Desert Solace

Okay, so I wrote a seven page review of Desert Solace outlining everything, but apparently there is a size restriction on Google Review. So, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me. Here are the last couple of paragraphs of my review.

The staff are my greatest complaint when it comes to Desert Solace. What it really comes down to is that they are completely unsympathetic. Now, please understand, I was not looking to be “buddy buddy” with the staff. I mean, looking at it, I was a client at a sex addition recovery center, already self-isolated and alone. I was not expecting to be best friends with the staff. However, they were more than just emotionally removed; they were rude and unempathetic. Let’s take a step back, though. Addicts are all manipulators – that’s just the way it is. And, by being rude and unempathetic, they are basically immune to being manipulated, so I get why they do it. But at the same time, this behavior stems from fear, rather than acting out of love.

There was a problem in the California school system with the attempted implementation of Jim Fay’s Love and Logic that had roots in distanced, unfeeling interaction. When educators tried to implement the program in the schools – it didn’t work. Why? Because even though the teachers were saying all of the right things, they said them without love or empathy, and that one change made the program fail. The staff at Solace say many of the right things, but they say them without love, and that makes all the difference. As far as communication with the staff goes, it is very limited and short. The staff only communicate what they absolutely have to. For instance, if I asked what was for dinner, the answer would be, “Why do you need to know?” This lack of communication also extends to aftercare from the program, as I haven’t heard from a member of the staff since I got home three months ago.

So, when it comes down to it, Desert Solace has a great facility and a fantastic groundwork for treating addiction. The cons would be uncaring staff and lack of professional counseling. You may have picked up from reading my feelings above that I am bitter and angry at the staff at Desert Solace. This is definitely the case. I did, however, learn things at Desert Solace that I would not have been able to learn in any other way. It may seem that I have pointed out a lot of negatives, and I am not going to lie, my experience at the Solace was the hardest thing I have ever been through. I am frankly surprised I made it through the whole program. I would never go through it again, but I came out of it a new person. Thinking about attending Desert Solace? If you truly want to change, this program does indeed have the framework to make that happen. But, whether you attend Desert Solace or not, the change has to come from you. No amount of in-house counseling, money, tears, pleading, whatever, is going to change you if you don’t want to change. Have questions? Feel free to contact me.