The Almanac
Menlo Park, Atherton, Portola Valley, Woodside
A new adolescent mental health clinic has opened in Menlo Park, aiming to provide intensive treatment options outside of a hospital setting for teens struggling with anxiety, depression and trauma in Silicon Valley’s “pressure cooker” academic environment.
Guide Behavioral Health, located at 1906 El Camino Real in Menlo Park, opened earlier this year. The Menlo Park community has recently experienced several suicides.
“While I respect the education system so much, I think that some of the policies about forcing the competitive edge breaks down children in a way that they cannot perform and function to the degree they could if we change some of these things,” Guide Executive Director Suzzette Garcia said.
“In the Bay Area, and Silicon Valley specifically, it’s a pressure cooker of expectations and achievements. These kids have so much pressure it’s insane. I don’t think people, or parents, realize it,” said founder Danny DuRee.
“For these kids, they have proximity to suicide, they are aware that it happens and they know people that have had it happen,” Garcia said.
DuRee said some of the clinic’s early clients are familiar with recent deaths.
Unlike other programs, Guide Behavioral Health treats adolescent mental health outside of a hospital setting, in an office located just blocks from M-A, Menlo School and Sacred Heart. “We really tried to make our office feel like a home. I’ve been to places before where it feels very institutional and medical. An important part to us was to make the space as warm and as welcoming as we could,” said DuRee.
Guide has two main treatment programs: intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization.
The intensive outpatient program includes 12 hours of weekly sessions that involve one-on-one therapy, group and family therapy, and neurofeedback. Many adolescents are referred by their therapists or come to the program after residential treatment. The program is designed so participants can still go to school.
The partial hospitalization program is much more intensive. Teens spend all day at Guide but return to their families in the evening. The program is designed for adolescents transitioning directly from stabilization programs.
Both programs involve cognitive behavioral therapy and emotional regulation. Garcia designed the programs to be flexible so as to not create another barrier for treatment. As long as it’s safe and medically appropriate, Garcia said families can take breaks — such as for summer travel.
Guide is also unique in its approach to modern technology.
“We really changed the narrative around phones. I’ve worked in a lot of positions where they would take patients’ phones, but teens need to learn how to navigate this world with this device. Phones can be a very powerful tool and so we want to teach teens how to utilize technology,” said Garcia.
“In the sessions, we talk about reflecting on what they are using their phones for, ‘Am I connecting with a friend because I feel anxious and alone?’ or ‘Am I doomscrolling on social media?’” Garcia said.
Although some claim teens need to work harder in order to get over their issues, Garcia refutes that.
“I’ve never worked with more resilient, stronger people than adolescents dealing with mental health. When someone has the least amount of life experience, everything is stacked against them. Every reason not to go on is there, and yet they still have the courage to show up. It may look like they’re absent from school, but they got out of bed that morning when everything wanted them to stay in. When people say adolescents just need to work harder, I think there is a lack of understanding, one about the neuroscience of how the brain works, and then the reality of the pressure they face,” Garcia said.
However, Garcia emphasized that teens have control.
“I don’t see people as victims, because I think when you see them as a victim, it infantilizes them to believe they’re not powerful enough to overcome this. However, I do think it’s important to validate and to not gaslight individuals about their reality and the obstacles they face and environmental and neurological factors that have caused mental health conditions. These are diseases. They’re not simply poor character traits,” said Garcia.
DuRee’s background is not in mental health. He was originally a Mountain View-based trust and estate attorney.
“Being an estate attorney, you hear people tell you what’s going on in their family. So I saw that there was a need and somebody needed to do something and provide services,” DuRee said.
Guide’s staff includes two intensive care coordinators who are graduate students training to become therapists, four licensed therapists, one pre-licensed therapist completing clinical hours, a psychiatrist who serves as medical director, and a nurse practitioner.
“When I was developing the curriculum, it was touched by every single person. We looked at all the places we’ve worked at over the years, all the theories that we study, and asked ourselves ‘What’s missing?’ ‘What’s wrong?’ We looked at various things: issues within LGBT, issues with socioeconomics, language barriers, policies, social media, AI. I think that’s really unique,” Garcia said.
Guide currently only treats people between the ages of 13 to 17. It plans to expand to include programs for young adults later this summer. Guide accepts many insurance plans.
Help is available
Any person who is feeling depressed, troubled or suicidal can call 988, the mental health crisis hotline, to speak with a crisis counselor. In Santa Clara County, interpretation is available in 200 languages. Spanish speakers can also call 888-628-9454. People can reach trained counselors at Crisis Text Line by texting RENEW to 741741.
Arden Margulis is a reporter for The Almanac, covering Menlo Park and Atherton. He first joined the newsroom in May 2024 as an intern. His reporting on the Las Lomitas School District won first place coverage… More by Arden Margulis
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