Evidence Based Treatment Centers of Seattle — Counselor in Seattle, WA

Competent providers giving evidence-backed treatment. This facility has helped considerably with my troubles, though admittedly mine are only moderately severe. I think most negative reviews of this place reflect the complexity of receiving mental health treatment generally, rather than the quality of care here specifically. The physicians are high quality, but the self-serve billing can cost folks in crisis, those with ADHD, etc. who have trouble reaching out to the clinic and insurance for assistance. If you have insurance and can file claims consistently, this place is great.

Terrible experience. Did much more harm than good. They seem to prey on desperate parents, and didn’t take the time to understand if there was a valid source of anxiety. In my experience, they attempted (with harmful results) to treat beyond the scope of their expertise. By the end, it felt like a huge money-grab, as this program is incredibly expensive. Zero stars, do not recommend.

“I want to strongly warn anyone considering EBTCS: this place is not going to help your family. That is not their goal. My experience, as well as what I’ve heard from other mental health professionals, reveals that this organization is exploitative and manipulative. Some within the mental health community even describe it as a ‘cult.’ Their use of behavioral modification felt more abusive than therapeutic, and their focus seemed to be on control rather than genuine care. Despite being referred to them for support, I was dismissed entirely when I disclosed my cannabis use, with no effort to address my situation. They also exploited my family, assigning a very young and inexperienced therapist to work exclusively with my parents. This therapist wouldn’t communicate with me directly and appeared unprepared for the role, further highlighting the lack of professionalism at this facility. If you are looking for meaningful help and ethical care, look elsewhere. There are far better providers who truly prioritize the well-being of individuals and families. Avoid EBTCS at all costs.

My child went through the school refusal program at EBTCS. My biggest complaints are about the billing/cost and the effectiveness of the program. They were not at all helpful in trying to work with my insurance company. That was totally up to us to navigate and in the end was not covered. During the treatment, the charges seemed arbitrary and capricious and at 6k/week we had to take out a 2nd mortgage to cover the cost (54k total). The therapists were certainly caring but the effects of the treatment were not long lasting. In the end, my child found success by moving to a smaller school with a different format which is a program they should have known about and directed us to. We found it on our own. Instead, they wanted to blame us parents as to why my child was not succeeding. They succeeded only in putting my family in debt, enriching their lifestyles, and making us parents feel guilty. The two stars are for some of the therapists.

My child did the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) at EBTC in 2024. It was the program focused on DBT skills. The EBTC also has other programs such as exposure therapy IOP for anxiety and an eating disorder program. I can speak to the IOP focused on DBT. It was a positive life changing experience. I highly recommend it. Outcomes: This program was life changing for my child. After the 8-week program, our child is lifted, skillful, and thriving. 4 months later our child continues to be skillful and continues to thrive. Our family was transformed by the program. My husband and I learned so much and are better parents, partners, and communicators. We considered the IOP at Thira Health. We decided on the EBTC because 1) we wanted a much smaller pool of kids, and we wanted our child to continue in school. This program is after school, so it was less disruptive 2) I was worried about contagion, so we opted for a smaller program with parental involvement. The program has very clear rules around not sharing details about target behavior, so our child never knew why other kids were in the program. They were all working on “target behaviors” and applying skills. 3) We wanted to be part of the program, which important for our child’s positive outcome. 4) We absolutely love the therapists. They are all very experienced and have a great rapport with teens 5) There is 24/7 support so depending on your child’s target behavior, this is critical and, in my opinion, the most important consideration in a program. 24/7 support means your child can talk to their therapist any time using skills in real time, coping ahead, etc. I can’t stress this enough. This is how the skills are used and become sticky because your child has support in crisis with the therapist. Logistics: The IOP we did was based on DBT skills. My child had individual therapy 3 days a week for one hour followed by 2 hours of group DBT skills-based class with ourselves and other families (mix of parents, single parents, divorced parents, etc.). One day a week, the parents met together without kids and the kids met with another therapist during the skills-based portion of the program. The time commitment was 8 weeks, 3 days a week, 3 hours a day (1 hour for your kid’s individual therapy followed by 2 hours of group therapy). We dropped our kid off for the individual therapy and worked from the waiting room. There were between 1-3 other families doing the group therapy with us rolling in and out at different times. That worked out totally fine because it gave our child the opportunity to lead as new families came in and to see the progress and commitment from families who were near the end of the program when we joined. We used Spot Finder to find affordable monthly parking near the EBTC during the program. EBTC has different groups depending on the age of the child so that is also helpful from a peer group perspective. The parent group, once a week as part of the 3 day a week program was very helpful and offered a safe environment for parents to learn, share and grow. Insurance: The program was covered by insurance (Cigna). There were several other families in the program with different insurance who also had it covered so check with your provider. When you call your insurance, ask is an IOP for mental health is covered and if it requires a referral. You will need the billing code from the EBTC and how much is billed for that code. Insurance companies will pay up to a certain amount for the billing code so check with your insurance provider. If the billed amount is over the max the insurance will pay for that billing code, that is 100% your responsibility, even if you meet your individual or family deductible. EBTC does not take insurance. They provide a weekly superbill that I submitted to insurance and then got reimbursed.

I was at EBTCS back in 2021, the therapist and psychiatrist I worked with were nice but every week we would meet with the therapist she would just tell my family to make me eat more and more. She would not address any of the thoughts or feelings and said they would get better when I was weight restored and if they didn't we could talk about it then (even though that never happened.) Or told me to talk to my general therapist about it. When I gained weight she was happy and it felt very invalidating because I was still struggling, it felt as though you had to be physically ill to be seen, which should not be the case when it is a mental disorder not a physical one.

This clinic is one of the leading treatment centers in Seattle and a center of excellence in providing the best care possible guided by what science shows is most effective. They are constantly striving to integrate the newest treatments into their practice and are one of the few group practices in the country who is actively engaged in scientific research on their work. Highly recommended.

If only there was a way to give 0 stars. I was recommended this place for my 11 year old daughter through other therapists. One of, if not the only place in the area that treats children of that age. I listened to their song and dance about all the quality programs they have. But at the end they told me they do not accept insurance, and treatment would be 6k a week with a minimum of 8 weeks. I don't know about you, but I am struggling to survive, and do not have the ability to give them the amount of a brand new car. Oh but don't worry, they'll give you a superbill. So pay first, then maybe insurance will give you some repayment. It's honestly so disgusting.

You get all the calls and attention until they get your credit card. After that, no answers. They also overcharged me and only returned my money after several emails. They just care about the money, really. DBT is awesome though. I was fortunate to later have found a more serious DBT center with caring and experienced psychologists but it had to be in Europe (and for a third of these people’s price).

This clinic is amazing. My son has blossomed and even referred to his anxiety and depression in past tense. They support the parents and the child. It is expensive and time consuming but if you want your child to be themselves again this is the place and is an excellent value. From the front office staff to every doctor and director they have very literally changed our lives. They worked with our insurance and we were able to get most of the cost covered. They are out of network but you can still get benefit coverage just requires a bit more work.