Blue Tiger Recovery Reviews (%countItem)
Blue Tiger Recovery Rating
Address: 73555 Alessandro Dr Ste A, Palm Desert, California, United States, 92260-3635
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Please do not go here. You can't imagine what this joint put me through. Just to start, they lied to me and my insurance company and said they were licensed by the Department of Healthcare Services in the State of CA. They aren't. They once were and then a few years ago declined to renew their license. No scrutiny by the state. I called there on a Tuesday and they said they had a "group" starting the next week. A guy who encouraged me to tell my story to him ended up having no clinical background. He was the "Director of Business Development". He called me several times a day until I completed the paperwork. I was not doing well at the time and it was clearly the wrong time to go. They didn't care. When I arrived I immediately realized why they were pushing so hard; I was #3 of 3 in the "group". So much for group therapy, which is 90% of the program. The other two attendees and I had nothing in common. The one person I met with any integrity pointed out I didn't belong there on Day 1. Before I arrived, a person who introduced herself as my assigned "therapist" for the month, was not a therapist. She was and still is a trainee with minimal hours towards her 3000 before she can be licensed. This place represented to Medicare and to United Healthcare that they were licensed and I was being seen by a licensed therapist. Neither was true. When my unlicensed therapist tried to blame me, when I was under 14, for the abuse I suffered, I knew it was time to leave. They sure tried to keep me there since the program was thousands of dollars and the other two attendees' insurance company would likely protest that they were not getting what was promised. I left the place in an ambulance with blood pressure at 195/85. That's stroke level. The folks at the local ER were speechless but had heard stories of the place before. Please avoid this place at all costs for you and your loved ones.
We contacted Blue Tiger Recovery the week of August 30th, after multiple incidents of suicidal ideation and escalations, related to suspected Borderline Personality Disorder. My individual C-SAT, ***, recommended I look into an inpatient sex addiction recovery facility that could also help me deal with underlying trauma, and Blue Tiger was one of the facilities we contacted.
We ended up choosing them because they were the most affordable option, and they promised they would hold me accountable on sex addiction recovery, while also helping me heal early childhood trauma and find better coping mechanisms for BPD.
The entire experience was misleading, detrimental and in some cases, downright dangerous. If anything had gone differently, I could have easily ended up attempting or following through with suicide. I ended up leaving the program early, for three reasons:
I have been suicidal on and off for about a year. This came to a head on September 7th, when I made a suicide attempt and was sent to ***. The owner of BTR talked to SDC mental health and they let me leave before the required 72 hours, because BTR promised to have me on suicide watch while at the facility. They did not have me on watch AT ALL. I was not checked on, as promised, was allowed access to sharp knives, and was allowed to walk out on multiple occasions. In addition to this, I was actively provoked and mocked by their owner and head counselor, ***, despite him knowing my history and BPD diagnosis.
They flat out lied about financing and what the program included in order to get us to sign up. Once we made the initial $10k down payment, that’s when things changed rapidly. They lied about the financing costs and changed their story once we paid them $10k. They lied about their approach to sex addiction, and partners recovery. They promised the program would include trauma therapy, DBT, and EMDR, and in reality, the program included NONE of this.
BLUE TIGER RECOVERY Dear Ms., November 7, 2019
Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the complaint filed by Mr. *** concerning his mental health and behavioral health treatment here at Blue Tiger Recovery, Inc (BTR) im ***. ***, CA.
Established in 2013, Blue Tiger Recovery, Inc. is an Outpatient Behavioral Health and Mental Health Treatment facility that specializes in the treatment of problematic sexual behavior that includes sex addiction, sexual offending and juvenile problematic sexual behavior, as well as, trauma and a wide range of mental health conditions. Blue Tiger Recovery's Treatment Programs including Partial Hospitalization Program (PHP), Intensive Outpatient Program (TOP), and Outpatient Individual, Group and Family are all Joint Commission Accredited since 2016 and is in good standing with zero complaints filed with the Joint Commission or the Board of Behavioral Sciences of CA.
I am the Founder of Blue Tiger and serve as its Clinical Director. My credentials include: Licensed Clinical Social Worker CA #***, Certified Sex Addition Therapist (CSAT) certified in 2011 by the Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals (UTAP), Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP) certified in 2016 by the Somatic Experiencing Trauma Institute.
In addition, the Staff of BM consists of master level Clinicians that include another full CSAT, five CSAT Candidates, two California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) certified clinicians, three Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) trained clinicians, EMDR certified clinician, and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors.
I will address each of the issues asserted in the complaint topically and chronologically as possible.
1. INITIAL INTAKE INTERVIEW: Mr. and his wife, ***, contacted ***, BTR. Admissions Director on August 29, 2019. Mr. reported that the couple was in crisis due to Mr. continued acting out.behaviors that had escalated to offending behaviors. Ms. expressed' hat they were relieved to be able to find affordable treatment at a facility that was staffed by CSAT's and specialized in trauma healing. They were informed that the Prompt Payment Cost (non-insurance) was S12,500 for Treatment and an additional $2,000 paid separately for housing which is provided by our Transitional Living Partner, Pink Elephant Sober Living (PESL) in ***, CA. PESL is also Joint Commission accredited since 2016.
2. I spoke with both Mr. and his wife *** on several. occasions describing the PHP program and treatment philosophy and modalities and answering their questions. Ms. was particularly concerned that we did not utilize the "co-dependent model" of treating partners of sex addicts and that she would not be labeled "the identified problem" as bad occurred in previous treatment. I informed her that the "co-dependency mode]" was outdated and that we utilize the Betrayal Trauma approach currently advocated by IITAP.
3. The Couple also informed me of Mr. history of sexually acting out behaviors that bad escalated to offending behaviors of voyeurism and exhibitionism, as well as, his history of Borderline Personality Disorder and suicide ideations. Ms. reported that their $20,000 wedding had to be cancelled recently due to his inability to maintain any sexual sobriety and that she considered treatment at Blue Tiger Recovery as their last hope of saving the relationship. 4. On Saturday morning September 7th, *** called me to inform me that *** had been *** the night before after making suicidal threats after an argument they had. He was reportedly going to jump from the second story, but she prevented him from doing so. She gave me the contact number of the social worker at the *** Psychiatric Hospital. 5. I contacted the hospital's social worker to discuss *** condition, however the hospital did not have a release of information to discuss details of his case, so we had to speak in hypotheticals. I gave her information on Blue Tiger's outpatient PHP and lOP programs. I stressed that clients in the PHP program are staff supervised and are not allowed to be alone with a treatment pier for an extended period of time. The social worker said she would take the information to consult with the psychiatrist on duty and report back if they deemed release appropriate. She called back and said the psychiatrist's primary concern was that any hypothetical patient not immediately return home due to a volatile environment and that going directly to an outpatient PHP level program was deemed appropriate. 6. *** was transported by his wife, ***, from the *** Psychiatric Hospital to the PESL Transitional *** Manor location in ***, CA on Sunday September 8, 2019. 7. Mr. was admitted for treatment to BTR's Partial Hospitalization Program on September 9, 2019. Due to the nature of his mental health and behavioral history, *** was assigned to ***, LPC, LSAT CASOMB. *** is the Blue Tiger TOP Director, one of B'a's Senior Clinicians, certified in the treatment of sex addicts and offenders, and has been trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy by *** who developed the DBT modality. There is not a more qualified clinician in CA to treat Mr. combined sex addiction, offending behaviors and Borderline Personality Disorder. 8. Alt Admissions paperwork including Financial agreements were duly executed (please see attached). Payments to BTR of $6000 deposit for PHP and $2000 for Family Program were made by *** mother, *** on. August 30, 2019. A separate payment of $2000 was also made to PEST, for housing by Ms. on the same date. That left a remaining balance of $4500 of which *** requested a payment plan to pay off the balance. A Promissory Note was drafted by Mr. for payments to begin on October 9, 2019 and balance owning be paid by February 9, 2020. When presented with the Promissory Note Mr. refused to sign it. 9. As you can see from the attached Boot Camp (PIP) program schedule BIB. features numerous hours of psycho-education that includes addressing problematic sexual behaviors, identifying early childhood and current traumas, Somatic Experiencing Trauma Group, DBT/Mindfulness training, and shame reduction. We also provide six (6) individuals sessions in the two-week period which is more than provided in other five-week programs. 10. In addition, all our PHP clients undergo a psychiatric evaluation by ***, P.A. under the supervision of Dr. ***. ***, MD. Please see attached Psychiatric Evaluation. Note that on 9/10119 11. Client reported no S.Z. This was corroborated numerous times in his individual sessions with *** as well. .12. As to the accusation that the Client and his Partner were misled about BTR's approach to sex addiction and partner's recovery, it became increasingly clear to the Clinical Team that Mr. success in treatment was in jeopardy due to constant communication and interference from his wife. His therapist repeatedly suggested he try to stick to "news, weather, sports" to minimize the activation that frequently occurred after he and his wife spoke. If he could not maintain casual conversation, then try to refrain from contact at least for a day to see if that may help him focus on his own treatment I spoke several times with *** encouraging her to focus on her own recovery while *** is in treatment and allow him to work on his own issues before prematurely jumping into doing couples work while one partner is so highly dysregulated. I told her in my professional opinion it would be unproductive, harmful and unethical for any therapist to conduct Couples Therapy with them at this point. This is especially true given that both of them had acknowledged that his suicide threats and last attempt was more out of feeling powerless in the relationship and amounted to "emotional terrorism". Also, *** inquired if *** had gender-mixed treatment groups and she was informed that we are gender-specific and only treat male sex addicts/offenders in the PIR program. We did not say that included 12 Steps Meetings in the community (which daily attendance is a requirement for all PRP clients). Since there are only two 12-Steps stag meetings (one each for men and women AA) in the Coachella Valley that would be impossible. Plus, learning how to deal with his triggers around women would be an essential part of his recovery. On Sunday the 15th I was informed that *** was refusing to go to 12-Step Meetings where we could not guarantee that no women would be present. He had missed three over the weekend. I told him that was not acceptable and would not be allowed to continue since it was a mandatory part of the program for all participants and since he could not be left alone his not attending could not be accommodated. 13. After ten days in treatment at 8:15pna on Wednesday October 181, Mr. announced to the Everwood House Manger, *** that he was leaving the program and his wife was on her way driving up from *** to pick him up. *** informed him that he had to contact the Clinical Team to have him formally discharged from the program. *** contacted me and I went to Everwood to detemaine why he was leaving and facilitate the discharge against treatment advice if necessary. *** was highly agitated and continually' refused to speak with me. When his wife arrived, I explained to her that we needed to formally discharge him from the program, and she agreed. I retrieved his medication printed out his Against Staff Advice Discharge papers and bad him sign them 14. The $2000 that Ms. paid to BTR for the Family Program that had he stayed they would have attended the following Friday and Saturday, was applied to the balance of $4500 leaving a balance owed $2500. Please do not hesitate to in contact me if you need any further information concerning the legitimacy of this claim. Sincerely, *** Gate ood, CEO & Clinical Director
I reject the response. I sincerely appreciate the time you’ve put into investigating this, and I’m glad that I was able to get ***’s response in writing, as I have irrefutable proof that several of the “facts” he mentioned were untrue, or flat out lies.
Based on his own response, several of ***’s written claims are false. I’m outlining a few things below, in order to establish ***’s pattern of providing misleading information and to question his credibility.
First and foremost, *** mentions that one of the primary reasons I sought treatment at BTR was because I was unable to maintain any length of sexual addiction sobriety and needed help getting sober.
This is inherently false. At the time I entered BTR, I was 4 months sober, which was verified twice via polygraph, completed with *** in ***. I had also been in the recovery process for over a year, working with a sex addiction (CSAT) therapist and attending 12 step meetings.
I was primarily seeking help at BTR in order to get an official psychiatric evaluation, for help dealing with suicidal ideation, and to work through childhood trauma. The reason I chose a sex addiction recovery faciliity for this process is because it was recommended by my sex addiction therapist (C-SAT), ***, so that I would have a safe space to work through my issues without putting me at risk of relapse.
Although I do not have a recording of our initial phone calls with Blue Tiger, I do have a screenshot of an email my wife sent *** during my second week of treatment at BTR. The email reiterates, in writing, that I was not new to recovery, that I had already been sober for a period of time, and that we wanted BTR to follow through on what they sold us, which was trauma therapy and help for suicidal ideation.
I have attached the screenshot of this message, as proof that *** is being dishonest about the reason I entered BTR, and was unresponsive to our attempts to remedy the situation while I was still at the facility.
Additionally, and of even greater concern, is the fact that several pages of the BTR new patient contract are now being investigated by the Department of Healthcare Services, Licensing Division.
In the contract I signed prior to entering BTR, two pages of the contract listed the entities to be contacted in case of a complaint. (attached below). Several weeks ago, I reached out to DHS to file a formal complaint and was initially told that they didn’t have any facilities matching the BTR name and address in their jurisdiction. When I forwarded them the contract, they became concerned and began an investigation, because they had no record of the facility being in their database. (These two emails are also attached)
Lastly, ***’s claim that I had been diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder prior to entering the facility is also false. While my wife and I had suspected BPD, I did not receive a formal diagnosis until entering BTR. This can be verified with several other therapists and medical professionals.
My second area of concern, which is also supported by evidence, is that BTR and *** continuously violated sex addiction therapy practices, and put me in more jeopardy of relapse than when I entered the facility.
First and foremost, BTR was aware prior to me entering the facility that I was not willing to attend mixed gender therapy or 12 step meetings, as it was a violation of my sobriety boundaries.
Not only did they give me an ultimatum about attending the meetings (after they’d already been paid, of course), but it’s inherently false that mixed gender meetings are part of the sex addiction therapy ‘best practices’. In fact, many C-SAT’s will caution against mixed gender meetings, for obvious reasons.
To illustrate this, I have attached a screenshot of Dr. *** direct response to my wife’s concern about mixed gender meetings. Dr. *** is the President of the American Association for Sex Addiction Therapy.
Although *** vehemently denies supporting the co-dependency model and claims to be trained in betrayal trauma, another line from his response is more telling, “...It became increasingly clear to the clinical team that Mr. success in treatment was in jeopardy due to constant communication and interference from his wife.”
In this statement, he makes it abundantly clear that my wife had become an “identified patient”, despite the clinical team at BTR having never met or diagnosed her.
Again, this violates betrayal trauma therapy best practices, and in fact, is a practice that is frowned upon by Dr. ***, founder of the Sexual Recovery Institute. Dr. *** is coincidentally also the expert who *** trained under.
Dr *** wrote a book entitled Prodependence: Moving Beyond Codependency, which talks about how it’s unhelpful, and unethical to treat partners of addicts as a “co dependent” or as the “identified patient.” It also discusses how blaming the addict’s partner is counterproductive to addiction therapy. (which *** not only did in his response here, but also many other times while I was at BTR)
You can see Dr. *** thoughts on this subject directly on the following links to his website, and in the quote below. This should serve as evidence that the practices at BTR are in violation of expert recommendations for the sex addiction recovery industry.
Dr ***, “[The book] is intended to improve the ways we treat loved ones of addicts and other troubled people, offering them more dignity for their suffering than blame for the problem. With its attachment-focused view, prodependence pushes aside the flaws of the codependency model, which generally suggests that family members of addicts need to “detach with love” and if they don’t neither the family member nor the addict will change or grow. That advice typically leaves loved ones of addicts feeling confused and misunderstood rather than supported and validated.”
***
***
The final point that illustrates that BTR was in violation of C-SAT industry standards is that during my stay at the facility I was encouraged to reintroduce addictive/compulsive behaviors, after a period of 90 day sobriety.
During one of my final group lectures with ***, as well as in my individual therapy sessions with him, he mentioned that reintroducing *** after 90 days was suggested. This is despite knowing that *** was one of my addictive behaviors, and despite having my timeline of acting out behaviors, which included compulsive ***.
Not only was complete sobriety from acting out behaviors, indefinitely, recommended by every single C-SAT I’ve ever seen aside from BTR, but reintroducing problem behaviors is also frowned upon by the sex addiction recovery community.
Here are the names of other C-SAT’s who made it abundantly clear that in order to maintain sobriety from sex addiction that I woud need to abstain from masterbation, forever:
Dr. ***, CSAT in ***
***, CSAT & LCSW in ***
***, LCSW & addiction counselor in ***.
The final and most concerning point to note is that my life was in jeopardy during my stay at BTR, due to negligence and failure to provide a safe environment to someone who’s suicidal.
As *** pointed out in his response, he was well aware that I was ***, meaning I had been placed in a psychiatric hospital due to a suicide attempt, immediately prior to entering BTR. As he also stated in his response, I would not be left unattended for any length of time, because I was suicidal.
With this admission in mind, *** had promised my wife, and *** Mental Health Services that I would be monitored round the clock in a safe environment to avoid any risk of suicide. I have proof that no such safeguards existed.
I was allowed to walk in and out of the house at my own free-will, had access to sharp knives in the kit***, and did indeed have suicidal ideations during my stay. I have first and last names and phone numbers of three other men who stayed in the house and can corroborate this claim; please let me know if you would like the list.
In conclusion, I would like to make it clear that I am not making an unfounded attack on *** or his Facility. Instead, I am trying to point out a pattern of behavior that will likely lead others to relapse, or worse, harm or kill themselves while under his care.
To add more credibility to this claim, I have attached two screenshots of reviews left by other former patients of BTR, that echo many of the concerns my wife and I have. Please also note the dates on the reviews; both of which are prior to my stay, and illustrate a pattern of behavior.
It has become abundantly clear that once BTR had collected payment for my stay at the facility, they became disinterested in following through on their promises, were unwilling to resolve our concerns, and at several times became combative when I pressed them to honor their agreement.
My wife and I have both had extremely positive experiences with other professionals in the C-SAT and LCSW community over the past two years, and we are happy to give a list of “references” to add credibility to our argument. It’s not in our nature to leave negative reviews or file complaints, but in this case, it could mean life or death for someone at ***’s facility.
I was repeatedly lied to, upsold, and provoked while at BTR, and specifically by ***. I could write 10 more pages about the nuances here, but instead will stick to the facts that can be supported by evidence. Here’s the list of evidence attached to this message:
Screenshots of an email my wife sent ***, while I was still at BTR. The email counters ***’s claim that I entered recovery because I couldn’t stay sober, and provides an outline of the reasons I entered the facility. It also outlines our concerns about the facility encouraging me to violate my boundaries. *** never responded to the email, but confirmed receiving it.
Screenshots of the BTR contract, as well as emails from the Department of Healthcare Services, discussing that they will be opening an investigation.
A screenshot from Dr. ***, president of the American Association of Sex Addiction Therapy, and his thoughts on “mixed gender” 12 step meetings.
Screenshots of two other reviews of BTR, by former clients, that echo our concerns.
Please let me know if you’d like names and phone numbers of other people who can corroborate these claims.