We recently had a member of our family recently there to get sober and can't say enough positive things about this treatment center. The staff were incredible and the admissions process was so easy. We had an opportunity to attend some family sessions and found that the other residents there were equally satisfied with the level or support and care they were receiving. I also like that Summit is not corporately owned like many of the other treatment centers in Malibu where they don't have that same level of personal attention and support. I had toured several other places out there and several felt like they were on a mission to fill beds. I highly recommend Summit and our family member plans on staying in touch with many of the staff members and attending alumni nights. read more

I refer anyone I can to summit malibu, the property is absolutely beautiful. So Relaxing and the staff are the sweetest most helpful people you'll meet. Keeping clients involved in everyday activities boosting self esteem and lifestyle confidence summit Malibu has got to be the most amazing treatment facility in southern california read more

Left my poor Emily in cardiac arrest unattended and unconscious in her room alone for 30 mins & now she's permanently brain dead can only move her eyes. Beyond unprofessional & unforgivable the BARE MINIMUM be the company/business/family/owners whatever this organization would like to call themselves responsibility to do everything they can to bring her back & cover every medical bill, expense, proper care, & suffering she endured & contribute to her recovery entirely. Many people are distraught & hurt about her experience & condition it's heartbreaking. read more

I was very impressed with the intake process. Very patient and professional. They really cared about our difficult situation.

Summit Malibu led by Willie Oswald is a great place. I had a very peaceful yet productive stay there years ago. They have been operating for quite some time in Malibu and continue to be held in high regard in the large Malibu recovery community. Highly recommend Summit if you are in need of a ~30 day residential program. My insurance wasn't the best at the time I admitted but Willie and Kristen were able to work with me and were very accommodating to my financial situation even when my insurance didn't cover much. I have great appreciation for them. read more

I wasn't gonna write a review about Summit Malibu but once I heard about Emily Willis, I thought I'd share my thoughts. I checked in on March 1 about eight days ago and The medical care I received there was horrible at best! I was detoxing off of kratom, which I'm sure a lot of people don't know what it is, but it is a terrible and hard detox. the 1st 2 days and nights they were giving me Subutex to take for my withdrawals. I am not super familiar with Subutex and didn't know that you are supposed to put it underneath your tongue and let it dissolve. If you don't, it doesn't work. no staff ever instructed me to put it underneath my tongue and let it dissolve, nor did they make sure that I didn't just spit it back out to take later. I was going through the worst withdrawals ever and was cold sweating for almost 18 hours. The only time they ever checked on me was just to bring me my medication which they again did not instruct me how to take. On my third day there, I had a panic attack because of withdrawals and ended up in the ER, which is where I learned that I was supposed to put the Subutex underneath my tongue. Not from them, but from someone in the ER. When I got out of the ER, I went back to Summit Malibu. They finally gave me my Subutex the right way and gave me my wrong dosage of sleeping pills which I need to sleep. I told them it was wrong and they didn't care they still wouldn't give me the right amount After 5 hours of no sleep I went down to see if they could give me my right dose. There were no nurses their so he said he would try to text all the nurses to check but didn't seem to confident he would get any response and was worried about bothering them. After 3 hours of no response I begged him to please get a hold of anyone and asked him if they have an on call nurse to which he laughed and said technically all of them. I asked him if there was anything else he could do and he literally said call 911. After 2 more hours of no sleep I checked one more time but he still wasn't able to get a hold of anyone. Even though I was having a hard time walking I had to go down the stairs every time to see him and he never once came up to check on me. I gave up at this point and told him to tell them I was leaving. Mind you this is 45 hours of no sleep and going through withdrawals. At around 7 in the morning they responded that I could have my sleeping pill. A little late at this point. So if they tell you they have an on call nurse at all times it's not true! In the morning I told them i decided to leave. They did nothing as far as help me to find another place to go or even giving me a ride to go anywhere. They also told me they would let me take my medications and then changed their minds and refused to let me take them. Not the Subutex. I knew they wouldn't give me that which I'm fine with but my sleeping medication and some for severe phychiatric issues. They basically said FU. They kicked me out on the street with zero help after basically putting me through torture for the previous 3 days. I feel sorry for Emily Willis's family. If I was a little emotionally less stable then I was. Which obviously wasn't very stable. I don't know what would have happened to me. I ended up in a motel on Ventura Blvd cause I didn't know the area with none of my phychiatric or sleep medicine. Thanks for caring so much Summit Malibu. I made my way in to another program, which isn't as expensive or luxurious as Summit Malibu but the staff and medical team are trained 100 times better. Please don't take a chance at this place and I pray for Emily and her family. EDIT I just read a little more about what happened to Emily and saw this happened a year ago. And they still haven't fixed things. There are other places to go. Don't take a chance at this place. read more

I believe anything above a 2 star rating was paid for by Summit Malibu - you can pay for just about anything these days from google reviews to trust pilot - Integrity and Credibility: I JUST got an email from the Michael Griffin, Staff Attorney of the California Association of Marriage and Family therapists regarding Amaris Baker practicing as a therapist at Summit Malibu as an MFT " this individual is not a member of the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists ("CAMFT")." WOW !?!?!?!?!? Michael Griffin CAMFT Staff Attorney CAMFT.org Confidentiality - They allow the ' techs' (support staff people who are basically goofer's (( go for this, go for that) to hang out in the nurses room where they also dispense ' privately' meds to the patients ( clients), giving the techs access and first hand knowledge of what the clients are taking, THEN, talking about it openly outside of the nurses room. I can't tell you how much I learned about clients i made friends with while I was there from the Techs ( a gentleman names " TY " ) mostly. the techs would talk about what meds people were taking, conversations the clients thought were in confidence with the nurses ( who also breached confidentiality) combined with the administrative staff ( mostly Kristen Robert) the environment after day 2 becomes apparent that's it's ' Staff - vs- clients' - what started out as a promising atmosphere settles into a routine of submission. Myself and the other clients began to call it " Submit Malibu" - I can't believe this place is allowed to stay in business. Sobriety and Treatment can be such a greedy game. I'm still trying to get the owner ( Willie) to pay for the damage to my car. at $4,000 a day ( approx $24, 000 daily with 6 clients) when , Willie, when I see the money you owe me? What great memories of Submit Malibu read more

Summit Malibu - "..this individual ( Amaris Baker) is not a an LMFT - Michael Griffith - Staff Attorney - Counseling & Mental Health Near Me - Malibu, California

Luxury Rehab-$50K a month. Meaning its for rich people only. Yeah, they have group therapy and meds. and individual therapy and meds. Look at the reviews! "i have been to other luxury rehabs and they pale"...??? My wife did not get better there. Nor was she diagnosed with anything other than anxiety disorder?! She was not there for alcohol or drugs but an anxiety disorder. My wife;s a psychotherapist with an MSW and decades of Gestalt work. but the Malibu Summit could not help her after a month. Just more meds. Mental health facilities like this are rampant in the US. What should have happened and didn't was a neurological workup and a recommendation. Not just group therapy and meds! Yes very angry with the system and whoever is cleaning up on $50K a month. read more

Summit is truly the best of the best. I have been to other luxury treatment centers and they pale in comparison- a sentiment I know most everyone shares. Its become my second home and I will forever love the techs, nurses, administrators, therapists and group practitioners. Everyone there makes you look forward to sobriety because many of them are all recovering and are so happy and loving. It truly operates like a family. The food is amazing and the main chef used to work at the well-known, NYC establishment, 21 Club. He always offers meat and fish for dinner in addition to several other sides and dessert. The group therapists are truly the best you can find in the US. I have been to other luxury treatment centers and they pale in comparison. There is little monotony, as they offer really interesting prompts, videos, journal entries, activities and worksheets. The coordinators, who are also addicts, put a ton of thought and effort into making 'curriculum' relevant and poignant for recovering addicts. The program also offers acupuncture, yoga, art, chiropractor, physical fitness and sound bath. They are truly the best - especially the yoga and sound bath. When you enter sobriety, community is everything. I feel that even though I have left Summit I will always have their support and help- not just the group practitioners and therapists, but the administrators, nurses and techs. They will be the first people I call to prevent a lapse or relapse. There is something indescribably special about this place and I urge anyone who is looking for sobriety to choose Summit. read more

Summit Malibu undoubtedly saved my life. Summit is more than just a treatment center, the staff/management are truly invested in the recovery of their clients as well as making sure that each client has a personalized and unique treatment plan. It also doesn't hurt that the facility and the food are exceptional! I can't thank Summit Malibu enough! read more

This a is a 5 Star Luxury Resort situated just across from the beach. The staff pays close attention to every detail to provide the most comfortable experience possible during a very difficult time. Each staff member engages with an empathic approach to care which is deeply rooted in their own stories of survival. The psychoeducation is delivered with compassion on every level. It's a solid foundation that coping skills, processing pain and connecting with yourself in a meaningful way are the key to healing. This a safe and supportive environment to open your heart and experience all human emotions honestly and authentically. The facility provides the tools to come away with a positive perception and mindset to continue to evolve and learn. It's a powerful journey and not to be missed in your recovery! read more

I've been around the block as far as world class rehabs go, and Summit is the absolute best ever, from my experience. I was in a shitty mess when I got to Summit and was a total jerk to the staff and everyone, even though they were friendly enough to come up in the nurse's area and introduce themselves individually. It's absolutely embarrassing the way I acted being that how nice everyone was to me, despite me being a complete asshole. Food was delicious and was world class. Terry - you're the best counselor/therapist I've ever met. Seriously - I've been to one other Malibu luxury rehab spot, but I seriously think Summit has the drop on them. Best rehab I've ever been to - bar none. read more

Excellent facility and location...very private, caring and compassionate. Top notch Therapy!

This is the first (and likely the last) Yelp review I've ever written. If you are reading this, there's a good chance that you or someone you love is in need of treatment for alcohol and/or substance abuse disorder, and as such I feel morally compelled to urge you to contact Summit Malibu. For the better part of the last thirty years, I have been seriously addicted to opiates, alcohol, methamphetamine, marijuana, and benzos. Throughout the past decade I had a promising career in academia, a family, and a wide social circle - all of which I've destroyed, to varying degrees, in the spiral of my all-consuming addiction. I overdosed multiple times, publicly embarrassed my wife too many times to count, and lost the respect of mentors, friends, and worst of all, myself. I was monomaniacally obsessed with staying as intoxicated as possible, for as long as possible, and ultimately lost all belief in my capacity to bring anything like happiness or joy to those I loved. In March of 2023 I was faced with the very real possibility that my daughter could wake up one morning and find me unresponsive on the couch. After dragging my feet for a few days, I realized that I needed residential treatment. I am eternally grateful that Summit was the place I chose. Perhaps the strangest thing about Summit - and if you've been to multiple residential programs like I have, you'll know how rare this is - is that everyone that works there genuinely gets along and treats one another with respect, kindness, and humility. That just doesn't happen anywhere, or so I believed. For the first week I was there, I kept waiting for the facade to fade, for the curtain to be pulled back and for the pettiness and contempt to come out. It just didn't happen. All of the techs - Scott, Ty, Jesse, Justin, Don, Courtney et al. - are amazing. There were many nights when I found myself struggling, alone in my room, and dragged myself out to find one of them to strike a conversation with. Every single time, I left feeling better, relaxed, and assured that I was going to make it through the night okay. The counselors - Terry, Beth, Jonathan, Charlene, and all who come in during the weekends - are suffused with tremendous knowledge of how addiction works, how it can be countered, and how one can thrive in sobriety. Ditto the primary therapists, Cheree and Amaris. (And no lie, I would give a kidney to Cheree if she needed it.) All of these professionals do their work with the kindest sort of bare knuckles, by which I mean they cannot be bullshitted and are unafraid to call things out, but always do so with love and compassion. There is no ego in any of their work. I scarcely have words to describe how effective they are through this approach. It must also be noted that Summit provides multiple modalities in their treatment, and in my opinion, this is essential to their success. They do not shove 12 Step philosophies down clients' throats, and a fair amount of the group work is dedicated to various practices of mindfulness. Offering yoga, massages, trips to the beach, and ice cream outings in Malibu is, admittedly, a nice touch. But far more important is the preparation provided to succeed once back in the real world, and this is where I find their non-dogmatism especially effective. I'll put it this way: I arrived at Summit anti-12 Step; I left Summit 12 Step-agnostic; three and a half months later, I am actively engaged in AA meetings, have a sponsor, and am working on the steps. And some part of my recent embrace of AA comes from the fact that it wasn't screamed at me while I was there. If you've made it this far in the review, I urge you to reach out to Summit. Chance are you'll have a conversation with Kam, who is a fucking angel, and who is wildly talented in helping people make these very difficult, life-altering decisions. I assure you, there's nothing Kam hasn't heard before, so please call her. At the very least, she'll make you feel less alone. I'll end with a quick vignette: a couple of days before my time at Summit was up, I found myself having a talk with Willie, the owner, who comes by at least once a week to have lunch with the clients (and who also was a co-founder of Cocaine Anonymous - dude is a G). I was talking about the difficulty I had with the word "surrender." I just hated the word, and hated the connotations - like I was on the losing side of a war. Willie just kind of laughed and said, "Well, you could also think of it like you're joining the winning side." So I'll roll with Willie on this one. read more

It may be hard to believe, but the month I spent at Summit was one of the best months of my life. I firmly believe that without the loving support of the staff and excellent clinical team, I wouldn't be alive today. Steven proved to be an indispensable source of strength and encouragement, as he is the person who gave me the courage to come to Summit. If he had not done my intake, there is no way I would have come to the program. He gave me hope and courage, while reassuring me that the experience was exactly what I needed to have a chance at a new lease on life. He was correct. The facility itself is gorgeous, and I highly suggest you do everything in your power to secure a solo room for yourself. The chef Mark makes food that is unbelievably delicious while still healthy. Suzy is the sweetest woman and so incredibly patient. She still reaches out to check on me. I can't speak highly enough of the staff, from playing frisbee and going to meetings with Kyle, to good conversation with JoJo. Oh, and Cory's cookies!!! I could go on forever. Thank you, to everyone at Summit, for saving my life and bringing so much joy into what was a dark time for me. I will forever hold you near and dear to my heart! read more

Summit is a place that can provide high level care for clients that need extra help. They can accommodate dietary restrictions and give extra care to those who have special medical needs. In an industry that can be so grimy they have a very solid team that cares. The team of nurses Brooke, Ashley, and Alejandra are amazing. All the techs are friendly and Kelly will create an exit plan that's good for you. I would send somebody that I love to summit if they needed help. read more

I had heard great things, I called and spoke to JoJo. I told him I was interested in their program. He asked for my insurance information, he would find out my benefits and call me back. Jo jo called me back an hour later and asked that I call my insurance to ask them to release my benefit information to Summit. I did. I waited a day and called Summit. Jo jo answered the phone. He explained to me that my insurance was out of network, I'd have to pay, which I was willing to do. Jo jo said he would call me back. I text him the next day, I called him, no one answered the phone at Summit, it went to voicemail, I left a message asking for my call to be returned. No response. I called my insurance company to inquire if they had spoken to Summit. My insurance company they received one phone asking for my benefit information. After Jo Jo at Summit called me and asked me to call my insurance company, I did. My insurance company said no one at Summit ever called back. Jo jo told me he specifically had a conversation with my insurance and told me I was not covered. That information he gave me was incorrect, my insurance company confirmed I was covered. That was all I needed to know to decide I was not going to put my life in Summits hands. read more

I cannot say enough good things about this place. I have seen how they bounced back even though one of their homes was destroyed by fires last year! I feel this is a beautiful and comfortable place to start or restart your journey in recovery ! I hear lots of people say negative things about this place but from my perspective I have noticed that however much you put into the program is however much you will grow ! read more

Read my review on Facebook, too! Only positive things to say about Summit. I cannot wait to return on my anniversary, or hopefully sooner (I'm staying on the east coast right now, otherwise I'd have already visited). The entire staff is wonderful, so professional, and work to get to the core of the issues. It doesn't hurt that Summit is located in a gorgeous, Hawaii-like setting, either. :). I'm almost 5 months sober, going to meetings, still keep in touch with SM, and have a sponsor. They did not push 12 steps on me, either, which I loved. It just became clear I should become part of a program to help maintain my sobriety. Anyone looking for help in a loving environment should 100% go here, or send their loved ones here. Can't wait to go back for an alumni meeting! read more

Summit Malibu has a lot to offer, great program and great staff.

I was a client a summit Malibu in March of this year. I walked into treatment a shell of myself. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay for 2 months and really heal. Their mission is to heal the entire person and not just the symptoms of addiction. I met with a therapist that went above and beyond to meet me where I was at, a team of medical staff that helped me through my detox and my underlying depression, and support staff who really walked alongside of me during this difficult time. I left happy and healthy. I can't say enough about this place and their love for clients. read more

If you are looking for exceptional addiction treatment, this is the place to go. The doctors, staff, and counselors are the best that there are. The center has really been a force in my family member overcoming their addiction. From the moment that you walk in the door, the staff is very helpful and courteous, especially Kristin Robert, who helped us navigate through the paperwork and intake. I highly recommend Summit Malibu. read more

This is a very special place. My time in treatment here was 30 days, with a few additional days added to help find and transition to a sober living near my home group in west LA. The clinical team proved very well equipped to help with early sobriety, the location and facility beautiful-- if you are looking for security and seclusion with access to local recovery, this is the right place. The IOP I have been following up with pales in comparison to the clinical team here, and I am coming back for Summit's monthly alumni meeting. Hoping to send Christmas cards thanking the team for the gift of sobriety. read more

If this place cared they would not turn people down who have insurance and need help. I saved money for a copay to go to a treatment center for addiction and severe anxiety. I liked the sound of this one at first because it was small and talked about tailoring a treatment plan for individual people. Well apparently they only do it for rich people. Once I had enough for the copay, the finance guy there tells me they don't accept international insurance??? Why? It's money! Money my insurance company was willing to pay them and I was to pay the copay before even arriving there! This issue, by the way, was NO problem before I saved the copay. They were happy to accept my insurance then. So, I suspect they thought I still didn't have the copay money and that was the big problem. You know, the problem more important than helping someone. MONEY. read more

I came to summit as a broken women. I had been through treatment many times with little success of staying sober. When I came into sober I was angry, sad, helpless and broken. Drugs and alcohol once were my best friend and solution to all my pain. Than one day it wasn't. I had lost my children and I was facing a dui. Summit was a family and the first place I truly felt was my home. The staff truly care about you from the techs to the counselors. You will leave summit with not only a whole new appreciation for your life but make long lasting friendships. If your hopeless and ready to get rid of this addiction that has plagued you for so long I highly recommend summit. I can only speak from my experience and without summit I wouldn't be sober today!! read more

they lied to me searched my car took money and other items out confirmed they had it when i asked where my stuff was transferred me to elavations promised i could come back and they would hold the stuff in two weeks and now they wont take me back and are saying they dont have my stuff read more

I give Summit Malibu the highest possible rating. A close family member has been in treatment there for several weeks. We could not be more impressed with the treatment, the personel and the facility. He has been in several other facilities, which were not able to reach him. At Summit Malibu, the medical staff has worked in an individualized setting in ways that motivated him to begin real healing. It is not an exaggeration to say that they have saved him. It is a super, caring, effective facility... read more

I was very lost before walking through the doors of this treatment center and from the moment I walked in I felt a sense of belonging. It felt like home and the staff held my hand through the most trying moments. I would recommend Summit Malibu over and over again. I received amazing care and was able to start my life over. I can't thank everyone enough!! read more