Alumni Testimonials

We wanted to take a minute to acknowledge the incredible work you all are doing. While we know our child’s journey is far from over, the growth and support they got at Polaris and that we received as a family was truly amazing. Given that our child has attempted a few programs in the past, we feel like we are in a unique position to really see all that makes Polaris different, and all that led to them finally feeling the sense of accomplishment that comes from successfully completing a program.

Before we even enrolled, the Admissions Director spent hours helping us navigate our insurance company. Once there, our child’s Primary Therapist was able to hold the line with firmness while still being kind and compassionate. They really trusted their therapist and valued their feedback and presence. They told me this week how much their therapist helped them, and that they now believed they could recover. Our Family Therapist listened deeply to all of us, showed a sense of humor, was willing to share their experiences and asked so many good questions. She helped us re-frame negative experiences and interactions. At a time when I had lost so much confidence in myself as a mom, our family therapist believed in my ability to effectively parent and show our child all the love I have for them.

The Clinical Director set strong boundaries with our child and subsequently they were able to get their negative behaviors under control enough to stay and be successful at Polaris. The Educational Supervisor not only helped with academic recommendation for high school, she also spent time talking to the therapist doing her psychoeducational evaluation both privately AND for our district school. Our child had so much to say about great memories of games, Friday fun, beach trips, and good talks with adults at Polaris who have meant a lot to them. Our child misses and loves so many of them.

I imagine we will continue to have friends who find themselves in our position with their kids, and I know we will tell them what a positive experience we had with Polaris. Thank you to all the folks at Polaris whose hard work resulted in us being able to have our child at home again.
 
 

– ANONYMOUS PARENT

My daughter is doing well and working VERY hard. She’s so genuinely committed to sobriety, and so genuine in general. It’s really amazing to hear her laughing and singing with her sisters, and to see them with their guard down around her. It also feels like a miracle to have her snuggle with me, share her feelings in the moment they come up, with clarity in her eyes. Thank you all so much for your part in her recovery thus far. This is quite a journey for our family, and I’m moved deeply when I think of all Polaris has done to get us on this road.
 
 

– ANONYMOUS PARENT

Before going to treatment at Polaris, I was having two panic attacks a day and was therefore incapable of functioning properly. Over my stay, we were able to decrease it to once a week. It’s now a year later, and my panic attacks occur so infrequently that I have no reason to keep track of them as observantly as before. There is no doubt in my mind that I would have killed myself if I hadn’t reserved the treatment Polaris Teen Center provided. I was in an incredible amount of pain but, thanks to all of the lovely staff members, I was able to learn healthier coping mechanisms and learned how my old bad coping mechanisms originated. I am now blessed with a self-awareness and peace I previously could have only dreamed of. I am extremely grateful for the tools I learned through attended the Polaris treatment program and all the time I spent there.
 
 

– K

I think there’s many things in life that may appear completely different than they are. Polaris Teen Center was definitely one of those things. On the surface it seemed like I place I would be miserable, somewhere I would count the days until I was home. As it turns out, it was the opposite. Their treatment allowed me to not only find myself, but find out how loved I was in the process. As hard as some days were, the support system I had made everything ten times easier. The effects of Polaris have stayed with me at such a unbelievable level, that sometimes I just sit back and think about how grateful I am to have had such a life changing experience. I have to say that everyone in the staff made such a great impact in my life that I will forever be grateful for. I feel as if I am the best version of myself that I have ever been, all thanks to the love and understanding of the staff. I can’t thank them enough for that.
 
 

– A

Please share with everyone that my daughter is doing well currently, and that I attribute all of her current successes to her treatment at Polaris, and also let everyone know that my daughter has a 20 hour a week job at Target and is doing well at it. I often think that the boundaries she learned at Polaris allow her to make it through an 8 hour day cashiering. She also has only ditched one class all year at school. Last year she couldn’t go a week without ditching full days of school and some weeks couldn’t go two days without ditching school to get high. We still need to work very hard together at setting and keeping boundaries with love and respect, but Polaris, and all of its wonderful top notch staff and therapists, provided a wonderful model for us to follow. I’m well aware that substance abuse is a daily challenge and don’t kid myself about being out of the woods yet, but our daughter will always remember her growth and the care though kindness and boundaries that she felt at Polaris. I also made tremendous growth in learning from you all good parenting skills. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.
 
 

– ANONYMOUS PARENT

There are not words to express our gratitude for the deeply personal and caring way that you have worked with our son and our whole family. I can not imagine a better team to have trusted working with our most precious thing in life – my son and our family unit. As I write this my son has been out of treatment for 6 months and is living happily on his own. He has 2 jobs and is feeling comfortable in his own skin for maybe the first time ever.
 
 

– ANONYMOUS PARENT

Polaris is a place that, in my experience, no teenager wants to go, and no teen likes being there. Their treatment center is a place where even if you didn’t like it, you have to admit it’s helpful. It’s a place for growth, it’s a place to learn independence, and it’s a place where you don’t have to pretend for anyone. With the last point being the most impactful. I believe that Polaris is a place where teens learn that it’s OK to be themselves without fear of judgement. They have nothing to fear, because they are surrounded by supportive staff, and other teens who are going through similar struggles.
 
 

– C

In the past, my mental state was a shattered vase; the slightest of touches had sent it hurtling across the room to break against the wall. Fortunately, before it could be broken beyond return, I entered Polaris Teen Center. Day by day, my vase was pieced back together. With the help and kindness of everyone there, I was able to restore it to an imperfect but supported condition. Looking back today, I can say that Polaris has helped me immensely in learning the value of my feelings and of myself, and even though a cracked case may never be perfect again, I’ve learned that I can be happy with imperfection.
 
 

– J.E.

Polaris is a place I hold very close to my heart. I know I didn’t come in wanting anything from this place but it sure as hell gave a whole lot more than I ever could’ve asked for. Before treatment, my life was more out of control than I was aware of; my life today is 10x better because of all the work I’ve done – I owe a lot to people at Polaris.
 
 

– S.B.

Polaris was a great starting off point for my recovery. One of the things I’m most grateful for was my therapist. Without her I don’t think I would have fallen into the path I did. Before going to rehab my life was absolute chaos. Nothing mattered to me and each day was more unmanageable than the last. Today my life is amazing. I am less than a month away from celebrating 2 years of success, and I was able to graduate from high school with a 4.0 in my senior year. I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to pursue things I never thought I would have the courage to do. I am so grateful for the time I spent at Polaris. Some of the most meaningful moments I think I will ever have. Thank you all for showing me the way, and kindly pointing me in the right direction.
 
 

– A