Do not send a loved one here. The director/owner is unscrupulous, unethical and a pathological liar with serious anger issues. Verbal guarantees made will NOT be provided in writing, and not honored. I paid large amounts of money for a 90-day inpatient stay, guaranteeing us 6 to 8 weeks of subsequent “free” aftercare which never took place, due to the rehab's deplorable financial condition, which resulted in the elimination of the promised aftercare program.
Not only was payment demanded from us two weeks prior to due date each month, but when pressured to hand over the check to the owner, he made his priority discussing his other possible business ventures in the hopes of tapping my professional contacts. I later found out that we were charged much more than others.
At the time of attendance, four out of five patients in treatment relapsed within a week of leaving, probably due to the lack of follow-up support and a structured program. During the 90 days the majority of the staff was eliminated as were the advertised amenities. Many of the staff members were compassionate, loyal and supportive. However, the turnover rate was high, all but 2 quit during the 3-month stay. At the time of dismissal, therapeutic staff was reduced to one individual.
We now need to spend more money and find another program which will provide transition from a limiting, in-patient environment to the real world. We could continue to provide multiple examples of the ways in which this “ashram” took advantage of us during our most vulnerable time. However, we don’t wish to dwell on the past- but look forward to a hopeful future of recovery far away from Empower
