Aurora Behavioral Health’s Las Encinas Hospital offers comprehensive residential and intensive outpatient addiction treatment services to chemically dependent individuals struggling with substance abuse. Services provided include assessment and detoxification, individualized treatment planning, individual and group therapy, family counseling, and life skills training featuring topics such as healthy coping, relaxation techniques, stress management, and assertiveness. Aftercare services are provided upon discharge as needed.
ABOUT LAS ENCINAS RECOVERY CENTER
Set on 27 acres in Pasadena, Calif., La Encinas Hospital provides residential and outpatient treatment for substance abuse issues and co-occurring mental health disorders. The facility offers both voluntary and involuntary units, as well as on-site detoxification services.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
All patients undergo medical and psychiatric evaluations within 24 hours of admission. Participants of the residential program receive individualized treatment plans that feature four therapy groups a day, including psychoeducational, process, chemical dependency, and recreational activity groups.
The partial hospitalization (PHP) and intensive outpatient (IOP) programs are each designed as step-down options for those who’ve completed residential treatment and those unable to commit to residential treatment due to prior obligations. Most clients are scheduled to attend treatment three days a week.
Designed similarly to the PHP and IOP tracks, the Student Restore to Wellness Program offers outpatient services for college students facing bipolar/mood disorders, thought disorders, anxiety, substance abuse and dependence, self-harm behaviors, suicidal/homicidal ideations, or personality disorders.
Also unique to the hospital is its specialized track for LGBT clients, along with an extended care unit called the Briar Program. A year of free weekly aftercare groups is also available to program graduates.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Led by a psychiatrist and addictionologist, the treatment team includes licensed therapists, psychiatric nurses, clinical social workers, chemical dependency counselors, mental health workers, and recreational therapists.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
The hospital’s website features images of a well-landscaped campus and modest shared bedrooms (private rooms are available at an extra fee). In total, the psychiatric hospital has 140 licensed beds (22 of which are designated for residential treatment).
Clients in the extended-stay Briar Program are encouraged to take advantage of the facility’s on-site swimming pool, tennis court, and fitness room.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Alumni response to Las Encinas is limited, but three respondents who provided feedback to Best-rehabs.com to date had mixed experiences here. One alum, Tom, gave the facility an overall score of four stars, and similar marks for its amenities. He did, however, seem concerned about recent changes, writing: “The facility has undergone ownership and Dr. changes affecting patient care.”
Another alum, who chose to remain anonymous, had a more critical view of the hospital. They gave it an overall rating of just one star and wrote: “Had classes twice a day. Rest of the time you just sat around talking, smoking cigarettes.” This alum also expressed concern with the treatment program in general complaining that it was “not individualized” and that there was “no one on one.”
A third reviewer named Robert simply wrote “Gross!”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
Response from friends and family is similarly mixed. One reviewer celebrated the “location, attractiveness and comfort” of the facility, but claimed that their loved one was overmedicated while in treatment. When asked if they would recommend the facility, they gave a lukewarm three-star rating, but was also “disappointed in the outcome” for their family member.
Another reviewer shared their family’s disappointment with the treatment their loved one received. “We were extremely dissatisfied with virtually all aspects of her hospitalization,” J.S.D. explained to Best-rehabs.com. “The nurses at Las Encinas were typically too busy to talk to us… There were no sessions to ty to help her particular problems, and she never met with a psychologist.”
WHAT STAFF SAY
Cindy, an employee of Las Encinas Hospital, indicated in her Best-rehabs.com that she’d recommend the facility for its complete continuum of care and compassionate staff; however, she also noted that the doctors are often overloaded with patients and that the program does not focus on the 12-Steps.
FINANCING
There is currently no information provided on the hospital’s website or otherwise regarding its treatment costs. It does accept Medicaid, Medicare, and most private insurance plans.