Tamarack Center

Hannah Currie

***My experiences may vary from other residents*** The staff there are very caring and empathetic. You can tell which ones are there for the money and ones who are there to genuinely help. They were very understanding and nonjudgmental of my needs. I’m thankful they accommodated to certain things to make my stay there somewhat bearable. The meals were top tier, thanks to chef Jude and Josh. There are other reviews saying you are in your rooms a lot for “transition times”; this is true. These times vary from 15 to 30 minutes, depending on the days and times. I think of these like “personal” or “break times.” They encourage practicing new coping strategies you have learned, allow residents to learn how to structure their time independently, and doing it effectively. They do get occasionally boring, because some of the staff forget we’re in transition or they’re late getting us out. Staff do “checks”, meaning they allow you out of your room for bathroom, personal hygiene, and meds. If you want certain things in your room that aren’t typically allowed (such as makeup, music instruments, and looming), you can create a contract, which helps pass the time during transition! The nurses are amazing, special shout-out to Russ, Cody, Jason L, and JV. On days I’ve struggled, they’ve used their time out of their day to comfort me; and they love spending free time with the residents. You will meet up with your nurse for session a couple of times a month. If you refuse to take your medications, they will not force you to take them. We have school Monday-Friday from 7:30 to 1:00, with breaks. Teacher Mark and Bev (the teacher aid ) are very helpful in a curricular setting. You learn through Apex or through your school (provided with accommodations.) Both are funny as heck, and I graduated there, thanks to them. As far as resident rooms, they’re somewhat clean. Deep cleaning happen on Sundays. The bathrooms cleanliness on the other hand, is entirely up to the residents. During my stay there, the bathrooms were not the cleanest because sharing 3 bathrooms with 16 teen residents is hard to maintain, apparently. The janitor does clean bathrooms at night, so in the mornings, it’s a fresh new start. From a therapy standpoint, you have 4 sessions not including meetings with the doctor, psychologist, dietician, nurses, and recreation staff. You meet with your PRC twice a week, and your therapist twice a week; one individual session and one family session. The doctors are very caring, thanks to Dr. Emch and Dr. Lavvy. They listen to your concerns and will have a thorough discussion about anything if you have any questions/concerns. Tim Davis, the director of the place is very kind. Residents are allowed to play with Snuffy, the campus dog. Overall, my experience with this place has been mostly positive, and I recommend this to anyone who is not stable enough to be left alone, but stable enough to not be in acute care.

Ethan Koa

STAY FAR AWAY. STAFF: Most staff is borderline abusive (Andrea, Kyle, and more), using gaslighting and other traumatic techniques. Other staff is just mean or insensitive, even if joking (Gordon, Dickens, Mark [rec], Marina). Jade, Russ, and Cody are the only people there who care. PROGRAM: The schedule is horrible, overloading on school and room time. Social interaction is limited as much as possible. Residents are constantly being restrained, chastised, and punished. The entire system is punishment based. IRP (individual reintegration program) isolates residents until they feel regret for actions. For instance, I was put on IRP for having a rock in my room. If determined a safety risk, residents on IRP will have to drag their own mattress out and sleep in the milieu. DIVERSITY: Neurodivergence isn't respected at all, nor is LGBTQ residents. Therapists have political discussions. Friendships are discouraged. Staff is fatphobic and bodyshaming, putting residents on diets against their or their family's will, and expecting all residents to be in top athletic status. SAFETY: Self harm isn't looked into at all. I cut consistently at Tamarack and was never talked to about it. Sharp objects like pens/pencils, staples, keys, etc are readily available. When I entered Tamarack, there were screws on my bedroom floor. Most nurses don't do mouth checks after meds. Masks aren't required after the first week. CLEANLINESS: Bathrooms are disgusting, filled with bloody towels, unflushed toilets, graffiti, and dirt. Residents are responsible for cleaning the bathrooms on Sundays, which doesn't happen. Underneath the beds is a ton of junk. If you ask Mark (rec) to unscrew your bed so you can see the inside, you'll see layers of dust, dirt, dead skin, trash, and more. FOOD: Allergies are respected, and other diets like vegan/vegetarian. "Overweight" residents aren't assessed, they're just immediately put on a diet. Portions aren't monitored, and heavy sugar is available. Many residents get caffeine addictions from the coffee in the mornings and caffeinated drinks from the resident store. OVERALL: At Tamarack, myself and fellow residents were made worse. Traumatized further, gaslit, and punished. My friends were brutally restrained. People were selfharming and banging their heads on walls. People without tics faked them, and people with tics were accused of faking (BY STAFF). Never send anybody here, yourself or child.

Chris Colwell

I highly recommend Tamarack! My daughter had an excellent experience and learned many skills to help improve her mental health. She was there for an 8 month stat. With a combination of learning healthy habits, therapy, and medication management my daughter returned home happier and healthier than she had been in a long time. The staff were great in communicating with us, and her individual therapist was outstanding. Shout out to Megan! I think a lot depends on what the adolescent and family is willing to put into the program. You get out what you put in. I am thankful that we found Tamarack, and would highly recommend it to any family with an adolescent who needs help with mental health.

Roman Hoffman

When I was at the center, there were definitely a few staff who were kind and caring (jade), she was my prc and was very nice to me. But other than her, I was harassed by some of the staff claiming that I was faking tics, (I’ve been diagnosed and take medication now for them), when my parents agreed with me that I had tics I was told by my doctor at the time that I was attention seeking even though I was just genuinely happy to prove them wrong. I also was harassed by one of the patients there whom I will not be naming. I brought this up to staff multiple times but was ignored. When my depression got severe and impacted me being safe with myself, I was shut in my room or in a hallway and was not allowed to talk to staff or other residents. There were some redeeming qualities at the center though, such as food and learning. The teachers were very nice and the meal staff were kind. The person in charge of tamarack definitely does not like kids though so I don’t recommend talking to her. All in all if your considering going here just don’t…