Embark Behavioral Health – White Haven

This place is a joke. They are an extremely expensive facility that did absolutely nothing for my daughter's mental health. They leave them sit in a room for hours on end. The living grounds are old and full of mold. My… daughter had a seizure every single week while there from duress. The staff is inattentive, girls are abusing each other and they just call them liars. Never in my life have I been so disappointed with a high priced facility. They are just making money.

Embarks moto is “creating joy, healing generations”, but it’s more like “creating trauma, torturing generations”, according to my sister and I. I was a past patient in 2024 and embark only made me worse. Things may seem… well handled there but staff lack appropriate boundaries with patients. As someone healing from borderline personality disorder, I would often become attached to staff members and they would only instigate it further for example, promising me contact outside the facility. This was inappropriate and only enraged my BPD symptoms once that “promise” was broken after release. There were also many instances of staff being inappropriate with patients and many cases of grooming. At the time I felt cared for but it only hurt me in the end, as staff should not be having these kinds of relationships with patients already struggling. Embark white haven PA is not a place I would recommend for a vulnerable hurting teenage girl in need of therapeutic care.

Hi! As a past patient I can assure that putting your child in this facility will not only disrupt your child from getting better but also causing trauma that will never be forgotten. There motto is “ creating joy and… healing generations” should actually be “ creating fear and killing generations”. If you are concerned that your child will be a runaway do not send them to 108 Country place Lane White Haven PA. I only say that because I never thought that would be me and yet I ran 6 times. A staff was forced to quit due to camera evidence of talking inappropriately in detail about his mental health to a patient that was in a bad state. That client he was talking to was me.

I was sent her voluntary and it helped me so much I was here for two months and staff was so supportive my therapist was Matia she was the best always knew when I was having a hard time and found ways to help me this… place changed my life and I will always be grateful for my experience here the photo below was on there property when I arrived there were deer

Awful experience

I was here when I was 14 in 2022. I was at a very low point in my life, not wanting to be alive anymore. Embark was a very nice place. 99% of the staff were very kind and caring. The facility was very nice, and the food… was pretty good. I didn't like being there, but looking back it wasn't too bad. I was transferred to a long term facility after 2 months at Embark. That is where I entered the world of The Troubled Teen Industry in Utah. I was not placed at one of the embark facilities there, rather an ROP program. But, it's important to know every single facility in Utah is BAD. Embark at the Poconos or one of their other locations far away from Utah is the exception. Embark at the Poconos was like a vacation compared to the other places I was sent. While I don't think you should send your child ANYWHERE unless absolutely necessary, it should be here if needed. I have heard bad things from friends who went to the embark locations in Utah. But, this one was pretty good. That being said, I thank embark at the Poconos for always treating me with compassion. Almost 3 years later, I am accepted to college for nursing and on track to graduate.

Embark had highly trained people who were so supportive to our whole family during our child's stay. We saw significance differences in our kid's core beliefs, ability to pause and question assumptions, emotional… regulation, and communication skills. It was amazing. I would highly recommend their program. The staff there are just great to work with.

Love working with the White haven team! They all make coordinating care and step downs from residential as smooth as possible. The communication is stellar and the team excels at providing top quality care!

As a professional educator, I have had the opportunity to interact with this program. The staff provides exceptional care and assures the students education needs are met.

Great atmosphere and a caring staff make for a great environment for all involved at Embark

We are from Georgia and ended up at the Embark PA location because it was hands down Embark centers are the best RTC that we could find in the US. We were recommended to Embark by 4 other institutions and individuals… that work in the mental health field. My daughter will graduate from her 90 day treatment program at the end of this week. My family has had the most amazing experience with all of the Embark staff. From the very first inquiry about the program I was met with an abundance of information. It was extremely detailed information on the entirety of the programs being offered and I was given phones numbers and cell phone numbers and checked on a few times a week until a decision was made. We put our daughter on the waitlist as she was finishing up a stay under a 10-13. We were briefed ahead of time and when we arrived all of the staff were present and did a thorough intake and asked for more detailed information that would help my daughters treatment plan. Upon admission my daughter was a chronic cutter with severe depression and attempted to overdose two seperate times. She was sneaking out of the house, had run away once and was involved in promiscuous behavior. She resorted to shop lifting and using many types and forms of illegal drugs. We were at our wits end as what to do and our options were limited and we were under a time crunch. Throughout her stay I was informed in detail of how things are going and any concerns or medication questions. Everything must be approved by the parents first so that is very comforting. Our therapist is Matt and he is the most amazing, caring, comforting and helpful therapist I have ever worked with. I think I received the same amount of therapy as my daughter. I was very anxious and stressed out, but Matt and the rest of the staff put my mind at ease. We received phone calls from my daughter 2 to 3 times a week and a zoom therapy once a week that included the family. We were able to visit several times (long distance from Georgia) and we attended the parents weeked. The parents weekend was such a hopeful and uplifting experience. To be able to relate to other parents and their struggles made me feel a little less alone in the world. The struggle is real for families affected by mental health struggles and trauma. The house is a real home and all safety measures are in place and everyone is safe and receiving the best treatment for their trauma and struggles. You can rest and and do a little self care (which Embark is really good about reminding you to do). Put your mind at ease knowing your kiddo is safe and learning skills to turn their life around. If you are looking for programs and you can't decided, please consider speaking with Embark and get as much information as you can.

All of my interactions with their staff has been positive. They are so professional and helpful and I can tell they care about their students and providing quality care.

Embark is such a great facility full of staff members who truly care about their clients. The facilities are always very clean and staff will greet you with a smile. I highly recommend this organization to anyone… looking for behavioral health services. I would give them 10 stars if google allowed me to!

I was lucky enough to attend Embark twice. Once in 2022 and again in 2023, about a year apart. Although I went for similar treatment, both experiences were so different. Embark is truly a great program through and… through. It is one of the best out there but I wanted to highlight some flaws that I saw in my stay. It’s hard to base sending someone you love here based off other people’s experiences and reviews, because it mostly boils down to the group of kids that you will be surrounded by. My first experience I was very pleased with the social aspect and the kids I was around. It was truly a good healing environment. The second time I was met with more violence, drama and hostility by the other kids. Another thing I saw was kids becoming extremely codependent on each-other to the point where they weren’t focusing on their own treatment. Obviously, you can’t control other people but if you are more aggressive or have codependency issues this might not be the right place. Both times I was amazed at the individual treatment. The therapists and staff are absolutely amazing!! It’s like a family. They all really love what they do and care about the kids. Matt and Emily were my therapists and the connections I built with them were amazing. I’ve never had a therapist like them. Katie and Jayda are also such great people and I’m so glad to have met them! From the first to the second time I attended, there was significantly less group therapy. Some of it was replaced with activities or student groups. It was frustrating to me as someone who came for the therapy aspect, because things like coloring and making bracelets weren’t really helping me and my mental health. Alicia the school teacher is amazing! She was so helpful and knowledgeable. She tried her best to replicate a classroom environment to help kids learn and succeed. Most of the food is frozen and from what I saw, the chefs didn’t really have compassion for kids with dietary restrictions. I saw them giving kids the same meals over and over and getting annoyed when they asked for something else. I feel like this could be an easy fix which is why I chose to include it. Embark is a wonderful option for treatment but just take these things into consideration!

We admitted our 17 year old daughter here on voluntary status. After many years struggling with depression, anxiety and a multitude of years of therapy, my daughter needed drastic help. She attended Embark residential… at the White Haven PA campus and graduated after a two month stay. I have to say Embark was the best treatment for my daughter and made a huge impact in her life. The entire staff here is exceptional and her assigned therapist, Emily, was outstanding beyond what words can describe! I would strongly suggest for any parent to consider Embark for their young loved ones struggling emotionally in life!

The team at Embark’s program in White Haven provides excellent care. My niece recently discharged. She has struggled with depression, anxiety and low self-esteem for many years. This program provided her with a safe… space to work through her past trauma and also supported her parents (my sister and brother-in-law) in learning how to better communicate. Our family will be forever grateful for the support she received.

If I could give 0 stars I would, and if it weren't for legal/financial consequences, I wouldn't have given them a dime. My child was there for almost 3 months last year, and it was essentially a teenage spa. She was… unenrolled at her high school without my direct knowledge (probably hidden in the contract I assigned), and I had to re-enroll her myself after her discharge, as Embark left me completely in the dark. While she was there, she was allowed to sleep all day. She received weekly therapy and all they seemed to put effort into was their monthly 'family day's, which is just an exaggerated demonstration - a song and dance - to convince you that they are actually doing anything...gotta justify the $6k a day bill. Then I'm hearing from my daughter, from a peer she stayed in contact with - that a former staff member pursued a relationship with one of the girls after she was discharged. When I brought her in, I had really really high hopes and I thought it was going to change her life... No. Not by a long shot. Save your money and effort and look elsewhere.

Before Embark, my daughter was treading water at Newport Academy (php). She was getting nowhere. A friend of mine mentioned Embark hearing good things about it. It was difficult to know my daughter needed residential… care, and harder to trust a faculty to help. Embark was the best decision. Intake was easy. Their safety plan was comforting. Her therapists were amazing. The life coaches were great. Family sessions, and visits weekly were gratifying. My daughter made amazing progress. She has self compassion and worth. They took the time to get to know her and us. They worked as a team to transition her to php Mainline, who are also amazing. I highly recommend Embark.

I want to give 5 stars because everything about Embark at white haven was wonderful, once my daughter got some attention. After 3 weeks there she reported only having talked to her therapist 2 times. I called the… director and the therapist admitted that she dropped the ball in the beginning however when the work got started it was really good. My daughter’s therapist might have been distracted at the beginning however she really got her and helped her process some issues . The way the program incorporated the family was appreciated. It’s a beautiful facility and she learned a lot of skills. The fifth star is missing because my daughter was told that she was on track for discharge in 60 days however the therapist had the wrong date so the discharge plan was not in motion and all the rest of us thought she was coming home in days. They then tried to keep her there the next 15 days saying she “needed it” but it was more because that’s what insurance approved to pay for and they wanted time to get the paperwork together. They actually threatened us that no program would accept her for after care if she left AMA which was not the case. I am writing this review because parents you MUST advocate for your daughters when in residential. It disturbs me that had we realized the therapist had a different discharge date it could have been brought to her attention & she could have transitioned to the Embark IOP or PHP.

my experience at embark was iffy There was a lot of drama and sometimes you weren’t able to focus on your mental health because there were so many other kids starting fights or doing unhealthy things. I shouldn’t have… to see someone slit their wrist in the shower. I shouldn’t have to see a kid jumping out of the window or at least trying I really did love embark but sometimes it was very rough to handle and once I was put on engagement, no one focused on me because I was on engagement and they thought I didn’t need it The teachers are amazing though for school I feel like the staff members are a little too young because it’s difficult for young mentally ill teen girls to be told what to do by someone who is not much older than they are another thing that I was upset about is that the therapist and staff member say they will reach out to you once you leave to check up on you once in a while… I have reached out to my therapist and other staff members and so have other kids and we all said the same thing they don’t ever reach back out. But I can say it did also save my life as much. It was difficult to be there.

Embark has excellent therapeutic care, and the site itself is beautiful. Everyone there brings warmth, care, and connection.

I was at Embark at this location from December 23rd 2022 to March 10th 2023 and I can honestly say it was a lifesaver for me. I’m now graduating high school in May of 2023 and in a much better place than I was before… Embark. The staff there are incredible, and the associate director (who was the clinical director at the time of my stay), Katie McCoog, does an amazing job with everything. The therapists that were there during my stay—Matt, Yurii, and Emily—are wonderful and helped me and my friends grow so much. The school coordinator, Alicia, is so kind and helpful, and does a great job of helping kids who are struggling with school work. If you are an anxious kid reading reviews because you’re going to go here, or if you’re a parent who is considering sending your child here, then I can assure you that Embark is truly a wonderful place.

Embark was the best decision we made for our daughter . Everyone was great especially Yuri our daughters therapist. She was there for several months and really came home different in all the best ways . I would highly… recommend this professional,safe, and super caring environment for anyone who is struggling with their daughter , I honestly wished we found embark much sooner then we did . Do yourself and your child the favor by going to embark.

Best job ever! The program is a wonderful healing experience and the staff cares so much about their clients!

This is the best mental health facility I have ever been to. The therapists are out of this world! You get the treatment you need and more. They take you on outings to wonderful places like horseback riding, movie… theater, and so much more. This place also encourages hobbies such as jewelry making, crocheting, knitting, and even dancing. I didnt get all the help I needed due to my insurance pulling me out but I can say the time I spent there was worth it!