Complaint Review: The Meadows

The Meadows is a treatment facility in wickenburg, Arizona specializing in addictions from alcoholism to work addiction. visits at the Meadows was a few weeks and in those three weeks my life was threatened by another patient who had come from a high security facility just a few days earlier. When I filed a complaint and asked what is going to be done? The Meadows response was, "try to avoid him." The Meadows is a small campus and only about 50 patients can fit comfortably. On any given day I would have 2 group sessions with this dangerous patient, 3 meals in the dining room together, and walk past several times a day. I had 3 different psychologists as did all of my peers. Unorganized is the most polite way i can put it. The pyschologist who did my intake was leaving the meadows the next day. The following week I met my new psychologist who I answered all the same questions for. My third psychologist who took over for the previous one had no file on me and no office. We met in a small computer room and chatted for a few moments about my experience at the meadows. I brought this up with my primary counseler and was told, "we are going through some changes." The most disturbing and highly unprofessional experience I witnessed I will never forget. The director of counseling, Gail Yaw, who is responsible for overseeing the behavior of all the counselors at the Meadows, verbally abused and broke confidentiality in front of all the patients and staff at the meadows. I witnessed Gail push a patient and say, "you are a sexual predator." She continued to badger this poor patient in front of about 40 patients and multiple staff members. Another coment heard was, "your only here to get laid." It turns out this patient was seen holding hands with another patient and told physical contact of any kind with a patient of the opposite sex was not allowed. What a strong way this was to enforce it. These two patients actually are now in a committed, monogamous, and healthy relationship no thanks to the meadows. One of the patients was kicked out and received no refund as this is the policy of the meadows. During my 3 week stay I witnessed about a dozen patients kicked out for reasons such as smoking outside of the smoke pit, holding hands or hugging a patient, flicking off a counselor, yelling at a counselor, ect.. but when a patient threatened to shoot another patient nothing of any significance is done. If you choose to go into treatment please be cautious of the meadows. There are several other treatment facilities in Arizona I would consider over the meadows. At $36,000 for 35 days they are the most expensive. They even got about half the patients I met to pay $44,000 for 35 days. If you don't insist on paying the $36,000 they will make up a number of excuses to make you comfortable paying 20% more. They will also have you sign an agreement not to tell another patient about your 20% discount or they will charge you the $44,000 price. Bottom line, BEWARE. This is for your recovery and you should be around people who care about you and not your money. One more thing, once you're there they treat you like a psychotic. Whether you are there for alcohol addiction or work addiction or schizophrenia you are treated the same. Your rights are signed over to the meadows and your voice means nothing to them.