Highlands in Bloom is a licensed residential mental health treatment center in Old Agoura Hills, California that specializes in the intersection of mental health and physical health. We serve high-functioning adults navigating conditions that conventional care has not fully addressed, specifically the population whose psychological stress, unresolved trauma, and nervous system dysregulation are driving both their mental health presentation and their physical symptoms.
Two primary clinical domains define our scope of care. The first is mental health, including depression, anxiety, PTSD, bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD, and burnout. The second is the stress-related autoimmune and chronic illness dimension of our clients’ presentations, where conditions including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, IBD, and multiple sclerosis are consistently linked to the chronic stress, trauma, and nervous system dysregulation that residential mental health treatment directly addresses.
Every client at Highlands in Bloom receives an individualized treatment plan developed by a multidisciplinary clinical team. Our program is small by design. Our clinical approach is integrative. Our outcomes are grounded in evidence-based practice. And our facility is one of the few licensed residential mental health programs in Southern California with the clinical depth and intentional design to address both dimensions of a client’s health simultaneously.
Highlands in Bloom provides residential mental health treatment for adults presenting with a broad range of mental health conditions. Our clinical population most commonly includes individuals whose presentations involve one or more of the following conditions, frequently in combination with stress-related physical health concerns.
Depression. Including major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, and treatment-resistant depression. We address both the psychological and physiological dimensions of depression, including the inflammatory and nervous system patterns that sustain it.
Anxiety disorders. Including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety, panic disorder, and health anxiety. Anxiety is among the most common presentations in our population of high-functioning professionals and frequently drives the chronic stress activation that underlies autoimmune disease activity.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and complex trauma. Including single-incident trauma and the complex developmental and relational trauma patterns that accumulate over years of overextension, high-pressure performance, and emotional suppression.
Bipolar disorder. Mood regulation instability, hypomanic and depressive episodes, and the co-occurring anxiety and stress-related physical health conditions that frequently accompany bipolar presentations in high-functioning adults.
OCD. Obsessive-compulsive disorder addressed through CBT, DBT, and EMDR within our integrative treatment framework, recognizing the nervous system dysregulation and trauma history that frequently underlie OCD presentations.
ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults, particularly the high-functioning presentation where ADHD has been managed through overcompensation and sustained cognitive effort rather than appropriate clinical support.
Burnout and chronic stress. Professional burnout, caregiver burnout, and the accumulated physiological and psychological consequences of sustained overextension. Burnout is not a casual diagnosis at Highlands in Bloom. We treat it as the clinically significant nervous system condition it is.
Autoimmune and Stress-Related Physical Conditions
Highlands in Bloom is a mental health treatment facility, not a medical clinic. We do not manage medications for autoimmune conditions or provide rheumatological, endocrinological, or gastroenterological care. What we treat is the chronic psychological stress, unresolved trauma, nervous system dysregulation, and co-occurring mental health conditions that research consistently links to autoimmune disease onset, severity, and flare activity.
The population we serve includes a significant proportion of adults whose autoimmune and chronic illness diagnoses arrived in the wake of sustained professional stress, emotional overextension, or unresolved trauma. For these clients, addressing the mental health and nervous system dimensions of their condition is not supplementary to their medical care. It is clinically central to their overall wellbeing and their capacity to sustain the improvements their medical treatment provides.
Conditions whose mental health and stress dimensions we commonly address alongside co-occurring psychiatric presentations include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, lupus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, vitiligo, autoimmune hepatitis, and celiac disease.
Every client with an autoimmune condition continues their medical management under the care of their existing physicians. Highlands in Bloom coordinates with outside providers where clinically indicated and ensures that the residential treatment experience supports rather than disrupts the client’s established medical care.
Who We Serve
Highlands in Bloom serves high-functioning adults who are ready to prioritize their own recovery. Our clinical population most commonly includes executives, founders, operators, and high-level professionals; caregivers who have spent years prioritizing others at significant personal cost; adults navigating complex presentations at the intersection of mental health and chronic physical illness; and individuals whose outpatient treatment has not produced lasting results.
Our clients are not in acute psychiatric crisis, and Highlands in Bloom is not designed for acute stabilization. We serve the person whose performance is still externally intact but who privately recognizes that the cost of maintaining it has become unsustainable. We serve the adult whose weekly therapy sessions have produced insight without the physiological change that lasting recovery requires. We serve the person who has tried the available options and needs something with greater clinical depth, more time, and a more integrated approach to the mind-body connection at the center of their presentation.
Clients come to Highlands in Bloom from across the United States. Our location in Old Agoura Hills, California, approximately 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles, is accessible from both LAX and Burbank Airport. Our admissions team coordinates travel logistics for clients arriving from out of state. We are in-network with Blue Shield of California and Aetna and accept most major PPO insurance plans.
Licensed, Accredited, and Clinically Accountable
Highlands in Bloom holds a California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Mental Health Program Certification (#MHBT250527), a California Department of Social Services (CDSS) license (License #195850591), and is accredited by The Joint Commission (HCO ID: 738662), the gold standard for independent healthcare quality and safety accreditation in the United States.
The facility is verified by Psychology Today, GoodTherapy, Recovery.com, Rehab.com, and SAMHSA FindTreatment.gov. Clinical programming is overseen by our Clinical Program Director, Stacy McNeal, PhD, LMFT, and our Medical Director and Psychiatrist, Dr. Todd Hill.
Case managers, social workers, discharge planners, and hospital referral coordinators are welcome to contact our admissions team directly for a clinical consultation, referral packet, or facility tour. We return all professional referral inquiries within one business day.
How Treatment at Highlands in Bloom Works
Every client who arrives at Highlands in Bloom receives a comprehensive clinical assessment that informs an individualized treatment plan developed by the full multidisciplinary team. No two plans are the same. The presenting conditions, the history, the timeline, and the goals of each client shape every clinical decision from intake through discharge.
Core treatment modalities include individual therapy, group therapy, somatic and body-based approaches, nervous system regulation practices, mindfulness-based interventions, psychoeducation, and psychiatric evaluation and medication management where clinically indicated. Modalities drawn from CBT, DBT, EMDR, ACT, and psychodynamic frameworks are integrated based on each client’s specific clinical picture.
The residential environment at Highlands in Bloom is designed as a clinical asset, not a hospitality amenity. The private 1.45-acre property in Old Agoura Hills, the whole-food culinary program, the complementary wellness modalities including infrared sauna, cold plunge, BEMER therapy, red light therapy, vibration, and hot tub hydrotherapy, and the intentionally small program size all serve one purpose: creating the physiological and psychological conditions in which genuine, lasting clinical change becomes possible.
Discharge planning begins well before the final day of each client’s stay. Every client leaves with a comprehensive aftercare plan, step-down care recommendations, outpatient referrals, and the psychiatric and clinical documentation their ongoing providers need to support continuity of care.
FAQs
What conditions does Highlands in Bloom treat?
Highlands in Bloom provides residential mental health treatment for adults with depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD and complex trauma, bipolar disorder, OCD, ADHD, and burnout. The program also addresses the mental health and nervous system dimensions of stress-related autoimmune and chronic physical conditions, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis, vitiligo, Type 1 diabetes, and celiac disease, among others.
Highlands in Bloom is a licensed residential mental health treatment center, not a medical clinic. Clients with autoimmune conditions continue their medical management under the care of their existing physicians. What the program addresses is the chronic stress, unresolved trauma, and nervous system dysregulation that research consistently links to autoimmune disease activity and that residential mental health treatment directly targets.
Who is an appropriate candidate for residential treatment at Highlands in Bloom?
Highlands in Bloom serves high-functioning adults whose outpatient treatment has not produced lasting results, whose professional or personal demands have made adequate recovery impossible at a lower level of care, or whose presentations sit at the intersection of mental health and chronic physical illness in ways that standard outpatient treatment does not address. The program is particularly well suited for executives, professionals, caregivers, and high-achieving adults who have been managing their symptoms privately and who are ready for a clinical intervention with the depth and time their situation requires.
The program does not serve individuals in active psychiatric crisis, those requiring medical detoxification, or minors. Clients arriving at Highlands in Bloom are medically stable and motivated for residential treatment. The admissions team conducts a comprehensive clinical assessment for every prospective client to determine appropriateness of level of care before admission is confirmed.
Can a residential mental health program help someone with an autoimmune condition?
Yes, within a specific and important clinical scope. Research across rheumatology, immunology, and psychiatry consistently demonstrates that chronic psychological stress, unresolved trauma, and HPA axis dysregulation directly influence autoimmune disease activity through their effects on inflammatory cytokines and immune regulation. Addressing these factors in a residential clinical setting produces meaningful improvements in both psychological wellbeing and, for many clients, in the physical symptom burden of autoimmune conditions.
Highlands in Bloom treats the mental health and nervous system dimensions of autoimmune disease rather than the disease itself medically. For clients whose autoimmune conditions developed in the context of sustained professional stress, trauma, or emotional overextension, this distinction matters enormously. The residential program provides the clinical intensity, the somatic and nervous system work, the nutritional support, and the sustained stress reduction that outpatient care cannot replicate, all of which are directly relevant to autoimmune disease course and quality of life.
What makes Highlands in Bloom different from other residential mental health programs in California?
Three things distinguish Highlands in Bloom from the residential mental health programs available in Southern California. The first is the explicit clinical focus on the intersection of mental health and stress-related autoimmune and chronic physical conditions. Very few licensed residential programs in California address this intersection with clinical depth. The second is the intentionally small program size, which allows for genuinely individualized care at a level that larger programs structurally cannot provide. The third is the founding philosophy of the program, built by a leader whose own experience with autoimmune illness and professional burnout shaped every clinical and environmental decision.
Highlands in Bloom is not a luxury retreat with clinical programming attached. It is a licensed, Joint Commission-accredited residential mental health facility with a specific clinical population, a rigorous evidence-based treatment framework, and a physical environment that functions as a clinical asset in support of the work. The combination of clinical rigor, individualized care, and the mind-body philosophical framework is not available at most residential programs in California or nationally.
How do case managers and social workers refer clients to Highlands in Bloom?
Case managers, social workers, discharge planners, and hospital referral coordinators can contact the Highlands in Bloom admissions team directly by phone at (805) 892-6313 or through the contact form at highlandsinbloom.com/contact. The admissions team responds to all professional referral inquiries within one business day and can provide a clinical consultation, a referral information packet, or a virtual or in-person facility tour on request.
For professional referrals, the admissions team conducts a brief clinical assessment of the prospective client, verifies insurance benefits on behalf of the referral source and the client, and provides a clear determination of clinical appropriateness and availability. Highlands in Bloom actively maintains referral relationships with case managers, social workers, employee assistance programs, hospital discharge teams, and outpatient providers across California and nationally. Professionals who refer clients regularly are welcome to request an ongoing liaison relationship with the admissions team.
Does Highlands in Bloom accept out-of-state clients?
Yes. Highlands in Bloom serves clients from across the United States. The facility is located in Old Agoura Hills, California, approximately 35 miles northwest of Los Angeles and accessible from both Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. The admissions team coordinates travel logistics and arrival planning for out-of-state clients and their families as part of the pre-admission process.
Most PPO insurance plans from major national carriers cover residential mental health treatment when medical necessity criteria are met. Out-of-network benefits apply for many plans, and the admissions team verifies out-of-state insurance benefits at no cost as part of the admissions consultation. FMLA job-protected leave, which explicitly covers residential mental health treatment, is available to most eligible employees and allows out-of-state clients to step away from their professional responsibilities with their employment protected.
Does insurance cover residential mental health treatment at Highlands in Bloom?
Highlands in Bloom is in-network with Blue Shield of California and Aetna and accepts most major PPO insurance plans. Residential mental health treatment is covered by most PPO plans when the clinical team establishes medical necessity, which applies to the majority of clients who meet the level of care criteria for residential treatment. The admissions team verifies insurance benefits at no cost before admission and manages the prior authorization process on behalf of the client.
For clients whose primary insurance is not PPO-based or who prefer to understand their out-of-pocket exposure before beginning the admissions process, the admissions team provides a clear and honest picture of anticipated costs and coverage at no obligation. HIPAA protections ensure that employers have no access to individual insurance claims data or diagnosis, addressing the confidentiality concern that prevents many high-functioning professionals from seeking the care they need.
What is the admissions process at Highlands in Bloom?
The admissions process begins with a complimentary, confidential clinical consultation: a brief conversation between the prospective client and the admissions team to assess clinical fit, answer questions, and determine appropriate next steps. No obligation and no pressure attach to this conversation. It exists to help the prospective client or their referral source make an informed decision.
Following the initial consultation, the admissions team verifies insurance benefits, coordinates the clinical assessment, and works with the client to establish a realistic admission timeline. For clients referred by case managers, social workers, or hospital discharge teams, the admissions team manages the professional handoff and maintains communication with the referring party throughout the process. From initial contact to confirmed admission, most clients complete the process within two to five business days. Expedited admissions are available when clinically indicated.