This review is to warn family and potential clients of the many downsides of Sanctuary Centers. I…read morewas there for 5 months, January of 2011 - May of 2011. Even though this is being written long after my stay, I see a review written on Yelp dated 12/20/24 which shows that not much has changed over the past 15 years. First off, as with other reviewers, I immediately disliked the director, Lisa Moschini. I found her to be abrasive, egotistical, and confrontational. Next, here is a message that I emailed to my parents after I had been living at Sanctuary House for 4 months being treated for bipolar: The reason for this message is to express my INTENSE desire to move out of Sanctuary House ASAP!!! My therapist at the Sanctuary House Arlington Day Treatment Center knows this, and you know I've been unhappy living here for various reasons for some time now (at least a month??) What my therapist at the Sanctuary House Arlington Day Treatment Center nor you, Mom & Dad, know is what happened today: after dinner, my chore was to wipe down the dinner table. In doing so, I found myself cleaning up large chunks of food (chicken & rice) from the floor where another patient had sat. Ggrrr. I informed staff, and was told that she should be cleaning up her dinner area in the future. I then went upstairs to take a bath. There were chunks of a patient's menstrual blood on the bath mat. Again, I informed staff about the mess, and staff assisted her in cleaning up the bath tub & mat. Still, as you might imagine, I was not too excited to use the tub after that. I waited until the bathroom was clean and went in to draw a bath. At 11pm, I went to bed. I woke up at midnight to my alarm clock going off--I have no idea how, but my alarm was somehow cleared and set to midnight. I shut it off and, at first, was going to go back to sleep. I got up & re-set my alarm (a task that is a pain in the butt with the alarm clock here...it's tedious and takes a long time, especially in the dark so that I don't disturb the schizophrenic woman who is my current roommate). And then, I got anxious--what if I overslept and missed the morning meeting? I would be placed on restriction. I CANNOT handle going on restriction!!!! Being confined to the house (instead of doing movement outside which is so integral for my health) is completely counterproductive. This infantalizing punitive system does way more harm than good. These things may seem minor to you. For me, though, I just can't deal with any more unpleasantness in my living environment!!! I am tired of asking 20 year old psychology student staff for my medications in the morning & at night. I am tired of asking staff if I may please use my 'contraband' items (perfume, razor, tweezers, cuticle scissors). I am tired of informing staff that other clients aren't doing their chores or are being messy. I am tired of doing chores. I am tired of being put on restiction if I have food in my room, am late for a morning meeting, or who knows what else. I am tired of signing in & out every time I want to go somewhere. I am tired of asking for money & turning in receipts. And, I am tired of having 11 roommates who all suffer from a mental illnes!!! The poor quality food here and constantly smelling smoke from the patients who smoke cigarettes isn't helping either. My patience, tolerance, and compassion for people in this house are GONE and I detest the person I have become in this house--ill-tempered, annoyed, and paranoid. I do not know how much longer I can take being in this house. I am trying my best, but quite honestly, would LOVE to flee. As far as 'graduating' goes: 1) I'd like to think that I could graduate by June 1st, but there is no guarantee of this (and from what my therapist said yesterday when we spoke about this, my chances may be slim). 2) Even IF I got a firm promise that, as long as I don't change my meds & keep up my 20 'community hours' per week, I'd be able to graduate June 1st I STILL don't know that I can hack living in this house until then--I am at my wits end with this house. 3) The Arlington Day Treatment Center is a joke. Spending my day being told to 'draw a picture of what anger looks like' is a task for a kindergarten, not for someone who is an adult. Thus, at this point, I could really care less whether or not I 'graduate' from Sanctaury. I honestly believe, throughout my entire being, that I will feel MUCH BETTER when I am no longer living here--my living at Sanctuary House is making me miserable!!!! *A final note: in all of the reviews on Yelp and Google, there is not a single one about a positive interaction with Lisa Moschini. And, I am happy to say that since leaving Sanctuary House by their defined 'AMA' (Against Medical Advice) I was able to rebuild my life. I work, have a husband, and a huge community of friends. Recovering from bipolar can be done!

Sanctuary is the prime example of amazing mental and co occurring disorder therapy and as well as…read morethe people who make up this very caring environment .Anyone who says anything negative is simply ignorant and doesn't accept the program and the problem's they Face