Suicides and Rape at a Prized Mental Health Center

April 23, 2025

black and white image of a woman looking down

(New York Times) – In 2018, Timberline Knolls, an upscale mental health center for women that once attracted pop stars like Demi Lovato, was in trouble. At least four residents said a therapist had sexually assaulted them on the facility’s wooded campus outside Chicago.

The therapist was arrested, and the center’s corporate owner, the large national chain Acadia Healthcare, said it had made changes “to assure that it won’t happen again.”

But dangerous conditions persisted for years at Timberline Knolls, an investigation by The New York Times found, in part because of pressure to enroll more patients without hiring enough employees. (Read More)