San Diego, California—Grateful for the life-changing care she received at Alter Mental Health San Diego, a former patient has posted a 5-star review with a heartfelt recommendation that others seek help there.
“This place saved my life,” wrote the former patient, Crystal. “Jordan in admin helped me get the strength to come here. Handled my paranoia and trauma with such care. The rest of the staff are beautiful and relatable people. Don’t even get me started on the houses. If you’re from the slums like I am, prepare yourself for mansions, private bathrooms, TVs, and PALM TREES!!!
“I’m encouraging everyone I know to come get help here,” she concluded. “I wouldn’t be alive without these people.”
Although you won’t find mansions at Alter, Crystal’s other descriptions of the center and its programs are as Crystal described them. Using modern and trauma-informed care methodologies, Alter offers effective mental health treatment delivered compassionately by a team of skilled therapists and clinicians. Therapy takes place in a serene residential facility that serves as a sanctuary in which to explore, treat and educate about a wide spectrum of mental health conditions.
Alter Mental Health San Diego is a short-term crisis stabilization unit for people with acute mental health crises, providing an alternative to inpatient hospitalization or other levels of care. It has fewer than 16 beds, focusing on providing individualized care to each patient and maintaining a low patient-to-staff ratio. Staff members meticulously address each client’s physical, psychological, social, and educational needs, providing a highly customized treatment plan designed to address the client’s unique needs and circumstances.
Treatment plans focus on schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, major depression, personality disorders, panic disorders, general anxiety disorder, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Although no mental health disorder is simple, Alter takes a simple, logical approach to identifying and resolving patients’ conditions. Specialists first define the problem, then ensure safety, provide support, examine alternatives, make a plan and, finally, obtain commitment.
Treatment follows a unique holistic paradigm that categorizes each person’s wellness into six dimensions. By understanding and tending to each dimension in oneself and others, a person can lead a more fulfilling life.
Emotional Wellness: Thoughtful, nuanced, and person-centered, it includes robust emotional support from friends and family, effective emotional modeling from others, and the ability to recognize and name one’s emotional state, with strategies and tools provided for addressing an emotional crisis.
Social Wellness: A vital dimension that underlies all others. It includes access to supportive, caring family members; strong mentors and guides, especially during transitional periods; balancing independence with mutual care; meaningful involvement in one’s community; and effective communication skills.
Physical Wellness: Not just a traditional definition of good physical and mental health, it requires complete safety in one’s body and the environment. Elements include regular, body-appropriate exercise; access to healthy, filling foods, clean water and dietary support; and a safe environment free from harm or danger.
Intellectual Wellness: One of the lesser-discussed elements of wellness, it deals with elements of learning, creativity, and growth in individuals. Intellectual wellness takes the individual beyond simple survival and moves toward growth and thriving. Elements include access to safe, appropriate, and effective education; opportunities to share one’s knowledge with others; and access to challenging, novel stimuli.
Spiritual Wellness: Sometimes called philosophical wellness, this is another often-underappreciated element of wellness. Elements include the ability to perform or engage with one’s religion or religious beliefs; a safe, non-coercive religious environment; respect for one’s religious beliefs, and the right not to practice any religion or ideology.
Occupational Wellness: Also known as vocational wellness, this is the final dimension of wellness. It concerns itself with access to safe, well-paying, and appropriate work and includes the ability to perform work relevant to one’s skills and abilities; a safe, welcoming job environment with access to a living wage and regular breaks, including health and vacation breaks; and accommodations for disability or mental health concerns.
Besides San Diego, Alter Behavioral Health also operates mental health facilities in La Jolla and La Mesa. For more information on treatment for yourself or a loved one, visit Alter Behavioral Health or call 657-218-5095.
