I was in treatment at Monte forever ago and, for the most part, I found the treatment excellent. My only problem was I felt that, at some point, there were too many patients for me to get the attention I felt I deserved. However, the care I got was the best Id received. I was in 2 other treatment centers prior, a total of 3 rounds. I found the best treatment in, and recovery after, my time at Monte. The residential treatment felt homey, especially because it was in an actual house. The Patient Care team were so supportive at all levels. I loved the flexibility in the scheduling. My team, and the team in general, both met me where I was and pushed me to move forward. I loved that intuitive movement was practiced and encouraged. I think that the different levels of both food amount and eating styles is amazing. I highly recommend Monte to anyone looking for treatment. Also, the view of ocean doesnt hurt.

Save your friends and family now. Patients are Self harming and purging happens regularly if not daily. They also have you fully undress with no undergarments for literal inspections

Montecatini was so helpful to my daughter. After she graduated they continued to give her alumni support.

I was at monte for about 5 months. 3 months in their residential and 2 months in their PHP. I don’t recommend this place to anyone who needs help, actual help. Although, their front line staff are literally the best people I’ve ever met. From their PCTs and most nurses! Also my dietician was the kindest and most helpful person I’ve ever met! I would not have made it this far without them. BUT. the higher ups just care about money. If you have a chronic illness, don’t go here. They don’t accommodate even though they say they do. And when they do accommodate they don’t actually listen to you. Regardless, Monte decided to kick me out because they told me I needed a higher level of care. During these time I was in PHP and was going through 2 medication switches. They did not find me a higher level of care but actually sent me to a county program in San Bernardino but I had to make the arrangements myself. The county is an outpatient program. And doesn’t have any type of eating disorder treatment besides for a new program that’s supposed to help me get resources for my eating disorder. But I’m their first client. They told me it was unethical for them to keep me at that level of care, so they discharged me. Having no care for my eating disorder at all! I am on the waitlist for a different residential and despite that still discharged me and left me with no help. My therapist was incredibly rude about it and lied to me. I was put on a recovery agreement that I was following but she told me it didn’t matter because I’m being discharged anyways. Eating disorders are very complex, and recovery is not linear. Saying this, their PHP program has a lot of flaws. Where I’ve tried to address but was shut down many times. Unless you complete 100% of your meal or supplement then you cannot go to group. You’re required to do a bca and when you finish that, they do not let you go to group. Unless you finish 100% you basically cannot participate in your treatment. A lot of clients would take advantage of this, If they didn’t want to go to all groups. I’m sad that Montecatini chose status and money over my life. The front line staff are amazing but the clinical director and ceo are not. 0/10 do not recommend.

I can’t say enough great things about the program. The level of support and care offered to our daughter and family this past year was more than I could of hoped for. They truly saved her life and the therapists have taught her so much about herself and her ED. Now that she has graduated she continues to work with familiar faces as part of her team and is just so grateful for her experience in residential care, PHP, and IOP. Thank you Monte!

Its difficult to sum up a life saving experience in a review, but Ill give it a shot. At my lowest, Montecatini was a home to me. I started in residential, transitioned to PHP and graduated from IOP. The residential program was effective for stabilizing me. Not everything was perfect, there were times when things were unorganized, but that imperfection is in line with what recovery preaches: its not about perfection. My therapist and dietician assigned to me were my biggest supports, and the nurses and assistants brought smiles and support in the toughest moments, while remaining diligent at keeping us on the path of recovery. I believe in the system that Montecatini runs because it worked for me. I encourage everyone to seek help and highly recommend seeking help here.

I began residential treatment at Montecatini in fall of 2019, choosing through my outpatient team, and then my own research. The residential housing was pleasantly comfortable, and well taken care of. The staff from the MD’s to everyone involved in my care were welcoming, thorough, respectful, and compassionate. The meals & snacks were diverse, and overall well-prepared to your dieticians recommendations.Individualized attention & care was helpful from the entire care team of the medical doctors, psychiatrist, exercise physiologist, therapist & dietician.The extensive frustrations throughout my stay in residential, and later in PHP were primarily therapist and meal plan inconsistencies. There is a set number of sessions with each care team member, and throughout my entire 3 months was never consistent, and this of course created a lot of discourse in my treatment. I ended up having to go through the director and another higher management member, and distressingly the issue never resolved. It became so difficult to advocate without resolution that I left Montecatini and went to UCSD.

Montecatini is a fantastic program! I met Sharon and Nancy back in the summer of 2014 and was amazed by the compassion, understanding, and attention to detail given to all the residents at their program (and they are still there!). They truly love and care you! I work for another program that does not specialize in eating disorders and we refer residents to them on a regular basis and would not hesitate sending a friend or family member to Montecatini. I routinely meet with Hannah-Kate and she has always been super friendly, helpful, and willing to do what she can to help out at a moments notice. 5 stars all the way

This is an INCREDIBLE place. Completely changed my life and that is such an understatement. I was there for 5 months in 2017. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and most of the time I was there I wanted to leave but I can say without a doubt that going to Montecatini for treatment was the best decision I’ve ever made and the most significant time period in my life so far. Today I live in complete freedom from my eating disorder behaviors that once consumed every aspect of my life. The program here is so sound. They really have thought everything through and they incorporate so many fun activities throughout the week, you often forget you are in “treatment”. They really helped me get to the other side and as much push back as I gave them while I was there, I am so thankful for every little thing they did for me. You won’t find another treatment center like this. If you have the opportunity to go here, GO HERE. it’s a life changing experience.

My experience was awful. First sent an email asking if they take my insurance (Medicare) and didn’t hear back form them; called and left a message and didn’t hear back from them. Called yesterday and the lady on the phone, with a very rude attitude, said “ we don’t take medicare and we have already closed your file, you are looking for over $2,000 a day if you go out of pocket”. I didn’t even know I had a file, I guess they pull information through my email or voicemails, and never let me know.Which left 2 things very clear for me: they work for profit, as a business and not so much as a healthCARE; they make people with this illness feel hopeless if you don’t have money.They discriminate you if you have government insurance or help; they make you feel this disorder/illness is for rich people who can afford recovery treatment. Instead of giving up.So sad seeing how business and greed for money have taken over the beautiful mission of a doctor, is CARE, SAVE and HELP people who need medical attention and need emotional and physical support.Good luck for anyone that tries to get help there!

I do not even know where to begin. I am alive because of this treatment center! I HIGHLY recommend Montecatini Eating Disorder Treatment Center. The staff (intake coordinators, patient assistants, nurses, therapists, etc) have the best interest of each patient at heart. They take the patient in as a person and address the needs individually and personally. The therapists are tough because they know (some personally) the power of addiction and what it takes to break the cycle. I have experienced first hand the power of connection, the importance of tough love, and the gift of seeing me as a person, rather than my addiction because of the amazing work these people do. The staff at Montecatini saw through my disorder and helped me see the beauty beneath...the potential I possessed and the amazing qualities in myself that my eating disorder masked for years. I have read some negative feedback and would like to say that this treatment center, and its staff, do whatever it takes to truly get to the root of addiction. They take every measure necessary to take control away from the eating disorder. I am actively living in recovery because these women and men invested in me. I am grateful to have been touched by their souls!!

Montecatini is truly a supportive environment, with a dedicated staff to help your loved ones.If you want to get well and learn how to regain your life please contact this center. You will find caring professionals and a beautiful peaceful environment.

Theres something special about Montecatini that really cant be described in words. Its the feeling I get when I walk through the doors and feel a sense of safety, a sense of hope. Its the feeling I get when I talk with my therapist, or meet with my dietitian, where I feel a sense of comfort, a sense of truth. Its the feeling I get when I interact with the other clients, where I feel a sense of connection, a sense of belonging.Ive been to over a dozen treatment centers all over the country. Ive never been to one like Montecatini. Its their treatment approach, their mission statement, their philosphy. Its the care and compassion you receive from every person here, from the therapists, to the dietitians, the nurses and the PCTs, the clinical and administrative staff, the Drs, the cooks, and the other clients.Its the content and material of the groups, its the knowledge, education, and personal experience that the staff share with you. Its having a team of people believe in you, even when you cant believe in yourself. Its finding people you can trust, maybe for the first time in your life. Its being listened to, feeling heard.Ive had my eating disorder more than half of my life. Ive been labeled chronic, told I was never going to get better, and given up on by so many treatment centers and professionals. Montecatini didnt give up on me. They understand that an eating disorder is a serious disease and are able to separate the disease from the person.Getting to keep your same treatment team at each level of care from Residential, Partial Hospitalization, and Intensive Outpatient is extremely helpful and gives you the time to build trust and delve into necessary and meaningful work.Ive met a lot of fellow clients who like me, have been to multiple treatment centers, and I often hear the same thing. Theres something different about Montecatini. I truly believe miracles are made here. I couldnt be more grateful to this place.

As an outside mental health professional I have never experienced working with a team on such an intimate level! We were working to get a certain client into a facility and the staff were incredible and went above and beyond! This is a rare find indeed.

No, just no. Full disclosure, eating disorder is not my primary issue, and I attended Monte after completing 28 days elsewhere. I arrived at Monte with a co-occurring diagnosis of ED and alcoholism. Very little emphasis was put on my co-occurring diagnosis and more about how much I ate. As a person with gastric sleeve surgery, this was frusturating and detrimental. I was punished for not eating enough, even though it was physically impossible. I tried to explain my circumstances, and certain staff did advocate for me but it was completely stressful day in and out.AA meetings were offered 4 times a week but transportation was poorly organized and sometimes they didnt feel like taking us. That was the extent of the attention placed on my more severe issue of alcoholism.My therapist Catherine was useless. All she did was focus on aftercare, she offered no therapy whatsoever. She pushed and pushed during each session to get me into Montes PHP. We barely discussed any significant issues. To top it all off, they misdiagnosed me with bulimia nervosa which Ive NEVER HAD. All so they could keep me in longer and collect my insurance money.Nancy, the ED, has no vested interest in the patients. She holds community meetings each week in which issues brought up are barely addressed. She constantly deflected any patient concerns she did not want to address. The head nurse, Camille, also pretends to care but then talks down to patients. So many things are handled poorly and against proper protocol. Patients are improperly medicated and at times not properly supervised by nursing as they are supposed to be 24/7.Groups were a joke. Poorly prepared and of little substance. Some staff are great and truly care, like Rafael, Pam, and some of the Patient Care Coordinators (whatever they are called), but overall its so poorly run and most of the staff are rude.I stayed a month, ate ok, stayed sober, learned nothing aside from how to portion food. The place is a revolving door of unhappy patients. For people who are struggling with ED, I dont recommend. They fatten you up with prison grade food. Go to a traditional rehab, they focus on nutrition. Good luck!

Groups dont happen (maybe one very basic, skills level group a day) and you are treated like a child. You see a lot of patients become like children while they are here. They also dont seem to notice behaviors. People come in and eat extra food in the kitchen, hide food, dont eat their meals with no consequences, and purge in the bushes and often unlocked bathrooms. Its just a place to take lots of naps while having an ED for a bit.

Montacatini is without a doubt one of the best centers available to anyone struggling! The staff goes above and beyond to cater to each individuals needs and provide them with the treatment plan that is best suited for them! The residential houses are beautiful and inviting, which provides a sense of comfort for the residents and a feeling of home. Montacatini also continues work with Alumni, and it is inspiring to see how many individuals are now thriving due to the treatment that Montecatini provided! I would highly recommend this center!

This is a premiere facility with wonderful professionals. I would recommend Montecatini to anyone struggling.

I was in residential treatment at Montecatini from late October until a couple of weeks ago. I came in scared, at 50 years old and my first time to treatment. I had several goals. One was to get a proper diagnosis and regulate my medications. I also wanted to cherish each session and experience as like all I had to completely walk away from life toDo this. Best decision of my adult life (other than marrying my husband!) I was treated kindly but also firmly when necessary; I learned things about myself I wouldn’t have attempted to uncover/work on; and I walked away with branch new coping skills. Do not believe any negative reviews. I am a Wall Street executive and my roommate was 18 years old. And Montecatini operates in an equal environment where we focused on our similarities. The therapy is beyond good; the regular meetings with dietician, therapist; psychiatrist and medical dr worked seamlessly. The staff are amazing. From the nurses who are very thorough to the patient care technicians; the culinary staff; and many others I cannot say enough about the compassion, help, and encouragement. Every patient has a voice and were heard by decision makers. An added bonus was the beautiful setting and the wonderful friends I made. I left Monte a better and much healthier person and would recommend to anyone struggling with an ED or multiple diagnoses. There is no place better!

Wonderful staff! Beautiful facility with welcoming environment.

It’s a big choice when you decided To reach out and ask for help I spent three weeks in the facility at the cost of $80,000 my eating disorder became extremely worse in the facility I lost 12 pounds and was given ensure to drink at every meal. The staff was Unknowledgeable of medical conditions I had a broken wrist and a large cyst in my breast neither one were important enough to take me to the doctor I had to wait to leave the facility to get my wrist treated. My belongings were not safe in the house my iPad my headphones all came up missing as well as they painted the room in which my clothes were in and my clothes were covered in paint is received no compensation whatsoever for any of it I watched many girls suffering from mental disease cutting themselves been taken to the hospital but nothing address the more than sitting down at the table eating meals. I entered in as dual Diagnosis after receiving a DUI I was forced to quit drinking cold turkey I was having sweats shaking I could’ve Seizured I was refused any kind of medication to help. I later found how dangerous this is. The houses are beautiful but that’s all they have going on for them.

I had a horrible expirence here and would not recommend it to anyone who is in a fragile state. They seemed very unorganized, didnt have good communication between staff. I also felt that the little privacy I had left was violated. This was my second experience at a eating disorder facility and Im aware that they arent fun - however, my hope would be for the patient to feel safe so they can recover from a seemingly impossible disease. There were many red flags that were raised while I was there, from the inappropriate ways the staff interacted and conversed with the patients to the centers false advertising.So, I strongly discourage anyone going who is looking for long term sustainable recovery.

Montecatini saved my life and helped lay the foundation for the recovery I have today. Best treatment center Ive ever been to. This is where I always recommend people go to if they struggle with ED.

You will, without a doubt, find the help you need here! With incredibly caring staff you will never need to feel like your journey is an impossible one

I’ve been struggling with my eating disorder since November of 2014 and just last August of 2018 I got admitted into the PHP program @ MOTC and i must say, it was the best decision i could have ever made. I went in so unsure of myself and i was so insecure about ever getting out, in fact on my first day i looked at all the handprints on the walls of discharged patients and said “that will never be me. i’ll never get there.” However, on my 19th birthday last year, Dec 11th, i did just that. i discharged. It wasn’t easy though and it took a lot of tears, anxiety, and vulnerability. The amazing part through all of it was that i didn’t have to do it alone, and to this day it still amazes me how comforting it was to be surrounded by other women who GOT IT. Not only were all of the patients i met so wonderful, but so were the staff. everyone in this center wants nothing but the best for you & they’re all so understanding and patient. not once did i feel judged in my 4 months of being there. another amazing thing i admire about MOTC is that they offer FREE therapy to the PUBLIC twice a week, which is actually what i attended for 4 months before i even got admitted. overall I met the most amazing people here and it changed my perspective on myself and my disorders. highly recommend 👍🏼

I spent one week in residential and ended up AMA because of how dysfunctional this facility is. First off you are treated like a child once you get there. People are restricting at the dinner table when they are placed on “mindful”. If the portions where a different size I would understand but they were still the 75% portion size. The classes were not very helpful and was very basic. If you were in a crisis and your team was not there for the day you were out of luck and they wouldn’t do anything. The staff would not return calls to family members even if you signed that they can talk. You were required to be naked in front of staff memebers every Monday and Thursday for weight and a self harm check despite your personal history with it. If you refused you would get in trouble with your treatment team. It was very unorganized and unprofessional. Family weekend was a joke. At lunch one of the days patients were only allowed to eat one small tostada for their meal while staffing and parents were allowed two. Their reasoning was that they didn’t plan accordingly and they needed to make sure guest got food as well. For that meal the patients (who are the ones paying for the program) were thought of last so that the guest has as much food as they wanted. The therapist I had refused to work on any problems. (I was in iop then php before residential) over all I would never suggest this program to anyone.

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. 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.It happened by chance, that I chose Montecatini as the place where I was going to receive treatment, and I always have and willI say that it was a miracle. During my first stay at Monte, I was baffled by everything I learned about my illness. I was truly naive to the gravity and danger of the way I was living my life. Not only did I struggle with an Eating Disorder, but substance abuse, depression, and anxiety as well, and it is by the Grace of God that I lived to even see treatment the first time. From 2012-2013, I learned a lot, but left too soon to go play my senior year of lacrosse for my University. I had been named the Best Player in the Country while I was in treatment, and because I valued athletics and commitment (apparently to my Eating Disorder), I left, only to return three months later.I needed every ounce of my 13 months of treatment the second time, but again, left too soon. While I was home, I was progressively getting worse in every way - physically, mentally, and behaviorally. It was almost as if everything I had learned at Monte up until this point had been erased from my brain. I neglected all of the coping skills, meal plans, thought processes, and an overall healthier lifestyle. The year I was home, was by far the worst year of my life. In June of 2015, 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.After literally having a near-death experience, it would be expected that I say that I had a new outlook on life, and started living purposefully and healthily, but that would be a lie. My third treatment stay at Montecatini is what ACTUALLY 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, and the innumerable things I learned when I was there set me up for success in the rest of my life.Although they will tell you that, “I did the work,” I would never be alive without every member of the staff at Monte. I have been absolutely 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 Disordered Self, supported me, loved me, and most importantly, saved me. The staff here, especially Sharon, Nancy, and Leah, took a chance on me, not only the first and second times, but taking me back a third time after my Open Heart Surgery, and that chance is what saved my life. If I had the opportunity to do it all over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. I would recommend Montecatini to any person on the planet, because I know they will be getting the best care this world has to offer.

CONS (inpatient)I went to inpatient treatment here for five weeks. • what you hear during assessment may differ from what you hear once youre actually locked down in inpatient. For me that meant my regular pain meds were cut in half immediately upon arrival, despite my medical records and the assessment team telling me there would be no changes and I could see my regular dr. **[ ** Anyone who deals with chronic pain or back issues, all inpatient houses do not accommodate for people with disabilities. I hope that someone sues this place for not being accessible for ppl with physical limitations. This made me almost have to leave treatment after only two weeks in the program because my medical needs were not being met & the back pain was too much to bear. I worked my butt off to get into this treatment facility so I chose to stay, but only bc I was eventually able to see my outside dr (no easy feat) ]• What I saw happened to several residents is that they would decide that they wanted to switch to a different program that better suited their needs. At the beginning Montecatini makes it seem like they are only looking out for the patients best interest. There were times when the staff almost seemed brainwashed, in trying to give convince people to stay. This struck me as extremely unethical (& highly $$ GREED Morivated $$$ because if someone wanted to go to another program, they would be threatened by your Montecatini treatment team. They were told that if they left then it would be against medical advice. I never ever saw them refer ppl to other programs. I saw them try to keep people at some level of care for as long as insurance would pay for it*.[ **If you leave a program AMA, you could possibly be billed for your stay and/or your insurance is LESS LIKELY to approve treatment at a different facility. ]• I cannot recommend this program for women who suffer from binge eating disorder (what I have) bc we are all grouped together and there is no specific approach tailored to meet the needs of women who binge without purging.PROS (inpatient)• If you are having issues with depression or substance-abuse, along with your eating disorder, then you can access a psychiatrist or assistant once a week.• inpatient provides hard core structure, which is really great for not allowing women to hide out or engage in their behaviors .• 1-on-1 Therapy happens 1-2x/week **[[ ** therapy and regular meetings w dietician are the most invaluable parts of this program. The meeting times are inconsistent, can seem disorganized at times but it is helpful when they DO happen. You HAVE to advocate for yourself & make sure you get your sessions ]]• you will get to meet many other young women who also struggle with eating disorders. The general population is between 18-40 years old, anorexic or bulimic, some cutters and many suffer from PTSD, trauma backgrounds. Being in this setting forces you out of the shadows of your disorder and comfort zone, to shine the light on really painful life stuff. While you are bound to meet a few annoying ppl, you will also meet ppl and staff that you will talk with, laugh with, cry with, and keep in touch with.• I worked really hard at this program and put my all into the groups. I followed up with the PHP program and lived in the (extremely overpriced) duplex. I got a scholarship to stay in the housing so I paid $600/month (instead of $1200) to share a room in a nice neighborhood in Carlsbad. I was in treatment for 4 or 5 months, but sadly much of what I learned did not really stick. In conclusion I want to add that I did not do followup care in outpatient program; instead, I hurried back to work and my dysfunctional relationship w my boyfriend. I wish I would have done IOP, even 2 days a week bc seeing a weekly therapist and dietician is the most important part of the program.If you have any more Qs, please contact me.My facebook group is called Montecatini Crew and I am the fascilitator. There are lots of girls who would be willing to share their honest experiences.