For clarification, I went to a residential La Ventana program, specifically the "Briar" women's house for mental health, which specializes in trauma. So my words are based on my experience at this specific place, but I assume other La Ventana facilities are similar in quality of care.
Unbelievably amazing place. Never have I felt as cared for by a treatment staff as I did here. When I entered, I was very suicidal and experiencing one of the worst depressive episodes of my life. I was so mentally unwell I felt I could hardly speak (and I am a big talker, as you will notice if you manage to get through my very thorough review) or really do anything. I could not bring myself to care about anything and hated every minute of living. By the time I left, I was much closer to being myself again. The staff expressed noticing what a change took place in me, as they watched me open up and become someone who could laugh and rant and do all the things I like to do. I do not want to sell this treatment as a miracle cure: I know everyone responds differently, and it is not like my life became easy or that I am never depressed-- I still have my issues. And it takes a lot of hard work and difficult things to process to really begin healing. But I can't think of anything that could have helped me more than these people and this program.
One thing I cannot stress enough is how LISTENED TO I felt there! They genuinely listen and do whatever they possibly can to help and make your experience living there better. There is even a weekly group called "community meeting" or something like that, and the entire point is to discuss what we feel would make the environment, space, or community better--really anything we want to bring up. You could say "hey, I'd like more of this kind of blanket because they're really cozy and make me feel better" and chances are, they'll be on it to get some for the house; or, "I feel uncomfortable when people talk about this one subject in this way and would like for people to be more sensitive" and they'll be sure to have a productive conversation among the other patients and staff to make sure you feel safe and comfortable with the people you are surrounded by. A real example of mine: I have a history with an eating disorder and am very sensitive to how people talk about food (counting calories, commenting on if a food is "bad", diet talk, etc). When I noticed some of that casual talk, I brought it to the community meeting and not only were my wonderful fellow-patients very receptive to what I had to say and agreed to be more careful, but the staff also held meetings to discuss changing any food-negative language among the staff as well (and asked for my input on how to go about being more sensitive in talking about it). They even added a rule on the welcome packet about steering away from food-negative talk! Wow!
There is variety in the different groups we did, ranging in subject matter and methods of coping. I truly learned a lot when I did not think I had more to learn. I better understand myself and others because of this.
Though things were more limited due to covid restrictions, we had outings and activities that I loved. Our walks around the block and drives to the park where we would feed the turtles in the pond and occasional trips to Starbucks were very calming and fun. My favorite was when we would go to the beach around sunset. It really helped to get out of the house and feel like regular people. And the staff treated us like regular people-- not children or too mentally ill to understand ourselves, like some mental health professionals I have dealt with in the past-- just treated with respect and kindness. It did not feel like it was just a job to them. I felt like they truly cared about me and each & every one of us, genuinely dedicated to our wellbeing. Jen is an incredibly caring person who puts her whole heart into what she does as the program director. I do not know where she finds that much energy and passion-- it looks exhausting-- but she does.
I still have my teddy bear and super soft blanket they gave me there, and they serve as comforting reminders of what a valuable journey I went on at Briar/La Ventana. I also still have my binder flooding with activity sheets and informational packets in case I need to flip through them to remember what skills I learned to cope with life. Do not let my glowing review make you think this will be an easy and perfect experience. It won't be. But do give recovery and healing a try. I believe this is the best place to do it.
