Rose Hill Center

“I came to Rose Hill in July 2005. I was put on the right medication but gained a few pounds. I went through the program being on three different crews. The work therapy program is top notch. In August of 2022 I decided to go off my medication completely. I lost weight but was very manic and went to the Hurley hospital psych ward then back to Rose Hill for a 'tune up'. The Rose Hill psychiatrist got me back on medication and I'm very successful today in the community. I currently have one job that I've held for almost ten years at Genesys Health Club. The program carries on after leaving campus. I'm in the Community Support Program (csp) with some appointments at Rose Hill Center. I highly recommend Rose Hill Center.”

“This facility takes advantage of patient labor and staff labor. I respect the staff and met some really good people here but I also remember a house manager telling me she made less than a grocery store clerk. She not only ran the house, she also did a ton of work around the farm. They have patients clean their facilities in the name of occupational therapy, truly disgraceful. This place sells itself as individualized therapy and then they heard all the patients into groups to do labor and therapy. I met some great therapists and not so great but the management staff was disappointing on many levels. They truly sell themselves as a great place but once you’re there they try and keep you for as many months as they can by setting up therapeutical hurdles you have to jump over. But don’t dare run too fast to the next hurdle, you’re not ready for that yet. They intentionally make it difficult to get out of their program. I do not recommend for high functioning people. There’s so many upsetting stories I could tell about this place but out of respect for the decent house managers and therapists I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.”

“I got a lot of support for my mental health. Very professional and they care deeply for each resident. They helped me find my self confidence and self worth. Most importantly they work as a team. I got support not just with my mental health but they provided an autism specialist who greatly improved my quality of my life. I owe Rose Hill so much to my life also the offer DBT therapy which challenged me to improve myself and receive support to reach my goals. My DBT coach Laura gave me hope to a broggter future and helped me with dealing with extreme anxiety. I totally recommend Rose Hill for mental health and people who are on the autism spectrum. Would love to one day share my personal experience in hopes to reach out to people who would benefit services from Rose Hill.”

“I feel a lot of reviews are like…not from residents. Like “I would totally recommend it to my friends and family” which, sorry you’re surrounded by a bunch of folk off their rockers, but like, do you even go here? There was a warmth and a sense of normalcy that I felt I experienced for the first time when I was admitted. I didn’t feel like I was acting what normal was supposed to be, I felt that what was normal for me was an acceptable standard for normalcy and that was a nice thing. The individualized care was wonderful when I got there. It was adaptive, after being in and out of hospitals and outpatient programs I was given a program that felt tailored for Alex. I was very good at getting involved in things that weren’t my business, most of which didn’t matter all that much. The AED battery at Polk House was communicating it was in distress. It took a few weeks, roughly, for it to be replaced. Even though I complained a lot about it. That may have accounted for the delay. I complain too much. I once had my dinner discarded. It wasn’t my personally supplied food, it was from Rose Hill. But I was denied a replacement. I have had a lot of experiences that felt dehumanizing in treatment settings but I never had my food withheld prior to that. My 30 day discharge notice came the day before I left on a nearly 3 week leave of absence, which staff were aware of. I was told I was warned. I wasn’t given time to process before my parents were sent the letter. I broke a door. Over a plant. Having toddler tantrums is not something a resident being there for over two years should be doing, but it wasn’t mentioned in the discharge notice. I thought that was odd though I realized that they found out by inspecting my townhouse while I wasn’t present. I was at work and not given notice. Maybe it wasn’t all kosher. I would have appreciated a note on my whiteboard saying “clinical director was here, 😘”. Rose Hill cultivated confidence and I often use it for shenanigans. I am immensely grateful. It makes it easier to exist when I don’t start every day thinking that I am pathetic. I feel the Rose Hill that I was admitted to does not exist anymore, and I don’t know if I would be able to experience those positive changes if I were admitted as a resident now. There are great people at Rose Hill that care. TSS, staff that didn’t have to deal with my insanity but did so anyway with kindness and compassion. For all my complaints, I miss and loved Rose Hill more than I often care to admit to myself. It is not the Rose Hill institution I miss. It’s hanging out with cats, relating to staff, having the most fun unhinged conversations with other residents. Being sad and lying in the chicken coop some days. Sneaking into the barn and greenhouse when I was very aware I wasn’t allowed to do so. I feel Rose Hill is losing what made it special. I haven’t been around many facilities, I’m guessing it’s better than others and there are a lot of amenities and resources, I don’t want to dismiss that. If you are considering Rose Hill, I would recommend finding accounts of resident experiences. The golf cart tour is fun but it doesn’t really give you an overview of the experience. If you are on a tour, and see a resident that is willing to chat, talk to them. Don’t bother with the folks in blazers and suits, they’re typically boring. Find the staff that eats lunch with residents, ask Rob if you can see his woodworking masterpieces. They’re freaking rad. And his rock collection. John Halick is somehow always busy but also always finds time for people. His door has that “come in” thing set on his availability wheel even if he’s in a session. I think even with the changes I feel are negative the social environment can be immensely therapeutic for some. The sign out front looks like a cat’s * (content policy, insert vulgarity here) to me. I hope they never change it. I would love for them to remove the barbed wire on campus. Maybe it’s part of their therapeutic approach. I have had a tetanus shot recently and the wire posed no threat to me.”