Evolve Teen Comprehensive DBT Treatment Center - Vanalden

Pros of this facility. Communication is very quick. They were able to get us In their facility within 48 hours of initial email. Cons of this facility I don’t know how truthful their communication was. I don’t feel confident that everything they said to us was honest, and I feel like there was a lot of things that were left out that I learned after the fact. Their family therapies and family sessions are pretty in flexible with timing which did not work for our family. We had to take more time off of work and it was very difficult to schedule those I don’t believe the staff offered enough care or empathy to my daughter during the time which led to serious escalations and ultimately my daughter ending up missing. Apparently they let our daughter just walk out the door when she got upset. They didn’t call me. They didn’t do anything until after she had already gone what they call AWOL. They claimed they followed her and watched her get on a bus and then they called LAPD. My daughter was missing in LA for over 24 hours It was not until I threatened legal trouble that they provided a facility report stating what happened. Which I still don’t even have a copy of. There was no apology no real explanation and the stories that I got from my daughter and their facility were too very different things Please do your research when you are considering this facility for your child or any facility in California. I would not recommend this facility to anybody.

I had the opportunity to attend Dr. Chou’s webinar yesterday, Teen Psychiatric Medications: What Parents Need to Know, and it was absolutely outstanding. Dr. Chou not only brought his professional expertise as a psychiatrist, but also his perspective as a parent of teenagers, which made the session deeply relatable and compassionate. He explained complex information in a way that was clear, practical, and easy for parents to understand. I left feeling more informed, reassured, and empowered to better support my teen. His caring and thoughtful approach created a safe and supportive space for parents to ask questions and learn. This webinar was one of the most helpful and insightful sessions I’ve attended as a parent. Thank you, Dr. Chou, for your time, compassion, and dedication to helping families navigate such an important topic!

I recently met the Evolve team and was genuinely impressed by their warmth, professionalism, and deep expertise in intensive DBT. Their close-knit approach—combining evidence-based DBT skills training with individual, family, and experiential therapies—allows them to provide compassionate, full-spectrum support. I feel confident referring clients who need intensive, wraparound DBT to Evolve, knowing they’ll be cared for by a skilled, dedicated team that truly understands the complexities of adolescent mental health.

I went here willingly in 2020, determined to get better. I came out of this place a month and a half later with PTSD (diagnosed by my outside therapist.) They psychologically/emotionally abused me and gaslit me with their “treatments.” They completely dismissed my chronic pain (that was informed of before my admission.) Look at other options before admitting your child.

Thank you. I have been able to use this information and apply it directly to reflecting on how I parent and able to bring that into family therapy.

I was here YEARS ago, like 2017-2018 so I can only speak to my time there during that period of time, things may have changed. I originally came to comment and say that I felt like a prisoner when I was there, and it appears that someone else said the same thing. You have allotted shower times, times to wake up and go to sleep, etc. Not a huge deal, however, they take chores very seriously. I was a chronically ill child (stomach problems) and was not feeling well and when I asked to do my chores when I was feeling better, I was told that I couldn’t talk to my family until I did them. My roommate told me that they were going to try to ☠️ themselves and when I tried to alert the therapist by telling her I had something urgent and important to talk to her about, she was extremely rude and dismissive. She said sarcastically, “Hi insert-therapist-name, how are you doing this morning? Can’t you let me have my morning coffee first.” I ended up having to go to the hospital one night and they still made me get up early despite being out until midnight in the ER. I took nausea medication one day, a side effect was severe drowsiness that was making me fall asleep while just sitting doing activities, they wouldn’t let me lay down, in fact, they forced me to stand up and move around. Also, I’m overweight and have trouble walking long distances and rather than being accessible, they forced me to do it and threatened me with punishment. My second roommate and I fought constantly and she was actively plotting against me and affecting my mental health and they wouldn’t let me change roommates. When I wanted to go home because of all of this, they threatened to call CPS on my parents if they came and got me. They would not let me leave. The therapist called me manipulative and said mean things to me, A CHILD! I cannot stress this enough, I WAS A CHILD!!! Lastly, I’d like to mention that I have PTSD from this place, I still remember it vividly like it was yesterday and it happened 7 years ago!

Evolves approach to mental health and substance abuse treatment is truly holistic. They address every aspect of a teen's well-being, and the results are life-changing.

This presentation about BPD was outstanding. It was comprehensive, relatable, and very educational. I really appreciated having access to something this valuable at no cost. Thank you, Evolve!