El Camino Health - Aspire - Teen Mental Health's Online Review Report Card

Initially my son learned some good skills but then it went downhill fast. The kids weren't encouraged to talk or use the skills/practice them or be friends. To create a supportive community. They cut you off and don't encourage support. That's ridiculous. It's not going to encourage suicide... in fact isolation and loneliness encourage suicide but this is their policy. Maybe they should read up on facts. I will say the parent part was a waste of time b/c there were no worksheets, binders or workable agendas to follow/circle back with your kids. It was parents venting and although that's ok not good use of time... tools and worksheets should be discussed first so we can be on the same page and learn skills with our kids. The staff is ok but does not follow through but now for the downhill...After my son worked very hard and did great in the program for 12 weeks, the staff decided to not let him graduate on the last day without explanation initially. Later it was explained why he could not graduate- the counselors asked the session group "what are triggering/self-deprecating behaviors?" My son replied "over or under eating b/c he struggles with that". Their response, and without exaggeration, was to tell him to stop and leave the room. Then they escalated this, did not take it as an opportunity to talk in private about a legit mental health issue one on one but RATHER say he CANNOT say good bye or graduate on his last day of the program. That was completely unprofessional and totally scarring to a child who's already struggling, and completely abandoned him. Not only did they not follow their own protocols of warnings, contacting the parent if there are concerns but they overreacted to a legit question that they said was triggering. Well what is therapy for then? Most importantly they did not follow up by contacting parents if concerns and give a warning. It just suddenly jumped to being dumped. He had NO issues at all during the program and the lead counselor rarely met with me other than quick updates on his great progress. She said he is great and we don't really need to meet even the week of his graduation!?!?! So it seems very reactionary to jump from"he is doing great, and no issues or reasons to meet up" to he cannot be promoted and graduate. A year later my son still does not trust therapist b/c of this interaction and later the CEO said was "sorry" for the way it was handled and the bad experience. I would post the letter but unable. This letter did not change the staff's inability to follow their own DBT skills and not over react to a simple mental health question that could have been explored more in private if they felt it was so triggering. Why ask such a triggering question in the first place? It's like going into a classroom and saying hey kids, what are some bad words and then suspending them? The staff was unprofessional, the director Carrie Shulman specifically, who went out shopping and hiding the day my husband and I went to discuss this matter in person and we caught her on a shopping spree with bags coming back to the office at the same time but then cowardly told her staff to tell us she was gone for the day. If that is your idea of dealing with poor choices of your staff, and how you deal with your mistakes, shopping and lying, perhaps you have some of your own therapy to undertake. I cannot believe she guides teens for mental health and her staff. This is not what you want happening to your child so that they will be abandoned and hurt. There's a reason why this has 2 stars. I'd would give negative stars if possible b/c of the the harm and new mental health issues they causes. Stay away b/c they don't even practice mental health themselves.

This program calls itself an IOP but it has significantly less support than a comprehensive outpatient DBT program. Mainly, there is no 24 hour therapy support. It is primarily a skills group—do not go here if you want comprehensive care that makes a difference. I hear that they give credit for attending—that is how this program should be viewed— extra classes teaching DBT skills. The staff, esp the director, is not well-versed in DBT techniques and is judgmental. She told me that she could tell that my daughter had a lot of attitude from her clothes. The psychiatric care is slipshod with late response times. This program set us back as a family tremendously. There is no sense of community, the setting is a hospital one. I wish we had not attended!!

I went through the program in 2020, and it helped me a lot. Staff is nice and there’s good snacks and fun crafts. Felt good to be in a room surrounding by people who are going through the same thing I am.

Waste of time, pointless rules make it hard for members to discuss anything important. The program uses up much of its members' time and can make them feel worse.