Newport Academy

"Please do not send your kid here. I was here for about 8 weeks about a year or so ago, and I left worse off and I am still struggling with events that happened during my time here. The staff are very unprofessional, and you would be lucky if you got therapy once a week. No intensive therapy at all. Your time there is wasted, you don't do anything that is beneficial. A lot of the activities and groups listed on the website aren't actually available. Like I said, you rarely get therapy. They were very under staffed and some times we weren't supervised at all, which led to some dangerous moments. The school they offer really just sets you back once you get back home. I have horror stories from inside this place that I can't share. My parents tried to pull me out on multiple occasions but couldn't for no reason, so please be cautious about that. The staff did the best they could, but sadly lacked. Overall, it's a waste of money and time, and doesn't help. If your kid is struggling please send them to somewhere else. This is coming from someone who did come here, so please be careful with choosing where to send your kid when it comes to their mental health and safety."

"With Michigan not having the Residential level of care for teens, having our neighbor Minnesota with this great resource is a gift! I had toured this facility and felt the “Harry Potter Hogwarts Academy” vibe and knew it was a special place that teenagers would love. The staff was passionate about teen mental health and the environment was amazing; the Rock Wall for climbing was impressive, the individual pods for small groups was warm, roomy and comfortable, well designed and fun colors. The food was amazing and the chef quite impressive with her options for the milieu. The school setting was better than the HS I attended! Large classrooms but limited in the number of students per classroom to allow focused individual attention was impressive. All this is great, but then when I put them to the test with a very challenging teen girl, they demonstrated how their “show and tell” was far more. They walk the talk and this family is doing well as they work through their multiple challenges. Newport restores hope where hope was lost."

"I went to Newport between February through April. It took a little bit to adjust to the new environment, but I adjusted in a few days. A majority of the staff were helpful, supportive, and well-trained. I noticed that during my stay the staff was occasionally short causing them to be split a lot but other than that this facility was a fantastic place for me. I was in the darkest point of my life and I came home myself again. My family saw it, my friends saw it, but most importantly I saw it. If you or a loved one are considering going to this facility, I highly recommend it. A fantastic part of Newport is that they have some Alumni who are Newport Advocates who are more than happy to answer any questions you may have from a past client perspective. Good luck in your recovery journey."

"Newport was a great place for me to grow as an individual and grow with my family! I highly recommend for people who are struggling and need help. They offer emotional and mental help and they will listen. The time goes by fast and everyone is so understanding!"

"Reviewing as an employee: I absolutely adore my job at Newport. The building is is fantastic, and I think I discover something new to see in it, weekly. I genuinely believe that the employees here have the best intentions at heart, no matter who it is. (Why would you even sign up for a job in mental health if you didn’t, right?) I cannot fathom everything there is to know about how we operate, in every department, because there are so many working-pieces to do what we do in a very, young business to the St.Cloud area. As new struggles present themselves, our leaders do their best to come up with a way to solve them. I love our clientele; teens see the world in ways that I have forgotten how to. Some of them challenge me, and they frequently change my mind. Some of them just need an opportunity to come out of their shells. No matter what they get out of their time at Newport, I know that our staff wants the best for them. We are all imperfect people, trying to make the world a perfect place. One, perfectly-imperfect, youth at a time."