I do NOT recommend this facility for anyone with co-occurring (dual-diagnosis) substance use and mental health disorders. I was referred to Phoenix House by the ART Team and I was hesitant because the majority of the reviews were negative. However, given that many of them were old, I decided to give it a shot. I wanted to be a success story, but it didn’t work out. A few reasons why:
During my short stay, I experienced rude and abrasive staff, unempathetic communication style, and groups that felt more educational/information based than the coping skills based support I’d hoped for. We experienced food scarcity at mealtimes; the facility often ran out of food, leaving some of the ladies waiting while staff scrambled to find replacements (usually dry overcooked nuggets or cereal).
First upsetting experience happened early on, when I was sick and struggling to get out of bed. A staff member, ADELE, began banging her clipboard on the side of my bed and yelling at me to get me to wake up for group. When I explained I was having gastrointestinal issues and needed a few minutes, she threatened to discharge me and walked away. This was my third day there. As someone with insomnia who experiences frequent nightmares and new in recovery, I would’ve liked to have been given some grace.
Another staff member, JOANNA, consistently spoke to me in a disrespectful, condescending tone, barking orders instead of communicating with basic empathy. She was inconsistent, would “loosely” grant me bed rest or the exception to sit during workout time, and would revoke it suddenly leaving me confused. People come to Phoenix House to heal. Our bodies get sick, and sometimes we’re not going to feel well. It’s not military boot camp. We’re human beings in recovery.
I also experienced racial harassment from other residents. I was repeatedly called racial slurs, including the N-word, and was even threatened with being spit on by my roommate. After reporting all of these incidents, staff minimized it. CRYSTAL, brushed it off, saying, “Whaaat! Do you really think [resident name] is racist? I mean she has kids with an Asian man.” Another staff member ALYSSA, seemed more concerned about whether my response to the racial epithets violated “group confidentiality” than about the fact that I was verbally attacked.
RYAN, witnessed my roommate throw out my belongings and did nothing to stop her. My clothes, shoes, makeup, etc all thrown out into the hallway. When I got home the following day, I noticed that pages were also torn from my journal. I was administratively discharged for damaging property, but my property was also damaged by another resident while staff did nothing. For a program that claims to value mutual respect, this was deeply disappointing.
Overall, my experience left me feeling disrespected, unsafe, and unsupported. Phoenix House needs serious reform in staff training, cultural sensitivity, and basic compassion. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone who is serious about sobriety and desires to work towards sobriety in a positive environment.
While my time at Phoenix House was primarily a negative experience, I do want to take the time to acknowledge the staff who through our interactions, gave me hope to continue treatment and stick it out as long as I did. Thank you Toni, Robert, Andrew (or Anthony), Emily, Melissa, and Rhonda. Their kindness made a difference and I’m grateful for them. :)