My stay at Elevation.
I was in a pretty rough place and needed to get some intensive support. I found Elevation while researching and what drew to me to them vs other places I saw was;
* Private Room. I had to be honest with myself that this was something important to me, to have my own space.
* Daily Individual Therapy. In addition to group having daily individual therapy to help work through things and make the most of the time there.
* Electronic Devices Allowed. I have two young kids and I wanted to be able to stay in contact with family as well as use my laptop to research and view content related to what I was working through.
After filling out the form on the website Stephanie the admissions director reached out right away. Before she walked me through more details about the program she checked in to make sure I was ok, I felt supported already. She helped answer all my questions as well as get the information she needed to verify insurance coverage and what I would have to pay out of pocket. She got back to me quickly again and we figured out an admission date.
When I arrived in Los Angeles I was picked up at the airport and driven to their Calabasas house.
I won’t go into too many details about the house, it’s pretty fantastic and there are picture on the website.
I was greeted upon arrival, checked in, given a tour, and sometime to settle in my room.
Everyone in the house from the cleaner, chef, coaches, therapists, and psychiatrist are supportive and genuinely interested in making you comfortable and ready for doing the personal work you need.
There is a wonderful variety of therapies from individual, group, equine, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, nature walks, pool/jacuzzi, art, and music which all come at your problems from different angles and build on each other. The coaches are always available and engaged between sessions to keep the momentum going and support you.
Having daily individual therapy plus two groups daily helped me dive deep into the underlying issues I was facing and my progress built on itself everyday. I felt like I was making a months progress every week. My therapist Chad was just what I needed, he was thoughtful, creative and pushed when needed to help me go further.
I arrived in a very low state (not my usual self) and was able to quickly let go and unravel, the staff and my fellow patients helped put me back together and create sustainable coping techniques and strategies so I could return home a new person.
Having house-mates was a wonderful experience, even though we all came from very different walks of life and reasons for coming, we found deep common ground and support with each other. We laughed, and cried, and laughed again together.
The center of a house is the kitchen, and at Elevation this was no exception. Chef Jerry and Josh not only made amazing and healthy food, they were open to having us join the process and learn how to cook. We spent most of our afternoons between sessions joining in on the cooking process. Chef Jerry was like another therapist who gave us amazing life advice and was always open to listen to use when we needed a little support. Everyone at elevation from the cleaner to the coaches and the patients all eat the same food together. It felt like a big family.
I felt that when I needed alone time and privacy or wanted to do something social I could move between those modalities anytime. I never felt pressure to join in anything, just welcomed.
I left elevation feeling like a new person, equipped with new skills and strategies to thrive at home and at work. I highly recommend Elevation.
