Princeton Center for Eating Disorders — Local services in Plainsboro Township

I’m writing this review from the perspective of an adolescent, so take everything you read however you want to.

I was admitted here for a little over two months, and although it may seem a short while, two months in a hospital feels like years, honesty. Penn is most definitely not a center to help you with recovery mentally, as their main focus here is just getting you medically stable, hence why it’s a hospital. Your voice will NOT matter here, the main purpose of being admitted here is to gain weight, because those with anorexia usually cannot do so on their own, as the guilt of the ED takes over. The little bit of therapy you receive isn’t the greatest, and a handful of the therapist don’t help much. What you pick up from here is what you want to pick up, you really have to make your own experience. (There are multiple groups through out the week, and a couple therapy sessions.) The weekends will seem like a bore, because they totally are. Electronics are permitted, probably for the best, but you can’t even bring handheld consoles, which is a bit dumb.

As for the staff, the night staff is awful. Most of them, least to say. The day nurses are usually nice, with some honorable mentions being Amber and Christina.

The MHAs, who assist the nurses, are great. In my opinion, they helped more than therapy groups did, they do a great job with comforting, and treating you like an actual human being in this place. Of course, they do have to follow the rules, but they’re not going to make you feel awful while doing so.

Out of everything here, the best people you will encounter are the other patients. (If you get a good group)

I would elaborate more on this, but I feel like I summed up mostly everything for now. If you’re planning on sending someone here to help them medically, do that, but don’t expect them to mentally recover here. There are much better options for recovery. Also don’t let the images fool you, this place looks nothing...

This place, and treatment providers have saved me multiple times. This treatment facility is one of the cleanest ones I’ve encountered. The program in itself is an outright remarkable treatment plan/place to have an opportunity to work on ——. It is very structured with helpful groups. The staff here are incredible. Nurses, therapists, psychiatrists, nutritionist, MHAs, you name it… they are great. (Most of them 😊😉) Angelique and Marissa go above and beyond- they are phenomenal RNs in MANY ways! Dani, RN- is one of the most professional, caring, genuine, thoughtful, patient, funny, and sweet nurses to have. There are many who work the edu that are wonderful. Including, weekday housekeeping who clean the unit daily. One of them (a regular of the unit) left each individual patient a positive note upon leaving the room when she was finished cleaning and stuck it to each of our doors. She did this EVERY time she worked the unit ♥️ She is a ray of sunshine ☀️♥️ The head director of the program does a terrific job at doing what’s best for not only the treatment facility and it’s program, but for the patients as well. She is a blessing to the edu. I highly recommend this treatment center. I cannot write all of the reasons why hahaha. Def the best out of what IS available in NJ. Grateful is an...

The trauma this place gave me, whew! The psychiatrist assigned to adolescents is homophobic (apparently i am only gay because i come from a single parent household) and does not treat his patients as people capable of not constantly deceiving him. Great qualities to have in the doctor you see the most out of all your care team! Don’t put your child in this program; they’re more obsessed with numbers and (physical) results than a calculator. The nurses are either really great or absolutely hurtful. Adolescents had little to no agency when I was here, and emailing a teacher without approval from your hospital-assigned tutor was prohibited. So was messaging anyone! Mom? Nope, gotta do it through the phone. Friend? Absolutely not, not even through the phone; you have to send them a letter that takes almost as long to get to them as it would be to send it from the ISS. Last but not least, I understand you don’t trust your patients, but a security camera turned on 24/7 placed in each patient’s bedroom is quite extreme, even for psychiatric wards. I was also not a severe case, if anyone was wondering. This is an experience of someone who was compliant and responsive to their treatment and all...