Northwest Behavioral Healthcare Services

Northwest Behavioral Healthcare Services

ABOUT NORTHWEST BEHAVIORAL HEALTHCARE SERVICES

Located in Gladstone, Ore., on the outskirts of Portland, Northwest Behavioral Healthcare Services offers residential care for teens between the ages of 12 and 17. The facility accepts clients struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol, as well as eating disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders. The center’s website notes that it has had success with young people who are more “difficult to treat,” including those who require tight security.

TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT

According to the facility’s website, upon admission, trained counselors take a history of the client’s behaviors, attitudes, and actions. This information is used to formulate an individualized treatment plan.

Northwest Behavioral Healthcare Services treats a number of mental and behavioral problems such as addictive disorders, chemical dependency, anger management, anxiety, depression, trauma, and eating disorders.

The treatment center offers chemical dependency assessments, mental and physical health assessments, and psychiatric evaluations.

Treatment modalities include psychiatric care, education about addiction and recovery, a range of creative therapies, as well as group, and individual counseling. Abuse victim counseling, medication management, and special educational services are provided. The treatment center offers education for parents as well, and offers family therapy and coaching. .

The schedule is highly structured and includes eight to ten hours of activities per day, even on weekends. Before clients are discharged, the treatment center offers aftercare preparation.

STAFF CREDENTIALS

The center’s website indicates the treatment team includes psychiatrists, psychologists, addictions specialists, nurse practitioners, master’s level therapists, and counselors educated to at least bachelor’s level in social science or a related field.

ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES

There is currently no information provided by the facility regarding its living arrangements and related offerings. However, the nine individuals polled by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing gave an average three out of five stars for accommodations and amenities.

WHAT ALUMNI SAY

Of the seven alumni surveyed by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing, four provided positive feedback, one alum left a neutral review, and two had negative experiences with Northwest Behavioral Healthcare Services.

The alumni who provided positive feedback mostly gave five out of five stars for treatment effectiveness, and credited the center with saving their lives. “I lost myself in drugs and found myself again in northwest. I will never forget my experience I had here. It changed my life and gave me a whole new perspective on things,” an alum wrote in a representative review.

The alumni who reported negative experiences, complained of dirty accommodations and hidden costs. “This place was so horrible!!!!It is dirty and everyone gets sick…I went there for 45 days and I would rather be in Juvie…Do not send your kid here,” an alum wrote.

WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY

Reviews from loved ones were also mixed. Of the seven loved ones questioned by Best-rehabs.com at the time of this writing, one left positive feedback, two provided neutral reviews, and four provided negative feedback.

One common complaint was a lack of treatment for dual diagnosis — despite the facility advertising otherwise. “Our experience with the counselor was exceptionally poor and very misguided. Their staff seems to be very inexperienced in dealing with mental or drug related issues,” a loved one wrote.

Another common complaint was a lack of aftercare. Lisa told Best-rehabs.com that “once they discharge your child you are all on your own.”

The lone loved one who left positive feedback gave five out of five stars for treatment effectiveness. “I just want to say how grateful we are. When our daughter first started, I read testimonials and couldn’t imagine being where those parents were at the end of her stay. And here we are, weeks after she left the program, and the change has been profound,” they wrote.

FINANCING

According to CiteHealth, the facility accepts private insurance, military insurance, and offers sliding scale fees to clients who qualify.

Updated January 2017

Reviews about Northwest Behavioral Healthcare Services

  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • As with any company, there are staff who work diligently and practice evidence based and appropriate trauma informed care. The owner's clear priorities are personal financial gain. Staff are not properly supported, trainings are never updated, investments in staff and facilities are withheld. Clients do not have access to healthy food options, conflicts are often ignored, and therapy groups often include clients watching movies all day. I would not recommend this facility to anyone, and especially not for long term mental health care or addiction treatment.
  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • This place was so horrible!!!!It is dirty and everyone gets sick...I went there for 45 days and I would rather be in Juvie. And I got an apple and it was rotten INSIDE! Do not send your kid here. Not a good place for amd type of children!
  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • Just started to type my reviews and I'm already getting emotional. I was once a client here after countless attempts to get sober and stay sober. I've been to treatment several time. But northwest really did it for me. I lost myself in drugs and found myself again in northwest. I will never forget my experience I had here. It changed my life and gave me a whole new perspective on things. Coming into northwest I was a Heroin addict with little hope and little want in my heart to get clean. When I arrived, I was not happy. They took away my shoes, gave my a strip search and took away all my freedom I had taken for granted. I hated it at the time, but it straightened me out and kept me sober. The staff that work there are amazing and I will forever be thankful for them. Today i have been sober for 13months and do not plan on going back out what so ever. This place opened my eyes and gave me hope. It gave me tools that I will continue to use for the rest of my life.
  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • I just want to say how grateful we are. When our daughter first started, I read testimonials and couldn’t imagine being where those parents were at the end of her stay. And here we are, weeks after she left the program, and the change has been profound. Other reviewers are right in commenting that it isn’t the Hilton, but it seems that they focus their resources on people/staff, and it has paid off in their program’s results.
  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • I was a patient there around 2007. I was a crazy kid, with crazy hair, a bad outlook, and a whole mess of problems. When I came to Northwest, I was eating every drug I got my hands on. I hurt myself, and hated what I saw when I looked in the mirror. While my stay was not my choice, it turned out to be what saved my life. And for that, I say thank you. Thank you to everyone there that put up with me, and pulled me through my darkest days. It was a day to day struggle that put a lot of strain on all parties involved. But in the end I felt that I was really cared for. When I left, I felt like I really mattered to people, and most important I mattered to myself. My heart goes out to all the staff there at Northwest, and to all the young people who are where I once was. Now days, while I still have crazy hair, I live a happy and sober life. Married and a college graduate, I'm in a place that was made possible by the hands of all the staff at Northwest. I'm thankful for them every day.
  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • Strengths: DBT, educated staff, lots of structure, family involvement. Weaknesses: Run down building, not much exercise equipment. The place looks pretty bad but there are constantly kids tearing the place apart. It was weird that depressed kids and druggies were in groups together until I realized that most of the druggies were also depressed.
    • Treatment Effectiveness
    Has good reputation.
  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • I think exercising is key to healthy living. They had no exercise program. When I went to rehab we exercised twice a day. I answered this survey based on my daughters rehab. Also I think there needed to be more parent partisipation.
    and that is the truth. They are in it for the $40,000+ it takes to house your kid there for 5-6 weeks. But once they discharge your child you are all on your own.
    This place is awful for teenagers because there is zero follow through and they will drop your kid the minute they get out and stop returning your calls. If you need an emergency room type place for your teen then this place is fine however it offers nothing beyond emergency housing for your out of control teen. Very disappointing after they made elaborate release plan for my son, they did zero follow up and refused to take our calls after he left the place. Go elsewhere if possible. Totally unprofessional.
  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • Our experience had both positives and negatives. Our daughter started to have serious behavioral issues by the time she was 14 1/2. She started running away, shut down in school, became defiant and vulgar to her parents, and was using marijuana and drinking. By the time she was almost 16, she was totally out of control, would not come home for days at a time, she would not go to school at all, and continued to be extremely disrespectful, and was expanding on her drug use. NBHCS was recommended to us as a "Dual Diagnosis" treatment center and since no-one could ever establish if my Daughter was a drug addict and her behavior was the result of doing drugs, or if she had mental and behavioral issues and drug use was a symptom of a larger problem, we thought this would be a great choice. Pros: 1) Lock down treatment. 2) Very kind staff. I liked every one of them. 3) Access to your child. They encourage contact and communication on a daily basis. 4) Good parent support program. Use it. Cons: As other reviews have mentioned and I now agree with; Very young staff lacking experience to deal with clients that need additional help. Program focuses on drug addiction much more than behavioral issues. If your child isn't a chronic drug addict, this program might not be a great fit, contrary to what they advertise. Only one 1 hour individual therapy session per week for behavioral issues, mental health etc. These sessions were the main benefit for my daughter and to only get one per week was sadly insufficient. Extremely expensive. The best therapy ranches in the Northwest are only 30 - 50% of the cost (although most likely not covered by insurance) My Daughter was discharged after 40 days with a home living agreement that included coming home at night and going to school daily. Even while she was still at NWBHS we could tell that even though she had picked up on some healthy treatment lingo, she still had a defiant streak and we were not extremely hopeful that this would be a new beginning. She made it 29 days and then informed us she would not be coming home. She has also stopped going to school. she maintains regular contact with us and communicates with us with much more decency than she did before. NWBHS was adamant that they cared and wanted to stay involved in my daughters well being and recovery, and had us sign on her discharge paper our authorization for them to follow up after 30 days and contact us. It has now been 7 weeks and no-one has attempted any contact. I emailed my daughters main therapist there when she stopped coming home asking what my next step might be for re-admittance, or any other advice, and she never responded. NWBHS was a beacon of hope in our darkest hour, and maybe the best is yet to come.
    The place is a rip off. I is sad they rip of the mentally ill. $25 just to get a prescription refilled. They make you sigh a piece of paper with hidden costs.
  • Treatment Effectiveness
  • Accommodations & Amenities
  • Meals & Nutrition
    • I was at NWBHS in March. I’ve been clean for 164 days, I’ve turned 18, and I’m doing amazing. I have a job, a good boyfriend, clean friends… my life is really coming together. I also want to say that no matter how much I didn’t like being there, Northwest really, really helped me. They helped me discover not only the root of my problems but ways I could cope with them without drugs. When I felt hopeless, they somehow managed to shed some light on my life. I know I couldn’t have done it alone. If I can, I’m going to contact some of the counselors that helped me and tell them thank you for all they did for me while I was there.
    Stay clear of this facility. Our experience with the counselor was exceptionally poor and very misguided. Their staff seems to be very inexperienced in dealing with mental or drug related issues and are easily manipulated by patients. We certainly will never use this facility again.
    After extensive research, and guarantees from the staff that they are a dual-diagnosis facility and would offer extensive services to address my daughter's mood disorders (depression, anxiety, ADD - she's never taken a drug), I discovered via conversation with my daughter that her sessions had been solely drug and alcohol related. The packing list invited her to bring family pictures, but failed to mention these had to be "earned" as did SHOES. For reasons never explained to her, her pillow was taken away from her during her second night there. She also reported that it was extremely unsanitary and I believe that is a health hazard. I was never informed my daughter would be strip-searched (yes, I understand the necessity for this in a D&A facility, but this information should have been disclosed). When I showed up to take my daughter home, the staff members attempted to guilt her into staying by telling her she was going to cost her parents a great deal of money if she left early. Furthermore, after four days of being there, her counselor had yet to even meet with her, but challenged me on my decision to find my daughter services elsewhere. I don't care how severe a child's behavioral issues may be (I work with high-risk youth - I've seen it all), if you love your children, you will NOT send them to this facility. In my opinion, this is clearly not a strengths-based program that treats clients with dignity, but rather, one that attempts to intimidate.