absolutely terrible at treating BED on its own and would nonchalantly watch a patient go way over their exchanges and not say a word.

What privileges are allowed?
None really. It’s a pretty intensive program and they expect you to surrender a lot of your autonomy. You can’t even go outdoors without a staff for most of your time there. But you get out what you put in and it will be so much easier for you if you accept and follow the rules and keep your focus on your treatment plan.

Does it work on a level system?
Yes, every day you get a check card and how many checks you get for the day determines your level tomorrow. The highest level is I, and you get to watch movies, have 30 minutes of phone time, and go to Acorn for activities. Next level is R and that means 20 minutes of phone time plus leisure time at Acorn. S is the lowest level and means you only get 10 minutes of phone time and have to stay on lodge for nightly free time. If you are progressing in treatment and following the rules you can get your White Hat which allows you to have your iPod or MP3 player with you between groups and go for independent walks with another White Hat.

What sort of groups do they have?
Morning Reflections/Evening Intent are the same group; the BHS asks everyone their goal, mood, urges, and coping skills. There is a really heavy emphasis on DBT as well as 12 Step (AA, NA, EA, ABA/EDA, CoDA) meetings which are peer-lead. There are groups every week for Substance Abuse, Mood, Trauma, and ED. You get Art Therapy once weekly as well as Dance-Movement Therapy. There are miscellaneous little groups like Sexuality, Interpersonal Relationships, Nutrition, Big Book, Leisure Education, and Body Image.

What was your favorite group?
I loved DMT and Art; they were like a mental break from the 24/7 therapy. Any group run by R (edited for names) (Oak’s Eating Disorder Specialist) is absolutely amazing. Trauma Process was very intense and emotional but everyone is so supportive and it can be a really safe place to open up that particular can of worms.

What did you like the most?
Peers. There is always so much drama due to the sheer number of adolescent girls but the lodge is seriously a sisterhood. I love my TK family even if they drove me nutty sometimes while I was there.

What did you like the least?
Upper management doesn’t even try to hide how profit-driven they are. They squeeze 30+ patients into a building that is way to small for such a census and try to design a program that can work for any issue from ARFID to heroin addiction to bipolar disorder and that obviously has its major drawbacks in and of itself.

Would you recommend this program?
If you are highly motivated for recovery and enjoy spiritual practice it might be a good fit. People really need to stop sending their transgender sons to TK though. It’s a gender-specific program for girls and women and I always felt so sorry for the boys who got carelessly shoved into that box because all that mattered to the admissions department was the sex on their birth certificate.

What level of activity or exercise was allowed?
There’s a lot of freedom in that area as long as you aren’t rubbing it in staff’s faces. People with a considerable amount of weight restoration to do often get put on cart which means that the Safety van drives you all around campus so you don’t have to walk. It’s annoying at first but you learn to appreciate it when everyone else is trudging through the rain and you get to be warm and listen to the radio 🙂

What did people do on weekends?
Recreation Group, watched movies, visited with family, hung out with peers in the hallways, read, worked on therapeutic assignments.

Do you get to know your weight?
No, they do them blind with a paper covering the display screen.

How fast is the weight gain process?
They never told me but I’d guess around 0.5 to 1 pound a week. It was agonizingly slow, but I’m also prone to hyperburn. I do know that after I was dropped by insurance for the second time I ended up coming back almost immediately because I lost everything I’d gained within a week of getting home and had to admit to inpatient.

What was the average length of stay?
4-6 weeks but truthfully it could be much less or much more depending on your insurance and illness. Most people graduated after 8 to 12 weeks but there was one lady on an adult lodge who had apparently been there for nearly 2 years.

What was the average age range?
Anything from 12 to 21.

What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?
No.

How many IP beds?
Around 35 residential beds on Oak.

When were you there: January-April 2016 Oak Lodge

How many patients on average? Each lodge had about 30 girls.

Does it treat both males and females? If so, is treatment separate or combined. They treated girls, yet there were some who identified as male.

How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? I hardly ever saw the doctor, it’s pretty much as needed. You see a psychiatrist about once a week. You see your therapist twice a week. You see your nutritionist once a week.

What is the staff ratio to patients? Like 4 for 30 girls. It was so hectic.

What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? DBT ALL DAY EVERY DAY.

Describe the average day: So they changed the schedule right after I left, but heres the general schedule for the weekdays:

6:00 am: Wake up/HygeineTime (Vitals are usually at 5:30)
7:30 am: Morning Reflection and Community
8:15 am: Breakfast
9:00 am: School
10:30 am: Snack
11:00 am: School
12:00 pm: DBT or Co-Occuring (this depended on your group number)
1:00 pm: Lunch
2:00 pm: Mind Body Movement
2:30: Diagnostic Milieu (ED, Trauma, Mood, Substance)
3:30: Snack and Phone
4:00: Group
5:00: 12-Step (EDA, SA, EA, NA)
6:00: Dinner
7:00: Phone
7:30: Quiet/Homework
8:00: Snack
8:30: Evening Intent
9:00 Hygiene Time
9:45: Lights Out

What were meals like?: On your first 48 hours, you eat down. Which means you eat in the small kitchen on lodge. If you don’t complete meals or snack, you will eat down. After your first 48 hours, you eat at the dining hall. Everyone eats different things and had different meal plans. If you are there for ED, you sit at meal support. Which is basically a bunch of struggling girls using behaviors with one BHS (Behavioral Health Specialist)

What sorts of food were available or served?: The food was actually very good. The main meal was different everyday, but you always had things avaliable to you like mac and cheese and veggie burgers.

Did they supplement? How did that system work?: They did supplement. They use Boost Plus, Boost pudding, and you can request Ensure Plus. If your stomach can’t handle the supplements you may be able to have a lot of extra food at snacks. Some girls chose to have their supplement at meals, while most chose snacks.

What is the policy of not complying with meals?: If you don’t complete, you eat down on lodge. After awhile you may be sent inpatient or to the hospital (Usually Alexian Brothers or Linden Oaks)

Are you able to be a vegetarian?: Yes. I even met a few vegans. I’m not sure if this a good thing though cause a lot of girls say they are just to get away with things. Be cautious about that.

What privelages are allowed?: Once you reach a certain level (Looking In) you can get your White Hat (you can go on outings and walks) and use your iPod. Looking out can sign their own Recovery Card.

Does it work on a level system?: Yes. Everyday you are either put on S (the lowest level. Restricted privlages and 10 minutes of phone time), R (20 minutes of phone time), or I (highest level, extra privelages, 30 minutes of phone time)

How do you earn privelages? You get your Blue Card (recovery card) signed and Checked by staff. You also need to actively participate with the program and comply with everything.

What sort of groups do they have?: They just started added a couple new ones. Art once a week (twice now if you are on level I), Dance Movement Therapy, Self Image, Specalist Groups, DBT, Christian (while there are 2 christian based groups, nothing else is really Christian. This is not a Christian program so if that is what your looking for I recommend Selah House) , Sexuality, Leisure Education, Spirituality, Family Dynamics, Multifamily Group, Relapse Prevention, etc.

What was your favorite group?: Art and DMT. I also loved 12-step groups for EDA.

What did you like the most?:I liked the good staff. Most of the ones who have actually been through ED recovery are the best. They always know what to say and know what’s going on. I actually benefited a lot from the ED groups.

What did you like the least? How they put mulitple diagnosis in one. Everything was so disorganized and a lot of staff almost always had no clue what they were doing.

Would you recommend this program? No. I only went because I was struggling a lot since I didn’t have a step down program when I came home from my last treatment center. I just needed the structure. It is not a good place for someone who just comes from the hospital or is severely struggling.

What level of activity or exercise was allowed?: Once you were medically stable, you could walk to the dining hall and groups. Exercise was allowed basically. Girls paced up and down the hallways and non ED girls exercised.

What did people do on weekends?: We had a lot of other groups. Visiting was about 4 hours in the dining hall both days.

Do you get to know your weight?: No.

How fast is the weight gain process?: It depends on the person.

What was the average length of stay?: It totally depends. Insurance drops people like flies. ED usually stays longer but only like 5 or 6 weeks. I stayed for 3 months because i had TRICARE.

What was the average age range?: 12-18

How do visits/phone calls work?: The first 48 hours you have no contact to the outside world. Once you can call, you can basically call anyone unless you have a password.

Are you able to go out on passes?: Yes! They have to be approved by your therapist and treatment team. They usually don’t happen until the end of your stay, or if your parents come from far away.

What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team?: They do. I already had one, but I think they did a good job with everyone elses.

Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country?: Not that I know of.

Other?

There is a lot of drama that is very detrimental to recovery. We even had a physical fight once. Girls were purging, one even purged in the middle of the community area for like three nights in a row. I now have mild trauma reflexes and am sensitive to loud noises. I’ve never had a panic attack until I went to Timberline Knolls, just saying.

I won’t say that TK didn’t help me, because it did. I can now face many problems head on because of what I’ve experienced. It’s a great battle, but it feels good when you make it out. I learned a lot of coping skills and had some eye opening experiences. There were some great staff that I really enjoyed and think about every day. There were also some staff who had lack of empathy or didn’t know how to deal with things.

Overall 3/10.

Have you stayed at the adolescent lodge? If so how different it is from the adult lodge? My daughter is there now and she is already 18. She keeps calling me to tell me to get her out of there because that is prison. She is there with 35 more girls that are younger thn her. She is been at TK 16 days already and wants to check herself out. Any hopes of that changing anytime soon? I called tk multiple times bur they dont want to put her on the adult lodge.

When I was there
October-December 2014
July-September 2015(I went back not because I had relapsed but to work more on my PTSD problems that were causing much grief)

Why I went: the first time was because of an eating disorder which was on the verge of literally killing me if I would of gone literally 5 days later it very well could have killed me(I was hospitalized 3 days into my staff for a week because of this) I also have borderline and was impressed that they specialize in borderline as well as severe PTSD
The second time I went purely was to get more help and work through issues of my PTSD that could not be addressed in a out- patient setting

In my opinion timberline knolls is absolutely worth it. Timberline Knolls specializes in multiple issues including Eating disorders, substance abuse, PTSD, Borderline Personality disorder as well as a few ther things. Their program works by placing you in a lodge with 18-35 girls you’ll be in either Pine, Maple, Sequoia, or Willow if your an adolescent you will be on Oak. Both times I went I was in Willow so I can’t speak for any of the other lodges but I for the most part I really liked Willow. I loved the residents which really makes or breaks a lodge. On the lodge there’s always 2 nurses lately there has been a nursing issue they’ve had a high nursing turn over so I don’t know the full story there but supposedly they hired multiple new nurses. They currently have been using agency nurses or rent a nurses a lot who don’t know what there doing which can be frustrating but I think the issue is starting to improve. In the lodge there are also 5 BHS’s in the day time which stand for Behavioral Health Specialist. They are staff with bachelor degrees in psychology and most of them are in school to become a therapist. At Willow the morning ones can tend to be iffy if an evening BHS comes in the mood typically lifts some. The evening BHS’s are great, funny, energetic, and very caring for the most part. If you have an Eating disorder you will be on meal support during meals. You will be on a meal plan so before the start of the week you will receive menu’s where you have to circle exactly what you want to meet your exchanges though there’s room to change a bit if you don’t like what you get. When your on meal support you sit at a table with others who struggle with an eating disorder and a BHS who makes sure you’re meeting all your exchanges. The conversations at the meal support table tend to be very light and interesting. At the Willow meal support table there was always laughter. Sometimes singing but always a positive vibe. The cafeteria is set up similar to what a cafeteria would look like at a really nice camp each lodge has there own area. You will be spending nearly all your time with the ladies on your lodge. A typical day at your lodge though it vary’s goes something along the lines of:
6-7am Wake up/Hygiene Time

6:05-7:00 Smoke/Phone/Coffee

7:10-7:50 Breakfast

8-8:10 Smoke

8:10-8:50 Med Pass

8:50-9:05 Morning Reflections where you typically read a quote and then read your goal for the day, what your struggles might be, and your feelings

9:05-9:20 Community Meeting during community meeting the BHS’s announce any special events happening that day like movie night, pet therapy, outings etc. Staff also announces any concerns makes warnings like about going into other residents rooms will get you put on lodge restriction and anything else they find important. Then the residents can make suggestions, bring up issues there having and things like that. While at TK each lodge has a president, a Vice President and a Secretary. People are first voted into office as secretary and as higher ranking people leave the secretary, and Vice President move up into there new role. The people in office run the meeting that’s basically there main duty. 

9:30-10:30 you typically have an elective group which depends on what you and your therapist chose. The elective groups include Survivors which is a group for people who survived abuse, Fitness which to attend fitness you can be on exercise restriction, Yoga, Self image group, Recreation therapy, Nutrition and Applied DBT skills which is a group group if you struggle with borderline personality disorder. You can sit in DBT group all day long but unless you learn how to apply them they’re absolutely useless. Another thing I love about TK is the staff is always there to remind you to use your DBT skills. 

10:40-11:10 Snack/Phone/Smoke

11:20-12:25 More elective groups on some days like Applied DBT skills, cooking, Eating disorder group, mood group, Substance abuse group 
You will be placed in a group with a smaller group from your lodge there are group 1,2,3 depending on that you will go to some of the groups with those people. Like for example you will go to art on a certain day with your group or go to DBT with your group. So some days during this time you will attend a group with the people in your group.

12:35-1:15 Lunch

1:25-1:55 this time is usually smoke/phone but on Mondays at least on Willow for 20 minutes you have graduation where you talk about the people leaving in the next week and all that they’ve accomplished while there. Usually either your therapist or a staff member will speak about you and then if there’s time residents can say things as well. Also during this time usually once a week we got to go fishing with the president of TK Tom in the pond that was really fun! I got to learn how to cast a pole and actually caught some fish! Also I know Tom does a history tour occasionally during that time where he talks about the history of some of the TK building the art studio for example was built in the 1800’s
.
2:05-3:10 You have a group with your group the group varies from process where you talk about what’s happening in your life to Resilience Building which is a process group where you talk about the trauma that’s happened in your life and what it’s bringing up for you now, Art, DBT
3:20-4:05 Snack/Phone/smoke 

4:15 Elective groups which can include anxiety reduction group(it’s very anxiety provoking), Christian process, Spirituality where they have this recording artist from Tennessee fly in every week to lead the group his name is Todd Warren he sings and talks about your higher power, Mom’s in Recovery, Emotional eating, Awakenings which is a Christian group to taper in with your relationship with the lord, Eating disorder group,Mood group, Substance abuse group, also there’s a group called multi family group it’s earned the name Mother F’in group on Willow. It’s one of my least favorite groups families can call in and join the conversation which can be very anxiety provoking for a lot of people as a lot of us struggle with our families and inner issues. Also with your group you’ll attend a group called Dance Movement Therapy being a dancer it’s kind of frustrating because there’s absolutely no dance involved. On the weekend your also get some free time.

5:40-6:20 Dinner

6:30-7:10 Phone/Smoke/Free Time

7:15-8:15 12 Step Meeting or groups like EDA, AA or assignments some groups are on lodge some are in the dining hall and some are off site to go to off site meeting you have to have your white hat I’ll explain that in a moment

8:20-8:50 Snack

8:55-9:15 Recovery Actions/ Mindfulness in Recovery Actions you discuss if you made your goal for the day what DBT skills you used what your grateful for and things like that. You also occasionally do a mindfulness activity though it’s typically abandoned on Willow at least

9:20-10 Room/Hygiene Time/Smoke/Meds

10:00 Lights out though they don’t force you to go to bed they dim the lights in the mileu which is the gathering place kind of like a hotels lobby but usually there’s still a pretty good size group out there waiting for there meds to kick in. 

There are goals to achieve while there including your white hat getting your white hat means that you get to go on outings like to Wal-Mart and Target or to get your nails done. To earn your white hat you have to complete all your assignments if you have an eating disorder you have to be completing all your meals and doing things like that. Personally to me getting my white hat wasn’t very important to me I knew inside I was doing the best I could and I was content with that so I never got my white hat. To a lot of people getting there white hat is really important to them and it may be important to you but to each there own. Also the website does stretch the truth a bit. None of the group rooms look like the ones in the photos to the least. The art room does look like the art room in the photos. Also equine therapy only happens once a month and you have to sign up in advance or you don’t go so keep that in mind. They also have pet therapy with dogs once a month which I found more positive that equine therapy one of the dogs was a true cuddle buddy. I loved that group so much. The people you meet at TK come from all over the nation and some of them will become your best friends. I still keep in contact with so many of them. You will be assigned a therapist while there whom you will meet with 3 times a week one of those meeting tends to be family therapy though that is optional. If your coming from another state or your love ones can’t make it in you will have the meeting over the phone. That’s what I had to do as I’m from Washington state. I really liked my therapist while there and I got a lot of good hard work done during our sessions. You will also see a psychiatrist once a week to discuss meds. I recommend TK whole heartedly it’s saved my life twice now and I’m forever grateful if you have any other questions don’t be afraid to ask away.

recent review anyone?! interested in TK cause of the trauma component (at least according to their website)

When were you there: nov 2011-jan 2012
How many patients on average? there are 4 lodges and I was on the largest which had 35ish beds and at any given time every bed was filled. literally once someone walked out to the door to be discharged a new admit came in…
Does it treat both males and females? females only
How often do you see a medical doctor, psychiatrist, psychologist (therapist), nutritionist, etc? medical doctor only if you were sick and needed to see someone he came in every so often and you needed to talk to the nurses about seeing him. psychiatrist was about once a week but they are so so busy seeing so many patients so you definitely have to make sure you get seen. i saw my therapist 3x a week. some were 2x a week depending on when their therapists worked. if you needed to contact them the bhs staff could always get in touch with them and you could always talk things out with the bhs’s but they weren’t really allowed to process anything which makes sense since they all had random backgrounds and didn’t really have degrees in the same things.. nutritionist once a week formally but they were on the lodge doing groups or in the dining hall and you could call them over to talk if you needed. family therapist 1x week and you could do phone sessions or if you didn’t want to involve your family (like me), you could just have individual sessions with your family therapist
What is the staff ratio to patients? ummm there were probably like 7 bhs’s per shift?? can’t really remember. and 2 nurses
What sort of therapies are used? (DBT, CBT, EMDR) etc? dbt, 12 step
Describe the average day: okay honestly i really don’t remember the schedule i never learned when things were but i think someone described it above

What were meals like? eating down on the lodge could be reeeeally tense and patients would walk out in the middle or just come in to make sure everyone knew they were refusing to eat, or eat whatever they felt like having from the kitchen. yeah, not always sensitive to people with EDs either since it’s a mixed program. eating up in the dining hall you sit at meal support tables so it’s a little better and less tense. everyone there is finishing, so it’s more motivating
What sorts of food were available or served? all sorts of things. you could pick from a list of always available foods and literally eat the same thing every single day for every meal and they might encourage you to mix it up, but i had a hard time doing that
Did they supplement? How did that system work? ensure (not plus) to complete meals, boost plus choc or vanilla for supplements during snack times (3x a day omg so challenging), boost breeze (only orange– got sooo sick of that!), boost pudding
What is the policy of not complying with meals? ensure 1/2 can, 1 can, 1 1/2 cans, or 2 cans depending on the percentage you ate. always vanilla and not ensure plus. some staff had no idea what they were doing and gave 1/4 cans… there was not a whole lot of consistency. can’t eat in the dining hall if you don’t complete meals and snacks
Are you able to be a vegetarian? yes
What privileges are allowed? i think it’s a level system i really didn’t take the time to learn it because i never thought i’d move up it… can start walking places on campus by yourself with a white hat and going on passes and outings and stuff like that
Does it work on a level system? yes
How do you earn privileges? doing assignments and everything else you’re supposed to be doing
What sort of groups do they have? morning reflections, recovery actions, 12 step meetings, dbt, art, stages (ed, mood, substance abuse), quiet reflection time, community, activities, assignments, yoga, self defense, empowerment, nutrition, process, body image… etc.
What was your favorite group? I had a hard time going to groups because my anxiety was so flipping bad when I was there and my psychiatrist and everyone else there thought I should deal with my anxieties without meds or any real ideas for how to cope with my feelings.. So don’t really remember most of them or having a good experience with them
What did you like the most? being part of a community
What did you like the least? being confined to the lodge and not allowed to come and please whenever i wanted. doors were alarmed and i felt like i was in a prison some times. also, staff wasn’t always consistent as new bhs’s were common since the turnover rate for those positions are high. also, being left to deal with my anxiety and severe depression and i felt like i was completely alone. was turned away from staff because it was time to do assignments and i wasn’t supposed to be talking to anyone… ummm what? i felt so alone, but the other patients really helped me out and drawing on their stories and recoveries
Would you recommend this program? yes, but you have to be willing to do the work. no one will hold your hand and do it for you
What level of activity or exercise was allowed? you could sign up for open gym once you were approved for exercise. yoga group, dance movement therapy once you were approved. oh yeah loved that group but was never allowed to fully participate 🙁 if not on cart or if you sneak your way out of it you can walk to groups off the lodge with everyone else. could exercise in your room if you really wanted to not that i recommend it but they really don’t do anything about it
What did people do on weekends? some groups but mostly sit around and try to keep ourselves entertained. people could have visitors but a lot of us weren’t local which kinda sucked and was lonely since the lodge got really quiet and empty.
Do you get to know your weight? if your dietitian thought it would be okay to tell you but honestly even though it was blind weights the number was there if you looked fast enough…
How fast is the weight gain process? no idea since i never got to know my weight and didn’t actually follow my meal plan 100% so i know i was up and down
What was the average length of stay? depends on insurance it seemed like people with EDs got cut sooner since once you gain weight your insurance company thinks everything is fine, so a few days to a few months…
What was the average age range? 18+ most common probably 20s-30s but definitely people older like 60s
How do visits/phone calls work? can have approved visitors on the weekends and i’m not sure if you’re still allowed to bring things for patients they wanted to change it that you could only mail things since they have to sort through everything and were getting an abundance of items. there are maybe 10 phones on the lodge and 5 (?) phone breaks a day. you don’t need a calling card which is awesome and people can call in but you have to say a script and take a message. you can have laptop access at a certain level but very few people got this
Are you able to go out on passes? yeah you can at a certain level not completely sure how that worked. and outings
What kind of aftercare do they provide? Do they help you set up an OP treatment team? you have an aftercare planner who you meet with i think like once a week and you discuss your options for where to go after. they have a php program magnolia house, but there are a limited number of beds, so it’s not an option for most, although i with they would expand that… it’s hard when you leave abruptly because of insurance and then you’re kind of on your own which sucks
Are there any resources for people who come from out of state/country? i mean they provide transportation to o’hare and midway and then again on your departure… that was an experience haha but very helpful since i was out of state. and they took my insurance which was out of state
Other? Good for dual diagnosis. ED treatment doesn’t always come first which can be helpful when you’re dealing with SO MUCH more than food issues. Overall, like they say, it works if you work it

My daughter was just at Timberline Knolls. My warning about this place is get everything in writing. All communications, take a name, date and time. The promises we were made at admission never happened. They loved to tell me I would never be told that because it’s not their policy. They talk a good talk. My daughter liked the treatment she got there, but dealing with administration has been a nightmare. Start discharge planning on your own at admission time because they have been no help at all. I think dealing with the staff there is more frustrating than dealing with my daughters disease.