Thank you Drs. Viner & Baron for your time and attentiveness during my day at Yellowbrick. I was very impressed with multiple aspects of Yellowbrick. The overall treatment model, in my mind, is ingenious and comprehensive. I felt that every facet of treatment was acknowledged, whether it be diet, movement and yoga, mindful meditation, therapy, as well as real life, practical “life management” services with your OT’s and social workers. I was especially impressed by this because I feel like it is rare in this field, and most treatments seem to be very unidirectional, or possibly bidirectional with drugs and therapy. But approaching it from all angles seems like the best way to inspire true change in someone’s life. I also appreciated your focus on neuroscience for the treatments. Lastly, I was amazed at the community has been created. I agree with you that “the placebo effect is real, and it is relationships.” This was obviously on display at Yellowbrick. In the relationships with their care team, but especially the peer relationships with each other, there was an overwhelming sense of community and general care for everyone. I found myself invested in the discussions that occured and all of the community dynamics. Your comment during the IPS talk saying that “banging on doors is exciting, it means something is happening,” repeated in my head while hearing the heated discussion in the community during community meeting. I am not sure where I want to end up in Psychiatry but my experience at Yellowbrick has already shaped my career in a very strong way.

I hope my leaving doesn’t prevent you from knowing what a blessing you are in my life. The moment you said, “I don’t need you to be Eliza, I need you to be you,” I exhaled. Thank you for trusting me, believing in me, challenging me, supporting me, and giving me space to grow into my authentic self. It’s trust, there really is no other place like Yellowbrick, and that’s because your soul is infused into every single part of it. My greatest hope is that I can create something of my own with the same love, passion, and empathy (not to mention courage, wisdom, and heart!) as you did with YB. And you have helped me see that I am capable of that and more. Good leaders encourage and great leaders empower. You are a great leader, and a great human being. Thank you for the opportunity to have one of the most exciting and transformative years in my life so far! I will miss you dearly, but know that I am not far away.
Peace, love and blessings,

Hi Dr. Viner,
I wanted to thank you for all of what you do. Your generosity and advocacy of caring for those in need is inspiring. Thank you for your care to details and direct support as on call and as a person. Even through deep hardships you fight to be in the thick of it and to do the best I see is possible. There is no place like Yellowbrick and truly I am so grateful. Thank you for allowing me in the experience of this work. It was an honor to walk on this long and magical road.

Thanks a Million,

Yellowbrick is a one of a kind establishment which allows young adults to exercise their valued freedom and to use those liberties to create a better lives for themselves. The Open Community Model is nothing short of a mastercraft.

Former Core Competence Staff

During my three month internship at Yellowbrick, I learned to expect highly collaborative, research-based practice to be occurring around-the-clock. I saw patients working with a number of professionals to address their own unique challenges through skills they already had, and skills they built and learned how to use at Yellowbrick. The transformations that occurred were coming from patients, but guided by professionals. Young adults came from all over the country, all with their own stories, diagnoses, and goals; Yellowbrick was ready to address the whole person and take the time needed to set these emerging adults up for success. What struck me most about Yellowbrick’s model was the emphasis put on peer relationships; these professionals recognized the importance of peers working together to create bonds, solve problems, and build toward a healthy emerging adulthood post-discharge. My belief that Yellowbrick’s model, based on science, hard work, and integrity, is one I will carry forward with me into my professional work, and will support  me in helping patients to discover a path forward into adulthood.

Dear Dr. Jesse Viner,
I would like to thank you for allowing me the opportunity to shadow Dr. Effarah and work closely with the neuroscience team at Yellowbrick! I am grateful to have experienced just how remarkable the staff and procedures at Yellowbrick truly are! Thank you once again for letting me observe the phenomenal work being done at Yellowbrick!

Sincerely,

During a six-month training rotation at Yellowbrick while a student at the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, I had a unique opportunity to observe the operations of this innovative treatment center for emerging adults. An anthropologist by training, I have experienced a variety of cultural settings, but Yellowbrick stands out in my mind as a community like no other in its commitment to helping young people forge lives oriented toward independence, meaningful personal growth, and mental and physical health. This is a truly special place where patients and staff strike up friendly conversations around the lunch table, participate in weekly community meetings with enthusiasm and candor, and welcome each and every newcomer with empathy and warmth. 
Sitting in on meetings with the professional staff, I saw firsthand how diligently everyone worked to understand their patients and formulate individualized strategies for promoting each patient’s well-being. If a patient started to show signs of distress, the staff was quick to notice, offer support, and mobilize all available resources to help set the individual on a more positive path. It was also remarkable to see how closely attuned the patients themselves were to each other’s needs, as they spontaneously offered kind words, supportive hugs, and messages of concern to anyone in the Yellowbrick community going through a difficult time. 
Although no single organization can meet the needs of every individual, Yellowbrick is evidently a place where many young adults are motivated to undertake the work of rebuilding lives derailed by psychological struggle. It is hard to imagine a young person coming to Yellowbrick and not finding the tools needed to begin the work of recovery, provided the individual is open to personal change and willing to do the work.

Yellowbrick has great facilities, uses best practice interventions, and creates a unique treatment environment for those seeking an intensive program. What impresses me most about Yellowbrick, though, is its dedicated interdisciplinary team. An incredible amount of empathy, clinical reasoning, and passion goes into the work being done by each professional to support clients towards treatment goals. Having a community model means that peers are responsible for their behaviors and accountable to the entire community for both their successes and struggles. This is challenging for most, as it creates room for open dialogue and deeper self-exploration without isolation. But that challenge is where the work of treatment lies. I have found Yellowbrick to be truly unique, and I fully recommend it to those looking for a holistic, intensive setting to work on transitioning to adulthood.

You changed my life for the better. A job offer I never expected, more mentorship than I could ever have asked for, friendships that I intend to make last a lifetime; all because you were willing to take a chance on an unseasoned, unsure but passionate professional. For all of this, I will be eternally grateful.