Monte Nido River Towns – Irvington

I have to say how disappointed I was in Monte Nido at Irvington. I don't believe that is the case for all of them. My daughter left there worse then she entered. The behavior of the clients was very immature with the… cliques and gossiping that went on. It was not just toward other clients but to the staff as well. One night there was one staff member on who ended up locking herself in a room when a disagreement occurred between the staff member and a client. The clients had to do her job. Short staffed and the administration did nothing about the bullying behaviors that went on which triggered my daughter. She ended up going straight to the ER from there. I would not recommend this place as they failed to recognize the impact the bullying behaviors had on other clients even after it was brought to their attention on multiple occasions. They continued to put the fault on my daughter. She was relieved to leave there. I felt bad she was there for that long. I can't imagine how horrible she felt with all the behaviors that were going on around her that she identified from day one.

I would most definitely NOT recommend this residential facility for several reasons… I was recently discharged because of the program's INCOMPETENCE AND LACK OF STAFFING. Within my one and a half weeks there, there were… 2 clients who came and went due to these issues, what a shame honestly. There are not nearly enough staff members present to assist anyone and their needs within this setting. My first night there was only ONE RC for the entire group. During a disagreement between them and a client, the RC had a mental health crisis and locked herself into a closet in the middle of supplement time. Clients had to pour supplements for their own peers and assist each other in distress. I had seen NOTHING like it before. It had taken me 3 days to be able to unpack my luggage simply because there was no staff present. It had also taken me over a week to see my medical doctor, many of the staff are through zoom too. My parents could not reach anyone until the second week in. No one knew anyone, there was no consistency in staffing and persistent miscommunication. While asking for support each nurse or RC had different answers. My psychiatrist made several mistakes on my medication, her apology was not enough. Everyone knew this was an issue including staff yet no one did anything. If you are seeking a job there are 3 open positions here when I last checked. I would like to preface that this does not go for all Monte Nido locations. I have attended one far more organized and adequate.

Beautiful residence with kind staff and easy to follow routine. I stayed there for two months and made significant progress with my eating disorder and overall mental health.

This facility was unable to help her complete meals (although she had been eating at home previous to admission). Her weight loss in her first week (a pound a day) required her to be sent to emergency room due to a… cardiac issue. Staff chose to send her to a very small community hospital (on a Friday night) that DID NOT HAVE cardiologist until day hours. She had to be transferred to different hospital (which took 12 hours and cost $1700). If she had gotten any worse while waiting for transport she could have died. Sending her to a hospital (again the facility chose the hospital) that was unable to care for her was irresponsible. I would not recommend this particular facility based on this experience.

This program has been excellent. I was astounded that there was time for my husband and I to meet once a week to discuss difficulties that have arisen so that I feel more at ease returning home.

What a horrible experience. They are so understaffed. Residents spend their days watching TV and doing absolutely nothing. There are a total of 2 therapy sessions per day, which means aside from sleeping and eating, you… or your insurance company are paying for NOTHING. Stay far away from Monte Nido. There are better residential treatment centers available in the US!

I cannot grasp how this could help anyone who suffers from an eating disorder. I honestly walked out of here feeling mentally worse than when I walked in. I was told on a phone call prior to admission I would have… "limited access" to my phone while in treatment. This was the first of many disappointments upon arrival, when my phone and the majority of my other personal belongings were taken from me. They even tried to take my wallet from me, which I refused to give because I keep money and my IDs in there. Nobody told me I'd have to surrender any of my things. If you look at the typical daily schedule for this place, they really make it appear like you'll be busy all day long. The schedule they have on paper isn't an accurate representation of what we actually do all day. Whenever the schedule says "assignments & sessions", "reflection" and "portioning", expect to be sitting around doing absolutely nothing. Unless you have an appointment with your therapist, which is brief because they need to make time for everyone. The girls would usually binge watch television or stare at the wall because the majority of the time you're doing absolutely nothing. It's depressing. I can't even begin to describe how stressful and damaging meals and snacks were at this place. Sitting around a table full of other girls who have eating disorders is extremely uncomfortable, and absolutely nobody has their eyes on their own plate. It is such a toxic mental game, most of the girls so obviously trying to eat the least or the slowest. I felt so judged when I would actually try to eat which made it feel even harder. As someone who is not at risk for certain eating disorder behaviors, I felt extremely violated when the staff would not let me use the bathroom with the door closed. An hour after meals and snacks, someone stands with their back turned directly outside the door listening to you go. Then they told me I wasn't allowed to flush without them looking. I, again, am not personally at risk for the use of certain behaviors. So good luck if you ever have to go #2 here. I ended up having to put up a fight because I am not an animal and there is no reason someone should listen to me poop and then look at it. Dehumanizing. Some of the staff members were so insensitive. When expressing my concerns about the bathroom situation, I was told that if I use public restrooms this wouldn't be much different. Along with a number of other things. They tried so hard to downplay how humiliating and dehumanizing it is. During group therapy, one of the staff members encouraged one of the girls to name the girl who she saw hiding food at meal times in front of everyone. The girl wasn't originally going to, but she did. The other girl started crying and was shown no support by the staff. That's what you call therapy? They're also severely understaffed at this location. One time breakfast was an hour late. Due to how understaffed they are, most things did end up being a little late. This was annoying but honestly the least of my concerns. Anyway, if you want to be treated like a prisoner, this is certainly the place. And if you want to walk out feeling worse. I really hope that anyone reading this finds another treatment center because this was my first time in treatment, and it was so bad that I would never even consider going to a residential program again.

Monte Nido Irvington absolutely saved my life. I had been suffering from my ED for years & treatment wasn’t really helping me. Irvington actually showed me that recovery is possible, and that I can actually do well in… life. My therapist, Meg, is an absolute gem who cared so much about me and my case. I really connected with her. She never lost hope. Most of the therapist & RC’s there are incredible and really made a difference in my recovery and life. I went in hopeless and came out ready to fight. If you need ED treatment, please go to Monte nido in Irvington, NY. :)

I want to say first and foremost thank you to Monte Nido River Towns for truly being the reason that I am here today and able to live my life free from my eating disorder. I cannot thank every single person enough that… worked there while I was admitted for there unconditional care and support. Each staff member held the hope for me when I felt like there was nothing left for me to do in this world. This treatment center will always hold a special place in my heart. I conquered some of my worst fears and rituals. I faced some of the most traumatic experiences in my life. I got a glimpse of what my life could like without the life thief always trying to make me feel undeserving of worthiness and love. The list is endless for me to name every single person who played a role in my healing process. Some of the few people who I need to give a shout out to is Megan (recovery coach), Naomi (recovery coach), Joe (therapist) and Maria (chef). Thank you for being the most beautiful souls I have ever known and believing in me even when I did not. If you are struggling and reassurance then this is the voice of reason to step forward and follow through with the admission. You deserve recovery. I am now a registered nurse at Viamar Health for eating disorders. You can do this and recovery is possible!!

I just spent 8 weeks here. I can say it did help me to get on the path to recovery. My therapist Lauren was amazing. She helped me to break free of trauma that I believe kept me trapped in my eating disorder. It was… difficult but I was willing to put in the hard work placed upon me with the help from Lauren. I found the groups also very helpful but I believe you needed to be ready for recovery in order for any of the program to work. I struggled a lot in the dining room but was always met with great support to challenge me along the way. I met so many other clients who's support was also amazing. The recovery coaches were always around for support. There were a few I truly trusted and confided in. Alyssa, Hannah, Christine, Sam and Jenna were extremely understanding along with so many more. I found myself having some medical problems while here and the nursing staff was great in helping me through these times. There were one or two things I didn't agree with but they weren't enough to keep me from not looking at the bigger picture. I have been to other residential programs but for me this was the first time I truly believe that recovery is possible. So thank you to everyone that was there for me until the end of my journey at Monte Nido, you know who you are and I just want you to know you helped to change my life. I would recommend anyone looking for a good program to at least give it a try if you truly want recovery.

It's beautiful but i was discriminated against by the staff for my mental illnesses and Gender. I;m non-binary and use they/them pronouns and was misgendered constantly by the staff. They overmedicated me based on my… BPD, Bipolar and PTSD diagnosis and kicked me out because of a panic attack and pinned me out to be aggressive in the reports to cover up their mistakes. Also the day before in session with my therapist and my roommate , my roommate told me that she felt uncomfortable sharing a room with me being non-binary. This was never reported. This was in front of kelly the therapist, and the next day i was kicked out. It all seemed suspicious. The clinical director, Mariah O'Barr, is cold and cruel. She kicked me out without warning without giving me any recourses or options other than transferring to a location far away from home. They are very unprofessional and understaffed. There was 15 girls and 1 recovery coach the four days i was there. They also do not care if you show up to meals, snacks, eat, or finish supplements. Absolutely the most traumatizing experience of my life. I am back at square one and worse than when i was admitted. I'm leaving out a lot because googles terms and conditions, but please avoid this place at all cost if youre LGBTQ+ , or suffer with extreme mental illness besides your eating disorder. Or in general, you wont get your moneys worth. PLEASE BE SAFE !!!

One on one therapy sessions were very powerful in identifying why my eating disorder still latches on.

I absolutely would recomment River Towns! This is by far the best residential program I have ever been to out of 4 others. My therapy with Moriah absolutely changed my life. Her ability to get right down to the core of… what I was feeling made all the difference. Her assignments were on point and got me thinking about how I can truly better myself. Also my check in’s with RC Alyssa were so beneficial. The level of her abilities far surpasses her peers. She always gave me excellent insight and could calm me down during times of crisis.

Monte Nido changed and saved my life - I couldn't be more grateful to everyone who was a part of my journey to recovery! Thank you!