Monte Nido – Lafayette

Monte Nido changed my life for the better. Though, I was terrified of entering residential treatment, I’m so glad I did. I proved to myself and my peers, that we can do hard things. It’s more scary to live with an ED… than to recover from it. :)

I have been to ED treatment several times in my life, but my experience at MNEB was by far my most life changing experience of my life. The facility is small with no more than 10 patients which I found to be really nice… because too many people makes me shut down. The staff was wonderful and really encouraged me to eat beyond my meal plan (a good thing for my restrictive eating disorder). When I walked into this facility I didn't want to live or do recovery anymore, and when I left I wanted to do recovery for myself for the first in my life. As a working professional, I found the staff accommodating to check in with things with work so that I still received the leave and benefits I needed to stay there. I loved the nurses, they were my favorite people at the facility! They not only cared about your physical well being, but also your mental well being. I got close to one of the nurses who really challenged me to ask for help when I needed it. I have taken this skill with me in my recovery and it is the reason that I am still in recovery almost a year after discharge. The food was also really good. I have been facilities that have awful food, which when trying to recover from an eating disorder so much harder. That was not MNEB, they had a professional chef cook all our meals, and they always tasted wonderful. This made eating the food so much easier. I really liked the groups, I found that I got a lot out of them. My favorite was body and soul with Rebecca. Know that if you are looking for a facility to start or continue your recovery journey, this is a wonderful option. I do not regret my choice.

I came to monte nido a little over two months ago and I can say with full honesty it was the best decision I’ve made in my life. I have had anorexia for 8 years and I came to monte nido as the first time going into… treatment willingly and it truly saved my life. The whole team there truly cares and wants the best for you. They really want to help you on your path to recovery. The recovery coaches are amazing. They really care and want to see you succeed. Wendy, Melissa, and Jessica are especially amazing. They have all helped me so much, they sat with me through all my breakdowns and helped me bring myself to a more rational place. On my worst days and my best days and the days in between, they always gave me immense support. They always treated me as a person rather than just a patient. I also am so appreciated for all the kind nurses who really cared about not just our physical well-being but mental well-being too. Jenny, Steff, and Monica were truly incredible. The primary therapist Ally is incredibly kind and really cares for you and wants you to recover. Everyone there honestly is just amazing and I am forever grateful for the entire team at monte nido. Thank you for being patient with me during my first step in recovery and helping me learn skills to combat my eating disorder. Thank you for helping me realize how much more there is to life than my eating disorder. I will forever be greatful for what you guys have done for me and i will always say only good things about your facility. If you are thinking of going to monte nido I completely recommend going, they saved my life.

MNEB was a brand new facility when I was a patient there. While there were many things that needed to be addressed, I was unimpressed with the presumption that residents had to bring up major concerns regarding staff,… that being said, it was handled well. I give MNEB so much credit for teaching me how to find and use my voice, gain the confidence to sit down for a meal with a different perspective than I had when I entered, trust in others, etc. My therapist was Julie which I'm so grateful for and I felt seen and heard by her, which was very new to my life experience in general. I also felt very supported by Julie and most all the staff there. I felt safe to connect with not only the therapist but ALL the amazing nurses as well. The RC's were worked to the bone during my stay there, but they always put clients first and were trustworthy and made the experience both safe and fun. I laughed so much with so many staff members by the end of my stay there. I learned how to sit with my ED thoughts and let them pass. I have never been in a better place than I have from Monte Nido. I am genuinely forever grateful.

My 18 year old son was a (first time) Resident at the Lafayette CA facility for 6 weeks this year. He had a lot of trepidation about moving to a facility with strangers, especially during COVID. The facility is fairly… small which was helpful in making him feel like part of a family not just a patient. His ED behaviors weren’t as acute as a number of the other residents and sometimesHe felt that he didn’t get the same degree of encouragement during meal times because of this. He looked forward to the group sessions and actively took part. It is an “adult” facility so there was some degree of non-participation from older residents, which affected the “vibe” of the groups. The food was very good, atmosphere pleasant, ability to sit on the deck or the (fenced) outside yard. At times it was difficult to reach administrators at the facility but eventually phone messages would be returned. Insurance billing was relatively painless after meeting our out of pocket requirements. We had family zoom meetings once a week and could see progress. The director was friendly enough but a little distant and did not even say goodbye to my son or us (parents) when we came to pick him up after he was discharged, which was disappointing. The therapists and dieticians were good, the facility was clean and comfortable. All in all I’d say it was a very good place for my son at the time, and I was fortunate to have found it through the National Eating Disorder Alliance help line. (NEDA). I had never heard of Monte Nido and had no idea where to get our son the help that he so desperately needed. I feel like the staff is caring and compassionate in helping the residents, but are not there to form long lasting bonds with anyone.

This facility was a great fit for our daughter and family. We were extremely impressed with their providers, compassion, attention to detail, follow up, family meetings, and most importantly helping our daughter on her… path to recovery. She is now almost four months post treatment and continuing her recovery process. Monte Nido East Bay absolutely was a turning point in her recovery and she would not be where she is without them. WE are so grateful for all you did to help our daughter! Thank you!!!

Overall, there are components of the program that I thought made it one of the most effective I've been to. From a nutrition standpoint I really think it is cool that they are so encouraging of going "outside" of your… meal plan and making the meal plan seem less like a prescription and more like a safety net. Doesn't reinforce the eating disorder mentality.

I just recommended MNEB to someone asking how it was for me. This program helped me feel seen and safe and I was able to find moments of joy which I never thought would be possible for me. The treatment team, and all… the staff genuinely cared about the clients and it was too life changing for me to not recommend if someone asks.

My experience at Monte Nido East Bay was extremely disappointing. I understand that this location is new and needs time to get into a program routine. I just wished I had gone to a different Monte Nido location. RC… staff appeared to be uneducated about eating disorders. I experienced staff talking poorly about other clients. I found other staff rolling their eyes at me and other clients. I was unable to learn anything about nutrition and did not understand what my meal plan was due to every meal not being portioned out consistently. My on site therapist and dietician did not set me up with a dietician outside of treatment. I had to find one on my own. I was sent home without a meal plan. I experienced a nurse purposely not giving me my meds at the right time because he, "wanted to see how I would react without them". I went to the director of the program with these situations and complaints and felt unheard and was called rigid. I felt that the director was unable to consider my concerns and appeared to be very defensive about them. My discharge plan was extremely unhelpful when leaving the program. I understand I would have probably benefitted from PHP but due to work and finances I was unable to after residential treatment. I did not feel supported for this decision and felt like I was left with out support. I recommend staying on a wait list for other Monte Nido locations. I feel that this location has a lot of growing and learning to do.