Our child was a late talker, so we did our research and found East Bay Child Development Center…read more(formerly PLTA). From intake to our final class, the staff made sure that the scheduling process was a breeze, and that visits did not fall short of expectations. They have an excellent staff dedicated to your child's development, and the office is pristine. Not just clean; very well kept. I noticed that there wasn't one tear on a book or broken toys. They put lots of effort into upkeep, knowing well that toys and books can take a beating with younger kids. East Bay Child Development Center has terrific speech therapists and therapists specialized in helping in all other types of child development, including but not limited to physical therapy, etc. We went through 2 different speech therapists and 1 or 2 therapy students which was a little harder for our son to grow accustomed to because it would take him awhile to warm up (which I've learned isn't unusual for any development therapy center), but each therapist tried their absolute best to ensure they were giving him the utmost care and attention.

They failed my son after 3 session. Excuses that he doesn't listen, he runs fast that worried about…read moreyounger children there. That speech is not a good fit for him, that his sister runs around the hallways exploring toys and opened doors of offices, about me get a phone call so they discharged him from services. This is racism and discrimination by the way ladies I want to give you suggestions, your office needs a new administration, organisation and functionality. Everybody there seems to go everywhere, I don't know if these people work here are they clients. The back door to the outside was open, this is called dysfunctional. The office receptionist was like his first day to work, confused and looked around like a lost boy. There four people by office were speaking loud and chatting. They failed my son years ago when he was younger because they said he was not ready for speech when I just changed my insurance to get accepted to come here. Now he's 12 years old saying he's not a good fit. Shame on you to say that to me. You can't discharge him that's illegal. My son is trying with his speech and he has rights in California to receive speech therapy any age. Discrimination by the ability, then age, what's next because his sister running around the office and also I was on the phone? For that lady who spoke with me today over the phone couldn't wait on me. And making me feel like I was being fired from the job, she sounded rude and said my daughter was running around the room and I was speaking loud on the phone so the excuse to fail my son. Then changed her words saying he's not a good fit and he runs fast and wants to push the kids. She needs to find more excuses for her to dismiss him. You don't know how hard and challenging to be a mother of autistic kid. I finally thought I have him his speech going and then you locked me up like shutting my mouth. Go see if your speech therapist is the one who has the problem. She too lazy to give speech therapy or has a lack of skills. This is Shameless and discrimination.

It is literally impossible to get a hold of anyone who works there. Emails, voicemails, filling in…read moreforms. Months worth. Finally, a referral from our doctor only resulted in a link to their online portal...I guess we're in now?! No welcome or introduction email with what to expect. Then, they mixed up the start date by 2 weeks, and have not remedied it, despite messages. For all I know, they are charging us and, by the way, I know our Insurance covers them, but after months, still have not been able to find out what they charge. They are very clearly understaffed. Stay away!!

I no call no showed one day out of the two weeks into my stay. I am on Effexor. When I miss a dose,…read moreI feel the effects of withdrawal quickly and harshly. So when I missed my dose the previous night, I slept through my alarm all the way into 5pm. Normally in a PHP with clients that experience SI, the program reaches out to ensure safety. I received no such phone call. The next day, I showed up to La Cheim to continue the program and explain my absence the previous day. Immediately as I walked into the door, the front desk person told me I was no longer able to attend because I no call no showed yesterday. 1. There is no policy in their guidelines stating a no call no show warrants immediate discharge. 2. When I had my initial intake with them, their employee didn't commit to our scheduled intake time and therefore i had to take the call outside of the time I set aside. So why am I being held to a standard they don't even follow? 3. Now that I'm discharged, I have no way of contacting their head of the program to provide feedback or get a better understanding for their reasoning. 4. I'm a severely depressed patient with SI that is being discharged without additional support. What if this sends me spiraling further? What if my SI gets worse because the systems in place to "support" me are refusing service because I missed ONE day of program? I give my family permission to sue for malpractice if I self exit.

Dr. Kleinberg is understanding, insightful, and easy to relate to--…read morea very good therapist.

Pretty bad, have to wait a long time to talk to anybody. And when you do they just sit there and…read morelisten and then you walk out wondering did I just talk to a rock? Not very good type of care not very good quality and not a very good office experience. You could do better Kaiser you have all the money in the world. No excuses for your bad behavior here. You should also be ashamed of yourselves.

A magical place! My 6-year-old son is autistic and it was such a relief to be welcomed by a team…read morethat just gets it. The space is super clean and feels like a kid's dream. There's so much to do, climbing, building, exploring, getting wiggles out, and even a quiet room to chill. You can tell the folks behind it really thought through everything. The vibe, the décor, even the website feel so neurodiverse-affirming. They have tech to help build community around members too. We live in Novato so the distance makes a membership tough right now, but I'm hoping we can join in the summer when school isn't in the way. I'd love to see Spirited Play Labs expand to more places as this is the future IMO (please come to Novato, I'll help!). For families like ours, where typical play spaces can feel stressful or isolating, this place is a true gem, welcoming, thoughtful, and hopeful for the future. Thank you!!!

We've been coming to SPL for years, and it has always been such a positive experience. The play…read moresessions with Lia mean so much to us. we truly appreciate her patience, guidance, and support. Every visit, we notice progress. My daughter used to play only by herself, but now we see her becoming more independent and interacting with Lia, which fills our hearts. As a mom of a child on the spectrum, I know how hard it can be. My daughter doesn't have friends, but when we come here, she has one. In other spaces, the stares that come with her stimming can be so difficult to ignore, but here at SPL, we feel safe, accepted, and not judged. That sense of belonging is rare for special needs families, and we are so grateful to have found it here. I love how the staff embraces inclusion and acceptance. it shows in everything they do. I truly wish there were more places and programs like this for our kids, because families like ours need community.

I worked here for several years and had the opportunity to be part of a great team. The students…read moreand staff are amazing and the work is very fulfilling. Berkeley is also of course a great place to be! :)

As a student of College Internship Program, I have been subjected to quite a few of their…read moreexperiences. One of these reviews said it helped, two others, written by one of the students sons' and his mother, were extremely negative. I'm going to attempt to make this review as non-biased and accurate as I can. It all started out with a lie. I had no idea what to do with my life, so I met up with several staff on their campus who tried to sell me on the program. One of the people was their residential coordinator, and he, among other people, told me things that were untrue. The most prominent one I can think of is saying I could go just about anywhere on the weekends for as long as I'd like. Turns out there was a curfew. This was one of many things they've said. After talking with many of the students, especially the saner ones, I got confirmation I was not the only one they did this to. So I got let in. I ended up going in very last minute, and missed orientation, so I was more unprepared than any other student. I've heard of the staff saying you NEED to attend orientation, and that there are a limited number of people they can let in. Given that people are let in last minute every year, such as myself, I question the truth of that. Anyways. The idea of the program is that they can take all your things and rights/privileges (depending on how you define it) and build you up bit by bit. They took away everything that gave me any sort of independence, as they do to everyone else. Drove me crazy. Sooner or later, they started giving me my independence back, but it was never enough until I got out of the program. There's a reason some students don't succeed at this program and others do. Many don't try, or just flat out refuse to try. This program works best for people who have motivation to do well. They try to motivate the other students, but often the program falls flat on its face. This program gave me friends, and skills I need to survive in the real world. I appreciate it for everything it has done for me, but if I had one piece of advice it would be this: Make sure that your child has the motivation or want to make something out of themselves. Otherwise it's useless and a giant money pit. I'm giving this three stars instead of one, or five, because it is a mixed bag. The price is very high, and you should check out other options as well. That said, it was worth the money to me, and to a handful of other people in the program as well, but make sure your child is prepared for a long, uphill struggle. It's only worth it in the end if you start climbing the mountain in the first place.

The Wright Institute in Berkeley is a great place to receive affordable mental health services…read more It is a private graduate school of psychology specializing in educating clinicians and giving them real world experience before they become professional therapists. These students have done all the course work and need hours in the field of psychology before they get their licenses. I have a therapist I see once a week for part of their semester and it resolves in July. These students are educated and can help you through phase of life challenges. This is my second time receiving counseling and previously I received therapy 10 years ago. They charge on a sliding scale and offer some stability during challenging times. They also offer group therapy sessions and you may drop in whenever your schedule permits and the cost is $15 per session. Although I have not partaken in the group therapy sessions, I have heard many good things about them and considering joining a few. What I like a lot about the Wright Institue is I feel as though the students really try hard and seem to care very much with what you're going through and are very helpful to help you process what your priorities are and what you hope to gain from the therapy sessions. Finding a therapist in the real world is as challenging as finding your partner in life so it can take a while. That's why I feel that the Wright Institute is a great way to get started in therapy. They're located near UC Berkeley campus and the parking can be challenging. But there is affordable metered parking up and down Durant Street and the duration is for 2-4 hours.

I completed the MA program and found that the professors were generally good, although some were…read moresignificantly better than others. I appreciated the knowledge and dedication of several faculty members, and there were definitely professors who contributed positively to my education. Unfortunately, my experience with the administration was very different. I often felt that students were discouraged from expressing opinions that differed from the administration's perspective. There was a strong sense that speaking openly or disagreeing with certain views could have negative consequences, including feeling excluded or "blacklisted." This created an environment where I felt I had to be very careful about what I said rather than feeling comfortable engaging in honest, respectful dialogue. The experience could also feel extremely isolating. For a program that is supposed to prepare students for a profession centered on openness, empathy, and understanding different perspectives, I found this aspect particularly disappointing. Ultimately, while I had some very positive experiences with individual professors, the administrative culture significantly affected my overall experience. I would encourage prospective students to look beyond the quality of the professors and carefully consider the culture and relationship between students and administration before making a significant financial and personal investment in the program.