Jack Leone

Review of Solstice East RTC

It s been many years since my time at this facilit...

It s been many years since my time at this facility. Unfortunately I was not too impressed with this program. I am a college graduate...but it took so much for me to get here. I feel like my time at solstice hindered my academic abilities. I was not at all prepared for college. In fact, as soon as I started my freshman year I had to leave 4 months in. I was able to go back and complete my degrees.
However, I can t help but to think how different my first college experience would be if I had been properly prepared.
Furthermore, I felt that I was cornered frequently at this facility. Often I would feel pressured to follow protocols that I did not support. These included encroaching on my fellow residents treatment. I understand that the program is group oriented but it felt very invasive at times. I felt like I had no privacy at all. It was uncomfortable addressing other clients personal issues as well.
I spent about 8 months here they had asked me to leave. I think it s unfortunate that a residential program did not have the skills to deal with certain problems. I encourage any family who is considering different programs to do more research. Solstice East may look desirable on the outside, but it s regiment and culture is much different on the inside.
The last point I want to make is that the girls (who are women now) are the most important part of Solstice. It was not the therapy or the groups that made a difference for me. The takeaway I had was making strong bonds with other people. I still have many rich friendships from my time at Solstice. Some of these women have grown into successful people. That is really special to see such amazing growth.