Lake House Academy 447 Lily Pad Lane, Flat Rock, NC 28731

"My experience here wasn’t necessarily just good or just bad. I can confidently say that lake house helped me heal but there were times when I felt like i was doing anything than healing. There were some staff there that really supported me and helped me through the process that I am so thankful for. But there were multiple staff who were not equipped at all for the job and made a massive negative impact on the enviorment. When we tried to talk about what was happening to higher ups and share how those staff made us feel, it was immediately brushed off. There was a staff that almost all of the kids made reports on, and we tried to advocate but absolutely nothing was done about it. But the other way around it’s way different. Protocols are important there for kids who need them, but so many times I was placed on protocol for things that absolutely didn’t need a protocol. I also got placed on closeness twice for something that in the end, I was able to prove I didn’t do. I was in constantly stressed that I was going to lose my hard earned privileges, because the smallest little things will put you on protocols. A lot of the time I don’t have a say in anything that was happening to me. The higher ups always believed the RCs instead of the kids because apparently we wernt stable enough to know how we feel and what we need. I will say that I love the adventure program and the activities that we did. I also am so greatful for all the chefs who worked there. There were times were lake house felt like a home to me. And I admit that i miss being there a lot of the time. But I know the program is changing. I don’t think what LHA is turning into is something I’d want to go back to. Evryones experience is also different so I can only speak for myself"

"I am more traumatized now than I would’ve been had I not gone to LHA. If you are thinking of sending your daughter here I promise you the pain she will experience at LHA is way worse than what’s going on at home. I want to see all of these schools shut down. They put kids on too high doses of medication, restrain them, starve them and overall just treat them horribly. I was a student in 2012-2013 and I am just now truly facing what I went thru during my time at LHA. Please please please don’t send your daughter here. Her mental health for the rest of her life depends on it."

"Lakehouse has done wonders for my daughter and family! The staff--therapists, residential, nurse, administrators--are, to a person, professional, compassionate, kind, knowledgeable. They have provided our daughter with a safe, consistent environment to work on her behavioral issues and shown us how to support her. She's not quite finished but will be soon. We're very grateful--thank you to the LHA team!"

"I am forever greatful to lake house. i made lasting friendships and i miss the staff. the staff were extremely supportive and helped me in every way they could. thank you liz, nadia, deana, anna, daliyah, and hope to making my stay truly special and always listening to me talk about my life and goals and things i’ve been through. i was at lake house from february 2022- january 2023 and i would recommend it to any girl struggling with non-durastic problems, especially family relations. it will be hard to get used to, as there is a routine schedule, but it’s worth it. when i left they had remodeled all of the bedrooms and started on a kitchen. under mckenzie hall she is extremely improving lake house. barely anyone is contained now and it’s only when it’s extremely needed. we went on fun outings like pottery or ice cream or apple orchards which was always really fun! it was nice to get out of the school and get back to normal life for a bit. the scene is nice outside and the lake is pretty. lake house formed me into the good person i am today and helped me create a strong relationship with my mom. thank you so much to everyone at lake house for the work you do and for improving my life and every persons there. i appreciate your effort and as i said, i am forever greatful! miss you guys and hope you are all doing well!"

"I was here back in 2020. It ruined my life. I still have PTSD and it has been very difficult to cope with the trauma. I am so thankful that my parents have been supportive during my trauma recovery. Please never send your child here. These are some of the things I’ve experienced: 1) They read my private journals and confiscated them as a punishment for writing negatively about myself and the program. Writing is the only thing that kept me sane. They took this from me. I wasn’t allowed to write for the rest of my stay. 2) Constant hunger. Food intake was strictly monitored and controlled. We were denied sugar, seconds on meals, and snacks when we got hungry. Portion sizes were incredibly small. Many students ended up sick and underweight. There was rarely an alternative meal for children with dietary restrictions or children with severe sensory issues. I lost ten pounds in my first few weeks. 3) Containments. Students including myself were contained on a regular basis. Contaminants served both as a form of restraint and physical punishment. There were times when multiple staff were lying on top of me. I was physically injured during many of these encounters but I never received medical attention. My fellow students and I were contained even when we were not a physical threat. 4) School. The academic program is completely misadvertised. We would spend multiple class periods watching movies and TV shows. Almost all of our academic work was completed in an independent fashion. Teachers were hired to be supervisors rather than instructors. 5) Medical abuse. I had a prescription for Xanax at the time that was only supposed to be administered in emergency situations. They forced me to ingest it up to five times a day. Students who were ill never received medical attention. Self-harm and containment injuries were ignored even when they were severe. One of the girls I knew had trouble walking after she was severely injured in a containment. She was not allowed to see a doctor. 6) The rooms are overcrowded. They pack up to eight girls in one bedroom. 7) My therapist refused to have sessions with me. 8) All forms of outside communication were strictly monitored. 9) I was not allowed contact with my only friend outside of treatment. 10) I slept on the floor of the hallway for over two months. 11) My sensory issues were never accommodated. I cannot drink plain water, but they still refused to let me use my flavor packets even after my parents explained the situation and practically begged them to let me use my packets because I could become very ill without water. I got very sick from dehydration. They also refused to accommodate my sensory issues with food. 12) I have severe food allergies which were not taken seriously. 13) I was bullied by my peers and the staff refused to intervene. Edit: and thanks for reminding me about the constant gaslighting"