Patient is Grateful for Alter Mental Health for Being “the Beginning of My Healing Journey”

San Diego, California -

San Diego, California—Not everyone suffering from a mental health crisis needs to be hospitalized. One patient who found a healing alternative at Alter Mental Health has written a 5-star review praising the staff and therapeutic program at Alter’s facility in San Diego, California.

“Wish I knew about this place before being admitted to the psych ward,” wrote the patient, T Brye. “The staff here is amazing! Everyone is so helpful and kind. This place was the beginning of my healing journey. I’m so very grateful for this place and I hope everyone knows about it before going somewhere else! Thank you, Alter San Diego, for all you’ve done for me and others!”

Anyone can be faced with a psychological crisis at some point in life. The challenges of everyday life can feel insurmountable, and one may think they cannot go on. The stigma of mental illness still prevents many people from seeking help, but it’s essential to realize that these conditions are not character flaws or the result of something they've done wrong. People can’t just “get over it” without help.

Alter Mental Health San Diego is a short-term crisis stabilization unit for people who need immediate, short-term help working through emotional, mental, physical, or behavioral distress or problems. Examples could include psychosis, mania, or a major depressive event. Like a hospital emergency room that fixes injuries or acute illness, a stabilization unit helps patients with their immediate condition so they can undergo longer-term therapy in a calm frame of mind.

Alter operates two other crisis units in California, in La Jolla and La Mesa, which all have the goal of providing a compassionate and safe environment for healing.

Using a combination of medication management and behavioral therapy, Alter’s staff guides patients from crisis to coping. They treat various psychological and behavioral conditions, including schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, trauma/post-traumatic stress disorder, personality disorder, panic disorders, and general anxiety disorders. Mental health treatment strategies include traditional methods like cognitive behavior therapy, delivered in individual and group settings. Alter also offers holistic programs to treat the patient as a whole human being, not just their illness; both are intertwined. Holistic support includes weekly nutrition education sessions and recreation programs like art therapy, sound baths, yoga, and breath work.

The San Diego facility has fewer than 16 beds, creating a low staff-to-patient ratio that enables a highly personal level of care for each individual. Staff members meticulously address each client’s physical, psychological, social, and educational needs, designing a treatment plan that addresses the patient’s unique needs and circumstances.

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 the patient’s commitment to healing with recommended strategies.

Patients continue receiving care even after residential treatment ends, thanks to Alter’s virtual mental health platform, Mindfuli. 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.

As T Brye suggests in their review, treatment at Alter Mental Health San Diego is just the beginning of a healing journey whose destination is a productive life where challenges are resolved in a positive manner. Alter does not resolve long-term mental health issues but gives patients a plan for managing them and the tools they need to succeed.

For more information on treatment for one's self or a loved one, visit Alter Behavioral Health or call 619-457-4613.