Cliffside Malibu
A Malibu, California rehabilitation facility providing residential and outpatient treatment for substance-use and mental-health conditions.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Cliffside Malibu is a private rehabilitation and behavioral-health facility in Malibu, California, focused primarily on addiction treatment and related mental-health care. The organization presents itself as a residential and outpatient provider rather than as a consumer product brand. Its services are associated with treatment for substance-use disorders, including prescription-drug and opioid dependence, as well as psychological conditions that may contribute to or accompany addiction. The facility was established as a licensed treatment center in 2005. Its founder and former chief executive, Richard Taite, has described the business as emerging from a personal decision to convert a Malibu property into a sober-living and treatment environment. Taite had previously experienced addiction to crack cocaine and said that his own recovery influenced his desire to create a facility intended to help other people. By November 2014, he stated that Cliffside Malibu had treated approximately 2,000 patients and had capacity for about 108 beds. These figures describe the facility at that point in its history and should not be treated as current operating statistics. Cliffside Malibu has been positioned toward a high-cost, hospitality-oriented segment of the rehabilitation market. Descriptions of the center have emphasized private or upscale surroundings, organic food, a heated swimming pool, turndown service, and other amenities modeled partly on luxury lodging. Historical reporting stated that treatment could cost as much as $80,000 per month, although no current pricing is established here. The organization’s clinical model has included assigning each patient a dedicated therapist to explore psychological and behavioral factors underlying addiction. It has also used orthomolecular medicine, an alternative-medicine approach, alongside its broader treatment offering. The profile of the center’s patient population changed during its first decade. Taite said that 40 to 45 percent of patients were dependent on prescription drugs when the facility opened as a licensed provider in 2005. During a 2016 television discussion of opioid addiction, he stated that the proportion had risen to approximately 90 percent. Those figures were reported statements by a former executive, not independently verified current statistics. In June 2018, Discovery Behavioral Health acquired Cliffside Malibu. Taite left the chief executive position, and Kelly Stephenson became CEO. Stephenson had joined the organization in 2015 as chief operating officer. The acquisition placed Cliffside Malibu within the broader Discovery Behavioral Health platform, which operates behavioral-health services in the United States. The facility was seriously affected by the November 2018 Woolsey Fire. Cliffside Malibu evacuated 72 patients to a hotel, where treatment continued, and five of its properties were destroyed. Its first house reopened in January 2019, less than two months after the fire, with other facilities reopening later that year. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the organization reported remaining open under Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols while continuing to provide residential and outpatient services. Cliffside Malibu has also attracted attention because of its association with celebrity rehabilitation referrals. Public reporting has identified Lindsay Lohan and basketball player Ty Lawson among people who used the facility after court-ordered rehabilitation. In 2017, reporting by The Verge examined undisclosed financial relationships between treatment-industry marketing publications and treatment providers. The report noted that Richard Taite financially controlled Clean and Sober Media, the company associated with The Fix and Rehab Reviews, and discussed Cliffside Malibu in that context. Taite’s attorney disputed any suggestion that paid advertising influenced editorial reviews. The matter raised transparency questions about treatment marketing but does not establish that Cliffside Malibu committed a regulatory or criminal offense.
History
Cliffside Malibu was established as a licensed rehabilitation facility in Malibu, California, in 2005. Its founder, Richard Taite, had originally acquired a house in Malibu as a possible retirement residence. According to accounts attributed to Taite, he instead decided to develop the property into a sober-living and treatment center after reflecting on his own recovery from crack-cocaine addiction and his wish to help others. The organization subsequently developed a residential model focused on addiction treatment and associated mental-health needs. During its early years, Cliffside Malibu served patients with a range of substance-use disorders. Taite stated that prescription-drug dependence accounted for roughly 40 to 45 percent of admissions when the facility first became licensed. By 2016, while discussing opioid addiction publicly, he said that the proportion had increased to about 90 percent. The center’s historical capacity was described as approximately 108 beds, and Taite reported that around 2,000 patients had been treated by November 2014. These numbers are historical statements and do not establish the organization’s present capacity or patient volume. The facility differentiated itself through an upscale residential environment and a treatment model aimed at clients seeking private, highly serviced care. Historical descriptions mention organic meals, a heated pool, turndown service, and other luxury-hotel features. Treatment was reported to cost as much as $80,000 per month, placing the organization at the expensive end of the rehabilitation market. Clinically, each patient was assigned a dedicated therapist to help identify emotional, psychological, and behavioral factors associated with addiction. Cliffside Malibu also used orthomolecular medicine, an alternative therapeutic approach, as part of its broader program. The organization gained public visibility through the use of its services by celebrities, including Lindsay Lohan and basketball player Ty Lawson in connection with court-ordered rehabilitation. Celebrity association contributed to the facility’s public profile but does not by itself describe the effectiveness or clinical outcomes of its programs. A major ownership and leadership change occurred in June 2018, when Discovery Behavioral Health acquired Cliffside Malibu. Taite stepped down as chief executive, and Kelly Stephenson became CEO after having joined Cliffside Malibu in 2015 as chief operating officer. The acquisition was reported in connection with the development of Discovery Behavioral Health as a larger behavioral-health organization. Reporting also distinguished the transaction from Clean and Sober Media, the media company associated with Taite; Clean and Sober Media was reported not to have been included in the transaction. In November 2018, the Woolsey Fire severely disrupted the facility. Cliffside Malibu evacuated 72 patients to a hotel, where treatment continued. Five of its properties were destroyed. The organization reopened its first house in January 2019, less than two months after the fire, and reopened additional facilities later in that year. The incident became one of the most significant operational disruptions in the facility’s history. Cliffside Malibu also appeared in reporting about the transparency of addiction-treatment marketing. In 2017, The Verge reported that The Fix and Rehab Reviews, publications covering addiction and treatment, were owned by Clean and Sober Media, which was financially controlled by Richard Taite. The report said that the publications’ financial relationship with treatment interests had not previously been adequately disclosed to readers. Taite’s attorney denied that advertising payments influenced editorial reviews. The reporting created reputational and disclosure concerns around the treatment-marketing ecosystem, but the available material does not establish a finding of fraud, legal liability, or regulatory wrongdoing by Cliffside Malibu. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cliffside Malibu reported that it continued residential and outpatient treatment while following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols. The organization remains identified with addiction rehabilitation, behavioral-health services, and an upscale residential-care model in Malibu.
- 2019
First post-fire house reopens
[1]Cliffside Malibu reopens its first house in January, with remaining facilities reopening later in the year.
- 2018
Acquired by Discovery Behavioral Health
[1]Discovery Behavioral Health purchases Cliffside Malibu, while Richard Taite leaves the CEO position and Kelly Stephenson becomes CEO.
- 2018
Woolsey Fire disrupts operations
[1]The facility evacuates 72 patients and loses five properties in the Woolsey Fire.
- 2016
Former CEO discusses opioid-related admissions
[1]Taite states during a television discussion that approximately 90 percent of patients entering the facility were addicted to prescription drugs.
- 2014
Historical treatment volume reported
[1]Former CEO Richard Taite states that the facility had treated approximately 2,000 patients and had capacity of about 108 beds by November.
- 2005
Licensed rehabilitation facility opens
[1]Cliffside Malibu begins operating as a licensed rehabilitation center in Malibu, with prescription-drug dependence reportedly representing 40 to 45 percent of patients at that time.
Products and positioning
A high-end, hospitality-oriented rehabilitation provider combining addiction treatment, individual therapy, mental-health care, and residential or outpatient services.
Rehabilitation service · 2005
Residential addiction treatment
A live-in treatment program for people seeking care for substance-use disorders and related behavioral-health needs. Historical descriptions emphasize individualized therapy, dedicated therapists, structured recovery support, and an upscale residential setting with hospitality-oriented amenities.
Behavioral-health service
Outpatient behavioral-health treatment
Treatment delivered without continuous residential placement. Cliffside Malibu has reported offering outpatient care alongside residential services, including support for addiction and associated mental-health conditions.
Clinical service
Individual therapy
The facility’s historical model assigns each patient a dedicated therapist to examine underlying psychological, emotional, and behavioral issues connected with substance use and recovery.
Complementary treatment approach
Orthomolecular medicine
An alternative-medicine approach reported as part of Cliffside Malibu’s historical treatment offering. The available reference material does not specify its current availability or clinical scope at the facility.
Controversies
2017
Treatment-publication disclosure controversy
The Verge reported that addiction publications The Fix and Rehab Reviews were owned by Clean and Sober Media, which was financially controlled by former Cliffside Malibu CEO Richard Taite. The report questioned whether readers had been adequately informed about the relationship between treatment-industry marketing and editorial publications. Taite’s attorney denied that advertising influenced editorial reviews. The available sources do not establish a legal or regulatory finding against Cliffside Malibu.
Brand decisions
2018
Join Discovery Behavioral HealthM&ABackground
Cliffside Malibu was operating as a high-end addiction-treatment provider when Discovery Behavioral Health acquired it in June 2018.
Action taken
The organization was sold to Discovery Behavioral Health. Richard Taite stepped down as CEO, and Kelly Stephenson moved from chief operating officer to chief executive.
Aftermath
Cliffside Malibu became part of the Discovery Behavioral Health platform. The available sources do not provide transaction value or detailed integration terms.
2018
Continue treatment during the Woolsey Fire evacuationStrategyBackground
The Woolsey Fire destroyed five Cliffside Malibu properties and required the evacuation of 72 patients.
Action taken
Patients were moved to a hotel where addiction treatment continued while the organization began rebuilding and reopening its facilities.
Aftermath
The first house reopened in January 2019, followed by additional facilities later in the year.
Recent events
- 2018
Discovery Behavioral Health acquires Cliffside Malibu[1]
M&A · Leadership change
Discovery Behavioral Health purchased Cliffside Malibu in June 2018. Founder Richard Taite left the CEO role, and Kelly Stephenson, previously the organization’s chief operating officer, became CEO.
- 2018
Woolsey Fire forces evacuation and destroys Cliffside Malibu properties[1]
Other
The Woolsey Fire led Cliffside Malibu to evacuate 72 patients to a hotel while treatment continued. Five properties were destroyed, and the facility began reopening in January 2019.
Cliffside Malibu continues residential and outpatient care during COVID-19[1]
Regulation · Other
The facility stated that it remained open during the COVID-19 pandemic by following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention protocols and maintaining residential and outpatient treatment.
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