Our family is ecstatic about our recent experience with Adolescent Growth, Inc. and we want to shout about it! Our 17-year old daughter suffered from depression and anxiety for years. When she secretly turned to using marijuana (and LSD) as a means of coping with her emotions, she had no idea that she would become addicted. Her co-occurring illnesses escalated and our lives became unmanageable. We live in the Central Valley of California and found limited doctors and resources available to help us. After exhausting our efforts locally, we were led to the Los Angeles area to seek the urgent care we needed. We thoroughly researched a variety of facilities and decided that AGI was the right fit. Let me tell you why. We highly recommend viewing their website (http://adolescentgrowth.com) which outlines the facility's mission and goals. AGI is a family-owned business and operated by professional, passionate people with integrity. Our phone calls, e-mails and concerns were respectfully and promptly addressed. We felt a part of the AGI family from the moment we contacted them. Adolescent Growth is accredited and has licensed clinicians at the facility that meet with individual adolescents regularly. Each therapist is knowledgeable, understanding, well-trained and easy to talk to. The services our child received were holistic and of high standards. The Adolescent Psychiatrist also sees the clients individually for ongoing medication management and other mental health care needs. Not all of the patients suffer from substance abuse, but all benefit under the specialized group programs facilitated by the licensed addiction professionals. The daily 12-step group is amazing. Utilizing cognitive behavior therapy as well as DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) skills equips the youth with lifelong coping skills. AGI is a comprehensive program for co-occurring disorders in youth. They have a highly qualified nursing staff that goes above and beyond to care about each of the patients individually while ensuring their comfort and success in treatment. It was difficult for us to admit our child into full, in-patient care for an extended period of time, but we found the facilities to be warm, comfortable, well-maintained, and highly secure. The academic facilitator was a great help in allowing our daughter to continue to complete her academics while in treatment. Daily physical exercise, and a structured schedule allowed for personal development and self-discipline. Adolescent Growth understands the role the family plays in their loved one's recovery. Due to the approximate 200 miles we live from the facility, we were able to participate in weekly parenting classes as well as family therapy with her clinician, via webcam. Our Saturday trips for the multi-family group session were of significant value in our daughter's healing. We are thrilled to report that our daughter is now mentally and emotionally stable, as well as completely sober. She successfully transitioned home in December 2012 and has created a better life for herself. We highly recommend this facility to others that wish to transfer the same success and hope to their lives. A forever grateful family!!! read more

This facility is the worst and should be under investigation if not closed. There are staff members who provide drugs to the teens under their care and some teens are there to kick their drug habits. The supervision is inadequate. They advertise gender based care but they mix genders and allow teens to form relationships that negatively impact their therapy. It's such a poor work environment they cannot maintain good therapists and educational personnel. I will be contacting the attorney general to investigate this facility that is a danger to the teens under their care. Find another treatment center for your teen. Preferably, an all-day outpatient center that will allow you to have increased awareness and transparency of your teens progress. Residential treatment centers like this one can do more harm than good to your teen. read more

My background: I was an employee at adolescent growth. I first accepted the job over another job offer because of upper management's initial charisma. After I accepted the job, I excitedly told many folks, 3 of whom work in the mental health field. The ones who were in the field had heard the organization and told me what they had heard about the organization. I typically always take rumors with a grain of salt. But in this situation I was very wrong, and I should have listened to the rumors. I personally would never send my children here. Staff: Staff get 0 training. Staff members would be emotionally inappropriate with clients on multiple occasions as well as leaving knives in unlocked areas. I would speak with staff and attempt to help them, but I am in no way supposed to train others at this point in my career. I honestly do not believe it is the staff's faults a lot of the times. No one receives any proper training there and for most folks who work there, it's either there first job in general or their first job in the mental health field so they are not yet aware of what the standard of care is. Upper Management: In my personal experience, upper management would tell me directly to things in a certain way one week and then get upset if I followed their last week's directions. Then they'd act like they never gave me the original directions in the first place. I also heard about them getting upset with another staff member for something that upper management was doing consistently which I found to leave a hypocritical impression. Upper management was also strict with the children, in my opinion. And when questioned about rationality behind odd rules, there was no rational that made any sense. The biggest emotional hurt I ran into at this job was the lack of follow through on guarantees from upper management. Pros: Extremely fast hiring process. I thought the clients were really great kids. read more

It was completely awful. Extremely unethical and its all just an insurance scam. The lewises were awful, and despite how much it costs to be there per day, a 100$ budget per client for food and supplies for the week is NOT enough. 100$ for food, toilet paper, trash bags, EVERYTHING. even if there wasn't those extra things to buy and the full 100 was used for food, that would be about 4$ per meal for each client. Where is all of the money being payed for the clients stay going? Even with paying the workers, utility bills, and medication there is still a pretty large amount of leftover money. It's not like they buy the school supplies for the clients or anything. all learning supplies and things for the classroom are all bought by the academic coordinator. It's also a requirement to be on medication, or else you will most likely be moved out of the program for a lower level of care, even if the clients genuinely needs to be in the program. putting clients on unneeded medication is WRONG. The staff is honestly the only genuinely good thing about the program. The program itself is unethical and a scam. Do NOT send your child here. Also, the website lies. The first thing I read was that the clients had the ability to walk to a gym to work out everyday, because the facility has a gym membership. That was an absolute lie. And the lewises don't fund the outings that the clients are supposed to have. It also says that the clients talk to a phsychiatrist once a week but out of the 61 days I was there, I talked to the phsychiatrist a total of 3 TIMES. The lewises also don't get things in the household fixed. the toilet was clogged for the first about 50 or so days of my stay, and the few weeks before it got fixed was an absolute monstrosity up in that shi (Didnt even seem humanly possible) due to an angry client. It was honestly traumatizing. It was literally a biohazard. Anyway the lewises took an INSANELY long time to get a plumber there. One of the fridges broke and the lewises took their sweet time to get that replaced as well. And due to the low budget, staff has had to buy clients food, laundry detergent, toilet paper, and things like that out of their own pockets. Their van has also been broken for god knows how long. In conclusion: This place is a scam, the lewises are evil, thank you for coming to my Ted talk! read more

If i could rate a 0 i would, a relative of mine went here for help; and received the opposite. for 2 week no therapy was received and was just stuck in a room reading a book; no help was given even with schooling. had to make own food, was told someone would be feeding them and nothing. on top of that, now family is receiving a bill for $7800. he was only there 1 month and half of it was NOTHING EXCEPT HIM IN A ROOM. the last 2 weeks he did get MINOR therapy BUT NO HELP WITH SCHOOL and still no help with cooking. we were over promised and under-delivered to an extreme. we cant believe they have the nerve to try and bill us. This place is a scam. during a hard time for the family this made it even harder. DO NOT TAKE YOUR FAMILY here. read more

This program was a complete disappointment and frustration. While my child was in this residential program there was a huge turnover in staff members. They were literally walking out in the job because the conditions were so bad. Every time my child would call me from here she would tell me how bad it was. Staff members getting upset with other staff members. The "counseling" my child received was an absolute joke. I actually can say the "counseling" they received actually caused more problems with my child rather than helping them resolve and deal with what brought them there in the first place. The appointments were constantly changed, a very nice pair of shoes were not returned after me trying to contact them repeatedly, and promises were made that were not kept. This place was a total joke and waste of money. I feel it should be shut down. PLEASE don't send your child here. read more

this poor rating is because i believe adolescent growth has done a poor job of screening all their "psychologists" - i believe they have one psychologist that is an MFT and does NOT have a PHD in psychology. last time i check, La Sierra University has never offered a PHD in psychology (a Psych Ed is not a PHD). PLEASE HIRE A BETTER OR PROPER EMPLOYMENT SCREENING COMPANY. you're dealing with the children's lives. read more

I must admit that the reason my daughter is in need of therapy is my fault. I have totally spoiled her. However, by going to Adolescent Growth (AG), she has gotten back on track. I was very pleased with my daughter's treatment and the way they were able to bridge our relationship. My daughter and I are closer than ever. She remained in the facility for 90 days. The Insurance paid for it. I was made aware of the discharge date on the date she was admitted. So I was aware of the timelines and I had spoken to the Insurance Rep of what my insurance covered. I wanted to rebuild our relationship and AG allowed me that opportunity. I do not know where my daughter would be without them. I stayed in close contact with AG. I called weekly asking what I can do. She is my daughter and I take full responsibility for her well-being and AG gave me the premier attention that she needed. read more

CAUTION ADVISED. INSURANCE They will tell you that your insurance approved the program for up to 90 days of treatment, 45 days minimum. THIS IS RARELY THE CASE. Your child will be there for several weeks, and then suddenly they call parents and tell them that your insurance has run out ON THAT DAY, and you must pick your child up immediately. They harrass you with calls and emails to pick your child up. We pushed back and were able to have our child there for almost 3 months. They forced her discharge too soon, she had just been put on a new medication. We pleaded with them to let her stay a few more days to determine if the medication was safe for her. They refused. A week after she came home, she had a full blown Manic , psychotic episode. After being hospitalized for two weeks, it was determined to have been a bad reaction to that medication. Thankfully she is ok now. WE WERE LUCKY! THE PSYCHIATRIST Very difficult to communicate with for the staff and parents. We were trying to reach him about her medications for two weeks, and he did not return our calls. He is basically responsible for the outcome in our case. Our 17 year old granddaughter went was treated there recently. She was treated in the Lombard , Ill. facility. Although the treatment program is excellent, the therapists caring and dedicated. Caution is advised. If you search on the internet for reviews of Adolescent Growth, you will find numerous accounts similar to ours, from parents. BE CARE FUL. read more

Do not ever send your child here. They lied to us about our teen being in a group setting, refused to give her her medications and accused her of having an eating disorder because her discomfort with being in this facility without any peers caused her to be nauseous. Her experience at Adolescent Growth caused extreme trauma that took months to even begin to undue. Now a whole year later they are trying to collect a double copay because she had to go to the emergency room and returned to the facility. read more

I was there in the Los Angeles facility from 12/7/18-1/29/19, and I'm pissed off with many things in the facility. 1) They do pocket checks when returning to the facility after gym or an outing, and when leaving the classroom. 2) During pocket checks, they literally force you to show your pockets to the staff, and if you refuse to show your pockets, they punish you. 3) Why do you punish these poor teens for no reason? 4) They force you to count in the restroom. 5) They force you to eat otherwise you can't go to the gym. 6) They make you wait 10 Minutes for seconds and wait until all the clients are done eating in order to wash your plate. 7) You always have to be watched/seen by staff. 8) They also force you to cough when taking medication. What is wrong with this place? read more

This experience was life changing . My daughter recently graduated from this program and we couldn't be happier with ourselves, with the staff and of course with our daughter. When she first came to the house she was angry, depressed, anxious and defiant. The staff were so kind and patient with her and her therapist was AMAZING. They make sure parents spend a lot of time there in therapy too and family therapy did such an incredible job of healing our relationship. We used to fight and argue all the time but now we've all learned to communicate better and understand when the other person needs their space. When I first called I felt so hopeless. We had been through so many therapists and psychiatrists and outpatient and inpatient and nothing worked. My daughter didn't want to change. On the phone they were so supportive and helpful and we took a chance with Adolescent Growth and it paid off. It's a lot of hard work, especially the part where you put all your trust in somebody else but if you do what is asked of you you won't regret it read more

It was not a program that was slavish to the twelve steps but tailored toward the individual. The therapists here were really able to develop a deep and close relationship with my son. read more

The turnover at this company is horrendous. Every time you turn around someone else is fired. There is no continuity with therapists, teachers, psychiatrists etc. I would never entrust my child to attend an Adolescent Growth facility when there is such internal chaos. They are not concerned with the welfare of their clients as much as their concern with their profits. read more

It's very unfortunate that the owners of the company treat both the patients and the staff very poorly. Many issues arose here when I was employed with the company. The owners are very greedy and treat the patients like cattle by moving them around to different facilities when they are under investigation. The owners come off as religious but they do not practice what they preach and they have the employees scared and in fear of losing their jobs. The patients notice the atmosphere and do not feel comfortable speaking to their therapists. When the owners come to the facility, they regularly fire employees and enforce even more rules that both the staff and the patients have difficulty meeting the owners expectations. The owners do not give time off to employees and make them work double shifts regularly with no breaks. The staff fall asleep on the job and this is because their is no coverage for employees to take breaks. It is terrible what we have all had to experience here with the company. The owners also pretend to be human resources and other departments when it is convenient for them. No one should work here or allow their child to be in this facility. The owners make false accusations against the children so that the insurance will approve a 2 month stay where the owners can get tens of thousands of dollars. Think twice before thinking of having your loved ones here. You can find out more from reading the non recommended reviews for this company. read more

I was impressed with the professionalism and the wealth of knowledge and information that all the staff had on eating disorders. I particularly found the nutritionist and dietician to be most of helpful not only treating my son but also working with the family. The facility kept us informed as to my son's progress and encouraged ongoing interaction and for the family to be a part of treatment to help gain the maximum benefit of the program. It proved to be a wonderful experience not only for my son but for the family to reach a harmonious family unit. read more

This company came recommended to me for my son with significant drug and behavior problems. Within a week I wanted to take him out of the program as I could see it was not meeting his needs. They are unorganized and not equipped to deal with drug related issues. As it runs like a group home, they have group sessions with all participants touching on eating disorders to alcohol issues but they do not address the drug matters. My son ran off from the facility and it took them 48 hours to call and inform me. After several weeks there, I got a call one night at 5pm with instructions to come pick him up as they could not "control" him, which may have been accurate but gave me little chance to make arrangements for pick up. They lost clothing, personal articles and luggage that he arrived with. It gets better, they sent me emails demanding payment but refused to invoice me. When I insisted they invoice me, they contacted an attorney and threatened to sue me but guess what, they did not tell their attorney that they were refusing to invoice me. I had to get my insurance involved and they were magnificent and completely represented me. The attorney for Adolescent Growth then assisted me in getting an invoice. Very strange business procedure and suspicious actually. Bottom line, don't get involved with this place but if you choose to, be very careful. read more

This is a shocking company that is only interested in filling their pockets with the money paid by insurance companies. The quick turnover in employees should be a indicator but although shady at best, this company has managed to reap the rewards by peddling its scam in the open market. Unfortunately their is very little oversight of such places and to date this is the worst I have found. Stay with companies that are reputable, this one is not. read more

beware of the (greedy) owners. this is a shared review by a patient and a parent; neither of which were satisfied with management, policies, or procedures. from the view point of a patient, my dissatisfaction came a lot from not being able to get enough sleep at night, then not being able to take naps, constantly asking for more food, especially salad and fruit, and not having any school work to do, so i sat in the garage "classroom" hours everyday wasting my time with crossword puzzles and falling behind in school. however, there were a few staff members(like ashley and sonya and maria) that genuinely cared about us and made the stay more tolerable. there was a backyard with pretty flowers, but we weren't allowed to go out there unless it was a saturday and a parent was with you; even though we weren't allowed to go out, there was a glass door and i could watch the birds everyday. As a parent I was not only disappointed with the care given but very frustrated trying to deal with upper management. Money seemed to be a priority and even though I assured by the owner everything had been settled I was told during admission I was to give them $1500.00 cash or be turned away, they fixed this by issuing a credit card to me because I didn't have the cash on hand. I was also assured (pre-admission phone call) education was to be continued while my child was at the facility. Once my child was in their care I was told the school was full, by law they are required to provide an education, I was able to get my child's school to accommodate her education, I ran into a roadblock with the facilities policy basically preventing any online learning or homework. Sleep was an issue, my daughter was moved from the facility that I had checked her into, and was transported according to her late at night to another facility. I requested access to the travel log to verify travel times and although many staff members told me I would be able to see these records I was finally denied access, they quoted doctor patient confidentiality, I still cannot understand how travel logs would infringe on the confidentiality between a doctor and a patient, I think it was more to cover their own tracks, maybe providing less suitable accommodations than originally disclosed. I had several conversations with the owner, Dr. Joilyn Lewis, and feel like honesty was lacking on her part, she made several promises to me that I feel did not materialize, I am not sure what she is a doctor of but I don't think it is english. I was also charged several thousand dollars without receiving a bill or receipt, only after placing several phone calls did I receive a bill for my records. The issues I had with the facility required far to many phone calls, in fact it seemed I spoke with the facilitators more than my child. It was very difficult calling my child, I would get the answering machine more than a person and rarely received a return call from my child. I do believe some of the staff cared about the kids and tried the best they could, it seemed they were limited by upper management/owners. If I knew what it was like I probably wouldn't allow this facility to treat my child. read more

I am a parent of a teen in Adolescent Growth. I am a professional business woman. I am so grateful for finding this place. IF you have a teen that you think has emotional issues/disorders and any drug or alcohol exposure (or dependency) - give these people a call. GET YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILD HELP! This is such a great place for treating, identifying and addressing the EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL ISSUES, not just the alcohol or drugs. I have had extensive personal interaction with the Los Angeles, Lake Balboa and Sherman Oaks locations, by visitation, group meetings with staff, therapists, doctors, parents and the owners. A high level of professionalism, communication and accessibility, with transparency. Yes, they are a for-profit company - but I see where some of the profits go - right back into the facilities! They provide a beautiful "home" environment for the teens - quiet, peaceful, encouraging and they learn communication skills, respect, gratitude while having access to therapists and a psychiatrist who are "ON IT"! They have their own 12 step program in house, they go to a fitness/gym every day, in house school, and provide great meals - my teen is eating SALADS every day - that is HUGE! I have seen all 4 locations, each of the homes are tastefully and beautifully decorated, recently painted, beautiful fireplaces, flooring and the kitchens are open and roomy - lots of cushy sofas and a quiet environment for the teens to focus. The responsiveness from this company is EXCELLENT! I have interacted with several, if not all, of the staff - admissions, billing, insurance review, therapists, psychiatrist, staff members and the owner, Dr. Joy - when I send an email, I either get a call back within an hour or a professional response via email, ALWAYS offering me to call them if there are other questions or if I'd prefer to discuss this on the phone. NONE of the emails are auto-responders. Dr. Joy??? I was in a bit of a crisis with my child's father who has limited access - and there was some confusion about the court documents (I had not provided them with exactly what they needed) Dr. Joy called me at 6:15 am - AM - (I am an early morning person) to just affirm they were supporting me and my daughter and working within the law and simply asked - "What can we do to support you?" We worked it out. She and her husband attend the Saturday Family meetings and greet each parent. THESE ARE THE OWNERS...not a big corporation...just kind people who are running a business THAT MATTERS. The therapists? wonderful, Look, if you are looking for a place to just "store" your teen - THIS IS NOT IT! You, as the parent(s) and your family - are going to be involved for the 45 days of treatment and then on an on-going monthly basis - The entire family that lives together is going to be asked to participate in therapy - so please note that you are going to have to attend Saturday meetings (via online if you live 100+ miles away) and you will have an additional therapy session with your teen and the assigned therapist at least once a week - YOU have to be committed and let's face it - THIS IS A FAMILY ISSUE. Family Sessions are intimate, personal and enlightening - they provide donuts for breakfast and a great lunch, too! Two therapists run the meetings from 9:30 - 2:00 and it is structured for the entire family - you won't want to miss it - and you feel supported! The provide you training and tools to CHANGE your reactions, responses and to create better communication at home. The staff? LOVE THEM! As I've said, I've been to all 4 locations and at each and every location. I have been immediately addressed (kindly and professionally) they go out of their way to assist the parents - I love that the staff are young, outgoing and interact with the kids in a very POSITIVE and SUPPORTIVE manner - they are respectful to the kids, not rude and not tyrants! And they do this all the time, not just when the parents are around. You have time alone with your child each week and phone calls daily, so you get the "truth" and the "truth" is the staff bond with the teens in with healthy boundaries, clear communication and positive support. There was a time when the teens in the house got into a heated argument, the staff members called in a therapist (after hours) who arrived at the house within the hour and there was a therapeutic session for them...as I said, they address the issues, as they arise, as they are needed. The staff are well trained and are a cohesive team. There was a small fender bender while a staff member was driving the teens to a field trip - I got a call from the staff member, letting me know. Nobody was injured, not a big deal - but they COMMUNICATE! The psychiatrist? a teen and adolescent psychiatrist - last week during my teen's weekly session with her, she called me and described what behavior was being treated, asked my permission to change the medication and then explained clearly why she was doing it read more

We've had very good experiences w/ AGI. This is a small group environment with a caring staff. The owners are available 24x7; our son had high blood pressure and needed to visit the ER; Dr. Joi was available late at night and followed up the following day. Our son liked the staff very much since they cared so much for the clients. The program involves heavily the parents and prepared us very well for discharge. All staff members are very competent and nice. We highly recommend AGI. read more

If I could give no stars I would. Keep your child away from this place. It is dangerous and your child is shuffled around in a van from a dangerous part of downtown where they sleep to the valley. Treatment is by interns and the Lewis family only cares about money. Terrible food provided for the clients. Loads of processed cheap foods to cut down on costs. read more

Adolescent Growth is the worst place you can take your teen. They make promises to parents and teens and do not deliver on those promises. Avoid this place. Members at Adolescent Growth are dishonest. read more

My family and I had a wonderful experience with adolescent Growth. My son was on a terrible and dangerous path that as a parent I was unable to detour. I happen to live in an area where there is very little mental health or psychiatric services available. I was referred to Adolescent Growth as it was in my insurance network. I was put in touch with Dr. Joi Lewis and with about 24 to 48 hours my insurance had agreed to his treatment and I had my son on a plane the next day. I had no idea of what was needed from me and Dr. Joi and her staff held my hand every step of the way. This was such a learning growing experience for my son, my self and our entire family. It was very difficult as he was so far away and understanding how and why they do the things they do within their very structured environment was at some times difficult for me but in the end I completely understood how and why. Of course my son had complaints and issues when he first arrived but there were reasons for the things they were doing and if it was a legitimate complaint or concern it was always addressed. I am so glad I didn't fight there process and trusted them because I obviously didn't know what was in his best interest for my son or we would have probably not been in that position in the first place. Towards the later part of my child's stay, he was actually doing the work he needed to do to get well and quit complaining about the things that weren't important. I put my faith and trust in Dr. Joi and her wonderful staff and the son they returned to me was they boy that I haven't seen for many years. My son was a great success. He tiered up the the 5th tier and graduated a couple of days early. It was what saved his life and healed my family and I owe them more than I will ever be able to repay. I recommend this facility to any parent that has a behavioral and substance abuse issue. AGAIN, THANK YOU DR. JOI, JUSTIN AND THE REST OF YOUR AMAZING STAFF! WE LOVE AND APPRECIATE ALL OF YOU!! GOD BLESS YOU ALL!! love always, Kristen and Rylan read more

I would not recommend this place if your serious about rehabilitation! There staff is incompetent, doesn't return calls, doesn't do what they say they are going to do!! Took our money and provided no services! Said one thing and completely did something different after we paid!! Beware!!!!!! Just try getting a hold of them on the phone!! Ridiculous! read more

Adolescent Growth is a great company. They really cater to the clients as individuals. They will try several ways of reaching and getting through to your kid. It is really hard when your kid does not trust you as a parent and it is hard pill to swallow to see them in a place where you cant help them... But if you take a deep breath and trust their program. It Works! The therapist work hard, and from the moment Admissions answers the phone you are a part of a real therapeutic family of professionals. You just have to be willing to do the work and what better reason then for your own kid. I recommend this company if you want to see real change or at least a chance at a beginning with your kid. it is not always going to be easy. Hang in there because they will be there every step of the way. The facility is clean and neat. They have a professional chef that cooks and the food is GREAT! The staff is kind. They do stick to the rules so be prepared for the phone calls complaining but after a while the kids get better THEN when graduation time comes you will be happy as a family. read more