My daughter lived here for a year after having been in and out of multiple psych facilities the entire year prior. It was the only place that actually helped us. Tiffany was our family counselor and she was absolutely amazing. Experienced, savvy, patient. We really needed that. The weekly virtual parent groups weren't just about commiserating, like so many other facilities who don't quite know how to help parents. They were informative and helpful, led by Jenn who is also wonderful. Elevations has a strong focus on the entire family, not just the kid and that's really the key. We aren't sending our kids away because they are "bad", the whole family system needs a reset and it is just as much the parents' responsibility to grow and change as it is our kids. Any parent who thinks their kid's behavior is solely their doing and problem is a big part of the problem. The parent retreats were WONDERFUL! I participated in every one of them. It's such a difficult decision to put your child in treatment and it is not an easy thing to go through. However, I want anyone reading this to know that there is hope on the other side of you ALL put in the work and if you have the right help. We found Elevations through an educational consultant, which I HIGHLY recommend getting. As parents, we're navigating blindly in a crisis state and need help. If you've found Elevations though, lucky you! This is a good place. I spoke to many other parents going through the program who'd wished they'd found this place first. Thank you, Elevations. read more

Please look into the crooked history behind "Island View RTC" being shut down for systematic child abuse and being at fault for the suicide of a teenage boy. They were then being immediately rebranded and reopened by different parent company into "Elevations RTC". It is genuinely evil. They retained over 60% of the original employees, kept the entire program, and launched a smear campaign against survivors threatening them with legal action for speaking out. All in the pursuit of shareholder profit. It goes without saying but most of these survivors are still struggling mentally, financially, and emotionally. Me personally, I have been clinically diagnosed with CPTSD from my time in this facility. I have dealt with survivors guilt over the years as I felt for years like I got out less damaged than many of my peers. I was told that if I lead tours of the facility to parents looking to send their children to Elevations and said good things about the program that I would be released earlier. I was manipulated into becoming a walking advertisement for this facility. When I got out I felt so much guilt about my role, I briefly contemplated suicide. The far majority of the program leaders are very vocal about claiming to be devout members of the LDS church, however the actions of them display contempt and disgust towards the struggling children they claim to champion. They follow virtually none of the teachings of the religion they are so outspoken about believing in. It is all performative. Behind the smoke and mirrors this is one large money grab exploiting some of the most vulnerable members of society. Jennifer Wilde, Judi Jacques, Laura Burt, and all those responsible have blood on their hands. I feel an obligation to speak out about this barbaric system as several of my friends I attended with are no longer alive today to share their stories. I have faith that one day this facility will close as it is rapidly losing money and attendance rates are plummeting however I remain pessimistic that any of those responsible will ever face justice here on earth. read more

I was a student at elevations, it's taken me almost a year to speak up about this. First off I went there for family issues, sh addiction, high anxiety, severe depression, suicidal thoughts, substance abuse and severe PTSD. As well as family issues. Being there only made my anxiety worse. I had an issue with a staff named Casey, he would sexualize me for wearing tank tops... In the summer. Would look at my chest and butt and tried to walk in the bathroom while I was in there multiple times. I asked the program director Eric if I could file a complaint about sexual harassment from a staff. He said no because my pants were out of dress code. They were not. He repeatedly avoided me when I asked him about filing a report. I was blamed because another student punched me and we had a support group where people said I was annoying and bothering them. And I was knocked down a level because of that. The level system was rigged and they had very blatant favorites, I was trying my best to get along with the team and work really hard. But staff and students made fun of me for trying to get it saying I was just pretending that I had a chance. I had my letters and recommendations. Staff would mock me for my anxiety attacks and flashbacks, saying "ohh don't get too close you might get the anxious virus too." While I was in the middle of a meltdown. While my therapist was great I only saw her twice a week, once for individual and once for family. I failed math twice because my teacher pretty much gave up on me despite me having a learning disability when it comes to math, stated in my physiatric record. He would say I wasn't paying attention and would send me out in the hall when I was "being a disturbance" I was asking questions to my classmates because the teacher didn't help me. Dorms: I was stuck in a dorm with a student who described to staff that the voices in her head were telling her to slit my throat and kill me in the middle of the night. I was fearing for my safety and staff kept us together. I was also stuck with an 18 year old when I was 15 who said he would rape me if I was more his type. Staff told me "Well there's nothing to worry about since you're not his type." Staff would ignore me and not let me go on tiles (the middle area) to get water and would ignore me if I asked them to fill it up for me. I was forced to do P.E. even when my strep evolved into bronchitis and a student mocked me continuously. There's so much more but I don't want this review to be a whole book. Either way if you're thinking of sending your kids, I would talk to students that have been there. read more

Child abuse factory. I know because I was there as a kid at 14 and when I told me parents they didn't believe me. Once saw a kid get punched in the gut for asking to go to the bathroom. I still have nightmares read more

I am an alumni of the program. Their inability to provide a safe environment meant that students were not able to form healthy attachments and hit developmental milestones. Untrained staff regularly provided inappropriate interventions and on several occasions while I was here, physically harmed kids. The therapy is not therapeutic. I work with a trained therapist now and she is regularly aghast at my descriptions of things that happened here. It is highly confrontational and adversarial. I wouldn't recommend this place to my enemies read more

Elevations does a great job of breaking down vulnerable children and tearing apart families. My relationship with my family is very strained after my time there. I try to forgive them because Elevations is so predatory to families desperate for help and uses extremely deceptive marketing. However, most of the girls who were there with me no longer speak to their families because of the abuse and trauma they endured in the program and I can't say I blame them. I was denied medical care, I never even saw a doctor to get vaccines appropriate for my age group. The staff were unnecessarily physically aggressive and we were subjected to an excessive amount of strip searches. We were also subjected to attack 'therapy' and other abusive, non evidenced backed methods to put students in a state of mental shut down to give the illusion that that we were doing better. But in reality, life after the program is a lonely struggle. We never learned skills of how to live as an adult that other kids learn in high school, while simultaneously coping with an immense amount of trauma related symptoms. As an adult, I wouldn't wish this experience on my worst enemy, let alone a child. I'm glad people are finally waking up to the reality of what this notorious program really is. read more

Highly sadastic and unsafe facility. I was abused by other kids and staff and nothing was ever done about it. I was made to clean up blood out of the "time out room" (solitary confinement cell) as a so called team building exercise with other kids after another kid beat their head against the cinderblock wall while locked up. They take away any ability to speak out about the abuses to parents or anyone outside of the compound. They give you medicines that make you feel like a zombie and the guy they call doctor Connolly isn't even a real doctor and he's in charge of giving all the kids pills. Please don't let your kids go through the pain I and many others had to. read more

Beyond Abusive, I saw people beaten and bullied here daily by other "residents" and staff members, They stopped drug testing employees in the past 2 years and violence has increased tenfold. Every day I was confined here I worried about my safety. I stayed quiet the duration of my time in fear of being put in solitary confinement or losing one of my 2 weekly phone calls to my parents. read more

I am an 29 year old alumni of this program. If you are considering sending your child here, please don't. What they pass off as "therapy" is coercive, abusive, and manipulative. I loved to read books, and it was a healthy coping mechanism. However, the staff decided that I was using books to avoid therapy, and took all of my books away and privileges of using the library. This is just one instance of their "methods". I couldn't pick up a book for pleasure for 10 years. I'm one of the lucky ones, the number of past residents I know or have heard about who have died is heartbreaking. I understand that you must be frustrated, scared and stressed if your considering treatment at a place like Elevations for your child. Please consider something else, like a partial hospitalization program run by a major research hospital (i.e. UCSF, UCLA etc if your in California) if they need that level of mental health care. Do your own research. Don't listen to the 'educational consultants', listen to the voices of these students to save your family the heartbreak and financial strain. read more

My experience with elevations rtc My time there was hard the staff were very bias and unfair they definitely had favorites and the hardest part for me was how much they discounted my pain. My body was flaring up with autoimmune disorders and the only thing they checked me out for was my knee that was the size of a grapefruit at the time. They completely disregarded my other issues because they couldn't see them on the surface I would constantly be sick and throw up be in terrible abdominal pain and they passed it off as me attention seeking and wouldn't even let me heat up my heating pad late in the night because I did it so much because it was the only thing that eased my pain . I remember also that they would make me go on the outings even when I said I couldn't and I was sick one of the worst days of my life is when they made me go hiking while I was having a flare up I knew I was sick and no one believed me I had to go to the bathroom really bad and one of the rec staff pointed to a hill with that was very steep and told me to go not only did people see me but I had vomit and have diarrhea because I WAS SICK and it got all over me while I was crying because I was absolutely humiliated one of the Rec staff says IN MY PRESENCE "I guess people just don't know how to go to the bathroom in the woods these days" After leaving Elevations and get it working examined I have come to find out I have been passing gallstones each time I had a flareup and the only person Who had my back at all with the lady driving me to my appointment for my knee. read more

I sent my son to Elevations RTC in August, 2021 after wilderness therapy. He was suicidal, combative, depressed, and extremely unhappy. He had been skipping school, he had PTSD, car crashes, addicted to drugs and was hanging with the wrong crowd. He had been in therapy for years and had several hospital stays and nothing was working. He continued to be suicidal and snuck out and put himself in very dangerous situations. I really wanted to bring him home after wilderness, but it was clear he needed more time. Elevations was a great fit for him. His therapist was Matt and I can't say enough positive things about Matt. He was kind, professional, responsive and I felt like he made good progress with my son. The staff was really caring and took excellent physical care of him. He had a few trips to the hospital, and they handled it without a hitch. The staff was excellent. The mileau (dorm) staff were there for him and great at listening to the kids. The teachers were excellent at motivating and encouraging him and the small class sizes were a plus. The communication was excellent. I always got a prompt response to my questions and was always treated professionally by all of the staff. It is imperative for the parents to do the work. Read books, attend the parent support group, participate in family therapy. Listen to your child's therapist. The new parent orientation was excellent and really made me feel like the staff cared about my child. The DBT classes were imperative to help me understand my child. My son just graduated high school with a 3.5 and is looking forward to college and his future. He is happily sober. That would not have been possible without Elevations Don't believe the bad reviews. Most of them are written by people who haven't been there or put in the hard work that RTC requires. Elevations saved my son's life and my relationship with him. I am eternally grateful. Lucy C. read more

I beg you to not send any child here. It is manipulative, abusive and neglectful. Kids have died here and because of this place. It traumatizes any child more than before they got there. If your child is stuck now please help them. read more

10/10 abusive program! I was looking for a place to send my kid where they really understood tough discipline, and Elevations RTC was the place for my kid. They made sure that even the slightest infraction, such as disagreeing with an authority figure on a matter of opinion, was retaliated against with serious consequences, such as solitary confinement, verbal assault, and loss of privileges such as reading, doing schoolwork, listening to music, even having a mattress to sleep on! I couldn't thank them enough! They also allow staff to misgender kids and tell them it's sinful to be gay! They even brainwashed him to be grateful that he went there! And all the aforementioned services come free with what they advertise online! Truly stellar! Now my Johnny is too afraid to leave the house, much less get into any trouble! Thanks Elevations! read more

I am speaking from personal experience as I am an alumni of this program, who graduated with "flying colors". I was falsely imprisoned here, unnecessarily. My parents paid for my attendance because they were convinced by "specialists" to make this decision out of fear. These "professionals" drove my parents to assume the worst and convinced them I would die if I don't attend. I was taught by staff that if I didn't work the program, I would end up dead, a drug addict or worse. This was traumatic to me considering I had never even tried drugs prior to attending. I did nothing to deserve being privately imprisoned. I simply was not performing to my parents standards. Island View (now elevations) didn't care, and were willing to enroll me regardless. I did not commit any crimes though I endured 9 months of living in this facility where I was treated like a criminal and stripped of my human rights. I have lifelong trust issues and PTSD because of this program, which was formerly "Island View" but had its name changed to elevations after I graduated, due to a law suit filed against the entity for false imprisonment. I spoke highly of this program after graduating, because if I didn't I feared I would have my human rights stripped from me again. I was exploited and taken advantage of and because of it, my family is tens thousands of dollars in debt, including my father who had to leave the country due to all the debt he was in. I witnessed children who stood up for themselves be tormented and placed in isolation for unlawful reasons, and this traumatized me. I was not allowed to tell my parents the truth; or I would have been punished and stripped of more rights. My childhood was stolen, and daily I mourn the loss of that childhood. My behavioral issues could have easily subsided with communication solutions that did not involve such extreme, expensive and violating measures. Completely unnecessary. read more

I'd give negative stars if possible. The staff is untrained, unqualified and does not care about the children in their care. This is not a place that will rehabilitate your child it will add more trauma. If you truly love your child you would be better off surrendering them to foster care than sending them to a place such as this. read more

My initial review was written just after I completed the program and after some more reflection about my own experience and talking to more residents and staff members of the program I can say that, while the structure and program worked well for me, it doesn't work well for eveyone. Every kid is different and unfortunately these programs feel they can use a blanket approach to help all of them which can be counterproductive and even hurtful at times. Family therapy is a part of the program but honestly much of what the children are dealing with that come here has to do with their parents or family dynamic. At the very least the parents have a responsibility as parents to put in as much work as possible to help their child. I know programs can't make adults do anything, but it can feel to a child that they are the sole problem when the vast majority of the time it is a family problem. Being sent away from everything and everone you know and living without some of the comforts of home feels like a punishment rather than a treatment and many kids, understandably feel resentment which hinders any possible treatment a lot. I will also say that the program has changed dramatically since I was there from 2013-15 and from while I can't speak on the level of care now, I know both from my perspective and the former staff members I've talked to that it was on a clear decline. read more

Seven Stars Residential Treatment Center is an abusive treatment facility that basis itself around a toxic-multibillion dollar industry. These businesses are not legally regulated as much as you would think. Do they have some licensing and barebones regulations yes, but that doesn't mean they are not going to use techniques to manipulate the families and children in to thinking everything is ayokay. They can get away with a myriad of interventions, protocols, and procedures. It is quite the orchestrated effort that creates countless jobs and opportunities for those who are fresh out of college, need the experience, or want to help others but for one reason or another are either perverted people who need help themselves, or just plain ignorant. I had a very traumatic experience there. Now, when I first arrived there (Dec.2021) it was an immensely different place- staff who actually cared and loved the students. Fast forward to June of 2022 and they change management and lie to the students about the reason of the Team Director leaving because they reported the therapists. Now, at this point, in June, the tone shifts--heavily. And not for good reasons. The therapists start to emotionally toy with you just because you can. Floor staff start to use power and control to make you feel small as well as lie in your notes so that you get in trouble with your parents. Staff, I general start to abuse and hurt the students. Joseph Bentley (floor staff) was very abusive, he would intimidate me and try to scare me off. This man claimed, upon multiple occasions, that he cared about me but that is only because he knew that word spread around there quickly and he would get a talking to (he actually did once). My parents finally recognised what monster I was in and took me out of the program---earlier than what the facility had hoped for. All I can say was that was a total waste of a year and some these staff there actually care and want you to succeed ---- but most of them don't. The Admin just honestly care about your money--not your emotional mental health and I think that Eric Flores (program manager) and his people need more help than the kids he's been treating all these years. Oh and don't even start me on the "school" program. Because there isn't one --it's just a rotation of Google slides and webquests that the teacher rushes into the curriculum which is drawn up by people who don't know what they're talking about to begin with. If I were you, I would honestly find anything else besides the troubled teen industry--it's a toxic parasite. These are places that if you stick someone normal in this environment, they will eventually be made to believe and behave like a manic/crazy person. It's all about environment and some of these kids don't have any crazy issue that requires institutional intervention and control. The therapists believe they are doing the right thing but that is only because that is truthfully all they know and their pockets keep in filling up with our money. I just wish these sick people could stop creating and banking on our pain and start to treat their own. read more

I am alumni of this program. The only thing I gained was friendships because when you go through something so traumatic with people you gain lifelong bonds. But I have also lost too many friends from here as well. read more

Do not send your kids here. This place has a long history of abuse, which I experienced for myself. If you do your research, you will find that past residents and parents have made several complaints about the center. You will also see that many people who went here have post-traumatic stress disorder, and have nightmares about going back to this treacherous place. What is more, the director Judi Jacques in her comments profoundly misrepresents the fact that Elevations does, indeed, restrain children! She is trying to make a play on words by claiming the facility does not use devices to limit a child's movement. What she omits is that it is common practice at Elevations for staff to hold children's arms, chest or legs to keep them from moving when they do not cooperate or follow directions and use timeout rooms to seclude children. As punishment, residents are also isolated and forced to sit at their desks for extended periods, sometimes up to two weeks, and are not allowed to talk to anyone. Phone calls to parents are also minimal, so you don't know what your child is going through if he or she is here. Further, there is little research to support this type of treatment for troubled teens. Instead, I can vouch that sending your child here will only make matters worse. Also concerning, the facility has hired marketing people to try to wash the internet so that the truth will not come out. This place should welcome the feedback not seek to stifle people's legitimate experiences here. For all of these reasons, if your child is having difficulties at home, I suggest you look elsewhere. read more

I am an alumni from elevations RTC and have been out for almost ten months. Crazy how I reached my rock bottom at a place where I was supposed to be getting helped. I got bullied by a staff named Stan which kept me there longer than I needed and no matter what I couldn't move forward. Other staff had watched him curse me out and scream but no one did anything. I got into two fights and was threatened to be jumped multiple times. I was put in community break and served 50 hours at my desk in isolation. I was dissociative and very depressed. I gained a lot of weight. The sad reality was that I didn't really start to do good until I left. I think about elevations every single day and the impact that it has left on my life. DO NOT SEND YOUR KIDS HERE ! Anywhere else but there. Send them there if you want them with more trauma. read more

Absolutely dreadful. We sent our son here on the advice of an 'educational consultant'. Our son was recovering from an eating disorder and depression. Unfortunately every kid at Elevations is treated as if they have a defiance disorder. It was absolutely horrible for our son. We met all of the hurdles that Elevations put in place for discharge, but they claimed, on the day that we went to pick him up to go home, that we were removing him against medical advice. It was a lie, but it gave them an excuse to keep out $10,000 deposit. the kids do not matter to the staff at Elevations. It's all about money. read more

I was admitted to elevations RTC formally know as Island View RTC in 2013-14. This was the hardest most abusive place I've been to in my entire life. My parents were told this was a good place for children with autism. They tell your parents you will complain and say how terrible the place is and that we are just lieing. They monitor the phone calls so you can't tell your parents how they mistreat you. The restraint they put you in they bend your hand all the way back and push hard so it's painful. I went into elevations with a sprained wrist, a 23 year old staff member put me in the timeout room and proceeded to taunting me and making fun of me, I then tried to get out of the timeout room and was put into this painful restraint with my sprained wrist for 30 minutes. This was the most pain I felt in my entire life. If you misbehave they sit you at a desk for 72 hours where you can't talk and can only get up to use the bathroom. All the amazing things they say they have are just false advertising, please do not send your children here I still have trauma till this day. read more

My daughter was here for nine months. We chose it because it was recommended by our education consultant and we saw stats that about 95% of students were doing well six months after graduation. No one told us that the reason so many kids are doing so well after grad is because they all went from here to another lock down program. .Really regret sending her here. She tried to tell us how bad it was but we didn't believe her because Kim Hill told us it was lies and manipulation. Get your child out as soon as you can. My daughter still has nightmares ten years after she left the program. read more

Abusive and harmful. Not actually a school at all. Isolation rooms, IF, take downs, magnetic locking doors, little to no communication with the outside world, abusive especially to LGBTQ. Residents still have nightmares decades later. How many of us also have broken bones, damaged limbs, or fingers from this place? This is Island View with a new name.. Same methods. If you don't use solitary confinement what did you do with the cinderblock room with the locking door that was slammed on my fingers while I was locked inside? I slept in there many nights. How dare you say you don't use solitary? I was told by staff you never leave anyone in for more than 45 days because that requires some sort of document. Although one time you got that extension of 45 days for a boy coming in from wilderness. Each unit has a solitary confinement room at the end of the hall. Well, not sure about Copper team and the boy's team in the other unit. I can send you a picture of my deformed fingers. It was nearly an amputation. They would drag you down the hall. After a take down. Pressing you into the floor. Sometimes bruising or breaking ribs. Hurting pressure points in your hand. Tearing your bra. Harming your wrist. Then they would toss you in that room. Closing the door as quickly as possible. Sometimes they do leave the door open. But not if the resident is trying to get out. Parents... Look for these rooms at the ends of the hallway in the main building. They might say it's time out and the door is never closed. My body and I tell a different story. Many people needed surgery after injuries from staff. A former staff admitted that broken ribs were not abnormal. Good job abusing often already abused children. I would happily take a polygraph. read more

As a former resident of Elevations RTC i can tell you, please do not under any circumstances send your child here. I watched teenage girls get tackled and pinned down by large male staff on a regular basis. They created a lord of the flies environment where your stay was shortened the more you tore others down. We were in a constant state of anxiety and fear because rules were arbitrary and could change without notice. You can get put in solitary confinement or made to sit and stare at the wall for days on end for something as minor as looking at the opposite sex. Phone calls and letters were monitored so there was no way we could tell our parents or anyone else of the abuse going on. While I was there a therapist named Dan Stuart led a "co-ed" group where he forced us to lick whipped cream off of plates in front of him. This place does not provide therapy and healing, it provides torture and ptsd. read more

Elevations, despite a name change, is run by many of same staff who operated their predecessor, Island View. Parents: Please think before sending your children here. As a former resident and now adult, the damage done in an isolative program destroyed mine and the majority of other residents' relationships with parents while enrolled, something that took me over ten years to repair. I can now count the number of former program friends who have died since on two hands. Do not let your child become a statistic. Many of us struggled tremendously upon release as we were thoroughly ill equipped to function outside of the lockdown facility. Parents- your kids need YOU, not concrete walls. read more

Left me with more trauma than I started with. I have a deep underlying resentment for my parents now and I've completely rejected any therapy since it was forced on me at this program. They delete their poor yelp reviews to create a facade of a happy/perfect residential. I would do anything to not set foot in a 100 mile radius of Utah ever again in my lifetime and then the next. read more

My parents have apologized so many times in the last 16 years for sending me to this program. They were taken advantage of, too.

Do not send your kids here, or to any of these "troubled teen" places. They manipulate and lie about what really goes on. I left with more trauma, and I constantly have dreams I'm stuck in this place. I witnessed many peers get tackled, restrained to the point of injury, and put kids in solitary confinement for weeks, sometimes months! We all learned to play the game to get out. read more

My "therapist" was not a truly licensed and was actually a social worker. They do lie about having qualified professional's. Also they may place you child in a desk for 72 hours with no social contact, sleeping(expect for in hallway at night) or reading. if you child is not making the "desired progress" they may be placed on I.F. which is being in a room by your self all day t for and undetermined time i have personally seen it last over 3 months, talking to no one, having no personal items, and less one on one and group therapy. People have been Raped while in the care of this facility. this is ignoring lesser complaints like lack of hygiene bad food. all the staff who care leave because they don't to see the blatant neglect and borderline border line abuse of this facility. not no mention the success rate is less than half when I was there. read more

I attended this institution from 2004-2005 when it was Island View RTC. I cannot stress enough how very important it is for others to understand that the SAME abusive practices that occurred at Island View are still occurring RIGHT NOW at Elevations in 2020. I know this to be accurate from speaking to individuals who've left Elevations in September and October 2020. They have described the same abuse and neglect on multiple forefronts - Medical, Emotional, Behavioral and Psychological. I feel compelled to share my experience to help provide awareness to the parents who may have children at Elevations right now or are thinking about it. It truly breaks my heart to know that children are there right now. My parents were manipulated by so many of the same management and "clinical" team that works their TODAY. The complex trauma that I deal with on a daily basis is a direct result from my incarceration at Island View RTC. *I hadn't experienced trauma before IV but I certainly left with it and I now have to deal with the repercussions on a daily basis. Please reach out to me directly if you have any questions, I'm an open book and I want to help do the right thing! I am also a behavioral health clinician with a Masters in Social Work and I currently work in private practice. I've committed my life to helping others *You can find me on Facebook- Margaret Stevenson Plastino read more

Please do t send your kid here. There are other options that will actually help them. This place uses unethical practices that have left me with years of trauma. read more

its simply stupid that elevations and 7 stars have been able to stay open as long as they have with the disfunction in all aspects of the theraputic program. the teachers at elevations are some of the nicest people i have ever met and am so grateful to them as they are the ones who truly helped me not the staff. by the end of my 8 month stay i had seniority over 90-95% of the staff. read more

There is a book called "Help at Any Cost" which details the methods used by programs like these... why they are detrimental to those whose brains are still developing and how it causes lifelong biological and social consequences. I am an alumni of this program and developed C-PTSD and DDNOS as a result. I permanently dissociated from the prolonged and intense coercive persuasion I underwent in this program, and have been in therapy for the last 10 years trying to recover. Like others have mentioned, my family also trusted consultants who pushed them to make the decision to send me here out of fear. They deeply regretted it. Our entire family has been hurt by this program, and it reverberates even 15 years later. Please do your research, before sending your child anywhere. read more

Elevations RTC is a wonderful program with a staff who truly care about helping young people build happier, healthier futures. I highly recommend this program to any family looking for meaningful change in their child's life. read more

Awesome campus. The classrooms are wonderful. I really enjoyed my tour, the staff was genuine and you could tell they were very experienced and love their job. read more

When I was 17 I spent 7 months at Elevations in 2016 and 2017, and I'll still have a horrifying nightmare every few weeks where I'm either being dragged back, or never actually left in the first place. I'm a much different person now, and have grown from a boy into a young man since then. However, despite my distance and growth since my experience there, I still feel as sick to my stomach about it all as I did when I finally got out of there. Disclaimer: I acknowledge that things could have changed since my time at Elevations, but from the website and staff list, and literal Facebook page for kids with PTSD from Elevations, little seems to have changed. I could fill a memoir about the 7 months I spent at Elevations, and my current therapist has probably taken enough notes about that place to do so. For a bit of perspective: I was sent by my parents to Elevations for overwhelming anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts. I quickly learned that despite that, many of the other students were there for much more aggressive behavioral issues. The energy of the dorms was one of rage and defiance. The peer to peer relationships were frail and unhealthy, as we frequently took place in "accountability groups" in which we were all told to literally call one another out in front of the entire group of other teens. A more intense version of this once came to literally writing out every single rule of the facility that either we ourselves had violated, or knew another student had violated. If everyone's stories and claims of accountability didn't match, we didn't get to go outside, or talk, or have free time. This went on for 4 days. And once the therapists left these groups and staff wasn't paying attention (which happened frequently) all of the underlying anger between students was ruthlessly thrown at each other. If you've taken away a persons access to their family, their home and most all levels of comfort, including the ability to walk around your place of living or get a snack when you're hungry, they feel as though they have nothing left to lose. And so they act like it. I was literally called autistic more than I was called my name by other students, with little done to remedy the situation. In fact, other students including myself were supposed to be in charge or chastising the others on our 'team'. If a 14 y/o is being awful to a 16 y/o, how is another literal child supposed to know how to resolve that? The pressure to have a positive peer culture was put almost solely on the students thrust into leadership roles by the treatment team, while those students were also required to maintain their spotless records, attend school, and try and manage their own internal issues and their issues at home. While at Elevations, fear was my most frequently felt emotion, followed closely behind by a deep longing for my family and friends. The sense of competition that was fostered by much of the policies at Elevations was very unhealthy. When you don't want a kid to keep comparing himself to everyone around him, maybe don't put up everyone's standing in the program on the wall as if it were sports statistics. The medication doses I was put on while at Elevations is the most amount of any drug in my life, and by a heavy margin. And, despite not using actual restraints on students, it was not uncommon to witness a "takedown" which involved full grown adults holding children down on the ground in an uncomfortable and often painful way, basically forcing them to play uncle in order for them to be released. If a student did something bad enough, they could be put in a situation where they aren't allowed to say a word out loud unless it's in the 2 hours of family and individual therapy they had a week. Not during group therapy, not during free time. What did they do during that time? They sat at a metal school desk. Often during these periods even reading or putting your head down was prohibited. They had to write notes asking if they could use the bathroom. If like me, your child has a problem with getting wrapped up in their own head, these time-outs on crack could be really dangerous. Again, I could go on on and on about the completely unnecessary and harmful things that I was put through there, but the internet has plenty of other accounts of former students being traumatized here. The facility is built on a poor model, and fosters a poisonous falsehood of being fine or better or having calmed down in order to try and get the hell out of there. Bottom line: their motto is about demanding obedience. We were children who needed help, not dogs to be trained. read more

I can say without exaggeration that Elevations rescued my child and put him on a path to a happier and healthier life. While there he learned to love and accept himself. He learned healthy and helpful coping mechanism, and learned how to accept peer feedback without falling apart. I never imagined my child would end up at an RTC, but I am incredibly thankful that we found Elevations. read more

This is for viewpoint: I was at viewpoint center for four months. I honestly up until this incident had not had a horrible time. I have always struggled with being very defiant. There was a day where I was struggling a lot and I was in the common area and I flipped a table and it landed very loud on the tiles. I was told I could walk to the time out room or I could be escorted there. And of course, because I was pretty much having a panic attack I wouldn't move so after they counted to three, they put me into an escort with my hands being held behind my back. One of the staff, Russ, thought I was trying to scratch him so he bent my hand back even more than it was already bent. They threw me on the floor of it and left me. There was a window looking out into the hallway(which I think is pretty cruel), I found out later that the staff had told everyone to ignore me and to not talk to me if they walked by. I banged on the window trying to get someone to talk to me or to help me. Once a staff, JC, told me in order to get out I needed to stop crying and talking and calm down. I told her I needed to pee and she told me when I got out I could. I sat on the floor and cried because I was so scared. I almost passed out from dehydration because I was crying so much. Finally, when I was too exhausted to try to get help I laid on the floor. After a while, the nurse Jessica came in and took my vitals. And scolded me for being in her words 'a burden' and 'exhausting'. I asked her how long I had been in there she said four hours. Because of this experience, I have become extremely claustrophobic. Nothing was ever done about this situation. read more

two most traumatic years of my teenage years i will never get back. screw the whole staff, the whole system, and everything you did to me and those other kids. i witnessed a child cleaning up another child's blood for community service hours! who tf does that? this sits with me every waking moment of my life. i'm 20 years old now, it's been 3 years since i left. and i have to force myself not to think about this place. read more