Sierra Tucson

We could not be more disappointed in our daughter's treatment at Sierra Tucson in the spring of 2023. A little history, my wife (a licensed therapist) was a client at Sierra Tucson in the early 2000's and gave it glowing reviews as one of the best in the country which was a widely held view (and still erroneously is.) Our daughter went through the program earlier this year and after hearing about her experience there, (as well as other people in our community who have gone there in the past few years) it is painfully obvious since they were taken over by Acadia Healthcare that the level of care has dropped dramatically. To be fair, there are staffing shortages all over the country and getting good clinicians has been a challenge in much of healthcare post-pandemic. If Sierra Tucson were a mid-price facility, we'd give them some slack. But mid-priced, they are definitely not. Our daughter's one-month stay was billed at $100,000. For that price point, they should have some of the best services, clinicians and support available. That's what the celebrities you hear about expect when they go there. But, like us, I believe people are enamored with their history of excellence and not seeing Sierra Tucson for who they are today: a mid-level facility that charges premium prices by exploiting its sterling history. Our daughter was drawn to Sierra Tucson in large part to their use of EMDR treatment. Every day for 30 days, she would ask when the EMDR treatments would commence. And every day one of the overworked and scattered staff would say they're not sure. A couple of days before she was going to be discharged, she asked again, and they said they were so busy and too many people were there for the staff to handle, they weren't sure if she was going to get in. By the last day, they dropped it completely and she left never having done one EMDR session. In four weeks she saw her counselor precisely four times. Once a week. She requested more sessions but was told her counselor was too busy with so many other patients. She said her days were filled with lectures and handouts in crowded rooms with precious little therapy to enable her healing. Even on the luxury level, the facility was a mere shadow of what it used to be. We paid for a next-level package of massages and acupuncture but she was only able to access the services a few times since the waiting list was so voluminous. In closing, if you are considering Sierra Tucson for yourself or a loved one, we'd say do some more research on who they really are now versus what their prior sterling reputation used to be. They are most definitely not that anymore and you could likely do much better at another premium facility. A person only gets up to bat so many times in their healing journey and to have a prime opportunity like this wasted, we feel we need to warn future clients.

I have been to several Luxury Rehab‘s. This is not a statement that I am proud of, however, I do think it puts me in a position that may be slightly different due experience. That is the reason. I mentioned that I’ve been to several. That treatment center I found to be the best is Sierra Tucson. My primary therapist was incredibly compassionate and knowledgeable from a scientist-based perspective due to her education coupled with personal experience. I did not feel any judgment from the staff. The other luxury treatment centers (and a few that were not luxury) in my opinion, had a majority of staff members with a condescending approach. At Sierra Tucson, I never felt like a number. I was always treated as an individual. The therapy I received there shines in comparison to the others. I am not simply saying this because of my experience, but I did witness the way other patients were treated. From what I noticed, most were also treated with compassion and as an individual. I would recommend Sierra Tucson to any friend or family member dealing with a substance abuse issue. Also, the lectures, group activities, accommodations, after care planning, and the food score an A+.

Ok, this place is not what it seems (or what, I have also heard, what it used to be). The food was acceptable to good. The rest???? Terrible and a waste of money. I went there seeking treatment for PTSD. Unfortunately, PTSD requires a lot of treatments that are one-on-one and so costly. What did Sierra Tuscon do? Well, they stuck me in a program for alcohol use disorder with no way out. When I complained, I got a few "added" sessions for the actual issue of PTSD. I was told that, if I left early, my insurance wouldn't cover ANY of the treatment. So...stupidly I stayed. It turns out, Sierra Tuscon knew from my second day there that my insurance wouldn't be covering it anyway (for alcohol use or PTSD). I wasted a month of my life here. The rooms and amenities were crap. There were drugs EVERYWHERE. Seriously, I didn't go in there with a substance abuse disorder but...if I was looking to pick up a substance use disorder, I would have gone there to get it. Meth, opiates, pot, cocaine--the only thing I literally didn't see there was alcohol. This place shoudl be shut down. I mean, dead bodies of old patients have been found there. Not a bit surprised. My only surprise is that there weren't more of them.

I hope that by sharing my experience, I can help another family avoid a huge disappointment and a waste of time and money. My young adult son wanted help with anxiety and sobriety. After six weeks of research, we selected Sierra Tucson. We had doubts, but we were reassured by a very persuasive treatment placement specialist who works with Acadia (note that once my son decided to go to Sierra Tucson, she didn't return his or my calls). We understood that he would receive a THOROUGH evaluation - this did not happen. He arrived, and they made immediate changes to his medication which made him ill. We were told that the treatments included in his care, e.g., EMDR, yoga, acupuncture, etc. would be determined by the "mood track" identified in his treatment plan. We were also told that he would have both a primary therapist and a primary MFT therapist. He only had a primary therapist and saw her once per week. Unless you find attending lectures all day as therapeutic, you will be sadly disappointed. I can only hope that his classes were not anywhere near as awful as the videos sent home for families. He only stayed 16 days, and during that time, he did not receive a treatment plan or any information from the "evaluation". While he was in the program, I left three messages for the Associate Clinical Director - she never returned my calls. Good luck out there - it is hard to find good programs!

I had a normal, delivery of vaporizers (30 for 30$), taking not illegal (under 21) and I am NOT profiting. The confiscated these and told us the reasoning is just “No” and “we can’t tell you why.” On top of packages being held in the mail room for days containing essentials, and the basic lack of communication makes getting your needs met or any questions answered. Most all upper management issues, most staff is fine.