Valenta - Mental Health Recovery - Rancho Cucamonga, California

KRISTINA V.

I am beyond happy with the service i receive here, they truly care, it’s not a fake care facility they want you to succeed. I would recommend to anyone suffering from anxiety, depression, ptsd etc… to come here you won’t be disappointed. The counselors are caring the therapist are dedicated to you and the Psychiatrist has raised the bar in what I will look for when I need a new one. You must at least check it out if you’re looking for a facility. I love Valenta!

Vane

Please do not send your children here, or seek treatment for yourself here. Specifically do not work with Dr. Mar or any of his therapists. I was crippled by Valenta for 8 months as woman in my early 20s- my privacy and very personal space violated in every way. I was coerced into making up events that did not happen, so the doctor can say “see I told you so”. The doctor refused to help me with disability so I was financially unable to take care of myself for those 8 months. I was once denied water after having a mental breakdown. I was constantly body shamed and made to feel uncomfortable and sexualized by staff- for example I was forced to wear a cardigan over my shirt on a hot day because “it was too revealing”. Valenta and the male creepy doctor who would sit very close to me during sessions and pry on my past trauma’s, traumatized me and I was unable to seek treatment for a long time afterward. When I was ready, I was amazed at the difference when you have quality care and a safe environment to do the hard work of overcoming an eating disorder and past traumas. My new therapist was shocked and disgusted when I told her about Valenta. The minors would message me telling me how the doctor made them uncomfortable that day by staring at their chests or asking inappropriate questions. Whenever we would try to avoid answering such an invasive question we would be accused of “refusing treatment.” I wish I had never come across Valenta. Please don’t make the same mistake I did.

kelley G.

Don’t even bother trying to go here if you don’t have a family to support you. I was denied treatment because I don’t have a supportive family or someone who is willing to donate a few hours a week to go to a family session with me. It is hard enough to be on your own in the world and still have the courage to ask for help. To be denied mental health services because you don’t have a supportive family system or a friend who can donate a lot of time to your recovery is fundamentally unethical. And it sticks a knife in the very essence of something terribly painful for people who are alone in the world. This also speaks to the very nature of eating disorders facilities. These facilities are generally geared for people of a certain socio-economic populous. In other words generally wealthy white women. These people usually have others who support them. They do not serve low income people who come from abusive backgrounds with little to no support except the courage in their hearts to help themselves. You do not hear about people having to have a support in order to receive mental health treatment anywhere else. This is a disgrace, shameful, and a stain on the mental health system.

Andrea

where the hell do i even start.
this is literally not a safe environment, at all. all of the staff are VERY passive aggressive and seem that they shouldn't be working in an eating disorder facility. like who even hired them.. a dietician literally told me I gained weight, I brought this up to Sylvia and she said if that affects you so much it shows you shouldn't discharge. these people seriously do not care about you, they only see you as $$$, just wanting money from you. I wanted to discharge and they went on scaring my parents saying "its ama!!!" and that "my social worker will be advised!" not even taking into consideration my literal essay I wrote why I felt like I could be discharged. they failed to de-escalate the situation when they said they didn't wanna discharge me and I literally had a panic/anxiety attack after the family session causing me to feel super nauseous and literally gagging. oh also, the dietician got super weird about me going over my meal plan, like I'm gonna follow my hunger cues, and I learned that in residential. she got pressed about me going over it and went on saying I didn't follow my meal plan even though I went over it because I was SUPER hungry. this is literally a program for eating disorders.. how is it possible for staff to literally make me feel even more guilty than I already am. having this disorder is enough. and being forced to attend to a program that has the worst staff ever is too much. not even done yet, I love the fact that they tell everyone that its a voluntary program. when in reality the options are to stay there or transfer to residential. those aren't even choices. they act like we as patients have the choice, but we really dont. programs like these, more specifically, staff like these are the reason people dont recover from eating disorders, because you guys literally DO NOT KNOW how to help. sometimes you guys make things even worse, dont think I didn't read the other reviews. I should've trusted the reviews I saw before coming here because I experienced everything everyone else did. should've trusted my gut but at least I'm gonna get help at another facility.
thanks for nothing

update - lol I'm trying to get into another php because I just got out of residential and I need a php !! and valenta told the php that I didn't follow the rules. Babe, just because I went over my meal plan y'all are insane LMFAO. now the other php doest wanna let me get evaluated because I discharged and probably valenta said other things about me. The mental health system fails us fr

Angie L.

It feels weird coming back here to write this 10 years later, but I find myself still struggling to come to grips with the treatment I received here. After battling an eating disorder for 18 years, I finally sought help. I thought I would be in and out in a few weeks, but after exactly a year of treatment I ended up hospitalized due to the treatment itself. The use of EMDR felt guided by the psychiatrist, I was left alone for hours staring into a bright light for desensitization as light was a trigger to some of my anxiety (I was forgotten about). Once a therapist told the psychiatrist they would report him to the board, that luckily never happened again. However, I was over medicated to the point where I had Akasthisia and then medicated again to counteract this which dropped my heart rate to 38-40 most days. I was lethargic and not able to function that well. As a single mom, this made my daily life very difficult. At one point the meds made me gain 10 lbs in one week. They told me it was all in my head (I was weighing myself at home at that point so I knew this was not true). When I disagreed with a therapist who said I was wanting attention when I had a flashback after the psychiatrist flashed his watch light into my eye, they threatened to withhold emdr from me until I told this therapist why I disagreed with her. Some days I was asked absurd questions when I was leaving for the weekend (ex. What would you do if your mom died) leaving me with more anxiety for the weekend. Many of the adults there at the time has been in and out for years like a revolving door. Groups were hard because they wanted us to expose all of abuse we had discussed privately. I felt that at times I was purposely and unnecessarily triggered. When I was hospitalized due to the medications at the end of my treatment, the psychiatrist told all patients not to talk to me. They attempted to charge me more than I should’ve been charged (after I had reported my treatment to the medical board, I was not charged. Not sure if it was a coincidence or not). There was a fire right after I ended treatment and when I asked for my medical records I was told I couldn’t have them. I needed to get an attorney to write a letter requesting them. My trauma timeline was not included in my records. Years later I got some answers and now know that the treatment I received was nowhere near adequate. I could be wrong but it felt as though they created dependence in order to keep their patients coming in or coming back. There was a consensus about the treatment amongst many patients at the time. I have struggled with PTSD due to the treatment. The only thing I gained was the ability to speak up and advocate for myself. I have not gone back to therapy nor do I ever plan to. My trust in that field is broken. I reported to the medical board and it was investigated for a year and a half. I did not report everything as I was still in a haze at the time I ended treatment. I have sent numerous documents in since just so there is record if anyone else ever goes that route. I am deeply saddened as I put my full trust in the team and hoped it would be the help I needed. For anyone looking for treatment for themselves or others, I would research other places.

ally K.

If I could give Valenta more stars I would. I can honestly say if it weren’t for Valenta and their exceptional treatment with eating disorders, I wouldn’t be alive today. They 100% saved my life. The staff is incredible and takes the time to understand each individual patient. If you’re looking to seek help for you’re eating disorder I would highly recommend this facility. I’ve been graduated from the program for 8 months, and with the aftercare that they hold and their assistance with setting up an aftercare team, they set the patient up for success when they are ready to leave treatment.

Amanda

DO NOT go here. If I could give them 0 stars, I would. I was a patient here several years ago when I was 16, and had a horrible experience. Sylvia was super passive aggressive. They do not have a good system for making girls eat their meals. Dr.Mar forces EVERY client to go through EMDR even if they do not think they have trauma. Dr. Mar is also known to be verbally inappropriate towards certain others. When I was kicked out of the program I was told I would either discharge or graduate in two weeks, either way I was getting discharged. I relapsed less than 2 months after I left. I am now recovered from my eating disorder but no thanks to them. Go to Center for Discovery if you want a better treatment experience for your child or yourself.

Mrs. A.

Valenta gave me all of the tools I needed to reframe the way I think.
It has been 6months since I finished my therapy with them and Im so proud to say my mental health is where I only dreamed of it to be. No one is perfect and daily stressors exits but now I know how to cope and deal with the things that life throws my way. The people around me have told me they see a huge difference in me and my mindset.
I have a more positive outlook, I can see things a bit more clear, I have goals for my future and I feel more positive about it. I can’t believe I’m saying this but My anxiety is manageable and not one day goes by that I don’t use the coping skills that I learn with them.
I really wanted this, I gave them my best that I had at that time and I truly feel that they reciprocated their best too.
6months later I can still apply everything I learned with each and everyone of the incredible therapist I had the opportunity to work with. Thank you Valenta from the bottom of my heart! Be healthy, be powerful & Make healthy choices!