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People that have received treatment and services at Colorado Recovery and their families recognize the success of the unique approach to working with adults diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other psychotic disorders.
Thank you for your coordinated efforts to help my son become the new person that he is today. When he first arrived at Balsam House, he resisted all the opportunities offered to him. He was convinced that he did not need any treatment, he was afraid, and he was withdrawn into himself. This afternoon I was delighted to find him relaxed and confident. He made some friends at Balsam House and told me how he liked the staff. He will remember being there as a positive experience. Thank you also for all your help with this transition period. I imagine there will be some ups and downs, but I am optimistic. I especially enjoyed visiting with various residents out on the Balsam House patio. Over a period of time I saw them transformed from being cautious, nervous, stressed, and withdrawn to becoming friendly and interested in life again. You are doing amazing work, changing lives, and I am grateful that my son was able to be a part of your program.
Mother of a man with severe schizoaffective disorder
Thank you for all your help and insightful treatment for our son. For the last year he has been so precarious, his future on hold, even his present in doubt. We searched many places but Colorado Recovery just resounded with common sense, accessibility and a commitment to what works. My ex-wife and I have seen numerous examples of our son’s really improved state. He is much happier again, out of the clouds of medication and sensing his possibilities like never before.
I really believe whatever experience you have brought to Colorado Recovery, it has been a perfect fit for a young man like our son, and the DBT work has been a key piece of that. Thank you for all your commitment and your unflagging desire to help him help himself. Your efforts are often in my thoughts so I thought I would let you know.
Father of a young man originally diagnosed with a mood disorder
Dr. Warner, words cannot possibly describe the deep level of gratitude I feel toward you for the care you have given me. As you said, I've come a long, long way. I could not agree more. I could not have imagined such success but know I'm proud to be your success story. You transformed me to say the least. Thank you for being positive and encouraging along the way. Even in my most difficult times you always showed me such compassion and I'm grateful. You always helped me to know I was getting better. It's because of you that I think as clearly as I do and I can live independently. It is very empowering. I can now enjoy reading and attending church where I'm making friends. I'm building a life for myself and it's because you saved my life. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
A 42-year-old woman treated for bipolar disorder with disabling psychotic symptoms
"It's been over a year since my son came home from Balsam House. He has been doing wonderfully, with no psychotic episodes. He feels better and has become so productive. He is able to make and keep his own appointments and take care of himself. He told me that Balsam House was the best place he has every been. I sing your praises. Thank you so very much for giving us back our son. Since being properly diagnosed with fibromyalgia, he now knows that it is not part of his schizophrenia and takes his medication. He and I are trying to help others who have the same problems so that they might not go through the 10 years we went through getting his meds right. I recommend the movie, "The Soloist", as he and I watched it together. It gave me a concept for the first time of what he actually hears. We were able to talk about the comforting voices, as well as the others. Again, thank you so very much".
Mother of a young man with schizophrenia
Below is a short testimonial regarding my stay at Balsam House. It only scratches the surface of how I feel about my experience. I am thankful for all your help and think very highly of Dr. Warner and his staff.
Balsam House provided me a nurturing home-like setting where Dr. Warner along with his caring and highly skilled staff helped me on a pathway to wellness. Additionally, there was a variety of group classes that were engaging and enjoyable. I am very grateful for my improvement while I was at Balsam House and know it is responsible for my better health
.A woman with a psychotic disorder.
Imagine yourself a successful college student with a bright future ahead of you, and on the day of finals you mentally collapse. The next 3½ years you are mentally challenged daily and no state or county program will provide you any help. You can’t leave your parents’ home and you avoid friends and relatives. Then one New Year’s Eve you wind up in a hospital with a belief there is no hope. This all changed when we learned about the Colorado Recovery program! The founder, Dr. Warner, rescued our son that New Year’s Day and promised him he would try to return him to the person he was 5 years ago.
Our son tells everyone Dr. Warner and the Balsam House saved his life. He not only returned him to the person his was 5 years ago, but to the gymnastics athlete he was 7 years ago! What’s more, the program helped him find an internship position in the music industry, which he loves. It isn’t just the medication that made the difference, it’s the entire program and the most incredible support program designed by Colorado Recovery. The focus on working with our son to socialize again, develop confidence, hike, and implement survival skills like cooking, scheduling, and laundry made the difference.
Parents of a man with a depressive psychosis.
I am the mother of a young man who has endured significant life adjustment difficulties and suffering due to serious mental illness and substance abuse. Balsam House is the only treatment program that has helped him realize success and given him hope. Sadly few programs are truly able to deal with the “whole person” and treat dual diagnosis patients. For the first time, my son’s psychiatric needs have been effectively treated and medicated while his addictions have been simultaneously addressed. Dr. Warner is an exceptionally gifted, creative psychiatrist who has developed a sophisticated program to treat and integrate people with serious mental illness into society.
Balsam House has helped him develop the self-control necessary to understand and manage his medical, mental, physical and emotional needs. Their approach includes a supportive community with a family-like atmosphere; Balsam House clients always know that they have a safe haven of support, treatment and acceptance. Following inpatient treatment, my son received intensive outpatient support including management of medications, therapy, vocational counseling and the support needed to integrate into society. I feel so grateful to Dr. Warner and to the Balsam House staff!!.
Mother of a young man with a psychotic illness and a substance abuse disorder.
"Dr. Richard Warner is a hero in the fight for treatment of people with severe and persistent mental illness; he is, indeed, a champion in that fight. I speak, first and foremost, as the father of a son who was given back to his mother and me by Dr. Warner. The medical profession seemed to have given up on our son because of his physical and mental problems. He ultimately became bedridden with a gastric feeding tube. Today our son is employed and back in graduate school. Of course others helped, but it was clearly Dr. Warner's understanding and leadership that produced what family and friends now refer to as “a miracle.”
Dr. Warner never gave up. He guided us through medical procedures, court appearances, and social programs. He saw solutions where others saw problems; he remained positive as others despaired; he led fight after fight while others abandoned the battle. As I write these words I am once again filled with feelings of overwhelming gratitude."
The father of a young man with schizophrenia in Boulder, Colorado.
Other members of the mental health and psychiatric communities recognize Dr. Warner and Colorado Recovery as leaders in the treatment and rehabilitation of adults diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.
"I worked with Dr. Warner, talking to some 1,000 high school students and citizens, helped train the police departments of three cities about stigma ... and talked at the criminal justice center and the Rotary Club ... just to name a few.
Dr. Warner has just always BEEN THERE for the past 18 years, a steady part of my recovery from schizophrenia."
A resident of Boulder, Colorado, with schizophrenia.
"I have known Dr. Warner since 1986, although I knew his work long before knowing him personally. The importance of his innovative contributions to the field of mental health cannot be overstated. He is one of the most important voices in progressive community psychiatry internationally, leading by his example as a practicing psychiatrist and by his work in theory and research.
More than any other practicing psychiatrist I know, he builds active exchange relationships with others, including visiting the sites of new approaches to learn about their details. He then brings the innovations back to Boulder to test out their applicability in that community. The examples of this are numerous, ranging from establishing one of the early implementations of assertive community treatment to bringing in trainers for staff to learn cognitive behavioral therapy for people with severe mental illnesses. Both of these approaches are now considered best practices. Dick brought them to Boulder long before they had this recognition."
James M. Mandiberg, Ph.D., Columbia University, New York.
"Dick has had a major international impact on effective ways to treat the mentally ill in community settings. Cedar House, a 15-bed residential facility for the effective treatment of acutely mentally ill patients in the community, which I understand now bears Dr. Warner’s name, has become a national and international model for the effective treatment of acutely ill psychiatric patients."
Paul Polak, MD, psychiatrist, mental health program innovator, and President, International Development Enterprises, Denver, selected by Scientific American as the top contributor to global agricultural policy in 2004.
"The source of energy for Dick’s monumental body of work is his compassion and dedication toward those with major mental illness. This compassion, in combination with his abundant energy, creativity, and lively intelligence, has created community values and resources that previously had not existed in the amount or forms that he was able to bring about.
Another product of Dick’s leadership is that Boulder County has an unusual number of innovative and excellent residential treatment settings, geared toward those with major mental illness. We know how much effort and perseverance it took to make these complex projects take life."
Jamie Emery, MA, Jeffery Fortuna, MA, Charles Knapp, MA, Windhorse Community Services Inc, Boulder Colorado.
"Long before “recovery” became a recognized goal of mental health treatment, Dr. Warner became a champion of employment opportunities being offered as part of a comprehensive community mental health approach to treating major mental illness."
Ruth Arnold, MPA, Vocational Services Team Leader, Mental Health Center of Boulder County, Colorado.
It is such a joy writing this testimonial. My daughter has regained her life as a result of the care received from Dr Warner and his team at Colorado Recovery and Balsam House. From diagnosis to careful monitoring of medication in a safe and nurturing place, she has made great strides in recovering from her illness. With great thanks.
Father of a young woman with schizophrenia.
I’d hate to think where my 21-year old son would be if it weren’t for Dr. Warner and Colorado Recovery. My family and I are finally at peace with my son’s schizophrenia. I firmly believe that Dr. Warner, with his exceptional staff, saved my son. He has a life and is on the road towards recovery – something I thought was impossible because he was so severely ill. My son is now able to do the normal, everyday things that we take for granted. Dr. Warner is truly a crusader in the advocacy for the mentally ill. Thank you Dr. Warner and Colorado Recovery.
Mother of a young man with schizophrenia.
