A lot of these reviews are from kids who are currently in the program, so here’s my honest experience 3 months after leaving. Before Arise, I dropped out of... read more college 4 times and moved back with my parents. After 5 months in the program, I am now paying my own college tuition as a full-time student with a steady job. Arise definitely helped me turn my life around, however, to succeed in this program, you have to be self-motivated. The Treatment Team: 8/10 Jeff deserves 10/10. He goes above and beyond for us always. He’s funny and badass, but he is really upfront and honest when you need it. Jeff helped me move and get my car fixed, and he is the ultimate homie. Vaughn is a genius, no doubt about that. However, due to personal reasons (which were my fault) that did not get resolved, he did not meet with me after the first month or so. I do wish I got to work with him more, because he’s brilliant. Jess: Jess is the personal trainer, and for me, he was a life-changer. I gained confidence in the gym that became part of every aspect of my life. The personal training is KEY to success in this program!!! Mentors: I loved some mentors (shoutout to Jeremiah Brett and Andrew!). But some mentors also perpetuated drama within the community. staff play favorites, which is supposed to be part of the reflection of “real life,” but I thought that some staff had inappropriate boundaries with students. But every one of them is a gifted individual and really helps the kids they work with. Mental Health: 7/10 I came into this program in one of the darkest times of my life, and after I left, I became a fully functioning independent adult. Productivity-wise, my life is completely changed. The workouts completely shifted my perspective, confidence, and mindset! However, I feel like I was built up and broken down a bit by this program. The kind of “narrative” that the community believed about me was both hurtful and damaging. I take responsibility for that, but I do wish I had more of an opportunity to be understood. I felt like I was treated unfairly at times. Because it is supposed to mimic real life, the drama does too. It’s important to be honest and really try to address your “patterns” in this program. I ended up pushing a lot of people away, and I wish I hadn’t. Also, I did ketamine therapy (Cedar Psychiatry) while I was at arise, which I think helped ! Social: 8/10 The trips are super fun and memorable. I was here during COVID, but Arise really tried to offer something for everyone. During the summer, they take you boating which was way cool. If I have one major regret, it’s that I didn’t spend enough time with the kids socially. I had really poor time management and was so focused on school that I missed out on being friends with some amazing people. Academics: At arise, I finally went back to college and finished two semesters with a 4.0. the academic team changed since I left so I can’t really speak to it, but I found that to succeed academically, you need to be the one to take charge of your education. At the end of the day, it’s up to you to do homework or click the “drop class” button. Thank you so much you beautiful people! I appreciate you all for getting me to where I am today :))
Jennifer Welsh
