Grace Kendall

Review of Sunrise RTC

I have noticed a lot of either very harsh 1-star o...

I have noticed a lot of either very harsh 1-star or very excited 5-star reviews and not much in between. I would say that this is due to different perspectives going in and out of Sunrise. Because I went to wilderness before coming to Sunrise, I was able to skip level one and safety phase in the 5-step level system, which is arguably the most uncomfortable phase to be on. Because my behavioral issues at home all stemmed from drugs, once the drugs were taken away, I didn't really have any behavioral issues at Sunrise that warranted any punishments, because without drugs I am too afraid to break rules. Treatment is not supposed to be luxurious or fun, and Sunrise is not an exception to this. There are pros and cons, there's obviously not as much freedom as at home, some rules that may be considered stupid, but throughout my stay I found that every single rule had a reason behind it that a previous resident messed up for everyone in the future.

In the end, I think I had a positive experience at Sunrise because I came in with a positive mindset. I find that those who I met that went in with a bad mindset and did not want to grow went back to old behaviors upon leaving (by CHOICE, Sunrise can't force you to grow up or choose what's right), manipulated their parents into pulling them out before they are ready, or behave so poorly at Sunrise that they get sent to wilderness before coming back again. While Sunrise may have a "low success rate" as some say, this is typically because the resident has left AMA (against medical advice) by either turning 18 or having a parent pull them, or by faking their way through.

So a quick before and after view of my life before both wilderness and Sunrise and what they have both done for me, before: I had a lot of anxiety all my life which was exacerbated by a sexual assault which pushed me over the edge to become dependent on Benzos and heroin. I dropped out of school at the end of 10th grade, and went to short-term rehabs twice at the ages of 15 and 16, and went to about 6 different high school programs throughout the 11th grade, I was also basically ready to die. Throughout my stay at Sunrise I have been given many opportunities, and have taken them and used them to the best of my ability: the very capable and intelligent academic principal, Janette Thompson, saved my academic career. I got back on track to finish high school, she took my 6 different 11th grade year credits and formed them into one solid year, and I was even able to graduate a semester early. I was able to get the rest of my high school credits through dual enrollment at a local university, Dixie State University, and finished high school EARLY with a 3.96 GPA, 1470 SAT, 33 ACT, and 4.0 college GPA for 23 credits. So I had a very different academic experience at Sunrise than that of someone who's sister went here many years ago. I was also provided with tools and support necessary to face my trauma, depression, anxiety, and drug addiction, and am proud to say that with the help of Sunrise and wilderness before, I now have the desire to live a full and happy life FAR past the age of 18, and I have been clean from drugs for over a year. I was able to rebuild my relationship with my parents from being kicked out of the house and not welcomed back at the age of 16 to visiting them every school day of fall, spring, Christmas, and summer break that I get. My parents also trust me enough to let me have a car, a job, a volunteer opportunity, dental assisting technical training, and to live alone off campus with roommates and still attend Dixie State University at the age of 17!

So this was a really long and in-depth review but I just wanted to express fully how much Sunrise changed my life. Not to be dramatic, but if I hadn't gone to Sunrise I'd be dead right now! One downside is that it is very expensive, around $9000-$10,000 a month, but Sunrise has a team of lawyers or something similar to help petition your insurance company and child's home public school system to get them to cover some of the cost.