Newport Academy Southern California

My daughter was admitted here at the tail end of last year. My daughter has a severe mental illness that has only been verified recently. This is the first residential during her current mental health journey. I would like to reflect on my star rating for individual processes we had during her 2 months stay. First and foremost, the alumni team is a huge factor for the star rating. If it was based on the team, absolutely 5 stars . The team has been a huge help with the hurdles of the mental health sector of overall healthcare. I am very happy and grateful for the active alumni support. Now the on-boarding was an absolute total nightmare that affected my personal mental health. We had very few options because of our insurance. I had to travel to California to get her into a residential facility. My insurance unfortunately covers very little for adolescent mental health care in my current state. So,we were referred to Newport by a local crisis center. The on-boarding process was smooth until after my insurance okay’d the treatment. Once that happened I had a hard time reaching admissions to get the ball rolling for planning her stay. Eventually we were able to get agreement on a date and time for the initial on-boarding process to get my daughter into the facility. I traveled to California a few days before the agreed on-boarding and acceptance date. The day comes and my daughter and our family are getting ready for drop off. THIRTY MINUTES BEFORE HER APPOINTMENT THEY CANCELED. I was immediately out of 1k. I had to rearrange my flight, stay , transportation, etc because of this. I was furious! And also, my daughter needed to be in a facility for her own safety. I had to wait 2 extra days. They didn't verify my insurance until the day of acceptance. And they sent me the acceptance and rules of the facility the day before the initial on-boarding date. I had to get new clothing shipped to her. Her clothes were too stylish. I look back now knowing this wasn't suitable. But as this was our first facility, I had hoped I would have been guided through this mental health journey. It's such a vulnerable and sensitive time in any family's life. And admissions made it absolute hell. Now the care team at the facility was decent. Her therapist was amazing. She was straightforward and guided the therapy sessions professionally. She didn't coddle my daughter and was realistic on approaching coping mechanisms. Now I say decent because the outside staff that looked after the kids, were too friendly with them. The staff should have been more professional and set boundaries in their relationships with the kids. Discharge day was another type of hell. My daughter was dirty and unkempt. I was furious and asked why they sent me back my child in this manner. If I sent my child to school like that, I would have had CPS knocking on my door. They said they can only encourage the kids to clean themselves or do group therapy. My daughter was given 2 large black garbage bags of stuff she accumulated at the facility. It was ridiculous to see her holding onto trash bags outside a facility that looked like a reality show mansion. When I was able to rummage through the trash bags I immediately called mental health services for assistance. She brought back items and materials deemed for placement back into a crisis center for her safety and our families. I was upset to learn this after the fact and not been notified that my daughter’s health was further declining. Would I look into this facility for services again. No, not likely. My daughter's health needed a higher level of care. And this is understandably not possible due to her individual needs. Newport did what they could. The therapist at Newport was the first to validate my concerns about her diagnosis. She was able to provide accurate clinical notes to a new team of medical doctors. Which in turn, helped to give her a solid diagnosis to work with.

Camri (Therabbitnetwork)

I have nothing but good things to say about Newport. They helped my daughter tremendously. She went in wanting to self-harm (she had previously) and thought of and talked about ending her life. She also had a general disinterest in growing up and facing life after high school. Newport was able to help her transition off of the meds she was on (which it's felt was the main cause of her feelings) and onto meds that have helped her get back on track with life. I was able to talk to my daughter twice a day and contact staff anytime I felt the need to check on her wellbeing. I even was given personal therapy sessions to help me be a better parent. When I felt she was ready to come home, there was no hesitation from the psychologist to agree with me and she came home just days later. She was well taken care of and given more than adequate accommodations during her stay. At no point did I feel I made a mistake taking her there. And if the need arises for her to return to Newport, I will not hesitate to send her again.

Melanie Frazer

I went to Newport academy voluntarily as a teen many years ago, so this is not recent but I did want to share my experience. I was trying to get help for severe depression, and had never gotten into any kind of trouble with substance use, sneaking out, disrespect, none of that. But the program felt more like a punishment than a healing environment. I felt as though all my basic rights and independence were taken away. I was forced to attend AA meetings despite never having drank or done drugs, and when I complained, I was told just to treat my depression as alcoholism and take the same steps. They talk about tailored treatment but it's really not. I had very little contact with my parents, who I was very close to. Everything I said to them was monitored. A lot of the staff wasn't very nice, and I feel as though the staff was trying to manipulate my parents. Of course I cannot prove these things, but I want to encourage parents to really do their research. And before you ask, Newport, I do not want to email you about my concerns. Best of luck to anyone seeking help.

Hannah Henry

I just wanted to thank Newport academy for all that they did for my daughter. She was there in California last year during the summer. They did not give up on her. They kept helping until she realized she needed the help. Olivia who is in charge of the therapists. She helped our daughter. There is know one like her. I wish there were more like her. The only bad thing was my insurance was gonna stop so she had to go somewhere else. But I want to thank the staff, all the workers, therapists, physchrtist, and Olivia. Thank you for not giving up on our daughter and God bless all of you. Newport academy cares!

alison rankin

I discharged from Newport August 2023 and let me just say, it was a life changer for me. If I could give Newport a 10 out of 10 stars, I would. I went to Newport not knowing what to expect. Turns out, it was THE BEST experience ever. I started at Newport severely depressed, with high anxiety, SH, SI, struggles with eating, sleep, trust issues, and family issues. Words cannot express how grateful and appreciative I am to all the staff. The first day I stepped in the door I felt an energy that was so uplifting and comforting. I was able to make so many new strong and healthy connections, especially with the staff. It is clear that the staff at Newport are working there because they genuinely care and it shows through their attitude and interactions. I have never felt so validated, supported, safe, and cared for in my whole life. The amount of support I got was above and beyond. The staff were always so kind, caring, supportive, motivational, patient with everyone and so on top of things. I learned how to advocate for myself, set boundaries, and so many new skills I continue to use as I move forward in my journey. Thank you so much to the staff for helping me start a new chapter in my life that I can look back on and see how far I've come in my recovery.

Mattie Howes