A place where nature becomes part of your recovery
A deeply private retreat nestled in the mountains of Atenas. Small by design. Intimate by philosophy. Here, the setting is not a backdrop. It is part of the work.
Riverside is unlike any treatment environment you have encountered before.
A place where you are known
With a maximum of ten patients at any one time, this is a place where you are truly known. Not a case number. Not a bed. A person with a specific history, specific needs and a specific path forward.
The first therapeutic act
The mountains of Atenas surround you. The air is different here. The pace is different. The distance from everything that has been pulling you back creates the space for something new to take hold. That distance is not incidental. It is the first therapeutic act.
The setting
Two rivers, a working forest, twelve acres of mountain
The grounds are kept by a small team and walked every day by guests and clinicians. Costa Rica's Central Valley provides a climate that lets life happen outside: therapy, meals, conversations, the slow daily rhythm of recovery.
You arrive, and you have your own environment to return to at the end of each day. All rooms are designed for rest, reflection and genuine restoration.
Open to the outdoors
Private room with porch
Five rooms open onto a private porch overlooking the mountains and gardens. The premium option for guests who want the outdoors woven into the room itself.
Fully private
Private porch
Mountains and gardens
From $14,950 / month
Quiet interior
Private room without porch
Five rooms are equally private and quiet without the porch. For guests who prefer the calm of an interior room and the same restorative design throughout.
Fully private
No porch
Tropical gardens
From $14,350 / month
All inclusive. Meals, programming, clinical care and all CRTC services are included.
A day at Riverside
No two days are identical
Your schedule is built around you and adjusted as your treatment evolves. But every day at Riverside holds the same intention: meaningful clinical work alongside genuine restoration.
Mornings
Mornings often begin with movement. Yoga, breathwork or time in nature before the clinical day begins.
Mid-day
Individual therapy, group work, psychiatric support and specialized sessions fill the core of each day.
Afternoons
Afternoons may include holistic modalities, adventure activities in the Costa Rican landscape or quieter restorative practices.
Evenings
Evenings are for reflection, community and rest.
The rhythm here is purposeful. Nothing is filler. Everything is part of the journey.
Why Atenas
One of the most climatically privileged regions in Costa Rica
Atenas is surrounded by mountains, river valleys and lush vegetation.
It offers something few treatment environments in the world can claim: A natural setting that actively supports nervous system regulation, sleep and emotional restoration.
The Riverside facility sits within this environment. The pool, the gardens, the views and the sounds of nature are not amenities. They are part of how healing happens here.
Getting here from the United States or Canada is straightforward. San José International Airport is under an hour away. Our team handles everything from arrival.
Everything you need
What's included
Therapy
The clinical core
Individual therapy, group therapy and psychiatric support, scheduled around you and adjusted as your treatment evolves.
Holistic modalities woven through the week: EMDR, somatic work, sound therapy and forest bathing.
Adventure therapy and weekly experiential outings into the Costa Rican landscape.
Care
Always within reach
Clinical and support staff on site 24/7, with a maximum of ten residents at a time.
Full access to CRTC × VINOVA Integrative Recovery services throughout your stay.
Airport transfer arranged from the moment you land, so arrival is one less thing to manage.
Your stay
A place to live the work
A private room of your own, with an ensuite bathroom and room to retreat between sessions.
Every meal prepared fresh on site, so eating well is one less thing to think about.
Pool, gardens and open-air spaces available to every resident throughout the day.
Nature therapy activities
Nature does part of the work
The forest, the rivers, the waterfalls and the mountain air aren't decoration. They are the second clinical environment, used in a planned, repeated way to slow the nervous system and rebuild attention.
Fitness & wellness activities
Movement built into the day. Strength, mobility, and breath as part of the clinical plan.
Outdoor adventures
Rivers, hills, and waterfalls as therapeutic terrain. Confidence-building outside the therapy room.
Nature photography
Quiet attention to detail. A way to notice the present moment without naming it that.
Invigorating hikes
Walks through the surrounding forest. Cardiovascular work that doubles as mindfulness practice.
Gardening & horticulture
Hands in soil, tending the property's gardens. Patient, repetitive work that calms the nervous system.
Birdwatching & wildlife observation
Slowing down to see what's around you. The opposite of the cycles that brought you here.
The people here
The same team across both centers
The same multidisciplinary team that defines CRTC works across both centers. At Riverside, the ratio feels especially close.
Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, addiction counselors, nurses, occupational therapists, yoga instructors, forest therapists and support staff. With a maximum of ten patients, every member of the team truly knows who you are.
A walk through the property, in three chapters: the rooms where the day begins and ends, the shared areas where the work continues between sessions, and the grounds that hold all of it.
Rooms
A room is the first place the work begins.
Common areas
Where peer connection happens, between the clinical hours.
Outdoor
The grounds. The pool. The view that does part of the work.
Take the first step
The first conversation costs nothing
Riverside has space for ten people at a time. If you are ready to begin or simply want to understand whether this is the right place for you, we are here.
Yoga Instructor 
Clinical Director and Psychologist 
Physician 
Forest Therapist 
Psychologist and Family Therapist 
Addiction Psychiatrist 
Addiction Psychiatrist 
Addiction Recovery Specialist 