Casa Palmera – Del Mar

Shouldn't be offering help for everyone if you're gonna deny it

Casa saved my life! Great people who really care! We do recover, but never alone.

I loved it! Staff is awesome and I hope to work there. It’s definitely a great place!

I miss it here so much.

Nice drive.

Best decision I’ve ever made. The staff is totally awesome from the therapist, the BHT’s to the environmental service staff. The culture created by the staff and patients is one of acceptance and love and promotes… community and healing. Thank you for saving my life and giving me a new freedom.

I recently had the opportunity to collaborate with Casa Palmera for an alumni event, and I was so impressed by the warmth and care they bring to their work. It’s clear that their support extends beyond treatment and… that they truly value continued connection and healing for their alumni. Their Alumni Coordinator, Natacha is absolutely amazing and such a pleasure to work with! She’s compassionate and incredibly passionate about supporting Casa’s alumni community. It was beautiful to bring our communities together, and I’m so grateful for the experience. I look forward to collaborating with the Casa Palmera team again!

I had an extremely frustrating and upsetting experience with Casa Palmera, both because of how disorganized the admissions process was and because of their decision to deny me residential treatment. Communication… throughout the admissions process was terrible. I was repeatedly told I would receive calls at specific times or on specific days, and those calls simply did not happen. For a mental health facility dealing with people who are already struggling, this level of disorganization is unacceptable. I was ultimately denied admission because they determined that I was "too acute" for their residential program and told me that I should instead receive inpatient psychiatric treatment. I absolutely criticize that decision. I have been evaluated multiple times and told that I am NOT acute enough to meet criteria for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. I am not actively suicidal. I do not have a suicide plan or intent. I was specifically pursuing residential treatment because outpatient treatment has not been enough and I need a higher level of ongoing support, while inpatient hospitalization has repeatedly not been considered appropriate for me. What makes this even more confusing is how Casa Palmera is publicly presented. Their Psychology Today profile describes the facility as providing subacute residential treatment for mental health disorders and lists serious psychiatric conditions among the problems they treat. The profile even lists "Suicidal Ideation" as an area of expertise. Obviously, listing a condition does not mean every person with that condition will qualify for admission. However, when a facility publicly advertises residential treatment for significant mental health problems and even lists suicidal ideation among its areas of expertise, I think prospective patients deserve much clearer information about what "too acute" actually means and which symptoms or circumstances make someone ineligible. Those limitations were not at all clear to me before I invested significant time and emotional energy into their admissions process. Instead, I was left in the absurd and incredibly discouraging position of being told that I am too mentally unwell for residential treatment while simultaneously having been told repeatedly elsewhere that I am not acute enough for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization. People seek residential treatment precisely because they are struggling. There is a huge gap between ordinary outpatient treatment and acute psychiatric hospitalization, and residential treatment is supposed to help fill that gap. Being turned away and directed toward a level of care that other professionals have repeatedly determined I do not qualify for did not help me access treatment. It left me feeling significantly more rejected and hopeless after I had actively tried to get help. Between the lack of transparency about admission criteria and the repeated failures in communication during an already vulnerable process, I would not recommend Casa Palmera based on my experience.

I recommend everyone go here. Truly changed my life for the better, can’t recommend it enough

Amaze, changing my life

I drove four hours through the LA traffic and get there after being told that my admission has been confirmed, My insurance has been verified, And I even talked to my insurance representative. I get there and apparently… I am too agitated to be admitted while I was just sitting in my chair when doing my in take forms. AFTER SIGNING ALLLLLLLLLL MY INTAKE PAPERWORK. I tell them I take my medication first thing in the morning and after the stressful day, getting there, packing to be there and everything else I am dealing with TO SEEK TREATMENT TO GET BETTER maybe that’s why I am irritated and frustrated. I am turned away, I am told that I need another referral, which is FALSE. I double checked with my insurance and I have also been there before but wasn’t able to complete the full 30 days.

So great!

I am so grateful for Casa Palmera and the opportunity they have given me. I came in to the program lost broken and hopeless. I completed the program and I can say with all honesty that they helped me find myself and get… back on track with my life. I really want to thank all of the staff, for believing in me and helping me get my self confidence back. I want to thank all of my peers, I've built a community and shared a lot of good times with others like me. All searching for a better way. Thank you again for everything Casa!

Going to Casa has been one of the best things that I’ve ever done for myself. The staff and therapists are all so kind and incredible and I have built life long friendships with other patients. The alumni events keep me… still feeling supported and connected to staff that I now look up to as mentors.

Casa was a great experience. The staff and therapists. Top of the line treatment.

2 years later, I still have regret going here. This place was more traumatic than what brought me there. Save yourself time and grief and find a different facility.

I am really happy that I made the decision to spend time at Casa Palmera. I felt like all of the therapists there really cared about the residents and did whatever they could to give us the best chance for living a… better life. All the staff there made me feel at home and seemed genuinely pleased to help if they could, and the outreach and intake teams did everything they could to make the experience the best that they could offer. Lasting friendships and support networks are made here as a sense of community is fostered and encouraged for the foreseeable future. I feel like I left with life skills that I didn't have before, and know that I can always reach back for further support. If you find yourself looking for this kind of help I highly recommend Casa Palmera.

Ive been to a few treatment centers in the past and my experience at Casa was by far the best. I felt that the standard of care was unmatched in comparison to the other facilities I had been to. Honestly, I was shocked… when I read some of the subpar reviews because it did not reflect the experience I had while I was there. I truly believe you get what you put into it and enjoyed Casa enough to stay for 41 days.

I spent a month at Palmer for alcohol addiction. As soon as I walked in I felt I was in the right place it's beautiful here. I felt safe and cared for the grounds are beautiful the rooms are spacious. You're at peace to… just take care of your addiction and everything else is taken care of I recommend Palmer 100%

Casa Palmera is by far one of the best residential programs. I just discharged yesterday after a 60 day stay and it helped me tremendously. You leave there with a huge sense of community, knowledge, in depth therapy,… and to become healthy. I personally just lost my mother suddenly last July and chose to stay longer to cope with not only her passing but my Alcoholism as well. I gained so many tools, coping models, and a sense of true self again.

I am an addict who works in the industry as a counselor. My expectations were as high as I was when I walked through the doors of Casa. And to a man, the staff exceeded my expectations. The program structure, the… expertise and caring nature of the staff, plenty in number, were top quality. Casa Palmera is, in my opinion, a world-class, top flight facility and program. Even the food is outstanding! Where are you going to find THAT in a rehab?! Awesome experience that I won't forget.

-They care about your bank account, not your life. I spent years mentally preparing for the day I would finally get sober. Yesterday, I walked into Casa Palmera ready to surrender and start my new life. Instead of being… met with a medical professional, I was met with a salesperson who tried to bully me into a 28 day contract. When I explained I was there for a 7 day detox, she essentially refused to help me. It became clear very quickly: if they can't lock you into a long-term, expensive contract, they have no use for you. Beyond the greed, the culture here is deeply disturbing. It is an extremely "vanilla" environment where people of color are made to feel like they don't belong. It felt like a "whites only" club, and the staff was both vindictive and disrespectful the moment they realized I wasn't going to be their next big paycheck. The leadership is non existent; the director allows the women on staff to run the program however they want, and they choose to run it with zero empathy or professional integrity.

It took me years to reach the point where I was finally ready to give up everything and get sober. I walked into Casa Palmera with my heart set on recovery, but I have never felt so shamed and disrespected. This… facility claims to be an inclusive and diverse community, but in reality, it feels like a "whites-only" club where people of color are made to feel unwelcome and invisible. The environment is toxic. The staff is vindictive and unprofessional, and the director is completely ineffective, allowing the women running the floor to walk all over him and the patients. It’s clearly "vanilla" dominated, and if you don’t fit that demographic, you don’t belong. They didn't care about my sobriety; they only cared about the money. I came in ready for a 7-day detox, but they immediately pressured me to sign a 28-day contract. When I refused to be bullied, their attitude turned hostile. The attached photo of a phone number scribbled on a yellow sticky note was the only "professional" help they gave me. Don't go here if you are looking for real care. They talk about being an affirming space, but they treat patients like business transactions.

The best rehab I’ve ever been to They truly care about making sure you get what you need.