Hillside Inc.

I was at Hillside twice between 2015 and 2018 because it was believed to be a safe place for mental health help, but it was not and my parents also regretted sending me there. Honestly, it was traumatizing enough to still be a topic in therapy almost 10yrs later now as an adult. I was accused of being racist by staff on the McBurney cottage followed by the threat if I spoke up there would be retaliation. I was bullied by the cottage staff and other patients threatened to beat and kill me several times. The cottage director, Mr. C, was the only adult who tried to help. Medical attention here is not ideal, but it kept the kids alive to return to parents. The school isn't bad and the teachers genuinely try to help. The food is absolutely not good at all. There was either foreign material in it, undercooked or burnt. If your child has any chronic illnesses or health issues in general, this is NOT a safe place and allergies are not taken seriously. The two positives I found to be the most helpful were the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy sessions and recreational therapy. Hillside could be better/safer if they took a better look at the staff they have on the cottages that are supposed to be keeping the kids safe. There are several incidents where staff bullied some kids while playing favorites with others.
Apr 5th, 2024

Trash went here as a child and now that Im a mother Id never send my kids here. No one listens to you. My parents were abusive and no one listened to my side. Dont recommend at all. I went here in 2015.
Mar 18th, 2024

I had the worst experience of my life. When I went into the hospital for the first time, I was bullied by staff because of my accent. The staff constantly made fun of other kids, Including Ms. Maya, Ms. N, and Ms. Taylor. Ms. Andrea was the best person there. She was so caring. Ms. Shawn was also the best. My second time in the hospital they said that I wasnt allowed to talk to staff about my feelings because of drama that other patients had spread about me. They said I had to write what i was feeling in a book, and they would review it with me once a week. They never reviewed with me. Ms. N would purposely scare her patients. She chose to be rude, and unapproachable. We couldnt even say hi to her without her looking us up and down and rolling her eyes. Once I left the hospital, I was so damaged that I started cutting myself when I got angry about how I was treated. Ms. Berta is the devils spawn. She repeatedly tried to prove me racist based on little stick figures I drew. I couldnt even draw without her trying to say I was being racist. North 2 was by far the worst experience of my life. Hillside needs to do something. This is so messed up, and no one cares.
Mar 17th, 2024

I was a patient there. I was punished for feeling anxious or upset instead of being helped and listened to. I was consistently made fun of and relentlessly bullied and was punished for not wanting to be in the same area as my bully. People, including staff, saw me being made fun of and my bully was never punished, even though she bullied other kids and caused a lot of fights. People there need to learn to help the kids instead of punishing their feelings. I was followed around by the doctor even though I told him he was triggering me. My coping skills were taken from me and I was forced to "learn new skills", i.e, sitting in a class and filling out papers. This is the worst hospital I've ever been to and you guys are lucky nobody ever commits suicide because of the way they were treated there.
Mar 15th, 2024

its been over 7 months since i got out. i will give hillside credit for the people i met and the lessons i learned but i would never recommend it or send anyone there. i lost 40-50 lbs there, and no one seemed to notice or care. i also was put on a 30 - 30 with the only person who i felt i could trust, and truly cared about. me and emily have a long story that is still going. theres so much i could say about us but i wont because hillside doesnt deserve any more from me, including any information about me. they have enough. and id love to see some of McBurneys staff again one day, they know who they are and i am deeply grateful for them. but for hillside as a whole, i have a great deal of trauma that came from there and i think they couldve done a better job at preventing the coldness of it all. i will never forget 690 Courtenay Drive.
Mar 3rd, 2024