Alter Behavioral Health - San Diego

"Dealing with a mental health crisis is scary for your loved one and extremely stressful. Jack at Alter was an absolute savior. On a Saturday evening, he was not only responsive, he arranged safe transport of my love one from a ER in Orange County to Alter’s stabilization facility in San Diego. The entire team of clinicians, and staff was caring, and ensured my loved was not only safe but also heard and treated respectively. I was extremely impressed and grateful for the sincere compassion displayed by Ms.Ann one of their therapist. Also, Ms.Millie was so kind and caring! Additionally, Ms. Lorraine, the case manager spent significant time collecting medical records, and ensured timelines with disability, and FMLA document completion. I can not begin to express my humble gratitude to this team."

"My son is doing much better after having gone to Alter. I'd especially like to thank NP Stacy D. for exceptional treatment and communication throughout his time there. I thought about giving only 4 stars because the discharge was a bit rocky, but considering the experience at other places, decided that it was relatively inconsequential. The staff was near-universally excellent, and overall it was a safe place for him to recover and improve throughout his stay. Good people and a caring environment. I'm glad he went there, and he continues to do well nearly 6 months later. My son has many negative opinions of other parts of the mental health system, but remains positive about his feelings toward Alter. I'm grateful he went there instead of other places. Thank you. I'll add that the home made and high quality healthy food is not only top-notch, but also indicative of the overall care given to patients there."

"It took me good 3 weeks to seek a treatment for my 18 year old son since he first started showing the sign of psychosis. His episode was becoming more obvious as he was detaching himself from reality more and more everyday. I’ve never scared so much in my life and didn’t know what to do. I ended up calling a friend who works in the mental health industry and I was introduced to Jordan, the coordinator. From there, everything started moving swiftly. After the thoughtful initial consultation, Jordan properly assessed the situation as crisis and secured the earliest date to submit my son to crisis stabilization program. Fast forward, thanks to the incredible treatment provided by Alter mental health Sun Diego, my son gradually but surely started coming back to himself everyday. Perhaps first time in a long while I was finally able to sleep silently at night knowing that he’s in good hands. I’ve never felt being so far away from him thanks to their daily updates via phone calls and texts (I am based in Orange County). It was as if another family member of mine was taking care of my son. The stuff members including the primary therapist, Ann Goodman and case manager, Lorraine Cheng had gone above and beyond to guide him through and eventually helped him out of psychosis. They were professional yet so thoughtful and loving. I never had an opportunity to meet them in person, but my heart is filled with so much gratitude."

"Our son has been struggling for 4 years with mental health issues. We’ve had some terrible experiences with other hospitals and getting his medications right. Once we heard about Alter Mental Health, we hoped this was an answer to our prayers. From the first time we contacted them, they have been wonderful. Jordon helped us get the process started and was very helpful and has such a great, positive attitude. Even when we arrived in San Diego and had a problem, the executive Director Cole came to the airport himself late at night and helped us. My son went to the crisis center first and was immediately made comfortable. It’s the smallest of the houses, but very nice. It’s clean, nursing staff is right there, the food looked good and is prepared fresh for them and they get some choices which is nice. They also will shop for snacks and foods they request. All the staff were so professional and kind. They wear normal clothes so it doesn’t feel like you’re in a facility but a home. They even drove us to the Irvine home where our son may go next. It was beautiful! A huge home in a quiet neighborhood. The backyard and views were amazing. The staff there were very kind and gave us a tour. I talk to my son on the phone and he seems very content there. He’s not complaining about anything like he has at previous places. He says the food is good, everyone is nice to him. He enjoys the activities. Last night he said they took them for a manicure/pedicure at a salon and he liked it! I can’t say enough good things. I no longer stress about him as I know he is safe and getting help in a great place. Lorraine has been very good answering our questions and explaining the medications. We plan to keep him there as long as necessary. I like that they have a holistic approach as well and they will teach him life skills that will benefit him. I finally feel like we will get our son back to his baseline and he can have a positive future!"

"Most of the staff is wonderful, the care and structure here is great, and you can tell med management/emotional regulation is their priority. It is important to attend group and they do a great job of getting everyone included. It is a small setting for most people, but it's easy to get used to. Nutrition is a big part of their program as well, which is great. Overall, Alter is a great program that helped me while I was there and with aftercare. Thank you!!"