Evolve Treatment Centers Mount Helix

"hated it here"

"DO NOT send your kids here, they will come back worse. This place needs to be shut down."

"0/10 recommend. I went to this place for less than a day before they kicked me out for nothing. When I got there I went on a tour with TW, Joseph. Then I went upstairs to answer questions and that was alright. Then I went back downstairs to this room with the other kids. I was nervous and in a new environment so I didn’t speak. When we were going into a new room one of the staff members came up to me and said “let’s go you can go stare at a wall in another room”. That was pretty rude and caught me off guard. I didn’t respond to that. Then we go sit at the table to eat. Then one of the female staff members( the one who said that rude thing) told me to put my hands on the table. That’s not how I sit so I didn’t and she started saying stuff like “oh so you’re acting tough now” and saying stuff like that. And she didn’t stop for a while. Later that day her and another female staff member had laughed at me multiple times. They would constantly say that the can’t hear me even though they clearly could, and when they notice I would get slightly upset from that, they would laugh at me. Then TW, joseph started doing the same thing. Eventually I told him to F off and I guess he cried to my mother about that because a couple hours later I was kicked out. As I was getting kicked out, they didn’t tell me why and I got really angry and shouted at them. Tw, Joseph then threatened to call the cops on me to make me leave when I just wanted an answer as to why I’m getting kicked out. This place is not welcoming and treats their patients at dollar signs. In a way evolve mt helix has emotionally traumatized me and has made me second guess going places for help. And if anyone is wonder, the female staff lady that was crazy rude, her name is Crystal and parents if you’re reading this. Please do not send your kid here. Please."

"I was impressed from beginning to end with my experience with Evolve Treatment Center in Mt. Helix. My child needed support beyond what we could give them at home and I am so grateful Evolve Mt. Helix had a bed free when we needed it. The Director of Quality & Intake, Jennifer set the tone for this entire experience. She went above and beyond for my family. Once admission day came, I felt like I was handing my child off to a group of caregivers who really had my child's safety and well-being in mind. The communication was stellar, the therapists really helped create a safe, home-like atmosphere. I was impressed with their therapeutic activities for the kids including equine therapy. The house is gorgeous and home-like and my kid really loved/appreciated the (vegetarian) meals Chef Jason made. While my kid definitely struggled with homesickness, the environment provided a safe place for my kid to begin to practice their emotion regulation skills. My child reported that the counselors are the ones who really do the bulk of the heavy lifting with the kids. My kid has raved about every single counselor at Mt. Helix. Whenever they needed to check in, there was a counselor there to help my kid work through whatever emotion they were having difficulty managing. You cannot know how wonderful a feeling it is for a parent to know their kid feels safe and secure to work through some really dark, intrusive thoughts. It's exhausting work and I'm so grateful there are the people at Evolve who really care about these kids and push/support them toward their goals. Speaking of goals, Evolve is very firm in their expectations of the kids and even the families. The structure is intense, and effective. Each week we'd receive a breakdown of where our kid was making strides and constructive feedback on what they still needed to work on. The level system motivated my kid to work hard to earn privileges in the house. I really appreciated the weekly check-in meetings with the therapist (the wonderful Ariana), our weekly Zoom calls with our child and the therapist, as well as the weekly parent support groups (seriously, join the parent support groups - it's really helpful to see that there are other parents going through what you are! Do it). Last thing I want to note. My kid is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. When I was searching for residential treatment centers, I found most of them had separate centers for "Girls" and "Boys" - while I understand in some contexts, this may be appropriate, it's rather an antiquated way of thinking. It's off-putting for families who have kids who do not fit into the binary (not to mention, it makes you feel even more isolated than you already feel). I am very grateful to Evolve staff for adjusting to my child's requested pronouns and making them feel accepted and whole just the way they are. Brava Evolve! You are doing important work!! Thank you."