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CASTLEWOOD ST. LOUIS CLOSED PERMANENTLY


WE DID IT!



St. Louis Post Dispatch December 3, 2024


BALLWIN — A mental health facility overlooking Castlewood State Park has closed, 13 years after patients first made accusations of brainwashing by staff.


Alsana, formerly Castlewood Treatment Center for eating disorders, closed last month because of “new regulatory guidance by the state of Missouri that required extensive and costly updates to the facility,” said the company’s marketing manager Shelby Westbrook.


Westbrook did not provide details about the new rules for the residential center at 1260 Saint Paul Road in Ballwin.

Castlewood Treatment Center was founded nearly 25 years ago by psychologist Mark Schwartz. At least five former patients sued Castlewood and Schwartz claiming they were brainwashed to create false memories of sexual abuse by family members.


The cases were dismissed or settled for undisclosed amounts. Staff members previously denied the allegations and said no therapist created false memories or hypnotized clients. 


“This has been a long and heart-wrenching battle,” said Bobby Lerz, co-founder of the advocacy group Castlewood Victims Unite, in a statement. “Exposing and closing Castlewood has been our goal since 2011. Sadly this won’t bring back my daughter. But at least I will sleep easy knowing that no other families will be destroyed by Castlewood St. Louis moving forward.”


Schwartz left Castlewood in 2013. As part of a disciplinary agreement with the state psychology board, he agreed to let his Missouri license expire in January 2018. That year, Castlewood changed its name to Alsana, which now has four locations in California and one in Alabama, according to its website.


Alsana is looking for a new St. Louis location for the residential treatment facility, Westbrook said.

Earlier this year, Alsana was sued for nearly $117,000 in unpaid rent on office space at 1859 Bowles Ave. in Fenton. Rachel Jeep, a Clayton attorney who represents the landlord GMH Intertech, did not respond to a request for comment.


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1 Comment


Kimberly Banks
Dec 11, 2024

Good! They almost killed me 2 months ago! If my husband hadn't picked me up and taken me to the hospital, I wouldn't be here.

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