Lifeskills South Florida - Ft. Lauderdale - Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Adena S.

I want to give a shout out to Sheryl as she was always willing to hear me out when I was upset, she always made time for me, would talk to me and get me on the right track. My therapist, James, was good and we got to work on my black and white thinking and shades of grey. D was good. Michelle was nice. I loved art therapy. The room service was good and it really helped me focus. Food was good, no complaints. I most liked the park outings and going to the beach.

Pierce H.

What a journey! From experiencing mental health episodes and addiction to stabilizing at this facility, my life went from negative to positive. Lifeskills South Florida Ft. Lauderdale is a secure facility that accommodates people like me when we are not well. This presented an opportunity to grow as the consistent therapy groups coupled with individual weekly therapy sessions really aided me in a time of need. Overall, I made many friends and the staff, from my individual therapist, Luis, to my family therapist, Dr. Hume, along with the Lifeskills workers who prepared our meals and looked out for us, created an environment I am grateful for. Thank you Lifeskills Fort Lauderdale for helping me.

Tammy

I James Powers will like to give lifeskills Fort Lauderdale a 5 star review. The management and techs treated me very well. The chef and the food were excellent. I really enjoyed the outings. I had a great time while being at Fort Lauderdale lifeskills.

Luke S.

My experience here as a client was positive overall. After exhausting my options for residential mental health treatment in Georgia, my family and I made the decision to come to Lifeskills in Fort Lauderdale. The admissions process was swift and included a brief tour of the facility. This location houses up to 36 clients (2 clients per room), has modest outdoor space and a small pool, includes separate day rooms for men and women, and has a cafeteria as well as staff offices. The environment is akin to a psychiatric ward, but clients are able to keep their shoelaces and drawstrings (bathrooms are still anti-ligature). No mobile phones or vapes are permitted; cigarettes are allowed in specified locations. Any sharps such as razors or nail clippers can be checked out from the tech desk during specified times.

I benefited greatly from working with my individual therapist, James Frazier. He carries himself with a calm demeanor and has an extensive background working with both mental health clients and dual-diagnosis clients. James was proactive in developing my treatment plan, and knowing that groups can become repetitive, he always made an effort to engage us in new ways. The alumni relations coordinator, Dani Lozzi, also leads a fantastic, topic-based group each week, usually focused on continued care after treatment.

My daily routine included three chef-prepared meals, taking medications at the nursing station, attending 4-5 groups per day (2-3 on the weekend), and some downtime after dinner. I found the clinical groups to be less helpful. There is a wide diversity of client needs/abilities, and not all topics or activities are feasible for a large group. My best group experience was the morning caseload groups on Mondays and Wednesdays since each therapist led a group including all of their assigned clients. Unfortunately, the group rooms tend to get overcrowded, so I got claustrophobic at times and had to step out of group until I felt less anxious.

I remained at this location for about 7 months, which is much longer than most clients’ average stay. I had to trial new medications as well as ketamine infusions and eventually ECT. These definitely extended my stay, but there were frequent miscommunications between Lifeskills and my providers which resulted in several weeks of pointless waiting.

For those seeking treatment at this facility, here are my recommendations. Make sure to get the phone numbers of the people you want to call. After one week, you are no longer on restriction and can make one 15-minute phone call each night. The sign-up list goes out early in the morning. If you plan to order items through Amazon during a computer pass, remove two-factor authentication from your account so you can sign in without your phone. Bring clothes for warm weather (and a bathing suit for the pool/beach) but know that it can get as cold as 65℉ inside the building. Pack books if you like to read; there’s also TVs available after 4:30pm. Although you’re supposed to be able to order groceries each week, it is not consistent, so bring plenty of toiletries and whatever extra snacks you might want. You can also have friends/family drop off items for you.

I wish you the best of luck with your search for treatment, and make sure to give this facility a strong consideration.

Daniel S.

My time at LifeSkills Fort Lauderdale was very challenging, as I was dealing with many severe afflictions and the unknown side effects of a medication I was on for a long time. However, the staff did everything they could to help me get better, and I did. They went above and beyond-- especially Sheryl, the clinical director. When I was at my worst, I was told that around midnight, Sheryl had called the staff to check on me and make sure I was safe and OK. This happened on multiple occasions. The staff here truly cares. My therapist Luis was very knowledgeable and knew me better than I knew myself. D'Narius and Tino (both techs) became close friends and showed me love when I needed it. It was by no means a fun "vacation" and it is a place for people battling severe afflictions, but I am happy I was able to get better under the care of LifeSkills Fort Lauderdale.

Mr. D. S.

LifeSkills Fort Lauderdale. What can I say? The pool? Immaculate. The food? Mediocre, but tasted really well. And the staff. The staff I will never forget. Especially Luis, or Louise, the therapist. His Spanish mantra and his can-to-go-to attitude. Amazing

Linda G.

The caring and incredibly talented staff at Life Skills helped save ours son's life. Their communication was excellent and the facility top notch.

Jesse A.

Transitioning from my former lifestyle of addiction, Lifeskills was a safe space for me to unwind and get my mind right. The most beneficial was the grief counselling I received when I first got here and the medication management and stabilization. I met with doctors weekly for updates and any changes in the medication. The psych testing was informative and thorough as well as the career testing, which was eye opening. Yoga on Fridays and metabolic fitness was a nice addition to programming. It was nice that they do your laundry and cook for you - food was excellent. This program's main focus was not the 12 steps, but other avenues like DBT and coping strategies. Staff is helpful with all needs and are available 24/7. Thank you Lifeskills, and a shout out to all the staff that helped me through...