For Referring Professionals

If you are a clinician, discharge planner, county program, or community organization looking to refer an adult for outpatient mental health or substance use treatment in San Diego County, this page is the short version of everything you need.

Who Can Refer to Golden Coast Rehab?

Anyone can refer to Golden Coast Rehab — hospitals and emergency departments, county behavioral health programs, private therapists and psychiatrists, primary care, courts and probation, schools, and family members. Clients can also self-refer: no referral is required for an adult to call us directly.

What Do We Accept?

We accept adults 18 and over for two clinical lanes at our La Mesa facility: specialty mental health PHP and IOP as a contracted County of San Diego Behavioral Health Services provider (County Contract 575462), and substance use care — outpatient detoxification, outpatient, intensive outpatient, and medication-assisted treatment — under DHCS certification 370254AP. Medi-Cal is welcome on any of the county's four managed care plans. We do not provide residential or inpatient care in either lane; if your patient needs a level we do not offer, we will say so and help you find it.

How Do I Make a Referral?

To make a referral, call (858) 925-8589 — the line is answered by a person 24 hours a day. Tell us you are a referring professional; we will take the clinical picture, verify coverage, and schedule the assessment. With a signed release of information we will close the loop with you on intake status; without one, confidentiality rules under HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 mean we cannot confirm whether someone is a client.

What Happens After I Refer Someone?

After you refer someone, the sequence is: a phone conversation with the client, coverage verification, a phone assessment, then clinical review and intake scheduling. Where clinically appropriate we move quickly — the practical constraints are coverage authorization and assessment findings, and we will tell you honestly if outpatient is not the safe level for your patient.