FAQs

Our Treatment Clinic is located in West Los Angeles, in the neighborhood of Mar Vista. It is a beautiful and serene setting surrounded by coffee houses, cafes, markets, and a farmer’s market on Sunday mornings. We are also only a few miles from Beverly Hills, Culver City and the beaches. We are adjacent to Santa Monica and we provide our clients free transportation when arriving from LAX (Los Angeles International Airport).

The Treatment with Supportive Housing and Day Treatment Programs are a minimum of 4 weeks with an average stay of two to three months. The healing process takes time, particularly when struggling with life-long issues. Each client is individually evaluated each week by our clinical staff, and recommendations are made regarding the optimal length of stay. We will have a more accurate assessment of a Client’s particular needs in terms of length of stay after they have spent a short time in our program.

PCH Treatment Center offers a new paradigm in intensive psychological treatment, where clients are involved in our immersive clinical program staffed by licensed and board certified psychologists and physicians. While our clinic is licensed by the state of California, our setup differs from a “Residential Treatment Center.” Clients are given many different housing options. Many of our clients choose our Treatment with Supportive Housing, where they live in residences close to the clinic in which residence staff are available 24 hours per day. In this option, residence staff are able to contact professional clinical staff 24 hours per day. While we clinically recommend that clients participate in ongoing therapy opportunities outside of their regularly-scheduled treatment, they are not restricted to the premises. Furthermore, medication is self-managed, guests are free to visit, and clients are free to explore the rich cultural and recreational activities offered in Southern California.

In contrast, most State Licensed “Residential Treatment Centers” offer therapy on site in addition to “Care and Supervision”, in which schedules are monitored, visitors are limited, medication is managed, and clients are generally restricted to the premises with extremely limited pass privileges (if any). As therapy is usually offered on site, there are few opportunities to leave the premises.

The rationale for our model of treatment is that it more closely replicates the “real world” to which clients will be returning following treatment. We also trust that most needing intensive psychotherapy can manage their self-care as well as maintain their own safety, and do not need the restrictions that a psychiatric hospital or “Residential Treatment Center” demand.

The majority of our individual therapists are licensed clinicians at the masters or doctoral level with at least 10-20 years of experience. Many have advanced training as psychoanalysts. We offer four individual therapy sessions per week and one additional Somatic Experiencing or Sensorimotor Therapy individual session. Most other treatment programs are staffed by less experienced therapists, and group therapies predominate over individual therapy sessions.

We take each Client’s confidentiality very seriously. All of our employees are subjected to criminal and general background checks and each must sign a stringent confidentiality agreement. We have strict guidelines regarding privacy, and do not allow staff or clients to photograph other clients. We conform to all HIPAA laws to protect our clients’ confidentiality.

All Clients are evaluated prior to admission by the Intake team. The first full weekday of treatment is an orientation day. On this day, we arrange for the client to meet with their Program Director, their individual therapist, one of our Board Certified Psychiatrists, our Psychological Assessment Director and our neurofeedback coordinator. If indicated, advanced psychological testing may also be undertaken (at an additional cost).

We provide individual psychotherapy sessions by licensed clinical psychologists up to five days per week. We believe that this exceeds other treatment programs, which typically offer limited individual therapy with an abundance of group therapies. We do offer a wide array of group therapies in addition to the individual therapy, as well as neurofeedback, an arts program and exercise and nutrition programs.

The vast majority of our clients are very satisfied with their treatment experience, as can be discerned from our client testimonials page. Rarely, there are clients who do not stay in our program for a multitude of reasons. Sometimes, one of these clients will be frustrated and write a negative review. We have treated hundreds of clients and a few reviews on a social media site are not representative of our program. It should be noted that the majority of treatment centers have profiles with lower average ratings than other businesses such as restaurants, repair shops or retail. We are happy to discuss these issues during a tour or assessment to alleviate any concerns.

At PCH Treatment Center, we encourage family participation in treatment, as is appropriate. A three-day family weekend is now incorporated into the first month’s programming. We encourage family members and spouses to participate in the client’s treatment. The client’s individual therapist can also schedule sessions with family or significant others to facilitate treatment. PCH Treatment Center also offers separate family sessions designed to incorporate family members more deeply into the treatment environment. We strive to schedule such sessions at the family’s convenience (i.e. evenings or weekends, particularly for family visiting from out of town).

We welcome all prospective clients and their families to visit our facility prior to admission. It is a very stressful and important decision to enter a psychological treatment program, and we strive to make that experience as safe and welcoming as possible. Please contact us to arrange a tour at 888.724.0040, or our office at 310.566.7625 or fill out our webform.

PCH Treatment Center is a private pay facility that does not accept insurance directly. However, PCH has an insurance billing department with trained staff members who will help you determine if your insurance carrier will cover some of the costs of your treatment. We also work with outside billing companies that will assist us in submitting billing paperwork. We will attempt to gain preauthorization and help submit billing forms to try to maximize reimbursement (additional fees apply). PCH does not work with state or federal aid such as Medicare or Medicaid. We can attempt to gain a single case agreement with your insurance company if that is an option.

Aftercare planning begins when a client enters the program, as it is one of the most important parts of our treatment plan. Our program directors coordinate each client’s aftercare plan to make sure the client has a secure situation after leaving PCH Treatment Center. We also maintain contact with each client after discharge, at the client’s discretion. We work to assure that each client has a structure in place to continue the healing process. If a client is local to the area, and did not have a therapist prior to admission, they can stay with their individual therapist. We also provide referrals, as well as an aftercare program. If returning to another part of the country, we have a vast network of excellent professionals to whom we can refer. We work hard to ensure that each client’s treatment does not end upon graduation from our program.

Yes, PCH Treatment will work with clients who are in a 12-step program (or could benefit from it), and we will coordinate meetings when appropriate. PCH Treatment Center accepts Dual-diagnosis patients when their primary issue is psychological. PCH Treatment Center has staff with clinical expertise in drug and alcohol abuse, as well as consultants for a wide array of related issues.