. . . Before Yellowbrick, I couldn't drive a car. I couldn't go to class, do dishes, shower. My bipolar was anything but managed, my bulimia was out of control, my PTSD controlled my life.

When I first got to Yellowbrick, I hated it. Yellowbrick is different from any of the treatment centers I had been to before. It lets you do the one thing no where else will: it lets you fail. And fail I did...

But . . . I participated in programming. I showed up to group every morning, I attended neurofeedback and EMDR sessions, I met with a dietician twice a week. It started small. I felt supported and lifted by staff who listened and cared genuinely. . . . someone was always there to help me, and eventually, staff taught me how to help myself. I discovered my love of drawing as a form of expression, I began a healthy and long lasting relationship with yoga and running. By month five I was ready for discharge, a new woman who was completely irrevocably changed for the better thanks to Yellowbrick. . . I returned to college and earned straight A's . . . I applied to medical school six months out of treatment from Yellowbrick, a dream that never seemed possible until now. I am running a race in the fall to raise awareness for eating disorders, and am in remission from my bulimia. I drove home to visit my family for the first time in years. There is no other program like this in the country. Yellowbrick did better than give me my life back, they gave me the life I never thought I would have.

I have some news... Tomorrow, I graduate with my Master of Social Work with a clinical focus. I am in the process of obtaining licensure, but have a few leads already to practice psychotherapy, accrue supervised clinical hours, etc. Ultimately, I intend to pursue psychoanalytic training with a relational/interpersonal focus.

I owe some of this direction to my lived experiences as a patient. Thank you for creating a container for some of these experiences. I am grateful to be in a position to utilize this perspective and create space for others.

Thank you!
Your colleague (!)

Yellowbrick entered into my son's life after six years of struggling with depression, anxiety and finally a correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Multiple psychiatrists and multiple psychotherapists couldn't seem to make a dent in his mental health, until he got to Yellowbrick. Their level of professionalism and expertise was unrivaled by anyone else he had worked with. Within two weeks of arriving there, and living in the beautiful brownstone, Yellowbrick got him on the right medication and as he said, "I feel like myself again." He last felt this way six years before during his freshman year in college.
I highly recommend Yellowbrick and the entire staff there...a thankful parent.

I had to share in this momentous milestone as Yellowbrick encouraged me and gave me the strength to get back in school. I didn’t think I was ready, but you showed be otherwise and I am sitting here as a BSW in Social Work and graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0! Many times we don’t know our strength until we take that first step, and I’m so glad Yellowbrick was there with me as I took my fist step. All I can say is never give up! Several years ago I was on the hospice route preparing to die and now I’m preparing to show others to fight for their life. Much gratitude to the Yellowbrick staff, and please never stop encouraging your clients because we’re going to get there!

My time at Yellowbrick was nothing short of a miracle. After 25 years of living with an eating disorder and other mental health issues, and being in over 100 different placements during that time, I thought I was a lost cause and many others thought the same. I was living in a very dark place. Seven suicide attempts, enduring every kind of abuse possible, being removed from my home and living in foster homes and state facilities, I silently suffered and starved myself behind the intense pain and emotions. At the height of my disorder I was in a wheelchair, living with a feeding tube for years, and going into hospice because I was told I was dying. I had no quality of life and was so medically compromised that no treatment facilities would touch me. However, Yellowbrick was different. Once medically stabilized they were ready to take on my difficult case that no one else would touch. The unique treatment model at Yellowbrick gave me my life back. I was able to learn how to successfully live with my disorders and disabilities, and not have them take over my life. The amazing highly specialized care I received was by far the best that I have ever received in 25 years of consistent treatment and hospitalizations...Take the leap and let Yellowbrick help you find your way home! -KB

Just thought I would check in and tell you where I am at one year after my discharge from Yellowbrick (feels like a lot longer). I guess things are going as well as they could be. I have managed to stay out of the hospital or an emergency room for 15 months and away from self harm for 10 months. Certainly there are still challenges, ups and downs. I have plenty to work on and probably a long way to go before I experience true contentment, but I have overcome a great deal and I am in a good place. I am fully engaged in my life and feel closer to being a hopeful, optimistic and self-assured person than I have in years. I think it was an important part of my recovery to re-kindle my sense of productivity and self-efficacy, which I have been able to do because of the gains I made in treatment. I hope you are well and that everything at YB is going smoothly. While I am very happy to have moved on and feel certain it was the right decision at the right time, a year on I look back at YB with nostalgia, which is a feeling I have come to really appreciate for its bittersweet qualities. I am a more substantial person because of the experiences I have had and have a stronger understanding of myself and people around me. And there were a lot of funny moments, great friendships, and a feeling of support that I haven't had anywhere else in my life.

The past 6 months have been wonderful. I have continued to use all of the tools that Yellowbrick taught me. Yellowbrick was truly life changing for me. If it weren’t for Dr Viner and the Yellowbrick staff, I wouldn’t have come out of my shell and become my authentic self. Every single day I think about how lucky I am to have been a part of such an amazing program. I think about how lucky I am that Dr. Viner believed in me. I think about the conversation I had with Dr. Viner when he said I was worth it. Now, finally, I believe that. I believe that I was and am still worth it. My life is drastically different, and Yellowbrick gave me the opportunity to do the work and turn my life around.
Dr. Viner, thank you again. Words cannot express how grateful I am.

Yellowbrick saved our son’s life. It is that simple and that complex. Our son (now 21) spent 7 months in the Yellowbrick program and he too agrees that it saved his life. I have worked in the field of children’s behavioral health my entire career and can say without a doubt the professional staff at YB is the most expert, clinically sophisticated, caring and committed group I have ever experienced. They work nearly 24 hours a day, always on call, talking with the kids and the parents and managing endless crises. Yes, treatment at YB is expensive....but you are getting the best of the best. Honestly, most families get to YB once they have tried everything else; for years; at our wit’s end. These are young adults experiencing multiple very significant behavioral health challenges. In our case, no one had been able to even clearly diagnose our son over 8 years of treatment at some other “best institutions” in the country. Had it not been for YB he would have ended up dead or in jail. I imagine he was not the only one in that same situation...
...My husband and I are so thankful to have found such a unique and effective program. And yes, it is clinically at the forefront of treatment. It does have a most clinically expert staff. The milieu of accountability they create is uniquely effective. Most importantly, our son would agree.
Dr. Viner, thank you again. Words cannot express how grateful I am.