Austen Riggs Center – Stockbridge

No other hub for treating a mental illness was more diligent and thoughtful than Austen-Riggs was to me. If you're going there, it won't be because you need an easy experience, but plenty of caring people will provide… you with the essentials for addressing the psyche and deepening your relationship with healing.

Riggs saved my life. I was so lost and depressed when I arrived. Memories of sexual abuse haunted me and I always wanted to run. My incredible therapist and nurse, social worker and community staff loved me when it was… so difficult to do that. We all stuck to it and I am so proud I am a nurse specialist. I face my fears and issues each day fully aware life isn’t easy. I’ve learned to differentiate my issues from other peoples impressions. I will forever be grateful to this amazing place. Yes there are trying times but living them with this staff is what allowed me to take my life back

I feel compelled to leave a review after all the heat Austen Riggs is getting. Austen Riggs changed my life. I was admitted in May of 2024, convinced I had nothing to live for and nobody who cared about me. I was… suggested Riggs after being turned down from numerous hospitals and programs for having “too complex of a case.” Over the course of 8 months, I learned about myself and my impact on others in ways I had never before. My cohort of people who were admitted around the same time was very supportive, and we still keep in touch today, but I can definitely see how if the community isn’t a fit then Riggs won’t be a fit. Sure there was drama (some more serious than others), but you have to remember that you’re living in a large community of people with trauma and complicated mental health struggles. The only major downside is how expensive it is. I was extremely lucky that my insurance covered about 60% of my treatment, but I felt guilty the entire time I was there about how much my family was investing into me financially. The cost is widely talked about in group sessions and is commonly a major stressor for people, distracting from what brought them in in the first place. It’s now been almost a year since I left and my life is on a trajectory I never thought was possible. I am clean and sober, haven’t had a mental health crisis since leaving, and no longer fit a significant amount of diagnostic criteria for what I was diagnosed with. Making the commitment to treatment saved my life❤️

Places of this kind are not easily quantifiable in 5 star ratings. But if I had to gove it a rating as simple as this, I give it 5. I was there for a year, and did out-patient for a couole of years after that. This… place was a hard place to be because it was where Ibhad to confront myself -- but the tools they imparted to me and the care I received helped me save my life. I am indebted to them and believe im the work they do. Very much so. There are few open-setting hospitals around, and among mental hospitals Riggs is truly unique. It may not be for everyone, but I recommend it very very highly. I feel lucky to have been there. And I am certain that I would not be living a full, productive life now had it not been for them.

I was rock-bottom depressed to a point where my family and I were willing to try ANYTHING & spend any amount of money on my healing (Riggs is the most expensive place around). It wasn't the official therapy regiment I… went there for as much as COMMUNITY - I was so isolated at that point. Upon arrival I was asked to pay for two weeks in advance (approx $14,000). My online bank didn't offer personal checkbook checks, so I agreed to file for a check to be sent to Riggs and did so. Thus began my residency. Trouble from the start: a room without AC in summertime, my schedule didn't include the standard group therapy (despite expressing VERY clearly that I was there precisely for the group interaction), and then a huge scandal unfolded involving a male resident drugging & sexually assaulting an unconscious female resident (and the ensuing attempts at institutional cover-up) - community meetings were overwhelmed by clients (many sexual abuse survivors) appalled that the guy wasn’t asked to leave by the tone-deaf old guard administration. But nothing prepared me for the following: I was assigned a therapist twice a week, and after 5 days, he began each session asking about the money I owed Riggs. I assured him my bank had sent the check, but as days wore on, he seemed to want to talk about little else but the money. I simply didn't understand why he kept asking because I 1) never had an issue sending checks from my bank 2) had full faith it'd eventually arrive 3) he was MY THERAPIST (!) not Finance office staff 4) was being painfully honest about my life & depression so it was simply inconceivable that he truly thought I was lying. He grew increasingly adversarial, putting all these absurd pop-psychology angles on it. Eventually I called my bank, confirmed the check was sent, and provided proof to the Finance Dept (the ONLY time I even discussed the situation w/ any staff besides this young highly unskilled therapist). Otherwise was feeling too disconnected/disempowered to address utter frustration/irritation with the situation. On the 10th day, I was scheduled for my first group meeting (w/ my 5 -person treatment team). I sat down prepared to discuss progress, but was abruptly told (by a man I never saw before) that I was terminated by Riggs for lack of payment. I was in complete and utter shock. Furthermore, this man proceeded - at length - to paint me as some sort of all-around pathological liar/deviant, using my very real reasons/pain for coming to Riggs to corroborate this sensational account and riot act. My team (decent people, with whom I'd been very direct/honest with all along) remained silent throughout - they either lacked curiosity or courage to challenge the hierarchy, or had drunk the Kool-Aid themselves. I left Riggs 6 hours later, utterly traumatized, in disbelief at this massive violation of trust, the ABSURDLY poor communication skills of these "professionals", the whole Kafkian debacle. My parents called the Finance Dept the next day and were told the check in fact arrived THAT MORNING (the one "positive" is that we canceled the check, otherwise Riggs would've snatched up $14,000). Yes, that mailed check took its sweet old time. But I’d provided INDISPUTABLE proof straight from my bank that it was sent. I still can't even imagine what they were thinking, baffles me how incredibly incompetent and irresponsible they were throughout every part of this entirely avoidable saga. Again: they had my newly assigned therapist repeatedly try to get me to confess that I lied about sending the check (?!?!?) during our 50 minute sessions! BONKERS! There are far better, more progressive options than this insular, exclusive, old-fashioned, bloated, money-grubbing institution. Charging $1000 a day to get your mental health in order is emblematic of a dis-eased culture that produces vast mental health issues. I saw nothing on offer at Riggs i didn't later discover via much more grassroots down-to-earth local and online support options.

They REQUIRE a $50,000 deposit to even start the process regardless if your insurance will work with out-of-network benefits. They’re not in network with any insurance. Bad interaction with their admissions via email.

I left riggs a year ago, I never planned to leave a review but after seeing all the recently negative reviews I feel like I need to. Riggs helped me a tremendous amount! I went for 7 months and the work I did there has… carried over ten fold. To anyone who is struggling with a 1. Personality disorder 2. has the means to stay at least 3-6 months 3. Is committed to getting better on a deep level There is no better place. Straight up. Please don’t be discouraged by the recent negative reviews and of course do your research.

Bit pricy but very good grilled cheese sandwiches, highly recommended!

There are some exceptional staff members here. It is important to understand that The Austen Riggs Center offers a program that can only be utilized in a time frame of 1 - 2 years. This was how it was originally… structured. Unfortunately our health insurance system does not cater to this type of long term treatment. Please read the description of its program very carefully. I hope the current director can take a closer look at why this hospital is appropriate for those only able to stay 1 - 2 years.

This is not a place to heal from trauma or any “treatment resistant disorder”. They will lure you in with the private rooms. The fact that everything is open and you can come and go freely. The ability to basically do… whatever you want as there are no searches and Very few rules. The 4 times a week therapy which I’ve really only seen Riggs offer. Well here’s a reality check, It’s to good to be true. The real fact of this place is it’s run to make a profit pure and simple. NEVER have I meet a group of individuals more OPENLY fixated on greed alone. My family is not poor but if you’re spending around 30k for the first month of treatment, I’d like some treatment. Not to be told I won’t be “better” and able to do the work on less I’m there at least a year. It’s the way that they make you well aware almost daily that your treatment is on the line if you don’t find that cash that bothered me the most. One of Riggs many tactics at stealing your money is to make you feel like it’s the only place that can help you. That without them you’ll be homeless and a failure like you already are. I won’t go into the mental abuse my therapist put me through. It would take to long, Yet the way I was treated was beyond appalling. Once your in the community and in the 4 times a week therapy it’s very easy to just get lost in the weeks and months your there. I found a lot of hope, kindness and compassion from the community which was a huge reason for me to overlook the negatives well I was there. Yet it remains that this place will just keep dragging you along as long as you can pay for it. The place is beautiful and honestly has so much potential in actually helping people. Yet I can’t in good faith recommend this place do to the harm it caused me both mentally and financially…

What a terrible place. I was coerced into going to Austen Riggs between April and June of this year. From the moment I arrived, I had a massive panic attack and things only got worse. The therapists and staff are… inattentive and unprofessional. There were a few people I liked somewhat, but in general this is a well orchestrated scam to keep struggling, traumatized people feeling sick. They load you up with ineffective and dangerous meds and tell you that you’re the problem. When in fact THEY are the problem. All of them are contributing to this cultural sickness that those who see things as they really are and tell the truth are the problem. It’s not true. Their food is also bad but that was really the least of it. Please don’t go to Riggs. You can do better. I promise you. Even if you just sit in the courtyard at kripalu for a few days, you’ll get much more benefit out of that. I’m a writer, a singer, a spiritual seeker. Riggs tried to destroy that part of me. It was really sad. I am a traumatized woman with a grandfather who survived the Holocaust on his own and then beat my mother as a child. I was always going to have demons. But there are tools and modalities to help me and they don’t exist at Riggs. The meditations and yoga were nice but I was the only one who attended. I wasn’t supported by a loving, welcoming community. Has anywhere there heard of somatic therapy? I doubt it. My friends, this is how you heal. I hope Riggs goes out of business and its decent looking campus is bought by someone who can truly help people in need. I didn’t want my parents spending 70k over 2 months for absolutely nothing. Arts and crafts tickle you? Then go to an art school. I could say a lot more but it doesn’t seem worth it. Rich people with money, find somewhere better. Now I have to undo the damage that Riggs did to me. They told me I have borderline and narcissistic personality disorder! Hahaha! I had a long talk with Bessel van der Kolk about all this. It’s no coincidence they’ve never invited him to speak. They don’t want anyone getting better there. Goodbye and good luck!

Austen Riggs saved my life. I went in a complete mess- coping with addition, co-morbid mental illnesses, and a no control over my life. Yes, Riggs is expensive. It's unfortunate because so few can afford it- but if you… can, I implore you to do it. In seven months, I pulled myself out from a dark place to a somewhat lighter place, and was able to return back to school, work, and living in a big city. The people who work at Riggs are some of the most selfless, kindest, and wonderful people! I highly recommend it if you need serious, long term help to make yourself a functional and happy person again.

My 17 month experience at Austen Riggs saved my life. Each staff member, every single staff member, cares about the patient. It is disheartening to read reviews from former patients for whom treatment here was not… helpful and I'm truly sorry the experience isn't the same as mine. Treatment at Riggs isn't a one-size-fits-all approach. Each therapist, each team, each patient has his/her/their own style and unique personality. It takes a considerable amount of time to dig in and figure out the where and how we can safely approach each other; this requires the patient to "give in" as much as one is able throughout the process. Sometimes it takes months or even longer. Yes, the cost can be prohibitive. I myself would have stayed longer if possible. The Austen Riggs Center makes clear from their web site and in the interview insurance may not pay. In fact for myself and many of my peers it did not and it was upsetting for us and for staff. The issue with the high cost of mental health care is not the fault of this hospital, but with our health care system. Our insurance carriers are not abiding by the law as it pertains to parity. Please consider demanding better treatment from your insurer. I hope we all continue seeking treatment wherever we can. For me, I continue to thank my team at Riggs, especially Dr. Delgado, Daltrey Turner and the fantastic nurses.

Austin Riggs literally saved our lives! Their treatment protocols were exceptionally effective and their staff is exceptionally responsive. The Center is for people who WANT the help, not just necessarily need it. If… you’re willing to do the hard, often painful work and listen — really listen — to what your patient and his/her team of specialists say, your entire family can be transformed.

It has been 6 years since my stay with Austen Riggs. They saved my life. A difficulty encountered for almost all that attend is honesty. I was willing to discuss and finally surrender to my painful past, but only in my… final 2 weeks did my alcoholism get discovered. I completed my time at Riggs and then went on to a Rehab for drug/alcohol abuse. I attend AA meetings and go to see a therapist weekly. I am responsible for my personal maintenance and growth, though I utilize others and all available resources. It cost money and lots of it to make the help needed available. For those that feel it is too costly, there are other options available. The great thing about our country is freedom that allows us to choose. I concur that Austen Riggs may not be for everybody, that is why checking out a number of other facilities is crucial. Thank you Austen Riggs, I have a life today and it is a good one. With Gratitude- Tom de Chauny

The quote below is from their web page which In true terms means. if you can't afford us we will still admit you, take what money you have regardless of whether that amount is close to what you will need for appropriate… treatment. They may be not for profit but I feel unless you have great monetary resources they are also not for patients. We threw away $50,000.00 for our daughter to be in a bubble for 10 weeks with no real plan for what would happen once she left. She was worse after her stay and it was downhill from there into complete addiction. Had we been warned of the drug problem (we believed it was primarily emotional) we may have avoided another six years of torment. This continues to haunt me and I feel Austen Riggs holds some responsibility in regards to what became of our daughter after her stay. I say shame on us for allowing them to take advantage of us at a crucial time in our lives (I was battling cancer) but shame on them for admitting her knowing full well we did not have the resources to keep her there for an unlimited stay, Imagine saying that limited financial resources is a metaphor for life. What that means is if you can't afford good treatment get used to it because everything in your life will be limited because of your financial shortcomings. And for the record their finance manager used those terms when we spoke. This certainly is what we have faced when trying to get even adequate dual diagnostic treatment. Only the wealthy are entitled to good or superior treatment and even then there are no guarantees. Quote from Austen Riggs "Patients are encouraged to work with their treatment team to design the most cost-effective course of treatment that meets their clinical needs within the resources available. We have learned that the limitation of financial resources is both a reality and a powerful metaphor for other limitations in life. Attention to the practical and emotional consequences of these limitations is often a useful focus for treatment."