Lifeskills South Florida - Rehabilitation Services

Dear Dr David, First of all, I want to say thank you for letting me begin a new chapter in my life. Lifeskills has helped me to be humble and open in learning who I am. I have learned new tools to strengthen my core soul. Most of the professional team has attributed to my success. They have listened to me, have been empathetic and supportive. The techs. have been professional, kind and sincerely care about my well being. I loved all the groups and art classes. I will miss my stay here. I have wonderful memories to cherish. Even Oliver has made my stay complete. I think the clients have given me amazing feedback on how to handle tough situations from a different standpoint. I felt safe knowing that my deep hurts, battles and dreams were confidential. Thank you for helping me get my life back!!!
4 7 years ago (07-05-2018)

To preface: I am a friend of a client that is attending Lifeskills, and I am also a counselor so I understand the challenges faced by an organization dedicated to serving those with mental health needs. I am thoroughly disgusted by Lifeskills South Florida. In the past week I have made more attempts than I can count to make contact with my friend and each time I've called there has been a 75% chance that I've been met with rude people on the phone. One person by the name of Melissa even went so far as to mock my ability to understand English by repeating the same phrase "call back during clinical hours" repeatedly even after I attempted to explain that I had already done so multiple times without any success and just wanted to talk to someone who could explain agency policy to me because I was concerned for my friend. Other staff members were either actively malicious or did not understand agency policy and told me that they would leave a message for a client when in reality this was not being done at all or even possibly forbidden by agency policy. Either way I am utterly confused right now which is not somewhere I should be after speaking to as many staff members as I have. The one time I did manage to make contact with my friend a month ago, I spoke directly to and specifically asked a mental health technician to assist my friend with filling out a release of information so that we could communicate with each other more easily. Clearly this basic request was not followed through with at all since more than a month has passed and I am still not on said client's authorized contact list which makes communicating with them impossible as staff members cannot even confirm or deny that the client is attending the facility (this much is reasonable and commendable due to maintenance of strict confidentiality). Each time I've called I've done what was asked of me - I left voicemails, I sent emails explaining the situation - I have been extremely courteous considering the rudeness I have had to endure. I will commend one staff member by the name of Chris for actually being willing to assist me, but the fact that I've jumped through every hoop placed before me and STILL have not been able to talk to anyone who can actually help me? This is utterly absurd. Now. I may not be a client that attended Lifeskills. I cannot speak to the quality of the facility or even the treatment. But for those of you considering sending a loved one to Lifeskills, I want you to seriously consider the following: 1. These counselors and staff members I have been speaking to are guaranteed to be spending the MOST time with your loved one during their stay. Such is the nature of a residential facility. 2. If I, as an outsider, am already being treated this discourteously with regards to simply ASKING QUESTIONS - how do you think your loved one will be treated? 3. Your loved ones are often unstable and difficult to work with. I was reasonable and expressed gratitude in the face of extreme callousness - how do you think tired, frustrated mental health technicians are going to treat your loved one at the end of a rough day? Your loved ones and your family are going through an extremely difficult time. They are vulnerable and need help. But from what I can tell from my interactions with Lifeskills staff - they are going to be treated with disrespect by jaded staff members who can't even answer the phone saying "Hello my name is X, how may I help you". No, you'll be lucky if they just say the word "Lifeskills" without sounding completely like they hate everything about their career. In summary: These are the staff members that will guide the spiritual, emotional and physical development of your loved ones for months. These are the staff members that will care for your loved one's wellbeing. These are the staff members that your loved ones will turn to for help in crisis and to survive. Do you want to take that risk?
1 7 years ago (05-06-2018)

Reviews provided by those who wish to remain anonymous: "I wanted to let you both know what a wonderful therapist Krista has been for my my loved one and I. He has been in five different rehabs since 2017. Krista was the first one I believe he has opened up to about problems he has been facing. She has went above and beyond to allow him and I visits even if it was just sitting in her office with her. He only has his parents and I as a support system other than therapists and Krista understood how much it meant to him and I to see each other every time I came down. She has also allowed him and I have to sessions with her in order to get him on the right track. At any time that I would email her or call her she was always there to give the information that I needed. Our whole goal is to get him healthy and home and I think that Krista played a huge part to him finally being in IOP. When he first came there he told Krista I will give you 30 days and that's it, but he then told me he was going to stay longer because he felt comfortable, trust me he doesn't trust at all. Krista is the first therapist that has showed compassion to his needs and what he was going through, all the other rehabs he has been to just kept shipping him off and would say he has needs (his issues are pretty minor) that we can't deal with here, basically he was caught in the Delray Shuffle. I can't express to you enough what a great therapist Krista has been to us. I really think that if she was not there that he would not be where he is now. She has a huge heart, tells it how it is (which is awesome, patients need the truth) and so much compassion. LifeSkills should be honored to have Krista Valz as part of their team. I actually see a therapist myself for BPD and if I could hire Krista as a therapist long distance, trust me I would in a heartbeat. He was actually a little dishearted when he found out that he would have to have a new therapist at IOP. I can not say enough about her, she deserves all the thanks that you can give her. She is an asset to your team and a huge part of his recovery. Thank You." "Five Stars I began treatment at LifeSkills South Florida on December 13th, 2017. I came here for borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder, grief, and sexual identity issues. I saw no hope for my life and was losing trust with my friends, family, and school. Self-harming and drug use were taking over my life and saw no escape from it. After starting their three month residential program (it takes about a month to get used to the facility), I began to notice an environment of healing and growth. The mental health technicians are highly trained and spoke with me when I was having my darkest moments and gave me support when I most needed it. The non-clinical staff was outstanding and made my three-month residential stay absolutely amazing. I then transitioned to their PHP program and lived at Osceola House, which is less intense than residential, but structured well enough to support sobriety and recovery from mental illnesses. The director, April School, is absolutely amazing and has a real passion for clients. The step-down programs really work and I highly recommend their continuum of care. The clinical team here was fantastic and always had the clients’ best interests in mind. My therapist, Dr. Quilter, changed my life from my first session, along with my family therapist Sara Arce. The discipline that this place taught me has given me structure to my life and I no longer want to use substances, self-harm, or lie to my friends. If you are struggling with mental health issues, I encourage you to contact LifeSkills because they care about each client. You are not a number here; you are an individual person who they genuinely care about. I would not be alive if I had never come to LifeSkills. My future career in medicine is now a real possibility. You have to work here to get well, but they will provide you with everything you need. Thank you LifeSkills South Florida."
5 7 years ago (03-05-2018)

My time at Lifeskills for addiction treatment was an excellent experience. One of the biggest factors which made it so was that I felt like part of a team, actively working alongside my therapists towards a place of recovery, rather than a patient being worked on by doctors. The facilities were nicely maintained, the staff was delightful from the techs, to the therapists, to the interns. There was always someone there for me, eager to sit and process whatever thoughts or worries crossed my mind. My parents participated in family therapy alongside me which was, opposite of those I've experienced at similar facilities in the past, very comfortable. The family therapy staff kept my parents abreast of my treatment, and helped my parents and I reestablish stable relations- something which hasn't existed in nearly a decade. Not to sugar coat things, remember, I attended Lifeskills as a drug rehabilitation patient, and oddly enough, I found myself growing disappointed towards the conclusion of my time there. Considering the circumstances under which I arrived (coming to from a black-out, in jail, with few options) I was surprised to say the least as to my feelings about it. They make it easy to find the silver linings in times when, to the client, such may have seemed near impossible.
5 7 years ago (18-12-2017)

My state of mind changed thanks to Lifeskills. Every single person there helped me make my life better. It was not easy at first but, that's the way it goes when one disconnects and enters a treatments center. The point is to focus only on yourself, and the professionals in Lifeskills will guide you. Also, the people you are going to meet there are going to show you that you are not alone. Eventually, depending on your situation, family is going to be a part of the treatment. The infrastructure is well designed. Every townhouse is comfortable and the maintenance team is great, then it is up to you and your roommates to keep it organized. My life had to be paused in order to build my new self, stronger and healthier. Lifeskills was my home for 4 months, my case was mental and emotional recovery from a brain surgery and my struggle with Borderline Personality Disorder. I became a new person after being in Lifeskills.
5 7 years ago (14-10-2017)