After a short-term stay at Alter Mental Health’s facility in San Diego, California, a former patient has posted a 5-star review of the program.
“Alter Mental Health of San Diego has my most sincere gratitude,” wrote the patient, Jaz J. “Not only were they kind and discreet, it was the perfect option for the short-term stabilization that we were looking for. Thank you so much.”
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. As the name suggests, a short-term stabilization unit is designed to help patients work through a crisis and assume a calm frame of mind in preparation for long-term therapy. It’s one of three such units operated in California by Alter Mental Health, which also offers care in La Jolla and La Mesa.
The San Diego facility 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.
Alter strives to make high-quality mental health care accessible to adults by applying a modern approach that treats the whole person, not just their condition. It has a particular emphasis on accurate diagnosis. This is often the most crucial point of treatment; if the diagnosis is wrong, there’s a strong likelihood that the treatment that follows may also be inappropriate and the condition will not be resolved. To begin with as accurate a diagnosis as possible, Alter’s treatment teams base their diagnoses on current findings in mental health science and combine medication with psychotherapy and other modalities as needed to provide the best outcomes. To ensure a precise diagnosis, teams meticulously assess a full range of symptoms and ensure no condition is overlooked or hastily diagnosed.
Thanks to Alter’s virtual mental health platform, Mindfuli, patients continue receiving care even after residential treatment ends. It’s a virtual program designed to provide a wide range of mental health services services for patients and give support to family members. Patients begin using the platform upon admission to Alter and are paired with Care Counselors to start using it.
Alter provides care in a serene residential facility that is designed to make patients comfortable, which makes them more open to treatment. Rather than the cold, sterile, often-harsh setting of traditional mental health facilities, Alter provides carefully curated outdoor areas, elegant indoor decoration, and other amenities to create a warm, welcoming home away from home. The facilities include stunning common places where patients can relax and watch TV, with balconies affording peaceful views of the surrounding countryside. Patient accommodations feature excellent lighting, comfortable beds, and clean, accessible bathrooms.
For more information on treatment for yourself or a loved one, visit Alter Behavioral Health or call 657-279-4944.
