Paradigm TreatmentReviews of paradigmmalibu.com

My 17 y/o daughter suffers from mental health challenges – primarily anxiety and depression. We chose Paradigm Malibu for her care last fall because of the amazing testimonials we saw on-line, combined with the facility’s commitment to providing daily 1:1 therapy to address the underlying issues causing problems for our teens. At Paradigm Malibu, our daughter was provided the structure, support and therapy that she needed to initiate her healing process. Besides the intense individual therapy she received and multiple process groups she participated in every day, she also attended 12-step meetings in the community. As a result of this combination, she was able to “dig in” and start to address the root causes for her emotional struggles and acting out behavior. The therapeutic team we worked with at Paradigm Malibu was amazing. Madison’s skillful work with my daughter in their 1:1 sessions instilled a new sense of self-awareness, self-love and effective communication that she didn’t have before. Cameron’s keen insight and calm demeanor made our weekly family therapy sessions productive for all. And Kyle’s Saturday family sessions provided an excellent forum for education, support, and deep family work. We have also utilized the aftercare services - Cameron and Madison’s willingness to provide on the spot coaching has helped us get thru a few challenging situations and decisions. We are ever grateful for the Paradigm Malibu team!

My daughter struggled with anxiety and depression last year. Things quickly went from bad to worse - we found ourselves sleeping on her floor to keep her safe - and none of her doctors seemed to be able to help her. We tried some of the best therapists & programs: a top anxiety specialist in SF, the "gold standard" DBT program in Palo Alto. Days before her graduation from her 4 month IOP, she was admitted to the hospital and it was recommended that we go the residential route. It was like a punch to the gut. It was an emotional time but we only had a few days to figure things out. I decided against paying a consultant - so costly and didn't see the value if I put in the time to figure things out. The social worker gave us 4 relatively local options (family therapy needed to be part of our care plan). I called them all and dug into their programs. Most had space in the next 1-2 weeks. One called me back and aggressively tried to get me into their program (to this day I am sure she was being paid a significant referral fee). I dug up all the research I could find on these care centers: Yelp, Google, GlassDoor and anything else. In the end, I found that Paradigm was the only one that had consistently excellent reviews everywhere. The back office team was not super organized. But after speaking with the chief clinical officer and reviewing their program, I felt very comfortable with the choice. Thankfully they were able to admit her quickly. As this is getting long, I will share a few summary points: -The facility in SF is wonderful. It doesn't feel like a clinical environment and my daughter benefitted from the fact that they don't have a point/level system, which made her feel more motivated and "normal" -I liked that the program focuses on total self-care: good quality meals are served daily and exercise is a core part of the program. -The clinicians are amazing, esp. Melissa and Brian. We were very grateful to have them on our team. Both fostered deep connections with our daughter and our family. -The Saturday family program was an excellent component - it was the first time we had support from other parents who were going through a similar experience. -The team worked extremely well with our insurance company and helped us get the maximum possible coverage. I've had several weeks to reflect at this point. There's nothing that can prepare you for a crisis like this one, and, as a parent, you're in a position where you have to move ridiculously quickly with limited information. I am very happy with the decision we made to go to Paradigm - the team is caring, talented and most importantly, helped my daughter find herself. She is now much stronger and more resilien and for that we will be forever grateful. If you have any questions about our experience, feel free to reach out.

We literally traveled the world to place our daughter at Paradigm. Our (Dutch) family lives in the Netherlands. When our 15 year old daughter was really struggling with a major depression we couldn't find the right support in our country. After extensive research we choose Paradigm Malibu for her treatment. After six weeks she had made major progress and we returned to the Netherlands. She resumed school and picked up her life. However due to waiting lists for mental care in our country she had no follow up therapy and she relapsed. She once more went to Paradigm, and once again they got her back on her feet. The team is amazing, not only working with the teens but also with the other family members. The family sessions have been life changing for all of us. The team helped us find a therapeutic boarding school in the US, where our daughter will graduate spring 2018. We are now even looking at colleges in the US. We are still in regular contact with the Paradigm team, who are all amazing and warm people. Not just the therapists, everyone from the admissions director to the teachers to the chefs that prepare the (fantastic) meals were truly committed to helping the teens!

Our son was there for 60+ days and it may have saved his life. He went there when he was 18 and an addict. After getting the drugs out of his system, he had intense therapy of all types, individual, group, AA meetings, and with family (we'd visit on weekends). The therapists were amazing for our son and he made life-changing progress and left with countless tools to help him in his future. It's an amazing facility and the kids there are really struggling and fighting. But, for those that can afford it, it's all a parent could ask. That said, they could improve the basic communications - perhaps status calls, more timely replies to email, and having varying members of a client (patient) team be more in sync with one another. We ran into a few cases where the comms were either slow, inconsistent, or just lacking. This doesn't take away from our son leaving in a much better place; so the message is, you need to trust the team there and not worry, as a parent, about why you're not getting daily calls from the staff - that's not what it's for. This place is one we'll never ever forget, our son is now 90+ days sober because of what Paradigm did.

My son has struggled with depression and anxiety since middle school. Although he saw a psychiatrist and a therapist, he went down a path that ended in addiction to Xanax, and other drugs. We knew he was in trouble but it became increasingly clear that his life was out of control in October of 2016. I researched treatment centers specializing in dual diagnosis for days. After seeing Paradigm’s website, I quickly compared all others to theirs. This is what I wanted for my son. The trick was getting him to agree to go. He was a senior in high school but was 18. Call it define intervention. He quickly agreed that he needed help. It certainly did not hurt that Paradigm was in California near the beach! (We live in Chicago). From the moment he arrived, we knew he was in good hands. The staff at Paradigm is outstanding! He quickly bonded with Eric, his main therapist. Eric guided him and encouraged him to be honest with himself. The group therapy was invaluable. Meeting peers with similar issues and holding each other accountable in a respectful and honest way really helped my son with his self -advocacy. The family therapy on Saturdays was unbelievably healing and educational for us. Even though it was a challenge to fly to California on the weekends, this program proved to be what healed us as a family. Our family therapist, Brian, went above and beyond to accommodate our phone sessions. He was insightful, kind, and professional. Paradigm certainly knows how to hire therapists who relate and bond with the young clientele as well as the families. I can’t say enough about the professional and extensive staff. Marcus, Theresa, Dustin, Brian, Dr. O, Eric, chef Cynthia and many others. They all played a part in healing my son. The wide variety of modalities that Paradigm uses for healing are impressive. A client will find something that resonates with them. I never thought my son would practice, let alone like, yoga. He loved the meditation, equine therapy, and trips to the beach. The staff understands the importance of the mind/body connection. All of this helped him on his healing journey. If you have a child that is in trouble with substances or struggles with mental health issues, Paradigm is a place to highly consider. My son changed in the 35 days he was there. He was able to graduate high school a semester early and has moved to California to go to Community College. He is doing well and is motivated to stay sober. He will use the tools he learned at Paradigm for the rest of his life. Thanks to everyone at Paradigm. Thank you for giving us our son back.

We lost one of our younger sons to suicide, which nearly destroyed his twin brother and the rest of our family. Sadly, over the next two years, each therapist we tried made matters considerably worse, to the point where we almost lost our surviving twin twice. We then discovered Paradigm Malibu. The loving, compassionate and knowledgeable staff took in our shattered son and began the nearly impossible process of helping him want to live again. They helped him learn to face the loss of his twin brother and begin the painfully difficult process of rebuilding his new identity - a process only made possible through the incredible support of the staff AND the other clients who learn to trust and support each other without judgement. The Paradigm team extended the same love, support and education to our family, and we are now all back together, finally moving forward again with hope. There is no doubt that Paradigm saved our son and our family - and we are eternally grateful.

It's the one program that allowed my child to continue his school work. The parent weekend involvement/training changed all of our lives. The place is beautiful, the staff highly qualified and always available to help. It's been almost a year since my child left and he still calls occasionally for guidance. I could not ask for more.

What I love about Paradigm...Someone is ALWAYS available to answer & asset with any questions. Therapist are some of the best in the business & genuinely love their jobs & the teens they work with. The food is so good & healthy. My son learned a lot about taking care of his body is many ways & it has all stuck with him. Jaden eats really healthy. I absolutely recommend attending the Saturday Family Group, Saturdays at paradigm taught me a lot, not only about the dynamics of our family but about myself & how I can help to make our family better & understand this generation of kids that we are raising.