Reviews for Benchmark Transitions Treatment Center

After they saved my life…

Benchmark helped me get through my family struggles and addiction issues. After they saved my life they gave me a job and included me into their family. I suggest Benchmark to and for anyone who needs quality treatment.

This was the third treatment center we sent our child to and hands down, this was far and away the best…

My child spent seven months at Benchmark. This was the third treatment center we sent our child to and hands down, this was far and away the best. The staff at Benchmark are exceptional; the case managers, therapists, doctors, back office staff, and the executive director and her family are second to none.

They are truly masters at their respective crafts. If both you and your child are willing to put in the time and effort, the Benchmark program can absolutely transform you, your child, and your family.

I realized how out of control my life had become…

When I arrived here I was an absolute mess and unstable to say the least. I was convinced I didn’t have a drug problem and I refused to even dare compare or relate to the people in the room. After the overdose I was scared for my life. I was unable to speak clearly enough for anyone to understand but the best blessing that came from it was a fresh start, a clear head, and a real understanding of powerlessness.

When I came to it was sickening – I realized how out of control my life had become in a matter of only a weekend.But Benchmark and my treatment team gave me the opportunity and chance I so desperately needed to better myself. The time I spent here was an absolute blessing and an opportunity of a lifetime.

All of the executive staff and primary employees are highly credentialed…

Our son has been at Benchmark for 11 months and overall we have been very impressed.  During this time we have met almost every staff member.  We have gotten to know a few like his case managers quite well.  Invariably they have all have been utterly professional and caring.  Many of the employees have worked there over ten years which speaks to the stability of the school.  Before placing our son at Benchmark we did extensive internet research and reference checks.  All of the executive staff and primary employees are highly credentialed with many years of experience.  For example the psychiatrist did his residency at Loma Linda University which is a highly ranked medical school.  Here is the tough part, no program can guarantee success.  The human mind is infinitely complex and often baffling.  My wife and I love our son dearly and hope for the best.  We also know that we can’t control the future.  But we are convinced that by working closely with Benchmark we have given our son the best chance possible at having a fulfilling life. That is all that we can ask of any program.

Benchmark has been honing their effective skills for decades…

I’ve witnessed Benchmark Transitions not only get young adults back on track, but actually save people’s lives. We live in an era when drug use is becoming more common, and unfortunately people don’t see the downside of the ruined lives that often follow.

Benchmark has been honing their effective skills for decades, and I encourage anyone needing help getting past whatever it is holding them back from gaining a healthy, independent adulthood to consider Benchmark.

It’s truly a blessing to see the effects the program has on the clients…

I’ve seen some amazing things occur with the clients that have come through the program at Benchmark. I’ve seen wonderful turn-around with clients that will not even speak to staff and hold their head down always, to walking with their head held high, showing confidence, smiling, interacting and being talkative with staff and coming alive right before my eyes!

The transformation is so great to see – it’s truly a blessing to see the effects the program has on the clients!!!

We could go on and on about his progress and your wonderful staff…

Our son is completing his program at Benchmark… we are thrilled with the progress he has made. But we are also sad because over the last 20 months we have built relationships with many of your staff and will miss them greatly. As you know, our son was really struggling when he entered Benchmark. He would rarely leave his room or even get out of bed and the situation at home was deteriorating rapidly. But through the amazing work of your staff and program, he is not the same person today. He is leaving as a young man who is maturing slowly but steadily.

He still has challenges but the nature has changed. He gets up every morning and likes walking to places around Redlands. He knows how to shop and cook for himself. With Ronnie’s coaching, he persisted in his job search and got a position at Cafe Rio where he was very successful for a while. Now he needs to focus on maintaining his employment for the long term. So we are grateful for the progress one step at a time.

We could go on and on about his progress and your wonderful staff. But we don’t want to send you a 10 page email : ) However we did want to write a few words to capture our feelings about Benchmark as he enters this new phase of his life.

A life changing place…

Benchmark Transitions was definitely a life changing place for me. When I came to the program, I was committed to creating change in my life that would make my friends, family and most importantly: myself proud. I came to Benchmark Transitions straight from a wilderness program called Aspiro. I was grateful of the fact that I was going to be living indoors and sleep on an actual bed, rather than living in the wilderness. Benchmark taught me a lot about adapting to situations that I have no control over. For example if I had a disagreement with someone or something, I learned the best thing is to let go expectations and just go with the flow. Which has honestly benefitted my life today. Because before I came to Benchmark, I felt I was entitled to have and get everything. When in the real world, nobody owes me anything. Therefore, the program has taught me some real valuable lessons that I use out there in the real world today. Benchmark taught me a lot about healthy living, I lost a lot of weight while I was there. Especially keeping a tidy apartment. Benchmark helped me get a job at Amazon, encouraged me to go back to college, and helped me move into my own apartment today. Which all led me to finding more opportunities here in the Inland Empire. The biggest advice I can give to anybody that’s interested in coming to Benchmark is be willing let go of your own expectations about how the program should be. Be willing to follow staff’s directions no matter how crazy it might sound. Because sooner or later they will be very willing to work with you and help you with the goals you want to achieve after Benchmark. The staff will go the extra mile for you IF you respect them and work with them not against them. Also just keep a positive attitude here, because in the long run, it will help you so much out in the real world. I am thankful for this place, because I wouldn’t be all that I am today without Benchmark Transitions.

I had a chance to honestly look at the life I had created and, yes, the messes and bad choices I had made…

At Benchmark Transitions, I was given an environment where I was free from our chaotic, ever-distracting society, far enough away from fast-paced temptations commonly found in big cities. Consequently, I was able to develop a clear process for expanding each moment and finding my core inside. With the supportive community of over fifty young men and women, we were able to explore and express our truth. I had a chance to honestly look at the life I had created and yes, the messes and bad choices I had made. Every day I experienced a new challenge. However, it was overcoming these challenges that helped me establish the confidence I carry with me today.

In addition to helping me see what I was worth, Benchmark Transitions taught me many of the life skills that I carry with me today. The Work Education and Creative Art departments helped me to discover my self-efficacy. Whether it was fixing a broken toilet, designing a glass-mosaic table, changing a light bulb or handcrafting various pieces of woodwork, I learned that I can finish anything that I start. I learned how to manage my money, grocery shop on a budget, and create a maintainable living plan. The program provided me with the structure I needed to remain focused and the freedom I needed to develop my independence. I followed an individualized treatment plan that was catered to my specific treatment needs.

I was continuously challenged to identify new avenues for personal growth and was provided with exceptional care from highly qualified individuals throughout the entire treatment experience. The program effectively transitioned me into the “real” world so that I was able to chase the dreams that I had lost sight of and become a productive member of society. I graduated Benchmark Transitions over four years ago and I recently graduated from college. I earned a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies and am now pursuing a career in the adolescent treatment industry. A dear friend from Benchmark Transitions once told me, “you have to experience adversity, that is how you learn.

The strongest people out there, are the ones who laugh the hardest with a genuine smile, those are the people who have fought the toughest battles. Because they have decided that they are not going to let anything hold them down, they are moving on.” I can say with confidence that if it was not for the experience I had with Benchmark Transitions, I would not be where I am today.

It was like the happy little boy that we loved so much had returned again…

Our son has been at Benchmark for a year now. He did very well in the initial recovery phase. His confidence came back and he started maturing before our very eyes. In his last couple of years in our house he was always angry and never smiled. When we first saw the pictures of him laughing and smiling on the Benchmark weekend events we almost fell out of our chairs. It was like the happy little boy that we loved so much had returned again. He did very well in both the group and individual therapy sessions. He also earned a Culinary Certificate in a cooking class. He was so proud of himself because he did it all on his own with no help from his parents. We heard reports about him volunteering to lead the kitchen clean up crew on many evenings. During one home visit, he told us in detail how to cook fettuccine Alfredo properly. This was coming from a young man would not even make himself a peanut butter sandwich before. He was blossoming before our very eyes.

During this time we also had the chance to meet almost every staff member at the school. We also got to know his case manager and some of the living advisors very well. Invariably they have all been skilled, professional and caring in their interactions with us and our son. We found that many of the employees have been with Benchmark for ten years or more which speaks to the stability of the program. Here is where Benchmark reminds us of the old movie called “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.” If life was all about 12-step meetings and supervised weekend outings then our son would have been ready to come home at this point. But the goal of Benchmark is to create young adults who can live independently and take care of themselves. So the next phase for our son was to work with Benchmark to get and keep a job. We were very impressed with the resources that Benchmark has in place for this phase. The job counselor has been at Benchmark for many years and has lots of connections in the Redlands business community.

This is a tough phase because going on job interviews is stressful. And no one gets a job on the first interview. So this means that our son has to learn to deal with rejection which is difficult for anyone. The good news is that his case manager, therapists and living advisors have been with him every step of the way. But this phase has been a series of ups and downs. We think that he is learning some huge lessons about real life and some of them are painful. And the greatest lessons in life for any of us are usually obtained through adversity. So we will continue to love and pray for our son every day. And he will continue to learn about real life with the support of the Benchmark team.

I’ve witnessed a level of compassion and caring within Benchmark that is rare…

I have provided services and support to Benchmark Transitions for the past three years, and have a very high regard for their leadership. I’ve witnessed a level of compassion and caring within Benchmark that is rare, which I believe sets them apart from many other treatment centers.

I don’t have a child in need of treatment, but if I did I know it would be hard to take that leap of faith that a program is going to genuinely care about their welfare as much as me. If you are in the position of choosing a treatment center for a young adult, you should absolutely check out Benchmark.