Discovery Mood and Anxiety Program – Dade City

​My experience with the Discovery Mood Center in Dade City has been profoundly disappointing and deeply concerning from a parental and legal standpoint. I cannot recommend this facility to any family seeking proper… mental health care for their child. ​The primary issues encountered throughout this program include: ​Severe Communication Breakdowns: The facility routinely fails to communicate with legal guardians. Even when provided with proper legal documentation explicitly granting access to records, staff refuse to provide pertinent information regarding the patient. ​Absence of Progress Updates: There is a persistent lack of follow-up regarding inquiries or emails concerning a child's clinical progress. Parents are left completely in the dark about their child's day-to-day status. ​Failure to Notify in Crises: The facility does not consistently or directly communicate with parents when urgent situations or crises occur, stripping families of their right to be informed about their child's safety and well-being. ​Unauthorized Medical Changes: Decisions regarding a child's daily medication routine were altered unilaterally, adding new medications without obtaining prior parental consent. ​Inexperienced and Unprepared Staff: The clinical staff—particularly the therapists—appear young and lack the necessary professional training to manage urgent situations. They frequently seem uncomfortable leading and directing group therapy sessions, compromising the therapeutic environment. ​A Culture of Lacking Accountability: This absence of professionalism and operational oversight extends all the way to upper management. ​Ultimately, this program demands a significant financial investment, yet yields zero discernible progress or positive results. Placing your child in this facility means relinquishing all visibility and control over their care while receiving substandard, unqualified support in return. ​Parents seeking a safe, communicative, and transparent environment for their children should look elsewhere.

This place had its ups and downs. I was here about 8 months ago. Me personally I will not recommend this place to anyone. One of the many reasons I will not recommend this place is due to the lack of safety, kids were… able to get ahold of stuff that was harmful to them selves. They were not secure enough with stuff like that. One good thing about this place was the food. I fell like the food was nice and they would accommodate for picky eaters or people with allergies. Another thing that I liked about this place was that during the time I was there it was organized we would wake up nice and early and get to go outside for a short minute before having to go in get ready and clean to eat. Then you would have groups and school time. After that would be outside rec time for a little bit and then you would go back for lunch ,another group, and school time. Then it would be to dinner and then a rec time and after the rec time more groups and then it would be what they like to call "mingle time where we had a little bit of time to talk with our friends before it was time for bed. One thing I did not like is how I did not feel the groups were very helpful. In my personal opinion I think the groups should have been more personalized for example people who had not experienced substance abuse would have to sit in on a group about substance abuse. Some groups were nice but in my opinion not many were helpful. In my opinion the best thing about this place was the techs. Most of the techs were super nice and understanding, some were even more helpful then the therapists themselves. The techs new what to do when there was a emergency or a panic attack, and they also protected us and vouched for us when needed. I personally liked Mrs. Madison, Mr Mathew, and the tech who was the teaching instructor and guide when I was there. One thing I disliked was most of the therapists. I felt like some of them were very unhelpful and I feel like they should have been more involved and personalized. One thing that was alright was the living situation. The showers were what you'd expect (a little cold). One of my favorite things was having a roommate I fell like if I didn't have a roommate especially my roommate the stay would've been worse. The bedrooms were decent. Another thing I did not like was how there were levels. For example level one you only got a 5 minutes phone call and no music. Level 2 you finally got your mp3 and I think 10 minute phone calls. It goes all the way up to level 5. Anything past level 3 has to hard and too much work to get to and honestly not that worth it. In all I give this place a 2 star. Primarily because of the lack of safety I felt and how it was easily able to obtain items that were not good for ones self.

The living conditions were disappointing. The showers were broken, and basic maintenance issues seemed to go unresolved. Instead of feeling cared for in a therapeutic environment, I often felt like I was being treated… more like a prisoner than a patient. I also found many of the staff members and techs to be rude and dismissive. I did not always feel respected, listened to, or supported during my stay. There were times when I felt that my needs, including concerns about food availability, were not handled appropriately, which left me feeling neglected. The therapy services were also disappointing. I did not feel that I received helpful tools or meaningful support for managing my mental health, and my concerns did not seem to be taken seriously. I was also aware of serious safety concerns during my time there, including reports of inappropriate behavior involving residents. Mental health facilities should provide a safe, respectful, and compassionate environment, and I did not feel that this program met those standards. Based on my personal experience, I cannot recommend this facility.

I was here 4 years ago I got kicked out exactly a week after I got there because I was too “depressed” and I had an addiction problem. Which they knew before I got there about my addiction and they drug tested me only… because I guess I looked “sick” and they found something in my system and they said they couldn’t treat me not only for that but also because my depression was “too severe” the day they told me I had to leave which was the same day (mind you I had to get on a plane for the way there and back). a police officer named officer rivera showed up and he was the most amazing cop ever he actually listened to me like I was human also there was this one staff Ari she was amazing. She was my 1v1 and she would talk to me constantly. She was upset when I had to leave. Both of those 2 people I will never forget them for their kindness and gentle hearts other than that screw that place because kicking me out for being too “depressed” is crazy

the program is very mid, not bad and not great, they kinda helped the therapists are very mid aswell DEF there is better therapists in other places, miss Sabrina is a very good manager and so is mr julian miss whitney,… tenika , april , kiara, nick all are very good techs on the other hand miss jessica hernandez is a horrible tech she does not know how to work with children AT all we all hated her jaja so does miss sheyla the supervisor she sucks like really bad the only good therapist is miss shantal all other ones are horrible and they have a stupid 6 foot rule for some reason, they like to separate kids instead of letting / teaching them to solve their problems they just separate you, very unprofessional, remove 6 foots so dumb, overall very mid its alright with change of staff it would be WAYYYYYY better

We have been working with Discovery for several years and appreciate what great community partners they have been. Their team is highly collaborative and their outreach and marketing team is amazing. Shout out to… Stephanie who is so charismatic, passionate, and supportive of the clients and the collaborating treatment teams. We see such great improvements when we’ve had to refer clients for residential. I just received a client back from completing residential and they had nothing but positive things to say about the staff and program.

My son was taught some invaluable coping skill mechanisms here at Discovery. The compassion and care my son received during his 40 day stay has equipped him for real situations. This was truly a life changing experience… for him. Shout out to Shantel and Lauryn for their commitment to excellence! I recommended , 10-/10!

SHOUT OUT TO MS A and also management is NOT it and showers don't work very cold , don't listen to concerns BUT ALSO MS A IS GOOD and so is ms jerika they are VERY professional and deserve a raise period...

I would 100% highly recommend making sure your insurance will cover the residential I was told before emissions was fully covered paid the deductible they wanted to be told a week later insurance won't cover it's going… to be $80 a day. Even gave them all my insurance information before hand and driving 6 hours!!! To get there to be told a week later is a little unsettling and horrible just took my $500 and all the gas I used to be told that really upsets me

Great place! They help you and are supportive! Definitely a shout out to Naeesha, and Madison they definitely helped me bunches!!!

Horrible experience. Do not send your kids here . Medication is there first way of trying to solve any issues with your child. The best part was the therapist. Horrible staff unprofessional. I wouldn’t send my dog here .

i went to discovery a month or two ago. honestly a really good program, especially for like the older kids. this place really works you to get better. i honestly was satisfied with the way this place treated me. the… food is alright i guess, most of the techs care about you and will take time out of their day and help. i think the only issue i had here was getting my medication on time, which i blame the pharmacy and not the program. the therapist usually are really helpful. the group of kids i was with were really nice and were always open. i’ve definitely seen so many people change within 30-60 days of being there. the therapist and directors also let you give feedback to things like group suggestions, outings, and things to make the place better for you and everyone, and most of the time they take it into consideration. if you plan to send yourself or your kid here, make sure you or your kid is ready to work the program!

This is an amazing clinical program! This is an adolescent residential facility that is greatly needed in the area and provides amazing care to their patients.

Our child went to Discovery Mood and Anxiety in Dade City, FL for 30 days. I wouldn't recommend it from a therapeutic standpoint, but it did give us a break from our child and he was safe. His first therapist quit ½ way… through and I don’t think much therapy occurred. Our family therapy sessions were not therapist lead at all. His 2nd therapist was better, but she only had about 10 days with him. I didn’t feel this was a very “intense” program to promote positive changes within 30 days. It felt like they just wanted insurance money because most insurance companies will approve the 30 days, but there is an extremely low chance you’ll see positive change in 30 days with just group sessions that are taught out of a book and weekly one on one therapy. Our child complained of cold showers. I reported this to staff more than once. I think one nurse checked but the fix was temporary, and the issue continued, which was again reported. The “exercise time” was weak. On their website they advertise this is a “holistic” program, so they should know the importance of exercise for mental health. Many days they stayed inside because it might have been too “cold” or a majority of kids wanted to stay inside. The climate in Florida is typically nice and even if it's 40 degrees, I feel kids can put on a sweatshirt and sweatpants and go outside. If they are moving around, they will warm up quickly. When they stayed inside, they could do “Just Dance” on the WII, however they only had 2 controllers. When you have 15 kids and two controllers, you can do the math. They could pop in a DVD and workout to a screen, but unless that’s instructor lead, probably not super effective with teens. There weren’t enough staff to supervise kids inside and outside. When we met with the Executive Director, she stated they were fully staffed. We did discuss all our concerns in this this review with the Executive Director. There were times they couldn’t go to the school building to work on school because if there was an incident with a kid, they’d all have to stay in the residence building, they didn’t have enough staff to have kids in the residence and school buildings. They did a good job to cover their tail on paper and checking boxes, because therapist would say the days they met with your child, but I don’t think that was true. Maybe they saw your kid, but no therapy took place. Medication, they gave my child the wrong dose of medication for 17 days before I (the parent) finally caught it because I was asked to sign some paperwork. They did apologize for this, and I do believe it was a honest mistake, but I don’t think this is acceptable, especially because I filled out all the paperwork in great detail. The medication and doses were listed more than once and there was doctor’s paperwork to back up what I listed. They struggled getting our virtual visits set up. Each week we contacted them over and over for the Zoom call link. Everyone would point the finger at each other. Zoom meetings are extremely easy to set up, yet they just couldn’t get it done for 30 days. It was a headache each time we tried to visit virtually with our child. Last issue for us personally was our child really struggled connecting with the other teens. Our child’s issues were behavior, anxiety, ODD and depression. Over ½ of the kids there were transgender and in our community, we are not exposed to the transgender population. Not having much knowledge, it is confusing to be forced to use pronouns that don’t match up with English class. This review isn’t about if transgender is right or wrong, I would never be ok with my kid being disrespectful and he wasn’t, however when he’s trying to work through his issues and then learn about transgender, that was hard and wasn’t a good fit.

this place saved my life. if any of the staff here are seeing my review, this is Sofia R, I was here from late December-January. If my insurance could have afforded to cover a longer visit, I would have stayed, no… hesitation. The staff make it apparent that they are here not just because its their job, but because they have a genuine care for the facility residents. I was showed so much love and care by not only them but the other residents, too. Scheduling and structure got a bit weird sometimes, but I'm easy with adjusting to my surroundings, and it wasnt a problem for me. Everyone here was so patient and kind, and in all seriousness, the staff deserve a raise. Occasionally I like to call the nurses' office phone line and tell them i say hello and i miss them, and small life updates. With the other places ive been to I never knew that there could be such thing as a good facility with comfortable space (the beds were so spacious and soft and the showers had consistant hot water !! love that, big pretty windows too) and such kind workers with genuine day to day action. Im awful with names, but all of the staff there, the techs especially, are wonderful. When im feeling like im back in the past again i always wish i could be back there, and I know as a fact that if i ever should/have to be put in an institution again, I'd demand to go here. I love you guys, thank you for everything. and all of this is to say the very least. its hard for me to remember how awful i felt knowing the place i was at was so nice.

Went here last February loved most of the staff and honestly was really helpful I loved my therapist and I didn't see many issues in the residential except a staff member who resigned while i was there and honestly I… would go again but I have heard it changed alot

the only reason im even giving this place 2 stars was because of the techs. Nate, Ryan and Neisha deserve a raise(seriously, consider it). they helped more than my actual therapist, and they gave me the help i needed… during my panic attacks and made the place seem less scary. they cheered me up and helped me love myself again. Dade city was unorganized/chaotic (the "therapy" groups were not therapeutic, they had more kids than they could handle and they changed the schedule a lot so i never had the structure i needed). due to this being my first res i had a lot of panic attacks, and most of the staff were not trained to help- and if they were, they didnt. In my 6 weeks there not once did i feel heard- causing me to act out (at that time it was the only way i knew how to get my point across since no one helped me to find other solutions.) Overall not the best experience, but since i've left they changed management, so hopefully its better.

Do not send your child to this facility!!! They gave my son multiple medications I didn’t approve of or even know about and he had major side effects from the meds we are still dealing with a month later. They do not… have a Dr on site, understaffed, only 1 licensed therapist, the program coordinator is only there to collect a paycheck. My son left the center far worse than when he went in and we’ve not heard one word from them since he left. Beware!!!!

I love discovery but it changed a lot i went there 2 times the first time was amazing loved the staff ,and kids i got to be around .the secound time i went there it was still good but as time went on things changed… staff were still awesome. shout out to niesha,nate,christie,marlen,will,amy,and most of all nurse mary.i miss yall all so much yall are the best staff.i am doing so much better

Neglectful staff and unethical practices

Went against my custody order I did not consent to my daughter being medicated had to go to court because they would not let me talk to my daughter who I have custody of BE CAREFUL OF THIS PLACE!

I have went to residential twice here and I have nothing but positive things to say about this place! The staff and nurses care for you and just want the best. Huge shoutout to Will, Nate, Madison, Alexis, Nurse Mary,… Nurse Iyata, Nurse Emmanuel, Jessica, Beatriz, Christi, and Ryan for nothing but support and wanting the best for me(They deserve a raise) . My therapist Mel helped me a lot with the understanding of my journey and so much more. Thank you to all of the staff who have helped me get this far, you have made me realize what I am made of and that has encouraged me to start my own website! You can check it out soon ( Mind to Heart) . This facility was nothing but helpful and I have learned a lot. Parents if you are contemplating sending your child here, it is worth it and they will gain knowledge on their diagnosis and have amazing friendships and bonds! Thank you Discovery for all that you do! Jacqi Chan or Jacqi Denney :) #NOLT4JD

Wow, just wow!! I came here with no moral compass, loads of trauma, and a mood disorder that was running my life. I stayed here for 7 weeks and it helped me so much. The techs are amazing (shout out to Madison, Nate,… Naeesha, and Christi!!). They helped me work through so many issues. All the therapy groups help so much especially if you try and want to help yourself. My therapist (Sathya) worked with me in everything I was struggling with. She would let me sit in her office if I was overwhelmed, she talked to me whenever I needed it, she took me on outings, etc. They also have so many resources you can use to cope (noise canceling headphones, frozen oranges, sour candy). They also have amazing food that helped me beat my eating disorder. Come to Discovery if you’re looking for support or if your child needs help. I love you Discovery!!

Did not help at all. Left my child with more issues than when they started. Wasted 6 weeks.

Discovery and there team from California to Dade City to Tampa have been amazing, informative and supportive. The team here at Dade City really work with the kids, they bond within reason, make the children accountable… for their actions, decisions, choices or lack there of. The “phases” can be challenging for the children (like mine) who have issues being told what they can do, when it can happen and for how long. These things are necessary! When the children “phase” up they earn different privileges. My child is the youngest of five, is 12 going on 25 and has always received everything her heart has desired, so understanding that it’s not her God given right to have everything is important, she values the privileges more. My daughter has had some emotional trauma this year, and she has had a very difficult time working through it. I have a professional background in Behavior and in Intense Behavior, and I thought I could use those skills with her. I believe they helped, but I know that I am too close. There are things that need to be interceded by neutral parties, to break the cycle and implement a new one. I can tell you my daughter was resistant in the beginning (extremely resistant) it took a longer amount of time to phase up, to start taking it seriously and do the work to see and feel the changes. She was discharged and “phased down” she went to a PHP program, my daughter truly was not ready, she recognized it, she said something, she was using skills that she had learned. THIS WAS HUGE! I spoke with her PHP therapist and together with Admissions and the team in Dade City, we were able to put a plan together and get her back into the Residential Program. This maybe round two for us, but I truly believe she is open to learn more coping skills, add more tools to her tool bag for life and really start the healing and work through her anger, learn how to stop hurting herself emotionally, physically and work with her mental health. I want to give some encouragement to the other parents out there struggling, feeling like you are alone on an island fighting for your child’s life; you are not alone! There are SO many of us out here and I know that I was blessed with having someone in my life that was able to point my daughter and me in the direction of Discovery. I hope this helps you and you family. By the way, this is a “campus” you can clearly tell (if you have any sense what so ever) that you should not be on the grounds. It does not look like a park or a plaza you can stroll through. So, I want to thank the “rude woman” who was making sure that our children on campus were protected.