ABOUT THE RETREAT AT SHEPPARD PRATT
The Retreat at Sheppard Pratt is an inpatient psychiatric and mental health treatment center based in northern Baltimore, Md. While the facility does not have a dedicated alcohol or drug rehab program, adult patients with substance abuse issues have access to treatment under the dual-diagnosis track. The center also offers a transitional living house for program graduates.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
The Retreat works with adults 18 and older, yet programming is designed with several types of individuals in mind: young adults, professionals, and adults navigating life-changing events, such as retirement. Stays range from several weeks to several months and the average length of stay is 33 days.
Residents can expect a packed schedule with six to eight hours of individual therapy, three hours with a psychiatrist, and 38 hours of group programming a week. Residents have access to dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and more cutting-edge somatic treatments such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy. There are also on-site AA and/or NA meetings and educational lectures.
In addition to therapy sessions, clients are engaged in 35 hours of holistic and therapeutic programming per week. This includes Tai Chi, music therapy, yoga, meditation, art therapy, meditation, movement therapy, rock climbing sessions, and cardio-strength groups.
Family participation is strongly encouraged. The facility arranges for a monthly family day and two regular family groups that focus on relationships and family issues.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
The treatment team consists of physicians, registered nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, family therapists, mental health workers, an occupational therapist, an art therapist, and licensed clinical social workers. The center boasts a 4:1 staff-to-client ratio.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Set on a private area of Sheppard Pratt’s beautiful campus, the 16-bed facility houses clients in luxurious private suites with private bathrooms and cable TV. Residents have access to an outdoor courtyard and a swimming pool at a nearby health club.
The facility provides Internet access and permits cell phone and electronics usage. Meals are prepared by a chef and guests have access to walking trails, historical sites, and a museum.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
To date, Best-rehabs.com has received feedback from 13 former clients. Of the divided alumni, nine were positive, two were negative, and two remained neutral or mixed. “They gave me tools and tips to help me when I get outside the center,” an anonymous alum wrote.
Some of the alumni called the staff “friendly” and “kind” and nine alumni surveyed gave the staff’s level of training and experience and family participation average ratings of 3.78 out of five stars. They also rated the facility’s cleanliness highly, giving it a 4.56-star average.
Holistic treatment offerings and the variety of counseling options available were metrics that The Retreat at Sheppard Pratt received the lowest ratings for, at 2.7 out of five stars each. When asked, on a scale from one to five, how likely they would be to recommend the facility to others in need of treatment, the nine alumni gave a lukewarm average rating of 3.1.
Yet other alumni complained about generic programming and expensive treatment. “While it was helpful, I don’t believe the treatment equaled the price paid,” an anonymous alum wrote. Another alum referred to this facility as “generic” and a “one-size-fits-all program.” And although they called the therapy “great,” a third alum told Best-rehabs.com: “I would not primarily recommend this facility for treatment.”
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
To date, 13 of the 18 loved ones who left reviews on Best-rehabs.com offered positive feedback, while three were neutral and two were negative. The 10 reviewers surveyed gave above-average ratings of four stars for the facility’s family participation and 4.1 stars for the staff’s level of training and experience. Several loved ones described staff as “caring,” “responsible,” and “excellent.” When asked, on a scale from one to five, how strongly they would recommend the program, the 10 reviewers gave an average rating of 4.1.
Yet loved ones also complained about costly treatment and other issues. “It is very expensive but also very good program,” one anonymous reviewer wrote. “Communication was horrific, decisions were not made, a care plan was not put in place neither was aftercare,” J.S., a negative reviewer, wrote. Like J.S., another anonymous reviewer gave one star for treatment effectiveness. The reviewer felt “they had bad management.”
WHAT STAFF SAY
Best-rehabs.com has yet to receive any responses from staff at the time of this writing. The secondary review site, Glassdoor, has a 2.8 average rating from 109 employee reviewers.[1] While positive commentary about coworkers was common, negative commentary about the upper management and being understaffed was equally common as well.
FINANCING
According to the website, The Retreat at Sheppard Pratt is a “self-pay residential program that does not participate with any insurance, nor do insurance companies reimburse for any portion of care provided at The Retreat.” The cost for a 20-day stay is $47,000.
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