Hillside Inc

I just wanted to add to my previous review which was posted in May 2020 by cassfrye.
...Hillside is still the worst experience I have EVER had with other people given a title of authority. They were supposed to be there to help us, but I was just reflecting on it yesterday.
How the staff used to make fun of me for crying. The dirty looks they gave me and the mean comments they would make. I was a 17 year old girl who had just recovered in the hospital from a severe suicide attempt. And all I received from this facility was hatred and contempt.
Months after I returned home in another state I would wake up screaming from nightmares. I don't believe I have PTSD right now, but I did have it short term because of going to Hillside.
There is no compassion here, no encouragement. It is a strictly "tough love" approach that they use, which does not always work on children who have gone through extensive trauma, pain, abuse, and depression etc.
Maybe Hillside would work well for a child with extreme behavioral problems?! That is the only purpose I think Hillside might be able to serve, helping a mentally ill child just released from Juvi. But not a little 17 year old girl like me who was severely depressed and suicidal.
The staff made fun of me for crying, they talked meanly to me when there was no need to take any kind of tone and I wasn't doing anything? Maybe I didn't make my bed? Still no reason to talk in a nasty tone to a child. They degraded me. When I called my mom on the phone and told her I wanted to die because how miserable I was, the Hillside staff heard me making those statements and they took away all of my priviledges, they made me sit in silence at my assigned seat in the cottage all day. I could not leave. I had to do DBT workbooks in silence all day, could not go to the dining hall and could not talk to the other girls.

They also made me do the TIP skill in a specific way every few hours. T stands for temperature and I stands for intensive exercise, P for paced breathing. A staff member would take a deck of cards and pull a card one by one, I would have to do pushups, jumping jacks, sit-ups, etcetera, for every card. And I would do this exercise on the ground in front of the staff member who was watching.
It was incredibly degrading, and humiliating. I was not a prisoner in a prison, I was a 17 year old small girl who had attempted suicide because of how depressed I felt.
I did have short-term PTSD upon returning home. Woke up screaming from nightmares for months. My therapist there was cruel and mean to me my entire stay. I had to pretend to like her in order to get discharged.
I have since put this experience behind me, but I am sad for anyone else who has to go through it.

Hillside is the worst thing that has ever happened to me, I discharged a year ago. I've been through a lot of trauma and suicide attempts, and been to 3 other residential treatment facilities, all of which were better than Hillside. I had nightmares about Hillside for months, I was emotionally and mentally abused while there. The staff were for the most part heartless and mean. My therapist was cruel. I hated my time there, would not recommend. Food horrible, staff cruel, activities boring and degrading.

This facility practices some of what they preach. However, Staff and higher ups do not communicate client information to one another or parents properly, if at all. The site allows the medical director to also be a provider. Which creates a lack of checks and balances in care and accountability. Pushing pharmaceutical treatments while stating clients ‘have nothing wrong’ DSM-V wise, and discharging patients without adequate care or accountability is a nightmare. Having to uproot a family because of need and then reintegrate the client home the same as when she/he was admitted is very redundant. The old practice to blame and focus on the family for the clients mental not behavioral issues is exhaustive and unproductive. The facility does not conduct labwork for medication in our experiences and refuses to ask for prior provider information; even if such info and records are insightful and pertinent to care and client understanding. We would not think this place suitable for anyone unless they are a CPS DCs child in custody, that has no one to check and balance the site and its operations. If you are needing a nanny 911 approach or stopping Juvenile issues, then again a great place. Lastly, if you care about your child's mental care steer clear. The site for safety and well-being in general is wonderful.

My daughter was admitted to this organization at some point. I am the custodial parent for the minor child. Hillside made no attempt to contact me in any way, thus they are to be held accountable for helping kidnap and concealment of my daughter. I have requested many time the names of the board of directors and contact information. It has been refused. Under the IRS guidelines this is a direct violation. I have filed a 13909 with the IRS. If you donate to this organization consider what you are supporting. I have also requested the medical records I have received only a summary. I have requested ALL medical records and when I requested to speak to those in charge I was told ALL at Hillside are aware of who I am yet no one has returned my phone calls. I am still gathering information to formally charge Hillside, Inc and all it's directors. I have requested their legal department the response was we don't have one. The jurisdiction of the minor child is with the State of Florida. The kidnapper and the spouse have admitted in a Florida Court to the concealment which is also admitting to the kidnapping. The staff at Hillside has been damaging to my daughter revealing information that further destroys the relationship with the custodial parent. One staff member stated in court that the father was the trigger for the minor child's problems yet in the summary of care this is not mentioned. Perjury perhaps? I will continue to do all I can to make sure Hillside, Inc properly follows the laws. I now have the names of the board of directors and I have chosen a process server. If you are affiliated with this organization be careful of the fall out once this goes to the news media.