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The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders – Paramus, NJ

1 Kalisa Way, Suite 211
Ridgewood, NJ 07652
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Close-up sketch of the modern glass entrance to a drug and alcohol recovery center.

About The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders – Paramus, NJ

The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders offers treatment for eating disorders and co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders. In other words this treatment center could be an excellent option if you have both an eating disorder and substance use disorder (SUD), but they do not address SUD alone. They have several locations throughout the region. This particular facility is in Paramus, New Jersey.

Multi-tiered Outpatient Treatment Options

The Paramus location is an outpatient facility. They have different levels of outpatient programs here including day treatment or partial hospitalization programs. They have intensive outpatient programs or IOPs, too, and they have traditional outpatient therapy. I think it’s important to note that they also have a residential treatment center about two hours away in Spring Lane, Pennsylvania. This way you can transition through various levels of care with the same organization as your recovery progresses.

Your program here will be personalized to your needs in a way that benefits both your addiction recovery and your eating disorder recovery. Your therapy sessions will include individual sessions as well as group and family therapy formats. They also have more unique services like creative arts therapy and nutritional counseling. They can also help with other co-occurring mental health concerns such as trauma and body image issues.

Positive Client Feedback

Clients who have participated in this program have said that it was life changing for them. They report that the program was well developed and the staff were compassionate and knowledgeable.

Similar Rehab Centers

Fact checked and written by:
Nikki Wisher, BA
Edited by:
Kerry Nenn, BSW

Latest Reviews

Jennifer McAdam
11 months ago on Google
5
Renfrew in Paramus, NJ has been spectacularly helpful in my recovery from a 25 year eating disorder. Every staff member is respectful, empathetic, and insightful. I felt welcome from the moment I walked through the doors. And, the assistance began with my first contact with Renfrew personnel. I immediately knew I had chosen the right place for my recovery. I recommend Renfrew to anyone facing the challenges of ED.
Response from the owner1 month ago
Hi Jennifer,

Thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review! We’re grateful to be a part of your recovery journey and appreciate your support.
Julie Masri
2 years ago on Google
5
I struggled with an eating disorder for years and years. I left university to go to Renfrew, and it changed my life for the better. One thing about eating disorders is that if you don’t want help, you will not be open to receiving any help. All of the negative reviews seem to be people forced into getting treatment. When you are ready to make the decision, renfrew is something I would highly recommend. Yes, it is intensive. Yes, it will make you cry. Yes, a lot will be brought up. But facing your eating disorder is the only way to go through it. My team was Alyssa for a therapist and Ethan for a dietician, and they helped me in ways I did not know they could. I am back in university and I don’t have my eating disorder controlling my life anymore. If you are reading this and need more insight or have any questions, please reach out!
Response from the owner1 month ago
Hi Julie, thank you for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review and for allowing Renfrew to be a part of your recovery journey. Wishing you continued success!
Reviewed on 10/28/2019
4.5
Compassionate staff, they truly helped me get to a better, healthier place. Yes, the program is strict (I mean would you trust a center that didn't have rules?), but you just have to trust the process.
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Accepted Insurance

Please contact to verify your specific insurance provider.

The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders – Paramus, NJ works with several private insurance providers, please contact to verify your specific insurance provider.

Other Forms of Payment

Private insurance refers to any kind of healthcare coverage that isn't from the state or federal government. This includes individual and family plans offered by an employer or purchased from the Insurance Marketplace. Every plan will have different requirements and out of pocket costs so be sure to get the full details before you start treatment.

Self-pay involves paying for treatment out of your own pocket. You can use savings or credit, get a personal loan, or receive help from family and friends to fund your treatment. If you don't have insurance or your insurance plan doesn't cover a specific program, self-pay can help ensure you still get the care you need.

Addiction Treatments

Levels of Care

Outpatient Programs (OP) are for those seeking mental rehab or drug rehab, but who also stay at home every night. The main difference between outpatient treatment (OP) and intensive outpatient treatment (IOP) lies in the amount of hours the patient spends at the facility. Most of the time an outpatient program is designed for someone who has completed an inpatient stay and is looking to continue their growth in recovery. Outpatient is not meant to be the starting point, it is commonly referred to as aftercare.

Clients who are exiting inpatient rehab, those who are experiencing crisis, and those who prefer to live at home while in treatment typically enroll in intensive inpatient programs (IOP). These programs feature frequent and robust care, generally requiring clients to participate in at least nine hours of care weekly, though many intensive outpatient rehabs offer up to 20 treatment hours per week. IOP services typically combine individual, group, and family counseling with recovery education and holistic therapies.

Treatments

Many of those suffering from addiction also suffer from mental or emotional illnesses like schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, or anxiety disorders. Rehab and other substance abuse facilities treating those with a dual diagnosis or co-occurring disorder administer psychiatric treatment to address the person's mental health issue in addition to drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

Mental health rehabs focus on helping individuals recover from mental illnesses like bipolar disorder, clinical depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and more. Mental health professionals at these facilities are trained to understand and treat mental health issues, both in individual and group settings.

Programs

Adult rehab programs include therapies tailored to each client's specific needs, goals, and recovery progress. They are tailored to the specific challenges adult clients may face, including family and work pressures and commitments. From inpatient and residential treatment to various levels of outpatient services, there are many options available. Some facilities also help adults work through co-occurring conditions, like anxiety, that can accompany addiction.

Young adulthood can be an exciting, yet difficult, time of transition. Individuals in their late teens to mid-20s face unique stressors related to school, jobs, families, and social circles, which can lead to a rise in substance use. Rehab centers with dedicated young adult programs will include activities and amenities that cater to this age group, with an emphasis on specialized counseling, peer socialization, and ongoing aftercare.

Recovery is most successful when clients feel accepted and validated by their peers and treatment providers. Facilities that offer LGBTQ-inclusive programming are committed to creating a safe space where everyone can grow and recover without fear of judgment or discrimination. They will have dedicated policies in place to create a safe and supportive environment that fosters free expression.

Clinical Services

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy modality that focuses on the relationship between one's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is used to establish and allow for healthy responses to thoughts and feelings (instead of unhealthy responses, like using drugs or alcohol). CBT has been proven effective for recovering addicts of all kinds, and is used to strengthen a patient's own self-awareness and ability to self-regulate. CBT allows individuals to monitor their own emotional state, become more adept at communicating with others, and manage stress without needing to engage in substance abuse.

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a modified form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), a treatment designed to help people understand and ultimately affect the relationship between their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. DBT is often used for individuals who struggle with self-harm behaviors, such as self-mutilation (cutting) and suicidal thoughts, urges, or attempts. It has been proven clinically effective for those who struggle with out-of-control emotions and mental health illnesses like Borderline Personality Disorder.

Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.

In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.

Trauma therapy provides a structure to approach healing from past traumatic events that you may have witnessed or experienced. Your therapist will work with you to identify and process these memories. This helps promote a sense of safety and stability and helps you heal emotionally.

Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.

Nutrition therapy is more than a simple meal plan during rehab. It's designed to facilitate a faster recovery by giving your body the nutrients it needs to heal. It aids in strengthening your systems and giving you the energy you need for daily functioning and success in other therapies.

The main types of creative arts therapy in New Jersey are dance, art, drama, and music. Through creative processes and active art making, this treatment provides a safe setting free of judgment for participants to explore and express their challenging thoughts and emotions.

Experiential therapy is a form of therapy in which clients are encouraged to surface and work through subconscious issues by engaging in real-time experiences. Experiential therapy departs from traditional talk therapy by involving the body, and having clients engage in activities, movements, and physical and emotional expression. This can involve role-play or using props (which can include other people). Experiential therapy can help people process trauma, memories, and emotion quickly, deeply, and in a lasting fashion, leading to substantial and impactful healing.

Staff

Samuel E. Menaged, JD

Founder & President

Gayle Brooks, PhD, CEDS-S

VP & CCO

Judi Goldstein, MSS, LSW

Vice President, Renfrew Center Foundation

Vanessa Menaged

Chief Marketing and Admissions Officer

Lori Ciotti, LICSW, CEDS-C

VP of Outpatient Operations

Keri Lorenson

CFO

Kim Edgin, MPA, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PHR-CA

Chief Human Resource Officer

Rehab.com regularly reviews this listing for accuracy but changes may occur between updates. For the most up-to-date information, please contact The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders – Paramus, NJ.

Contact Information

Building icon

1 Kalisa Way
Suite 211
Paramus, NJ 07652

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Reviews of The Renfrew Center for Eating Disorders – Paramus, NJ

3.02/5 (22 reviews)
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Reviews

4.5

Compassionate staff, they truly helped me get to a better, healthier place. Yes, the program is strict (I mean would you trust a center that didn't have rules?), but you just have to trust the process.

Reviewed on 10/27/2019
1

They tried to dump me in residential treatment 4 weeks into the program. I declined, and they gave up on me for the last 8 weeks I was there. Each time I went into an individual session after their "recommendation," they wasted time harassing me about their residential progr ... Read More

Reviewed on 10/4/2019
1

Director was EXTREMELY condescending and demeaning. When I was crying on my first day, she pulled me into the office and asked "do you have any friends?". I cried " I did when I was younger but they faded away". She replied in the most sarcastic tone, " oh, well maybe they d ... Read More

Reviewed on 9/4/2019
Overall Experience
Date Submitted
Reviewer

Google Reviews

3.28 (18 reviews)
Katie Church
1 month ago
5

My experience at Renfrew Paramus was very different from many of the recent reviews I’ve read. In the beginning, I fought the system every step of the way. I came in with my walls up, resistant to treatment, and convinced that no one understood what I was going through. Looking back, I realize the staff met me with patience and compassion, even when I wasn’t making it easy. What ultimately made a difference was allowing myself to trust the process and let those walls come down. Once I did, the team walked alongside me each day. Recovery wasn’t easy, but I never felt alone in it. Reading some of the recent reviews makes me sad because they don’t reflect my experience. We chose our meals each day from menu options, and while there may have been foods I would have loved to see offered (as someone from New Jersey, I would have been thrilled by a bagel day!), I always felt that choices were provided and respected. I was never force-fed. The nutritional supplements offered when meals weren’t completed were not intended as punishment or harm. They were there to provide nourishment and support our recovery when meeting nutritional needs through food alone was difficult. Treatment programs are not perfect, and everyone’s experience is unique. However, Renfrew Paramus helped me during a time when I desperately needed support, and for that I will always be grateful. The staff (Alyssa) challenged me, cared for me, and encouraged me to keep moving forward even when I wanted to give up. Katie C. -Wayne NJ

Nicole Shaw
1 month ago
5

Response from the owner
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a 5-star review!
Reese Bitecola
5 months ago
2

I have never written a negative review before but I feel strongly about Renfrew. They teach practically the same material in therapy group every week and they call coping skills “avoidance” or “distractions,” and tell you to “sit with your emotions.” If you’re feeling really upset they recommend to arc about it on a paper that is confusing. If your feeling anxious they say not to fidget unless you have approval to have a fidget toy, sometimes they let you use one though. Apparently playing with my hair in uncomfortable situations is a “distraction/avoidance.” When you’re struggling at a meal they make it obvious in front of the other and put attention on you or they come up to you and loudly whisper in your ear. They are very quick to kick you out of the program or recommend residential. If your blood pressure is a little off they make you drink Gatorade, if you refuse Gatorade 3 times they send you to the hospital. They call Gatorade medicine. They order from the same food place, modern bagel almost every single day and you only have 2 food options to pick from unless you speak with your dietician, untill your of fo/fix own when you can pick anything from the menu. I do however like that you can ask for certain foods when they go grocery shopping for snacks. Another positive is they have separate toasters and microwaves for kosher and gluten free people. Their meal plan program is very confusing and usually not individualized. They do food “exchanges”. I do know having all the food groups is important but The exchanges are not really necessary for every single meal because you don’t need to have a fruit with every single meal, they say the fruit is to challenge negative connotations about fruit. Oh and they count juice as a fruit. Also count sprite as a fruit in soda day.They have the same breakfast every week too. If you don’t complete they give you supplement. If you don’t complete only 3 Oreos and still competed everything else from a meal they still give you a boost plus, breeze, cliff bar, or orgain. If you use supplement they don’t count it as completion, they count it as Compliance .They also make you supplement if you loose a single pound which could literally just be from your clothes on that day or if you are Constipated. If you genuinely do not like a food they make you “challenge” it multiple times and think it’s the disorder talking. They really don’t know how to treat Arfid. Even if you hate a food you still have to complete it. I swear I’m not saying this from a disordered standpoint but if you are genuinely so full that you feel like your body can’t fit anymore or it will throw up (naturally) they still make you compete and they give food every hour before you had time to start digesting the meal or snack before. I understand that you can’t exactly trust your hunger cues early in recovery and get full fast but it gets to a point. There was a time I was served a genuinely huge plate of pad Thai bigger then my head, two clementines, cliff bar, Gatorade, and ice cream for lunch and only had 30 minutes to eat it all. They didn’t always give giant portions but the times they did they told you it is your disorder talking. The staff don’t really listen to you even in therapy and gaslight you. I completed the php (the day program from 8:30-2:30) but did not go to iop (5pm-8) because if I were to go I would be exhausted after school and not have time to do homework or be social with friends, along with the fact that I would not be getting home till around 9. When my mom told them I will not be attending the iop program they seemed very offended and mad. My therapist was supposed to email my mom out patient therapists but they never did, they just ghosted her. Also, they are open on holidays. The only thing that made me feel ok in the program was the friends I made there. I honestly felt more comfortable confiding in the other patients way more than I did the staff. There’s more I wanted to write in this review but I already wrote a lot.

Response from the owner
We’re glad to hear that you found connection and support within the community during your time in the program.

We also appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. We recognize that treatment can feel difficult at times, and our programs are designed with structure and clinical oversight to support recovery.

We’re sorry to hear that parts of your experience felt frustrating or unsupported. Our goal is always to provide compassionate, respectful care while maintaining the clinical structure necessary for treatment. We also recognize that every individual’s recovery journey is unique, and not every program will feel like the right fit for everyone.

If you would like to speak further about your experience, we welcome you to reach out to us directly at alumni@renfrewcenter.com.

We wish you all the best.
River
6 months ago
1

Went here for one day. Worst day ever. They don’t know how to treat ARFID. Told them the scariest foods for me and they gave me all of them as a meal for my first day ever there and then seems annoyed at me and mad.

Response from the owner
Hi River,

We’re truly sorry to hear that your time at Renfrew did not meet your expectations. Seeking treatment for an eating disorder is an incredibly personal and courageous step, and we regret that you did not feel fully supported during your time with us.

We sincerely wish you the very best as you continue on your recovery journey.
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