Aspen C.
2/5
I was admitted when I was 13 for self harm and homicidal thoughts. It was was some time late at night. I was taken into another room where 2 women had me undress and take pictures of every scar. Which I was never told or explained why they did that. I was brought up to another floor where I would be staying. I was brought into a small room with 2 women who did a strip search on me. After about midway through while i was standing there pantless, they started playing country music and started dancing in their chairs. I didnt really know how to react to that but felt it was something to add in. I sat on the floor in the hall for what felt like forever until i was finally put in my room. I felt like I was going insane, i was walking along the windowsill on my tippytoes trying to look out of the window, because all of it is blacked out except for this small part at the top, I was just trying to remind myself of an outside world, because if i didn't i wouldve broke down crying. I had an extremely hard time falling asleep on my own, and physically couldn't without sleeping pills. So I walked out of my room and down the hall to the front desk area and asked the woman if I could please have something to help me sleep, and that it's really hard for me to sleep without them. She said that they can't give me anything on the first day, and that I can have them tomorrow. I went back to my room and somehow after hours fell asleep. I got woken at 3 in the morning to a flashlight in my face. I was taken into another room where they drew my blood and then took me back. The next night I walked up and asked for sleeping medicine again, which i was then told i wasnt allowed unless it was perscribed to me by a doctor. We had to get up at 6am everyday. Make our beds and do basic hygiene. They then took us to the "dayroom" which was a room where we would all sit. That's literally all we did was just sit there and stare at eachother. They had a tv which they turned on once in my entire 1 week stay. But yeah they would just would just bring us breakfast, lunch and dinner in there. The staff member would sit at a desk in the corner of the room either on their phone or writing on papers. Some kids would just play cards and others would just sit there and stare off or go to sleep or talk to eachother. That's really most of the memories I have of this place. They do have a teacher that would come in there and reach us stuff about history but that was it. Iv went twice, the first time was for a week and the next time was for 3 days. Which is another thing, i was told while at home that i would only be staying for 3 days, and to only pack 3 days worth of clothes but wasn't informedid actually be there a week. And apparently that was the same for all the other kids as well, a 3 day stay turned into a week or longer. At some point they did take us to the gym area, once, to the cafeteria, twice I think, outside, twice, thats including betweem both stays. I talked to a therapist I think like twice out of the whole time I was there. Including first and 2nd stay. They would also have "quite time" which is where we would have to sit in out rooms in the middle of the day and do nothing. We wrnt allowed to talk either, cause we had to be quiet. So you would either go to sleep or pace around the room i guess. It felt like they really didnt care. I assumed this because on my 2nd visit and very last day I was told I wpuld be leaving because my mom is coming to get me, I was surprised cause i had only been there 3 days, and as the woman led me down the hall to get my stuff she asked if I wanted to stay there longer and that she could make it happen in a rude tone. She then made me get my clothes out of the dryer, which also I don't think they used detergent or dryer sheets. Overall I absolutely hated this place and don't recommend it. It felt like they were just in it for the money and not actually looking to help people. I truly think the only reason I felt better, was because I socialized with new people.