I am so sorry to say this, but The Center for Creative growth has blown their credibility with me, and I am so sad to be saying that.
My overall experience with them is that they will not have your back and will not work with you if problems in your life come up and they will omit important information, either deliberately or due to administrative ineptitude. Their behaviors towards me in this circumstance did not line up with their mission. It was chaotic, deceitful, unprofessional and unacceptable for people who are a business of Licensed Counselors. I would strongly suggest anyone apprehensive of them NOT go and opt for other alternatives in the Bay Area. In my opinion based on my experience, you would be better served elsewhere.
I had been one of the first people to sign up for their 20 Week Intensive Course this January. I had done an intake with the group leader Daniel Lesney. I had put down 156 dollars. I was deeply looking forward to doing the work with them, Daniel Lesney strikes me as one who is very capable of facilitating that kind of inner work. Due to previous experiences in other groups, I was apprehensive, but hopeful because I knew he effectiveness and power of John Bradshaw's work.
Anyways, the March 15th start date was pushed back to April 12th due to lack of participants, I decided to stay on. The disaster I experienced happened at the last minute. I was experiencing financial troubles a week or so back, and I was fretting if I was going to be able to pay it. I had signed up for the extended pay plan (which they have, and I give them credit for that).
I called Daniel Lesney on April 11th about my concerns and I was passed off to Jason Saffer, who refused my participation while WITHHOLDING THE FACT that I did have a 156 dollar deposit (I was under stress, I had forgotten and I was entitled to know that.) I had a space available and I was paid up for a month, which would have been more than enough time to take care of the troubles that I was having. After enough muckraking I was offered by Jason to discuss things with Daniel or another counselor at the center. When contacted by Daniel ONLY THEN was I informed that I had a 156 dollar deposit (please message me, I have the Email) that would be then used to have a consultation with him. I got very serious at that point, threatening to file complaints about him, Jason Saffer and The Center for Creative Growth to here, the BBB, and to the State of California. Only then was I granted a time to speak with Daniel to talk about differences.
This is why I am still posting after having spoken with Daniel. I had been patient in waiting past their delayed start date the program and had a deposit down. Only at the last minute when I had expressed concerns in a distressed state, all hell had broken lose, they hid the fact that I was paid a month in advance, dropped me from the course and took someone else off the wait list. They do have a first come first serve basis, and I was one of the first for this winter. If they had not withheld the fact that I had 156 dollars down as a deposit for the first month and that I was paid for the month, I would have been fine moving forward. They did not. They abandoned and abused me as a participant, keeping me on to keep their program going open and cutting me loose, in a very deceitful fashion, at the first sign of trouble a day before an after I had waited loyally for four months. I will not remove this post until I am sufficiently certain that nothing like this happens to ANYBODY like that again.
Good luck with your experience with them, as far as it goes with Yelp reviews, it looks like you've got 3/2 odds and certainly the rewards of success must certainly outweigh the risks. I wish you the best in your recovery. You deserve the best treatment possible. read more