The Refuge, A Healing Place

Matt Snow

Just returned from 40 days at The Refuge and wanted to share that it was life changing! It began with a couple days in the medical center which was as good as you could expect for a detox and medical review process. I was then moved to a cabin that had all I needed. Plenty of space and quiet. Expect to have a roommate (cabins can house up to 5 but have 3 rooms) but have plenty of privacy. The House Managers were great and very helpful getting settled in and anywhere I needed to go. They are who provide all the living support and are also great listeners if you need someone to talk to. The Therapist are good at steering you through your stay. You will meet with them individually and in large groups. Assignments are given in both places that you do and share in groups. These are different for everyone and you are able to do them in a variety of ways. While most are written, you can also use just about any creative way you wish. You are assigned a primary Therapist as well as a secondary Therapist for when your primary is not available. You can also change your Therapist if you don't connect with who your assigned. The food is much better than I expected. Patrick and his staff do a great job providing a selection for picky eaters and you can always have a salad. I put on a few pounds while there. The programming is good for the groups with Tue- Thurs dedicated as "trauma days". These are more intense where you process whatever you need to work through. There are multiple group sessions every day with Fri-Mon groups being more informative about a variety of issues your experiencing in your life. Every evening there are meetings for most 12 step programs. These are client led and a great opportunity to figure out what you want when you return home. There are a couple "must do's" that are led by Don. Don is absolutely wonderful guiding you through a couple lightly spiritual groups (The Magnolia Tree, the labyrinth, and storytime). He is great at keeping it spiritual but allowing you to decide your higher power. The facilities are great. You never forget your in the middle of the forest with plenty of deer, a couple of cranes and 3 hawks calling the property home. The property is large but you can "rent" a tricycle if you don't want to walk between the buildings. My only negative is the weekend programming options. They are more experimental in their topics and sometimes may seem less informative and not as well prepared. I understand they have changed this programming a few times so your experience may differ from mine. They also seem to be lightly staffed with Nurses who dispense your medicine. Not a deal breaker but there's room for improvement. There were a handful of covid cases but they handled them as well as I thought they could without making the client leave. I highly recommend The Refuge if you have any trauma in your past and/or are dealing with substance abuse. It is a safe place to help you process the details and offer EMDR and ART for those who need it. If you feel you need an inpatient facility you need to check out The Refuge! It's truly a healing place! 8/2/22 EDIT: I was just informed that there have some MAJOR changes to the staff as well as the handling of some clients that severely impact my recommendation for going to The Refuge. Management seems to believe whatever they wish especially when it negatively impacts staff and clients they dislike. Until management is changed I would not consider this an option for treatment.

Breanna Laws

I stayed at The Refuge for 45 days over the Summer, and it has made such a huge difference in my life. I got my medications in order -- Dr. Marta was a really wonderful psychiatrist during my stay. The cabins were nice and well maintained. The housing managers were an absolute blessing. From a therapy perspective, it was 6+ hours of group therapy every day with individual therapy once a week. I was able to do ART sessions, which completely changed the game for me. I gained a lot from the trauma process groups and finally feel comfortable sharing my story with others. I met so many friends throughout my time here that I always feel I can come to for support. I am 114 days sober today, and I did not even come into The Refuge with a desire to be sober. Holly's meditations are incredible if you ever get the chance. The community activities are all great ways to make you feel like you are welcomed. There are, as with all things, some less than desirable aspects about The Refuge. However, in my experience, they tended to respond well to client grievances. Where there is trauma, there is drama, but just remember what you are there to do. The program works if you do. I am finally wanting to start living again, and I hope the same for everyone reading this.

Ezilh Hills and daggers

Do not go here. The place is in complete meltdown as we speak.

Tyler Durden

It's a really a tragedy. It saved my life on numerous visits. It was magical. You'll never know. But, in the last year, it's a total disaster due to new staff and decisions made. These people can't relate to the clients. And that's a major issue. I highly recommend from a real Refugee you do not admin into here for the foreseeable future. Breaks my heart to say that, but I know a lot about the workings of what has been happening. It used to be 5 star without question.... Now, just please try something else. Look into the Guest House in Silver Springs, FL.