I am not thrilled with the fact that most reviews tend to be negative, but I really feel the need to warn people about this facility, Sierra Tucson. Sierra Tucson is definitely not the place it purportedly used to be or the place that you hear about celebs. going to. Don't fall into the trap of its history. Analyze it from the present day, and you will find that its license is on probation with the State of Arizona. Also, the facility is far too low end these days to attract upper echelon clientele. Also, beware that Sierra Tucson purports to label themsevles as 1.) an acute care facility when they are trying to bill you B.) a rehab center with custom programs for your specific disorder when they sell you and C.) a top notch medical facility with top doctors and counselors when they sell your family D.) A play camp for young adults when they are working with parents, who pay the outlandish bills. Sierra Tucson tries to be everything to everyone, and they fail miserably at doing so. I actually had post traumatic disorder after I left Sierra Tucson from the neglect I experienced while I was there and the torture of navigating their facility on a day-to-day basis. I am middle aged, and was in couseling groups with 18-25 year olds. If you are over 30, and mature, you may want to consider that 75% of the people you are in close quarters with at Sierra Tucson are under 30, young adults (children aged 18-25,) and these young people feel like they are in summer camp. The act like it too. You are surrounded by Cig. smoke all the time while walking around. The facility is gross. I agree with the other poster, who suffered from the desert environment. Everything is sharp and prickly there, including their staff, who are for the most part temps and obese. You are surrounded by too much ugliness to heal at Sierra Tucson. I sustainted a serious injury while at Sierra Tucson, at the hands of their staff, that went untreated. I tried to leave the facility on my third day there, because of the injury. When the nurse or temp at the counter overheard my conversation with the airlines, as I was making flight arrangements to leave, they halled me into a back room and pressured me not to leave. They loaded me up with sedatives, so I was weak, and I could not make rational, informed decisions while I was there. Had they just let me leave on day 3, my injury would not have gotten worse. To treat my injury they sent me to a Physician's assistant, when I needed an M.D. and a specialist. This caused my injury to get worse, and I ended up departing two weeks into the four week program, and I ended up in emergency surgery and an emergency room after I returned home. To leave Sierra Tucson, I had to call a car service to pick me up, and I just crawled out the door without giving them an opportunity to stop me. The entire experience was a nightmare. If you are 18-25, and need a place to go away to, Sierra Tucson could be a wise choice. However, if you are an adult, you would be better off going to a Four Seasons Resort and having a doctor or specialist or nurse visit you everyday for counseling and medications. It would be far less expensive, and you would have a better experience. Also, beware of Sierra Tucson's roommate issues as well. The beds are twin/double, and a complete stranger is two feet from you. This person could be suicidal, drug addicted, or someone seriously disturbed (or they could be normal if you are lucky.) Also, they only send housekeeping once a week to clean your rooms for $50,000. The staff is constantly dealing wiht roomate problems. Sierra Tucson charges more than the Four Seasons, and you get Holiday Inn service. Also, their meal situation is a disaster. You have to stand in long lines and wait for food and service. I mean 30 minute lines, not 5 or 10 minutes. They purportedly claim to have an iron chef, which is a half truth. The food is mediocre at best, you can't get a good cup of coffee anywhere after 9am. They allow patients to breath second hand smoke all over the place, in the outdoor areas, but you can't get a cup of coffee when you want one. They say coffee is addictive. What about the cigs????? The truth is that if they did not allow smoking...all of their young, drug addicted kids (18-25 year olds,) would not attend Sierra Tucson, and it would dent their bottom line. Being a business person myself, the blatant corners that Sierra Tucson cuts to earn a profit is obvious. It glares out at you. Also, beware the sales person that signs you up, because they may misrepresent what you pay for. BEWARE OF THIS PLACE! Do yourself a favor and go stay at the Four Seasons George V in Paris for a month for $50,000, and your disorder will be healed. read more

This was a very sad and expensive experience. My husband and I were given a walk around to see the facilities. We were told that I would be receiving daily therapy/treatment with Psychiatrists (MDs) to assist me in my anxiety and PTSD problems. I am a chronic pain patient (due to back surgeries/fusions/exasperated by a high-speed auto accident) and did NOT go there to be removed from pain meds, only to help me learn how to better handle the pain with other modalities in addition to the medication. I received no modalities the two weeks, and then maybe one or two per week thereafter. I did not see my physician for the first 2 weeks. And, after that, it was only if I adamantly requested it. I was not given the one-on-one treatment that my husband and I were promised when we reviewed the facility by phone and then in person. I was utterly lied to. Many people in the facility were in the same position that I was and I heard the same complaints over and over - "They just want our money. Once we are in here they don't care." Although phone access is to be provided within 48 hours of receiving a room, it took me 10 days to get my phone. No one could tell me why. When my physician made medication changes, it took days for that to happen. But, in the meantime, they withdrew the medications I was on, but did not implement the new medications for up to 48 hours due to "difficulty receiving them from a very busy pharmacy" which was ON SITE. So I went through withdrawals every time the doctor changed my medications. I asked why they couldn't just keep me on the same medication until the new ones came, but the nurses said the Dr. took me off the med therefore I couldn't have it. But I also could not have the new one since they had not received it yet. Does that make any sense? Three withdrawals during a 25 day treatment? I asked for hydrotherapy. Received it three times. None of their promises were met. I basically learned to say what they wanted to hear and do what they wanted me to do, in order to get out as soon as possible and continue my treatment elsewhere. This was a huge waste of money, a very stressful time for me when I was already stressed out, and it felt more like jail than a helpful place to regain physical and mental health. I would not advise anyone to attend that facility. When I broke down, literally had a breakdown, there was no trained person to counsel me since it was after 5:30 pm. Just the people who monitor the dormitories. There is no after hours staff to deal with a nervous breakdown, psychotic break, etc. I even asked the nurse to contact the Doctor on Call. She told me she didn't want to bother him at night. I told her that his job was to be on call and that she must contact him. She denied my request. Their solution is to just put the patient in an ambulance, at the patient's expense, and send them to the local hospital. This is not a full-care facility. There are no medical staff available after 5:30 pm. In fact, it is not a worthy facility at all. It is more of a "club" for those who spend many times in rehab on their parents' funds, and laugh about how many times they have been in rehab. Some even have the audacity to threaten their parents if they refuse to continue paying for rehab, even on their 4th, 5th, 6th or more rehab attempts. It is mostly young people who do not wish to get a job and adjust to the real world. If they can't live at home, they live at a rehab. And Sierra Tucson provides the perfect place for those people to continue to take their parents' money and live without consequences or rules, do whatever they feel, and the worst thing is that they lose their pool pass, which is the local joke, as they skip class to go to the pool anyway. I cannot say enough about this scam. I hope that at least one person will not fall into the entrapment of how busy they are and how quickly you must make a decision because there are only so many openings and you will lose your spot if you don't commit right away. Believe me - there are many places to go. Take your time. Do not fall into this trap. If you truly want help, find somewhere else. If you want to go to a day camp where the most you have to do is show up for a few classes, get 3 meals a day, and have a lot of religion forced on you, then SIERRA TUCSON MAY BE JUST FOR YOU. It was not for me. And I am happy to say that I am happy, healthy and doing well inspite of the setback I had at Sierra Tucson. read more

I was forced to Sierra Tucson by family because I had severe PTSD, panic attacks and anxiety as a result of a prolonged domestic "situation." Studies prove that confining someone who truly has PTSD compounds their trauma. So if you're considering this place for PTSD treatment, take it off your list unless you want your trauma to have trauma, because. . . The patient milieu is 18-25. The campus atmosphere is loosy-goosy with lots of pool time. When I was there, there were Sex Addicts (in recovery), along with patients who were engaging in inappropriate conduct. A middle-aged man was removed after slapping an 18-year-old girl on the ass and making other unwanted and inappropriate sexual advances on other young women, but it took three days to expel him. Also, there were other individuals processed through their psyche unit who had to be pulled in for further evaluation because they were either a danger to themselves, the ST community or both. If you think that the above would reduce your trauma symptoms, then go for it. If not, read on. Trauma track is six weeks, but they tell you four weeks to get you in the door and then try to make you extend your stay. If you don't extend, they stick you in the "mood" track and you find yourself at AA, NA, EA (emotions anonymous), Codependency meetings, meetings on eating disorders, bipolar. . .but nothin' about trauma, domestic violence, whatever. If you're a trauma victim, it will trip your triggers when you are stripped searched on intake and your favorite belongings are sent home as "contraband" - like a full length black jersey dress that is your pool "cover-up" so you can't go to the pool. Next, you're thrown into a patient population that mixes heroin addicts (in recovery, of course), meth heads, alcoholics, rage-aholics who have sobriety (just no friends), and a whole lotta psychopathology that you're not prepared for -- passive-aggressives, pathological liars, petty thieves. Oh, yeah, $200 was stolen from a patient's room while I was there and a wallet with credit cards and cash was stolen from the business office's safe -- THEIR OWN SAFE -- while I was there. So if you believe that's not enough to trip your triggers. . . There's a whole lotta hookin' up that goes on there. Behind the TRAP area -- therapeutic recreational activities program -- there were rocks that spelled out "TWAT SPOT" in honor of a young woman who was a sex/love addict (not in recovery) and slept with -- by her own admission to me in her second week there -- seven guys. And there were more hookups. It was juvenile and. . .junvenile. Heard enough? Hmmm. . . Group therapy. Sitting around in rooms for two hours a day with up to eight strangers where you're expected to share you feelings or your situation for them to comment on. Of course, we pledge our confidentiality to the group, with staff exceptions, yeah, right. . .until you hear someone's story retold in the dining hall behind their back or a therapist breaks a confidence and discusses it directly with a patient. There's also family therapy that plays out in the group setting where you watch families process their shit and you're expected to comment. As if you know anything about their entire family dynamic from an hour of watching them! Huh? You change your own linens, do your own laundry, eat the crappiest food (ever), are harrassed by night staff who are untrained morons making minimum wage, and are subjected to bizarre, untried therapies. The staff lies about your progress -- with you present -- to impress your family. If I could give Sierra Tucson zero stars, I would. They owe me a total refund. The place is a big fraud whose parent company, CRC, is flush with venture capital money from Bain Capital. So it's more about churning revenue and less about patient care. Thanks, Sierra Tucson!! Now my trauma has trauma! Fantastic. PS: If I wasn't direct or descriptive enough, it boils down to three words: DON'T DO IT! read more

I am a psychologist who went there for pain a few years ago and I am currently in recovery for 11 years from substances. I felt compelled to write this review when I saw some of the other ones. First, let me urge you to read all the filtered reviews that are mostly terrible as this will be. Second, please keep in mind that just because someone's parent is happy that his/her child is doing better, it doesn't mean Sierra Tucson is a good place or even was the reason. Third, for those not in the field, Sierra Tucson has been bought out a few times so people who attended 15 years ago (as an example) probably did have an amazing experience, as they once stood out for this, but sadly the various owners got rid of the old guard in favor of people who don't know much that they can pay less. Fourth, while most are very sick when they get there and this undoubtably affects how you see things, that does not negate the fact that this place has been causing serious damage to many people for years now. I was in the chronic pain program in 2009 and I believe we went there together Charlie as I am a psychologist and remember another person who was as well. The utter chaos and mismanagement is alarming at best and seriously dangerous at worst. I too remember that woman who broke her arm and jaw because of how overly medicated she was. It was heart braking seeing the laceration on her face and how they swept it under the rug. I also have trauma issues and sex and love issues stemming from that and could not believe that they had a sex addict there who was highly predatory with the young girls (instead of recommending him to a sexual recovery institute such as in Los Angeles) simply because he could pay enough to make it worth their while (sex addiction, fine, but a guy who was clearly a predator?). Dr. Michael Loes, who they raved about could not even remember who I was from appointment to appointment. He only had 10 patients max at a time! I often have 30! Inevitably we'd spend most of the appointment with him reacquainting himself with my case and little else got accomplished. Dr. Loes started me on a medicine that I later found out was totally inappropriate and that every medical study ever done had refuted any claims of it's effectiveness. The part that irked me the most was his insistence on telling me and anyone who would listen that Jesus would save us from our pain and sins. We reported this to no avail. There were vey few regular nurses which ended up just making the chaos worse and as a patient you had to be hyper aware at all times lest you be given the wrong medication or not given something. One time before I knew this I just went and swallowed my pills and informed them that they had not given me my seizure medicine. The woman told me I was wrong despite the fact that I have been on this medicine most of my adult life and it is a unique looking pill. I'm sure I don't need to tell you what happened, but I will. I had a breakthrough seizure that night and they acted completely mystified as to how it could have happened. The actual therapy employed is not based off any form of evidence based treatment that I have ever heard of or any other professionals I know have. The family treatment seemed wholly ineffective and more often than not did nothing more than cause a huge amount of hurt and anger with no outlet in which to process those feelings. Therapy times were inconsistent in number, time, and length of the session, sometimes not occurring at all in a given week. This does not foster trust or a safe place on which to build a foundation. This place caused me such severe trauma to an extent that i don't feel comfortable sharing in a public forum, but am happy to explain if someone messages me. I ended up having to go elsewhere to get help for that trauma as well as my other problems. read more

i would literally give zero stars if it was possible. as someone who is already sober many years and a psychologist by profession, i went there for chronic pain treatment as it was known as a good place back many many years ago. little did i know i was walking into a nightmare and the once wonderful place was bought out by a corporation that fired all the knowledgable seasoned people that had made the place wonderful. i had a doctor that tried to convert me to his religion every time i saw him. there were only a few regular nurses. the rest were from a temp agency. nevertheless, neither were very competent. one evening they didn't give me one medicine, i told them and i wasn't believed (this was not an addictive medicine, something for a condition i have). i spent the night awake in searing pain very ill. on another couple of occasions i was given medicine that was not mine and i literally had to argue that i knew what i took. They tried to give me klonopin (which is addictive and strong, especially for someone who has never taken it). I was trying to reduce pain medication and was frequently offered more. When i did do the detox, the doctor was out of town with no one covering and i was supposed to have a medically supported detox. Instead i was left to lie naked in the shower shaking, shivering, gagging, vomiting and shitting all over myself for EIGHT HOURS with my roommate desperately begging someone to help me. Their response was to tell her i had to come down the short hallway to the medication counter. She tried to help me stand and get clothes on and i puked on my clothes and had diarrhea on them and couldn't even stand between the pain and the shaking. she told them this and they told her to "go away" and i would "get myself together" when i "was ready". there were ten of us in that track and the doctor had no idea who i was every time i met with him. they didn't coordinate with my physicians at home and removed an immunosuppressant medication without talking to my primary doctor even though i was there for something else and i became very ill. the only thing that was helpful was biofeedback and emdr which you can get anywhere and shouldn't waste your money at this place. The food tasted like crap. there was basically pasta of some form for every meal. the salad bar was the only saving grace. i found their therapeutic techniques to be bizarre and quite frankly ridiculous. now i don't say that as someone who just uses other techniques, but it was stuff that made no sense that no one uses but them. The experience was very traumatic in a lot of ways. I went to get help at a time in my life when i was in so much pain and was so exhausted that i was extremely depressed and desperate for help. What i got was medical incompetence, crazy religiosity, verbal abuse, and lost a lot of money in the process. don't waste your time and money with these frauds. read more

DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT send yourself or a loved one here. Do the math, it will cost you over $73.00 per hour just to be locked up .I would get an 2 hour lunch break and then they would schedule me an 2 hour study hall. I couldn't figure out what the hell I needed a study hall for when I saw nobody and got no home work to do. I never did find an AA meeting, actually I found no meetings. In all my life I had never seen such carrying on. The Sex, the Smoking where ever and when ever they wanted. I went for anxiety and one of the counselors told us when we felt our anxiety rise, just up your meds. I went for 3 EMDR treatments, never saw a light or anything. Matter of a fact I knew more about her when I left that room than I did about myself. I went to front office and complain, yes we will take that off your bill. But she says I can only remove two. Hell a couple of weeks after I got home I received a bill from ST for another almost $5000.00 they charged me for those treatments any way. Which by the way I got to pay because of the damage they can do to my credit. What they want is just your money. I decided to check out at 2 weeks. I had to run all over the campus to get a piece of paper signed by everyone I dealt with. When I asked my counselor to sign she ask me why. I told her it was a waste of my time and money, I was getting nothing out of this. She took me to the office, and asked me to explain why I was leaving early to one of head cheese guys, so I did explain everything. Then I told him that I was leaving to go to the Meadows. He asked me if I would email him and tell him the difference between ST and the Meadows. Hell, I am not going to pay for his education at $30,000.00 for two weeks of nothing but sitting on my ass. Now if you like to eat this is the place for you. read more

During my time at Sierra Tucson, I observed significant inconsistencies in staff professionalism and care practices. The staff frequently enforced rules arbitrarily, often without explanation, and treatment of clients at times felt condescending rather than therapeutic. The BHA's are overworked and underpaid. Rule enforcement seemed to vary depending on which staff member was on duty, leading to confusion and a lack of structure. Group sessions were repetitive and mandatory, even when the topics were irrelevant to individual treatment plans. There was also a concerning tendency for staff to make changes to prescribed medications without clear justification or consultation, even when the medications had previously been effective. During my stay, there were multiple reports of malpractice and serious incidents involving residents. In one case, a resident who had brought in substances and was reportedly suicidal did not receive the immediate care she needed despite staff being informed. Tragically, she later left the facility grounds and passed away. In another case, a resident experienced severe side effects after changes were made to his medication regimen, which nearly resulted in a suicide attempt. Overall, my experience raised serious concerns about the facility's oversight, consistency in treatment, and prioritization of patient well-being. read more

The only downside is the food, and connect 365. It is what you are willing to put in and work on. From the RTs to the nurses to the RASCS to your process group lodge mates and your therapists it can be a life changing experience for you. I went in for trauma primary and secondary ED. The trauma/addiction/pain lodge is absolutely amazing filled with women that will become like family to you. Who will help you when a RT isn't available. In the real world you are in a crisis you have to make an appointment with your therapist and wait. To get to spend sometimes hours with a RT no matter what you were going through at an instant was extremely beneficial. I'll never forget my experience here. If it wasn't for Melinda and Erica, I wouldn't have lived, and I wouldn't have changed. The ED program is great as well. Like I said earlier it is what you put into it. Best decision of my life. Even though your at a mental health facility they don't make it feel like that I was able to play soccer, play basketball, hike, and walk the track without any issues at all. The friends I've made here will last a lifetime. Thank you Erica and Melinda for giving me my life back, and showing me that life is worth living. read more

DO NOT GO! This is the worst excuse for medical and emotional support, they should be shut down!!! They over bill and abuse the patients, especially the white patient. They should do an undercover story about this place! The staff was horrible and the only thing decent was the food! Save yourself and don't go there. They get you because celebrities have been there for help and you think they know best. They do not! They allow patients to bully and actually called the police on a patient and had her removed when that patient was the one being bullied! So messed up! The doctors are lunatics and need help! Half the time there are no doctors were even there! A mom of 5 killed herself when there. How does that happen when you are on suicide watch? They are in their own bubble in a way backward town, from healthcare to the police! Nothing good in Tucson area except corruption... You think you are going to get a reset from going and their so called treatment actually makes it worse! I talk to other people and they agree that they do more harm than good. Really scary, especially when you go there to clear your mind! Like I said, soooo messed up! read more

My daughter is a 2006 alum of ST. She entered treatment there at the age of 20 and it was the best experience for us all. She has been sober since and I thank ST every day for the wonderful experience she had there as well as the family week my husband and I had there with her. I am finally writing a long overdue review in hopes of helping other families, as we were helped, after finding out last week that a friend's young teenage son died far too young from addiction. I don't know if our daughter would be where she is had she not had treatment at ST. WE attribute her success to the doctors, nurses, counselors and overall treatment focus at ST. ST did strongly encourage that our daughter attend an after-care sober living facility, which she did for a year, and we strongly believe that was also a huge plus to her sobriety. Our daughter recently graduated from college with honors and we thank ST for a lot of our daughter's success and healthy well-being she learned there. read more

I attended Sierra Tucson in August/September of 2012 after going in and out of sobriety for over a decade and a half. I had a habit of creating a great life for myself and throwing it all away by falling back into old habits. I was referred to Sierra Tucson after trying to remedy my destructive lifestyle myself unsuccessfully. Their program was exactly what i needed. I loved everything about it from my therapist and psychiatrist to massage and equine therapy. My process group was absolutely amazing and family week was a real eye opener. Overall my experience was second to none and I've referred multiple friends and aquaintances to them since. I celebrated 6 years sober on Tuesday and I am beyond grateful for the foundation that Sierra Tucson built in my recovery while there. read more

I cannot stress enough how much loathing I feel for this establishment. I can't speak to anything, but the pain and trauma programs. The staff is incompetent at best and outright abusive and traumatizing. The level of disorganization is pretty bad. I wanted to like it here. I had heard they were a good place ten years ago, but that is clearly not the case now. The price is enough to seriously break the bank and the food is Inedible. I have nightmares about being here and the things that happened to me here. The rest of the people there were pretty upset as well and some of these positive reviews sound like they were written by people who haven't actually been at the place. Anyone who has been here knows how things truly go down. read more

My grandfather, like many other ST patients, died do to medical malpractice at the hands of their doctors. Furthermore, they hid his body in a bush so that coroners could not determine the cause of death. Needless to say, I'd give them zero stars if I could. Please go down and read the section of the Yelp page that says "52 other reviews that are not currently recommended " - somehow, ST has gotten all these negative reviews to be hidden on their page. I implore you, do not send a loved one to ST, if you do you risk killing them. You can read more about the other people killed by ST here: http://tucson.com/news/local/third-sierra-tucson-patient-death-in-months/article_b073f788-4af9-512f-bb37-8692aecb9292.html read more

As someone whose family was provided with their services: They got away with patient deaths, sexual harassment and sexual assaults. Then hid the truth to announce their $16.5 million dollar expansion and profit off of their own corruption. Our whole family is devastated and shocked. They are now attempting a PR propaganda to raise their poor ratings. Core feelings: anger. Anger message: When big businesses spread trauma and then make money off of trauma in deep hypocrisy, it doesn't provide the healing that every patient deserves. You deserve better. PS - Keep deleting the truth again ST and you'll only prove my point. read more

If you need real help don't go here because you will waste your time and money and come out worse off than when you came in. It was probably better years ago when it was privately owned. Having a one on one session with your therapist once a week is not helping. They do have some great people but few of them. They have zero concern about people's safety especially women. I was witness to a man sexually harassing women residents and nothing was done. That alone speaks volumes about the operation. It's a very expensive place and for that amount of money find a place that will actually give you the help you need. read more

VENTURE CAPITALIST OWNED! I was not the patient. I was the health care advocate for the patient. The patient was in for pain rehabilitation, not for alcohol, drugs or an eating disorder. My issue are long and numerous with Sierra Tucson. I think what is at the heart of my issues has a lot to do with when some venture capitalist take over health care facilities. Do a news search on venture capitalist, health care, business week (try one word) and see if you can find an article in a publication that has the last name of a man, first name Michael, that recently ran for president of the United States. read more

They put a man in my room and told me "she" was my new roommate - no one asked me if this was ok or if I consent. I strongly objected and stated "I do not consent" after the damage was done, and the nursing staff and the male roommate threatened me and I got assaulted by a group of these angry, delusional transvestites. I had to file two police reports, I then had to file an insurance claim to get my stuff back that Sierra Tucson tried to steal from me. Sierra Tucson did NOTHING to help me and made everything far worse, after this they billed my health insurance - which is insurance fraud. read more

SCAM- beware!! (i am from San Francisco, and this is a real review) Absolute garbage treatment .. complete waste of money, time and hope.. DO NOT GO HERE- DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY. CEO, Timothy Palus, called me multiple times per week, confirming the treatment provided was below adequate... offered to discuss crediting us back funds.. and as soon as we left the facility, went dark. His email is: Timothy Palus Timothy.Palus@acadiahealthcare.com His cell phone number is: Direct: (520) 432-0879 Ext. 134 DO NOT GO HERE. THIS IS A SCAM- read more

I called to seek help (which was a huge step) and was greeted on the phone with a sigh of annoyance from the admissions woman. When asking about how much my insurance would cover, I was made to feel embarrassed and unimportant. To whoever is working, please know that whoever is calling your facility probably really is in a low place and is taking a huge step to better themselves....so please do not make people feel belittled or unheard. It is truly an awful feeling. read more