My nephew went into treatment here several months ago and it was a nightmare. He has mental health issues on top of being an addict and The staff was well aware of his issues. He is on medication one of which is a controlled substance. They agreed to dole out his medications to him on a daily basis as prescribed. We found out that they gave him all of his medications at one time, including the controlled substance. Their response was they didn't have the staff to accommodate daily med distributions. We were shocked at their response. Things took a really bad turn when another patient sold my nephew meth and he went on a downward spiral. The disappointing thing about this was their complete lack of professionalism in dealing with the situation. When we found out that he was given all of his at one time they were incredibly defensive and refused to answer questions as to why they did this. We also asked a lot of questions as to why and how he was able to buy methamphetamine from a fellow patient in the program, again, they were defensive and dismissive in their reaction. I would strongly recommend not going to this facility. San Francisco is currently having a breakdown in the oversight of treatment facilities and this is a clear case of that. read more

Thank you Ohlhoff House staff & team for being a part of my journey in recovery. I had a comfortable stay in the detox "Crow's Nest" followed by in-patient residential Skip Byron program 60 day treatment & recovery for addiction. Groups meet daily on campus. Off -site AA meetings are available. Lovely maintained campus & housing. Breakfast, lunch, dinner served daily. Gym and laundry facilities on site. Counselors are friendly and understanding, easy to talk to. Someone is always available 24/7. On-site Physchiatrist access once per week. Walking distance to the 6&7 bus, Alamo Square & nearby CVS for essentials and prescrption pick-up. Highly recommend! read more

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Sometimes I forget to give credit, especially when credit is due. With my sobriety in the forefront, a satisfied career, and 3 Huskies, I forget to mention to all those who made it happen. I went through Ohloff at the Skip Byron 30 day program, and sorta wish I stayed, and got the most potential out of the 90 to 180 days program at Ohloff. The reason I say that, is because I am still in contact with alumni that are stellar in the community, and I seem to envy a bit. I am sober today through the great work Ohloff staff and others behind the scenes that make it, what it is, and that's FIVE STAR recovery! I am forever grateful to Arlene, Dr.Muller, the great cook, and the list goes on to those who help me find my way back to being true to myself, and authentic to others around me. Ohloff's reputation carries a lot of weight if your fighting legal issues behind your addiction, because there was several of us there by the grace of the courts, let us remain out of custody, and into the program (THAT'S HUGE)...! So I'm gonna end this with a solid review of Ohloff, and can say with absolute certainty that you won't be dissatisfied. Please take the negative (like the reviews) I seen, and let them be just that, negative! Stay POSITIVE, Stay FOCUSED, and Stay AUTHENTIC, and draw the line in the sand, and say MY ADDICTION STOP'S NOW...! Give them a call, and thank me later for this REAL insight. BTW, a AOD Counselor or someone wanting to become one, should NEVER blow out a light of hope in recovery, even if they didn't desire to hire you, because looking at your opinion and publicly trying to defame them, only solidifies their suspicions on not hiring you. So with that being said, I'm sober and loving life, and I owe Arlene and staff a big thank you, and I look forward to another day SOBER...! read more

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Ohlhoff helped me build a community. Mark broke down the walls and barriers of my psyche which have been damaging to my life. Zola is a great counselor. read more

This program saved my life, great counselors, great recovery environment, and the food is excellent

I was a client with Ohlhoff in 2020 and 2021, both in Skip Byron (30 day inpatient) as well as their intensive outpatient program. The counselors were all very helpful and showed me a new trajectory towards recovery that was life changing in the best possible way. The group sessions and one on one individual care was super effective and important. The counselors as well as the program executive director showed me a sober way of life that has been vital to my growth in recovery. Thank you to everyone with Ohlhoff Recovery Programs for helping me change my life for the better. read more

I would like to say that this program is everything it says it is. No thrills no gimmick. As a person who experienced First hand the program I have no major complaints. And special request I had were granted even when my attitude was that of a child. Like a few old reviews on here. People feel so Entitled and lazy quick to attack and put blame out there. So I would not recommend listening to those reviews the admin team currently at HOH 05/2021 do a damn good job. Im very lucky to have gotten the opportunity to experience the traditions and values HOH Offers and delivers. Again thank you HOH staff and house brothers. read more

Ohlhoff in-patient substance rehab programs are a complete joke. First of all, the staff are all insane themselves and completely unstable. They don't do much, but watch me eat, shut me down when I'm staying on topic in group meetings, and isolate me from the rest of the clients. More than half of the staff seem like they are on something. The grounds are scary, mouse invested with rat traps everywhere and dangerous. I fell off a 15ft stone wall because Ohlhoff decided to block the passageway with potted plants (image below.) It landed me in the hospital for a few days. When I was discharged, Ohlhoff refused to let me back because they are afraid of getting sued. I spent the holidays outside a homeless shelter that wouldn't let me in because of the pandemic. To top it off, Ohlhoff stole thousands of dollars worth of my property in addition to ripping me off for a BS program where they wouldn't allow me to participate in any way shape or form. I have been calling Arlene and Candy (director) asking about my precious belongings and they are telling me the other clients are wearing my clothes and a faux-fur coat that I was gifted for Christmas that is extremely special to me. Of course Ohlhoff caused me to relapse from pushing me of a stone wall onto the sidewalk causing hospitalization, taking thousands of dollars from me, refusing to treat my addictions, and then in the end causing homelessness & a relapse from treating me poorly and stealing thousands of dollars worth of property which they handed out to all the clients... The people at Ohlhoff are mentally ill, dangerous, and criminals. The bad reviews don't lie, stay away from this rodent infested hell hole with horrible staff, food, and accommodations. They will steal your belongings and take all your money. I've attached pictures of where the dangerous pathway was. read more

Ohlhoff Recovery Programs - The pathway where Ohlhoff cleared the potted pants that caused me to fall 15ft onto a sidewalk. I felt completely unsafe there. - Rehabilitation Center Near Me - San Francisco, California

Uncompassionate, unprofessional, and downright rude! My partner is a two time graduate of the Skip Byron program. He fell on rough times again this past week and tried to re-enroll. Since he is now on MediCal, the out of pocket cost for the 30 day Skip program is allegedly $15,000! The counselor on duty (who was very nice) allowed Raphael to spend the night free of charge (because he was a former graduate of the program). Then when Raphael came back a week later to re-enroll (now under my Cigna plan), he was told he couldn't because "he used us like a f***ing hotel" and we're "sick of his sh*t." Yes, these were exact works from Matt Morgan, the head of the Skip program. He also referenced another time where the Ohlhoff house was allegedly "burned" because Raphael didn't complete the entire 30 days. I was then hung up on! STAY AWAY from this place and in particular the heartless, rude, and unstable Matt Morgan. He is not fit to be in a patient-facing role, nor does he care about his patients. All he cares about is the bottom line and signing up vulnerable, out of pocket clients at a huge profit. I would recommend one of the many other, respectable facilities in the area. read more

Between the skip Byron program and Henry Ohlof house I don't know which is worse! I have been clean and sober for 34 years and I have never seen a recovery house in as much Chaos as skip Byron and Henry Ohlof house! They are supposed to be a non profit group but even though My sponsees has full coverage the skip Byron program wanted $2,200 down payment for a two day stay just until he got into the Henry Ohlhoff house. The head of the program Matt Morgan was rude when he was questioned about why they wanted so much money and he actually flipped out on the phone and hung up! Very unprofessional and rude. I know that they are just a money driven program and don't care for their clients. DO NOT GO TO THEIR SKIP BYRON PROGRAM OR THE HENRY OHHLOF HOUSE!!! John Halverson the head of Ohlhoff house needs to be replaced! read more

Good program I can say it saved my life. Most of the staff is amazing and most of the people in the program are great also. It's a very structured program but also very relaxed. Now it's not cheap but it was cheaper then most other programs I called. When I first got there I was a mess I had no strength or any motivation to do anything with my life other then drugs. The first ten days were hell on earth while I was detoxing but the staff makes sure your as comfortable as possible and will go above and beyond to help you through the suffering. After the tenth day I started to get my strength back and my appetite and started to join the groups slowly. I was very negative at first my cravings were through the roof. But slowly but surely with the help of the people there I started actually having emotions and a clear head. After 30 days everyone said I was a completely different person which was very hard for me to hear when people said such nice things about me. I do recommend this program but you have to be ready for the hardest month of your life. read more

I don't have any experience from any other recovery programs to compare to Ohlhoff because I received all I needed to get well here. I am indebted to every program, director, and counselor here for everything they've done for me to help me get my life back. I'm saddened by the negative reviews given but I encourage people that are looking at Ohlhoff as a treatment option to come visit and also remember that many of these negative reviews were written a long time ago and much has changed. I hope that my recent experience can bear witness to the wonderful work done here. In March of 2019 I enrolled in the Skip Byron program after long term alcohol abuse which nearly took my life the summer prior landing me with stage 5 kidney disease (renal failure and 12 hr/wk of dialysis). I was 33. At intake I was massively depressed, emaciated, suicidal, and without any hope. I'm not being dramatic, that was my life. Matt Morgan was the Skip Byron director at the time and I know he's rough around the edges but one would have to be in order to do his job effectively. The man is himself in recovery and understands intimately the addicted mind and he does what's best for the client in the long-term. He's changed lives. I will say that the 30 day program can be at times chaotic and unorganized which requires any perspective clients to ask questions but remember that recovery is hard work and a lot of it is done through self-advocation and reliance on the 12-step program which will get them through long-term recovery once they leave the Ohlhoff programs. After completing the 30 days I went on to the intensive outpatient program which is 12 weeks, 3 times a week from 6pm-8:40. This enables the client to reintegrate into daily life or for those not doing Skip Byron, seek treatment while continuing to work or tend to their family. This includes small process groups, psycho-education, and one-on-one counseling. All of the counselors are caring, qualified professionals who work with each individual to achieve long-term sobriety. I owe my counselor Gail Axelrod an enormous debt of gratitude for helping me in every way. She's a vision in purple, and taught me how find the inner strength to use the tools given to me by the program to live a day to day life of sobriety. She's one tough cookie too so make sure to fill your meeting log! I'm currently enrolled in Ohlhoff's aftercare program which meets once a week for group process and psychoeducation. I love that I'm in this group with many of the people I've known since starting at Skip. I lovingly call them my littermates. I'd like to mention now that during my entire "career" at Ohlhoff I've been a resident at the Women's Recovery Program (WRP). Here I've met and found the support of many remarkable women struggling with the same disease as me. Although we are very different in background, age, and drug of choice we go through the same struggles as we try to achieve a life of sobriety. The facilities are modern, comfortable, and clean. I relied heavily on the support of my roommates and I'm forever grateful. I should mention specifically how grateful I am to the program director Candi Sexton (yes that's her real name and she's just as sweet.) Like most of the staff she's certified in addiction counseling and has the life experience to help women reclaim their lives. I say that if every recovery program or any female addict had a Candi on their side, we'd all find much better success rates in rehab. Thank you Ohlhoff Recovery Programs for showing me how to turn my life around. You get as much from recovery as you put into it so take those negative reviews with a grain of salt. read more

My son Ryan was fortunate enough to find this recovery program and I can tell you it far exceeded his expectations! Roger is the Best! A great mentor and has helped my son mature and appreciate this opportunity! Anthony is to be respected for his ability to evaluate each client and hone in where their need lies. I as a mother, highly recommend this program. It was the perfect fit and Ryan has gained a larger ability to work as a team and to grow as a conscientious adult. Our family will forever be grateful for this wonderful place. It was the God send in time of need. Thankyou to all the staff. RJ has not lost a Pound lol, because the food is so good! read more

I am a two time graduate of Ohlhoff and recently went back to be an Alumni Speaker for the guys. I've read a lot of negative reviews on here and I just wanted to say a couple things 1) Yelp might not be the best place to get an unbiased view about a business. 2) a lot of what people seem to be angry about are LITERALLY THE RULES OF THE HOUSE. Which, if you do not follow, you will get kicked out. 3) They have some banger chefs there right now making kick ass food. 4) and I mean, really, a couple of these reviews were clearly written by intoxicated individuals. 5) and acceptance is the answer to all of my problems today... read more

Both of these programs should no longer exist. They're a colossal waste of your money, offering no assistance either medically or mentally. Getting incarcerated for 30 days is better use of your time, just as comfortable and considerably more affordable. Think of it as a very expensive place to learn how to smoke more.After staying there for one month I can honestly state there is absolutely no redeeming qualities to either the staff or the environment.It's a money machine and nothing more. read more

It is really very disappointing that even after graduating this program over 4 years ago, there are still recent reviews about Andrew the director. And I can see he hasn't changed at all. Still abusing clients and having inappropriate tantrums for all to witness. What a horrible standard to allow in a place with so many suffering and vulnerable people looking for help. Andrew: you are clearly in the wrong field of work. GET OUT, and get yourself some help. And shame on you Arlene for allowing such a low standard of care. read more

Wow. The reviews on this page are extremely misleading. My experience in the Skip Byron 30-day program was overwhelmingly positive. Through medication, counseling, and exercise, my withdrawals were minimal and they made me feel like I was in a safe place. I thought the employees actually cared about my recovery and well being and I didn't have a bad experience with a single staff member. Also, Dr. Moller, the Medical Director, is outstanding. He's extremely kind and compassionate, but he's also fair and tough if he needs to be. I have continued to see him for years after my time at Ohlhoff, and I now live three hours away... I'll admit, some of the counselors are young and may be in training, but the two I dealt with did a great job. I would have continued to see them outside of treatment if that had been an option. Also, they have an in-house chef that's pretty legit. I can't speak for anyone else's experience, but my guess is that the people giving Ohlhoff 1/5 stars were not going to be pleased in any recovery setting... It's a tough kind of place to run well, and easy to criticise, but I think they do an outstanding job. read more

This is the best rehab and recovery program I have found. I experienced bad and researched my ass off on rehabs. I prayed for the best program for me and I found it. The food is excellent! The counselors truly genuinely care and the director was caring and helpful and kind from the very beginning. I cant tell you how grateful I am to be at Ohlhoff and working a solid program and in the hands of caring professional therapists, counselors, director and staff. THIS IS THE BEST IN THE INDUSTRY! If you want positive results and have the desire to recover this is the place to be. read more

I was @ Ohloff House not once but twice and both times were horrible. The lack of real supervision and counseling makes it not an ideal place for an addict. The programs #1 priority ( like most private pay programs) is the clients ability to pay rent...its also really hard for somebody to stay focussed when Federal Indictments and Drug dealing are going around the house... read more

The director Andrew was very rude and disrespectful to my family and I. I agree I have impulse problems but I'm an addict but I was trying my very best to deal with some people there that were WAY PAST disrespectful. His own vendetta against me got in the way Of my recovery there and they don't give a shit if I'm dead or alive now. They also care about money way too much. This program also is letting women stay there when it's not allowed and the medications aren't dispensed correctly. It's also not diverse at all. I am angry right now but I would also be angry to be there TWICE... and get picked on because it was my second time there. I just think that all of the experiences I had there would've been better. read more

Ohlhoff has saved my life ! I am 23 and I needed to get sober because I was slowly destroying my life . However Ohlhoff took me in the day I called . This place is amazing and I was more then happy to call it my home while I was in recovery . The girls and guys program is amazing . They incorporate the 12 steps during the small groups which were ran brilliantly by the counselors . In addition to this we get to go to 7 meetings a week which was super helpful . But I really loved was that this place is in the city and in the center of the city , we aren't cut off from the world . If your serious about recovery go to Ohlhoff because if you can get and stay sober in the city you can do it anywhere . Ohlhoff saved my relationship with my mom and my family . I truely owe these individuals my life . I made some life long friendships here and I just can't thank this place enough . ESPECIALLY MATT MORGAN AND CRISTY SMYTH !!!! These two individuals were my angels because I feel like I'm alive today because of them . During my stay here I was involved in the 30 day program and then I stayed another few months for the outpatient . Both are great programs and I recommend them to anyone . I still can't believe how amazing the staff is , they were there to listen to all my problems and help me through my first few months of recovery . They gave me the tools to get sober and stay sober . HOWEVER , if I were to relapse I would hands down go back to Ohlhoff ! The women's program is ran by Christy Smyth and she is just amazing . She is knowledgeable about recovery and really and truely cares about every girl who goes through that program . She is incredible and really gets to know the person as an individual. Each treatment plan is really individualized by her . She is just hands down the most amazing person . She comforted my mom when my mom dropped me off at Ohlhoff . Which helped so much And made me feel so welcomed there , no one wants to be at rehab but she sure made it easier . Like a lot easier . I literally could talk to her about everything and anything . Like I said before she is just my angel . read more

Recent update: As an alumni I recently returned to the campus to visit the MD there for a scheduled appointment, and was met by the aforementioned program director (Andrew K) only to be berated, insulted and removed from campus. He indicated I was unwelcome but would not specify why, and I am unsure as to why he felt it necessary to behave like a petulant, angry child - but I can assure you myself or my family will never return to this facility. Andrew is like the essence of an over-the-hill, angry, dry-drunk, and at every next turn puts his aggressive and angry personality on display for all to see. I would recommend all to stay far away from this individual and be aware that he is a walking contradiction of the tenets of recovery and the principles of sober living. I am far from the only person to have been on the receiving end of him, and have personally been told tales both from staff and clients about his outrageous behaviors. I have now downgraded my review to 1 star and warn all others to stay well away from this fellow. As mentioned, there are alot of of decent and even great facets to this program, however as you know the saying, one bad apple.... Original review upon graduation: I just completed a 30 day inpatient treatment program at the Skip Byron Primary Program and while the experience was decent, there were some noteworthy problems there. I found the daily programming and education to be reasonable, and in addition to 6-8 hours a day of group meetings and instruction, we also visited outside AA/NA meetings. The program is based on the program of AA and the 12 steps are the core of the program. The house and grounds are very nice having Victorian architecture and some gardens, but the interior is lacking and several rooms show their age, and are not very clean - there are large amounts of dust and dirt embedded in the rugs and carpets (in addition to it looking like there hasnt been any kind of "deep clean" in years), and several people including myself suffered bites all over their bodies which we believe to be bedbugs. Staff dismissed this as mosquitoes, although we are in the wrong time of year for this. The food is quite decent and there are chefs on premises every day to cook a variety of american, italian and mediterranean dishes in addition to snacks that are always available. You certainly wont starve there and certain dishes are very good, however full of sodium and fat content - you will be subject to weight gain without extended exercise! The staff is comprised of ex-addicts and alcoholics who are in recovery. They are a nice lot with some having greater degree of teaching faculty than others. One primary issue I found though was that there is a fair amount of disorganization. Because of poor communication amongst them and a curriculum that is not defined very well, there are inconsistent sets of rules that are basically enforced differently by each staff member. Additionally it happens very often that there is confusion about scheduling and group times. I found that it was often troublesome to find when and where groups were, what the content would be, and also it was difficult to always follow rules because different staff enforced them differently. And amongst staff there are some more "difficult" personalities than others. One is the onsite R.N., who while nice enough, tends to be very overbearing, presumptuous and downright rude to both clients and families. Several clients and even staff members have had difficulties with her because she can be inappropriate and speaks very much out of turn. The most egregious member I found was (of all people) the Director. He seems to need more 12 step work or perhaps a 30-day program of his own - he can often be found having temper tantrums and scolding clients while even using profane language. Unfortunately the entire staff seem to be terrified of him so he is somewhat without reproach. I have personally had a few incidents where I was downright lied to and then threatened to be kicked out of the program for questioning this dishonesty. He has also been known to break client confidentiality and report what he perceives as suspicious behavior to employers, family members and other contacts of clients. While he has a difficult job, he does not seem to handle it well and is constantly angry and berating clients and staff members. In my opinion he should be removed. With that aside, other staff are quite friendly and pleasant to be around which can make the program enjoyable. In the interests of brevity I will cut the review short here, but I think you have started to get a god idea of the SBPP - it is a decent but flawed program, where the primary issues are the cleanliness of the facility, and moreover the disorganization amongst staff and poor attitudes and behavior of some. Overall I would find it a bit hard to whole-heartedly recommend it because of those shortcomings but would like to point out that it is not all bad. read more

My experience with Ohloff House was very disappointing as a family member of a drug addict. Under the "Philosophy" page on their website, they say: "Operating from the clinical conviction that addiction is a family disease; therefore addresses the entire family, not just the addicted person" This was not my experience. I do not understand this philosophy as NOBODY ever approached me in dealing with my family or my family member's drug addiction. I visited often and went to the weekend group meetings, and asked about the recovery process and my role in the recovery process and I never got any clear answer. They never once discussed my drug addicted family member and how to better understand and help them thru the program, and more importantly, thru recovery long-term. So yes, while the addict is in treatment at Ohloff House, they can keep them clean, but the bigger picture is how to keep them sober when they leave the facility and move on with their life. From what I observed, there was a lot of dogma on routine and drug testing in a systematic way, with no acknowledgement or understanding of the bigger picture for the addict to move on, much less any support or approach to the issue of the entire family. The addiction effects the family as much as it does the addict. read more

As a recovering alcoholic I am very aware of what hard, emotionally draining, unappreciated, work that this is. Skip Byron and Director Matt Morgan helped save my life. Unlike others "reviews" (hate speech rhetoric) on this site, I accept that the key to recovery is within me not in any external anything. Acceptance is the answer to ALL my problems today. I was broken and homeless and coming out of jail. The gift of gratitude and desperation have been blessings in my life. This place was exactly what I needed and I will be forever grateful to Ohlhoff Recovery Programs, Henry Ohlhoff House, Skip Byron, and all the amazing souls I have met on my journey. read more

My boyfriend just got out of HOH about a month ago and at first he said it was great and that it was really helping him, he was working his steps, had a sponsor, and was doing the damn thing. The counselors at Skip Byron are great except for one or two but Matt the program director is awesome but once he moved to their sober living is when things started heading down hill. The counselors on that side are extremely rude and harsh( Ken, Alan, Les, Terry). I understand that their just doing their jobs but it's not the right vibe for people new in sobriety, My boyfriend had a job and was doing well but trouble started rising because they wanted him home at 6:30 for dinner and group and they would not work with him on his schedule no matter what so he almost got fired from his job. He was there for about a month but got discharged for being late to group (didn't even relapse) and put him on the street when he had no family out there so of course he relapsed and tried going back but they told him "NO" for some reason even though they asked him to lie to the people who come and audit those facilities( which could've gotten them shut down btw) yet they let back a client who got discharged because she went to go fuck her boyfriend and skip IOP and stole $300 from another client and had a lot of trouble complying with rules among other things, Ohlhoff is a good place but be prepared for some real bullshit read more