Brooks Rehabilitation Outpatient Clinic - San Pablo

I attended San Pablo rehab 1-2x a week for over a year after medical problems left me unexpectedly wheelchair-bound and unable to walk. I worked with Sage and occasionally Saige. They were both wonderful and dedicated. Sage was determined to restore me back to my previous ability and kept me motivated when I was ready to give up. All of the therapists were personable. They remembered me and would regularly greet me, even though they didn’t work with me individually. I was sad to finally graduate from therapy and leave that little supportive community, but I’m glad that I am strong enough now to walk independently, without any assistive devices (walker, cane) and I participated in the Brooks Challenge Mile after graduating.

This feedback is regarding a speech therapy evaluation conducted for a child just over three years old.

We had a scheduled appointment at 3:30 p.m. and arrived 15 minutes early, as instructed. Despite this, we were not taken back until approximately 4:00 p.m. A 45-minute delay prior to beginning an assessment is extremely challenging and developmentally inappropriate for a child of this age.

The waiting room was overcrowded and did not feel appropriate for a healthcare setting serving young children. Although we were told toys were available, there were only two wall-mounted toys present, both broken—one with exposed metal components. There was no visible hand sanitizer or tissues, and several individuals in the waiting area were coughing. Overall, the environment did not appear clean, well-maintained, or conducive to pediatric care.

Once we were brought into the assessment room, we were given multiple additional pages of paperwork to complete, beyond the intake forms I had already completed prior to the appointment. This paperwork could have been provided in advance. Completing lengthy forms while simultaneously managing a three-year-old was not reasonable. The therapist stated she would “be right back,” but was absent for a significant period of time, leaving me alone to manage both tasks.

Prior to beginning the assessment, I clearly informed the therapist that it had been a challenging day due to nap difficulties and that my child’s tolerance and attention might be limited. I also asked about the expected length of the assessment. This information was not acknowledged, and no clarity was provided regarding duration or expectations. By the time the evaluation actually began, we were already approximately 45 minutes into the scheduled appointment window.

The initial portion of the assessment proceeded well. However, during the final 5–10 minutes, my child became increasingly fatigued and dysregulated, which is developmentally expected under the circumstances. I expressed concern that continuing would be counterproductive and that pushing further risked creating a negative association with therapy. These concerns were not meaningfully acknowledged. When I asked how much longer the session would last, I was told “not much longer.” I then clearly stated that we had five minutes remaining.

When those five minutes elapsed, the session continued and transitioned into a discussion focused on insurance coverage, including repeated emphasis that Blue Cross Blue Shield would cover ongoing services. This conversation felt sales-oriented rather than clinical. Several of my questions were not directly answered, including how long assessments typically last and what is developmentally appropriate for a child of this age.

Overall, the experience gave the impression that the priority was on extending billable services rather than providing thoughtful, child-centered, developmentally appropriate care. Asking a child just over three years old to repeatedly identify numbers and words without adjusting expectations or acknowledging developmental limits was concerning.

I will be sharing this experience with our primary care physician and requesting a referral to another provider. At a minimum, I believe this feedback should be considered carefully before this facility is recommended for evaluations involving very young children.

This what I do

Mallory was great and helped move me along with my recovery. This was my 4th joint replacement, and Mallory was the best!

I was making great progress here at first for an ankle injury a few months ago and a knee injury sustained at another pt clinic. Everyone at the clinic is friendly and kind. Unfortunately the pain in my knee has come back. I told Kamaal I couldn't do the leg press yesterday but he put it on 30 pounds and pushed it for me. That resulted in serious muscle spasms and waking up today with nerve pain and knee pain.
I can only hope my knee improves again.

Very professional and caring therapist’s. They take note of my pain and listen to my word's when I say that’s better or worse. They are courteous and polite and strive to help me get better ❤️‍🩹

Avoid if you care about your money and your health because when you first talk to them, they assure you that insurance will cover and they never really tell you which insurances they actually work with and which they don’t. But after you’ve had just one session, they’ll end up charging you multiple times.

I came into Brooks on a walker, unable to walk very far. I started off with Sage and Ross then did a month with between the two of them have got me independent I can’t brag enough about how well they did with me. They worked me hard and got my balance back. I no longer use a walker. I am so thrilled what great Two physical therapist they are. I can’t praise them enough. Sage and Ross excellent.

My pt was Mallory she is a wonderful therapist and a blast to work with.

Joanna and Mallory provided excellent treatment during my many visits for shoulder (s ) rehab.
I especially appreciated the teaching aspect of my sessions and the graphics to follow for my in home exercises. They were very kind to print them to be used at home.

I appreciated the explanations of the progress i could reasonably expect if i followed the daily exercise directives. Throughout my treatments I was able to see progress in my ROM , sometimes only slight progress but overall at the conclusion of my treatments, a very big improvement in my ability to perform the activity that i normally do. These activities include home improvement projects and household chores which was a challenge prior to the rehab.

Considering my age which is early 80s, I was pleased to make the impressive progress in my strength and functionality at the conclusion of the program.

Thank you Brooks Staff.