Blossom Place

Blossom Place is a space for recovery that prepares you for a fulfilling, independent life. Deanna & the Blossom team guide you along the journey through therapeutic groups, nutrition sessions, meal prep, and individual work. At Blossom, I feel validated, heard, cared about, and truly loved. Blossom Place is special, and Deanna & the staff truly make it what it is.

I’ve accessed the services of blossom place for almost 2yrs, I’ve done both the inpatient and outpatient program. I would not be where I am in my life today if it wasn’t for Deanna and blossom. I’ve gone through many different treatment centres and hospitals over the past 10+ years and blossom place was the first program that actually set me up for success for the real world. Deanna’s approach with the Ed is firm and doesn’t coddle the disorder which was needed since it’s such a sneaky illness. Deanna personally went out of her way to guide me and support me in areas of my that weren’t even part of the blossom program. I struggled financially to support myself through this program and Deanna helped fund me herself so I could get the help that I needed. I would not be alive today if it wasn’t for Deanna and the love that she puts into her work.

Hey my name is Andrew Pahl and I work as an Outreach Support Worker and case manager for the Nanaimo Region John Howard Society. I’ve know the owner of Blossom Place for over 10 years on a professional and personal level. Deanna is by far one of the most passionate , strong and independent woman I’ve ever known. She displays this “we can get through anything “ type of attitude and it shows in her professional career. She is a wonderful mother to her son and provides her amazing clientele of women what they need in her day to day operations at Blossom Place . She wears her heart on her sleeve and provides a safe , comfortable space for women of all ages to recover from their ailments whatever they may be. I’ve been here on this journey with her and Blossom Place from day one and it warms my heart to see the amount of women she has helped and continues to aid in their recovery. I strongly recommend that anyone struggling in silence with their mental health and eating disorders that they reach out to this qualified , empathetic and wonderful human being. She will lift you up and put you back on your feet and help every step of they way get set up to succeed . One of the most loving atmospheres I’ve been a part of. Keep up the great work that you do Deanna. ALL MY RELATIONS FAR AND NEAR , WE ARE WITH YOU !

I have suffered with an Eating Disorder for nearly 10 years, and Blossom Place is the only program that has given me hope for a full and normal life free of my ED. The program is incredibly special and unique in its approach, providing a wide variety of workshops that focus on body positivity and Health At Every Size (HAES). The owner, Deanna, goes above and beyond for every single person in the household. In her eyes, you are not just a patient. You are truly loved, cared for, and supported in every way possible. I could not be more grateful for this program. Blossom Place has saved my life!

I don't usually write reviews on places I haven't personally been to but seeing how Blossom Place has significantly changed my best friend's life, I find that I have to. Blossom truly is the first of its kind and I honestly believe it deserves much more recognition. This place teaches you how to actually enjoy life free from your eating disorder much better than any other place i've heard of, so thank you Deanna for saving my best friend's life, i am forever thankful for you and the rest of the blossom community<3

Blossom has a great message and advertised program. I will say that the meal planning and nutritionist in this program are its strongest asset. There is one qualified therapist who does her job very well here and I am extremely thankful for her. However, the owner (who runs most of the “programming”) is not qualified, nor is educated in the mental health field. They lack clear communication skills, are not organized in the slightest, and do not take appropriate accountability for their actions. They treat this place like it’s their hobby, not their passion. They say they are passionate, but do not come to the house for days on end while they are getting their nails done, going on personal weekends away, and seeing friends. They do not prioritize the mental health of the individuals involved, and have an aggressive attitude towards those suffering. I also want to state that the owner asked multiple times for us in the house to write a good review one evening before bed, regardless of how we felt.

I reached out to Deanna last year. She told me I had to make a decision that night as to whether I would attend the house and pay a $1600 deposit; I did. Deanna told me I could email her with any questions. Well she readily took my money, I sent a few questions and never heard back. My aunt was terminally ill with cancer and I found doing any therapy was too much at this time so I let Deanna know this and that I was no longer in a position to attend the house. When I asked Deanna for a refund, she said she would do it ASAP. It took her 2 weeks while I had the funds sitting on my credit card. Since I did not get a refund ASAP like she said, I made a formal request through my bank for a refund, and after this was done, Deanna sent, not 1 but 2 emails to me, which were rather angry at about 1:30am telling me how she did refund me and advised she allegedly sent proof - she never did as I am extremely Type A and never received such records. As well, I checked my junk folder in my email. She also kept $300 for my deposit and never fully refunded me my money. A handful of months later, I called out of desperation and have been waiting weeks for a response. Calling was poor judgment on my part. What is worse, is their facility works with vulnerable populations and there is no proper security screening for criminal record checks; I can confirm this beyond a reasonable doubt. Based on reviews it seems there are some folks who are treated very well, and others who have horrific experiences; I guess this place is a coin toss.

As an outpatient with Blossom Place my experience has been so empowering and welcoming both from the inpatients at the house as well as the practitioners. I am invited to spend as much time as I need or want in person and be surrounded by self love and body positivity. As an outpatient they meet you where you are at which has been such a different experience than I have ever had with regards to my body and weight issues. The practitioners arrange a setup and schedule that works for you and what you need. Tahnee and Michelle are just amazing practitioners who are so valuable to my recovery they have become foundations in my life. Most importantly my experience with support from Deanna has been indescribable. On a personal level I came to Blossom during a very difficult time of my life when I was emotionally and spiritually broken, and this community was a lifeline and continues to be. Any time I have a chat with Deanna it grounds me and opens my mind to possibilities I didn’t know I could access. Deanna truly knows the approaches that she uses like the back of her hand, it comes so naturally to her. I have been so transformed from my conversations with Deanna and felt so understood and seen and supported. Not all of it is pleasant or what I feel comfortable to hear, eating disorders are so complex and reinforced by society’s approach to diet culture and fat phobia, so it has and continues to be a major process of learning and also unlearning. As someone who has struggled with weight for years, felt completely out of control and didn’t know how to get my life back I didn’t even realize it was an eating disorder I was dealing with and after years of trainers, diets, every program under the Sun I have finally found out what is going on with me, the tools to help myself and to ditch diet culture which has just been harming me. I have miles to go but I’m in a transformational place and I’m finally able to trust myself for the first time in a long time. To anyone who can relate to that experience I 1000% recommend checking out Blossom and having a conversation with Deanna. Having a Health At Every Size and Intuitive Eating focused recovery house in my neighbourhood is a life saver and I just can’t thank Deanna and the community enough!!!!!