Kartini Clinic
#93 in USA
#22 in Portland
Physicians
- 3530 N Vancouver, Suite 400, Portland, OR 97227 USA
Company Description
At Kartini Clinic we practice only evidence-based, family-centered eating disorder treatment. Our program is a multi-disciplinary medical and psychiatric treatment model rather than an exclusively psychiatric approach to eating disorder treatment.
Review & Rating
I have nothing but positive things to say about this clinic and the staff here. It's unfortunate to see negative reviews here because the Kartini strategy really is well thought out in a scientific way, and if everyone is on board with the plan it is highly effective for children and young adults. I wholeheartedly recommend Dr. O'Toole and Dr. Moshtael along with all their staff members who are truly committed to the research surrounding EDs.
The Kartini Clinic scares me. I don't go there anymore, but one day my mom said she was going to take me to this place my doctor recommended for eating advice. They asked me a bunch of questions.... many of them I hadn't even though about before. I could tell that they kind of assumed the worst case senario, and lumped me into the same category as a bunch of other kids. They took my into a room with my mom, and she was crying.... They said that if I didn't go to this school place clinic, my heart would fail and I would have weak bones and I would die. I'm thirteen years old, and right then and there I started writing my will in my head, because they actually convinced me that I was going to die. I went to my regular doctor later, and she told me I would just have to gain a tiny bit of weight and keep it. That's it. I'm not going to die... My bones aren't going to get all frail or whatever and stop working... Currently besides off and on depression, I'm doing just fine.
Fifteen years ago our son developed ED while a freshman at college. At the advice of the university physician we sent him to another resident treatment center for a month. Unfortunately, it did not take. He relapsed while on a study abroad program and had to be flown back to the United States. He was immediately admitted into the Kartini Clinic. He spent about a week hospitalized. On the second day of hospitalization his heart stopped, but they were able to revive him. As an adult, he initially resisted treatment. It was to the point that we were advised to involuntarily admit him, but with patient support and encouragement, he finally accepted he needed help. That was fifteen years ago. He remains in full recovery and now is the proud father of a very smart three year old. He has also become a leader in his community. He is happy and healthy. As a former addictions counselor, I am well aware that no treatment program can help everyone. It can take between five to ten years for a person to obtain full recovery. Sometimes it might take more than one try at treatment. But, it is important to keep working at it. While the other treatment program did not work for him, Kartini worked for our son. I continue to recommend it.
This place isn't as bad as people make it seem to be. Everyone has different experiences which then leads to different needs. I can say for myself, the grown ups and people in charge chose to work mostly with the parents of the children with eating disorders. This keeps kids out of the loop. I was upset when finding out in the parent classes, parents were being educated on eating disorders, but the kids weren't. I witnessed a lot of kids (including myself), complaining about the lack of information they were given by the doctors. I enjoyed the yoga, and the groups that were given to us. I learned coping skills, and ways to sooth myself in times of crisis. I understand this clinic is for children, but there are a lot of older teenagers on the brink of being adults, which had me questioning why most things were so stricked. When you are about to be an adult, not being allowed to cook and be in the kitchen is not something that will help in the long run. Maybe at first because it's too hard for kids to handle while getting better, but towards the end, the children should be able to at least have the privilege to cook. Kartini is very pro-avoiding triggers. I understand this to a degree, but if you're trying to get better, you need to face the triggers. If you don't, when you finally face them, you will relapse and start back at square one. I am an adult now, and am having to go back to an adult eating disorder clinic because Kartini wasn't the best match for me. I felt like I had no grace, and wasn't getting enough time with the doctors and therapists. It seemed like the parents were getting more help rather than me. The Kartini clinic works mostly on getting children to stabilize with their eating habits. My eating habits were caused by deeper issues that weren't even brought up or asked about. As I said, everyone has different experiences, and the specialists do know what they're doing, I just don't think they know how to do it or how to approach it. I recommend this clinic to you and your child if you're able to handle doing everything food related for your child.
Kartini's team was absolutely critical to my daughter's recovery from AN. Was it hard for everyone? Yes. Did it entail major change, sacrifice and hardship for all? Yes. It was worth it and we'd recommend it to anyone in a similar position.
I took my child to Kartini after trying another clinic first (which didn't work) and trying at home by myself (which also didn't work). The psychiatrist at the first clinic told that that my child may never get better. Kartini restored her weight, got her back to school, and 2 years later she's healthy and thriving and a joy to be around. Here's the reality of eating disorders. You HAVE TO RESTORE WEIGHT!!! There are no short cuts, and it is a really tough task for the child and the caregivers. And it takes a long time for the child to heal even after weight restoration. I see a lot of people posting about how mean the clinic is. The reality is that eating disorders are a terrible disease and you have to be tough to deal with them. I have only the highest regard and praise for the doctors, nurses, therapists, and other staff at Kartini.
As a past patient who underwent treatment in DTU and outpatient treatment for several months I would like to make a simple point. When taking these reviews into consideration everyone should notice the majority of poor reviews are from the perspective of those who have endured treatment at the Kartini Clinic. Those leaving positive reviews are generally grateful family members who are ecstatic that their loved one is physically healing. When I left the Kartini Clinic I was quite physically healthy, however I was psychologically in the worst state of my life. I strongly believe I was misdiagnosed, and when I tried to express this to staff I was ignored. Coming up on 10 years since my admittance I can say I am happy and healthy in spite of my treatment here. If you are considering this type of treatment for someone please consider their cognitive level and general awareness. This program may be affective for elementary aged children, but beyond that I found it degrading, humiliating, and dehumanizing. I am not intending to trash this program, I appreciate the general education and ideas Kartini represents. That being said, I have witnessed some oversights and poor judgements which make me greatly question aspects of the Kartini Clinic. I realize there is no way for a reader (apart from an owner) to reply to these posts. If anyone would like to contact me or ask questions please search my name on Facebook and send me a message. Now I especially reach out to those who have been treated at the Kartini Clinic. If you would like to take the next step in being heard and help others avoid similar treatment to us, let’s do something about it. Thank you ~ Alisa
Having almost lost a child to severe Anorexia I thank God everyday for Dr O'Toole and the Kartini Clinic. Eating Disorders are extremely complex, lethal and can baffle the best doctors but Dr O'Toole has seen it all. Her confidence, understanding and expertise saved my son. We flew 3,000 miles for this exceptional care. Since I had no experience with this brain disorder everything was terrifying. Dr O'Toole educated me and reassured me that it wasn't my fault. She stated it was a biological brain disorder genetic in nature. She was clear that I could take care of my son - I'm his mother and I knew him best. They encouraged me to stay with my child in the hospital overnight while his heart was stabilized (an effect of starvation). Once he was well enough for the day treatment I had weekly meetings with; Dr O'Toole and my child, family therapy and parents support group. When we were discharged I was given all of the tools I needed to help my son recover at home. It took many many months but we did it. He was able to reengage in school, sports and social activities. He is now poised to finish his first year at University. Treatment and recovery from an Eating Disorder are not easy, it will challenge everything you think you know. Having a confident doctor lead you and your child down the right path toward recovery is extremely hard to find. My son is the young man he was meant to be because of Dr O'Toole and the Kartini Clinic.
8/20/2018 Our daughter has spent a good part of her summer at Kartini Clinic this year. About 6 months prior to her admission we had explored other treatment options. We got cold feet after reading some of the reviews online. When the situation became urgent, her pediatrician said that outpatient treatment was no longer an option, she was medically unstable. We expressed our reservations based on some reviews we had read. Our ped told us that Kartini is an excellent program, & that reviews wouldn't always be good due to the emotionally charged nature of ED's. She also has personal experience w/ Kartini, & highly recommended Kartini. I have read that Kartini is too strict, that they make things impossible for families w/ their feeding requirements, required weekly therapy, doctor/nurse appointments, restricted movement for kids, & that every child gets medicated into a zombie like state. If a child suffers from depression, anxiety or something else, & they need some pharmacological intervention to get them to a place where they can do the necessary work, I have no issue with this. Our daughter hasn't been prescribed any medication, & I haven't seen a single zombie yet! Of course there is therapy, and the idea that once a week therapy at Kartini might be unnecessary or too much is absurd to me. We meet Dr. Moshtael or Sherrill, RN, Program Nurse each week for an update on our kid. None of this is too much! People can always find fault in anything if they choose to, especially when emotions are running high. We just want our daughter to have a chance at getting well, so we have followed the program exactly. Nothing that has been asked of our family is unreasonable. We are doing this prescribed program 100% as directed w/ the hope of saving our daughters life. It is really that simple for us. Dr. Moshtael has been amazing, and she has such a heart for families and eating disordered kids. Everyone at Kartini Clinic has listened to our concerns, & endless questions. We have received such warmth, kindness, & professional expertise. We are relieved to know that our team has heard our story thousands of times before we ever walked into Kartini, & nothing that we could say would be a surprise to them. We have tapped into this incredible body of expertise, we know we are in the best place possible. There is just no greater love than the love of a parent for their kids. We cannot imagine a better team suited to our girl and our family, and we are so grateful that Kartini is in our backyard.
The Kartini Clinic helped my daughter to be healed from her ARFID. The staff is amazing, caring & outstanding. They customize a plan for every single child & provide parental support. My daughter is now happy and healthy & we couldn't have done it without the Kartini Clinic! If your child needs help THIS is the place to go.
I attended Kartini Clinic as a 11 year old deeply struggling with anorexia. I left with my weight restored, but my emotional health was a disaster. Seven years later, I finally embarked on my own autonomous journey of recovery, and now have two years of a healthy, recovered life. While I am grateful for them keeping me physically alive, and I recognize much of my resentment of them at that time was from my disordered state of mind, my problem with the clinic is that their outright lies have had lasting effects into even my recovered life. O'Toole herself told me that I was being placed on medication for depression/anxiety, but actually I was on seizure medication for the exclusive purpose of gaining weight (I have never had a seizure). Google was easily able to tell me this, and lies such as this from the clinic severely damaged my trust in doctors and medical professionals.
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