Vista Balboa Crisis Center — Mental health service in San Diego, CA

I wanted to leave this long review with the hope that someone at the center would take it seriously and learn from it. To begin, I gained entry to this program because a doctor recommended me. And honestly? It was the best thing to happen to me that year. The staff is friendly and kind, and they will connect you to lots of resources. That said, there is always room for improvement. For the record, I was homeless when I entered this program (I’m not anymore) due to having lost my job during CO VID. I am an educated woman with a BA in English literature and a survivor of long term narcissistic abuse. My criticism of Balboa Crisis Center is that they don’t enforce the rules! Clients are supposed to attend groups, participate in chores, and respect other people’s food in the fridge. I had a roommate who did the exact opposite and was allowed to stay in the center for a very long time, instead of being kicked out as she should have been. One day she became randomly angry at me and started stealing my food out of the fridge. By this point I realized she was a narcissist – as in, she had full blown NPD – and had imagined some insult from me against her, which narcissists are known to do, often because they are projecting. When I told the staff about this, nothing was done. So I did what I could to minimize the situation by avoiding my roommate as much as possible and asking to be moved to another room. What the staff should have done was exit VICTORIA from the program, instead of allowing her to stay, steal food, shirk chores, and claim a bed that someone else needed more. I was allowed to stay a long time myself, but the end of my stay was coming, and I would be homeless on the street again. I was very upset about the prospect, and Victoria knew this. As I walked past her in the kitchen, she sarcastically said “Bye!” as a passive aggressive way of mocking me for being homeless again soon. This is how narcissists operate, through plausible deniability. I couldn’t prove that she was mocking me because she had been passive aggressive about it. It was covert, reactive abuse. Suddenly sick of always attracting narcissistic bullies into my life, I wheeled back around and asked her what was wrong with her. I think it was at this point that she realized she may have IMAGINED whatever she was mad at me for. She started insisting that she meant nothing by it,that she was just saying goodbye (lies). Things escalated to the point that I picked up a cup from the table and threw it at her (she thought it would be funny to get in my face). I was sick and tired of narcissists. I’ve been abused by a LOT of them and they are drawn to me because I’m quiet, shy, and a loner, the perfect candidate for covert abuse. Well, not anymore. Everyone acted like I was crazy and imagined Victoria’s behavior, but I know the truth. She stole from me and made me do her chores for weeks, then had the gall to mock me about being exited, and when I finally snapped, tried to make herself out to be the victim. How do I know Victoria was the one stealing? I SAW her sitting in bed eating cake she had stolen. I SAW her in the kitchen looking guilty when everyone else was in group. I SAW her smirking in triumph when Christopher was complaining about someone stealing his ice cream. To anyone who was paying attention, it was obvious that Victoria was the theif. Classic narcissist behavior. And since the staff is made up of psych students, I hope they read this and learn something about narcissists. So on top of being in a crisis (homelessness), I put up with abuse from narcissistic Victoria AND bullying from some of the women on staff, women who were jealous, petty, and insecure. It was a lot to deal with at the time, and with Victoria actively provoking me, it's no wonder I finally snapped. Did anyone there see me with empathy at all? You know, as a human being with feelings? Either way, I am still grateful to Balboa Crisis Center and I hope they take steps to prevent something similar from happening in the future. Yes, this is Ashley. =)

Not a great place to get help or healing. Most policies and rules are not followed by staff or clients. Frequent contradictory information being provided and many take advantage of the vulnerable. Nearly impossible to get medication when you need it, and staff basically just say "it is what it is" or "get over it" when you make complaints or suggestions for better performance and progress. The staff will lie on your medical records to prevent access to other facilities or additional assistance. Staff will try to get you to stay longer even if it's not needed, and often just repeat the same nonsense symptom abatement rather than actually helping people overcome and heal. Left worse than when I arrived and hope to never return.

I wish my room had been cleaned more thoroughly or at all before I checked in. It seemed like only the bed was stripped, there was no sweeping or wiping down of the nightstands or dresser and there was hair everywhere. I felt extremely unwelcome in this space, there was only a small handful of counselors/nurses who seemed to like their job and offer help while the others were simply there for a paycheck, anytime I approached them they seemed instantly annoyed. I was there for seven days and spoke to a psychiatrist one time.. they were supposed to speak to me Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So my hope for getting a second opinion from a psychiatrist (outside of the psychiatrist, I see regularly) clearly did not happen. Overall, while I understand I voluntarily checked into a crisis center, fully because I needed help and was told I needed that level of care and at the end of the day I felt that my concerns were often minimized and they could care less! I took unpaid time off of work to focus on betting better and now I have to do it all over again with a facility that actually cares. i would highly recommend a different facility if you’re looking to stabilize your mental health.

Excellent program. Staff are professional, compassionate and understanding. This is a great place to stabilize and find a positive direction in life. There are two staff that stand out above the rest. Dave and Hunter are outstanding staff who go beyond the call of duty to help clients. They are client centered and truly care. Thank you both for making a positive difference in clients life's. Thank you for all your help ❤️

My stay here was really bad the food was awfule , expire and some gone bad . They dont care about that . I Saw someone scooping penut butter and putting in his mouth putting the spoon back in the jar passing germs. Dangerous place !

My 21 day stay at vista balboa. I came here not expecting anything. Didn't know what a crisis house was and certainly have never been to one . I came in lost, broken and defeated. The staff( clinicians, peer support, managers, nurses, assistant director) welcomed me with open arms. I felt like I was at home during my stay here. They really care and that is so important when working with mental health. I had a beautiful experience, I got my life back and I know that it wouldn't have been possible with the staff that work here. Thank you♥️

I was here for just about 3 weeks and I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate the staff, and the time to just focus on me and get "back on track". You'll get out of it, what you put into it, so use the time wisely!

This was a wonderful experience for me. The house itself is very beautiful with a poi pond in the back yard and plenty of both upstairs and downstairs. The counseling staff are so nice and helpful a nd they don't turn you away until they help you find a safe place to go to. All in all it was a very refreshing and delightful experience

The staff is amazing. The care and quality of service deserve 6 stars. Anyone in need of a crisis house should consider coming here. In the afternoons you can take group walks through balboa park that is literally across the street. I've got my life back in just 2 weeks.

I discharged early. Staff communication is terrible, Money is more than compassion. My contract stated that I would see a staff member twice a day however there were two days that i did not. Staff is openly bias, they do take sides and only enforce rules when they find fitting. Place is clean though, all types of people come in. More than one patient informed me that there are hidden cameras throughout the house and one patient told me how he caught the nurse spying on us. Not sure how true this is but they're creepy with their late night check ups