Crossroads Program

I never could have imagined when rocking my baby that 15 years later I would be picking her up at the police station for assault and possession. It had been obvious that our once happy, carefree daughter had a problem. She was a mess and so was our family. The problem was that no-one was able to help us. We had been to Psychiatrists, counselors, and school staff. A coworker told me about Crossroads and within a day we were meeting with a wonderful counselor. My first thought was that she would never talk to these people but an hour later she was still in there talking. She now has over 48 months clean and sober and is a different person. She smiles, laughs, gives hugs and is someone I loving living with every day. If you have any hesitation in Crossroads I can understand – I was there 48 months ago. The dedicated counselors worked with a child I brought in who was under foreign management (drugs) and not give up on her. There were numerous miracles that happened regularly and still happen. I cannot tell you enough about the love of the group and how awesome it is to have a house party with 50 or more sober kids laughing and having fun. The parent support group that helped me with my own control issues and in finding serenity. In less than 2 years my daughter went from wanting to be a tattoo artist to completing high school early and now attending the comm. college. Life is good! She told me that drugs was like going to church for her and she loved using, 24/7. Miracles do happen – ours happened at a loving, caring place called Crossroads! If your story sounds like ours I hope you can find your miracle at Crossroads. Thank you to the parents, kids and staff! Love you! more

Obviously the people who are slamming this program didn't want their kids to get sober or had any other experience with rehabs. They all require you to hang out with other sober people. This program saved my son's life after many, many other treatment programs, psychologists, psychiatrists, counselors and therapists. At no time does Crossroads EVER offer to ""cure"" anyone. Sobriety is a personal choice. You are given the ""tools"" on how to achieve sobriety. It is up to the individual to use those tools. There is no cure for addiction. And no 12 step program rehab will tell you there is. \r \r You can't expect to send your child to a treatment program and they do all the work. It's a family disease. You have to learn the do's and dont's of living with an addict. I feel sorry for the ignorant snobby people who speak so poorly of and belittle the counselors. These people are the most loving, caring, dedicated people you will ever meet! They spend 24/7 caring for these young adults. I mean 24/7!! They don't take time off. They are always there for the addicts and the parents!! \r \r And $20,000 is nothing!! Check into other treatment programs...$40,000, $50,000, $60,000! Minimum! There is no price on saving your loved one!\r \r I cannot speak highly enough of this program. No other treatment program offers the 24 hour support like Crossroads. \r \r This is an amazing program and if you are at the end of your rope and truly want to save a young person, GIVE THIS PROGRAM A CHANCE! IT'S INCREDIBLE!! I OWE EVERYTHING TO THE COUNSELORS FOR SAVING MY SON AND OUR FAMILY. \r \r \r \r \r \r more

What a horrifying program!! My daughter joined 3+ years ago, and we left shortly thereafter, realizing it's a total scam $20,000 lighter. You can't have barely-literate, uneducated former addicts claiming they can ""cure"" your kid just because they've had the experience. You need licensed psychologists, not just some BS ""addiction counselor"" certificate that anyone can get, and basically means you're a pub philosopher. more

Looking for some way to help my children get off marijuana, we sent them to Crossroads. They exchanged marijuana for cigarettes. Crossroads had 20-something ""counselors"" who taught them to ""french inhale cigarettes"", but not much more. They spent the afternoons interacting with other dysfunctional teens. There was no actual counseling. When we met with theircounselor"" he kept ""french inhaling""his cigarettes to the detriment of any helpful interaction. The enitre experience was a waste of time. When Bob Meehan came to speak, they separated the boys and girls, so he could tell the boys that girls hold all the power with their ""pussy"". Needless to say, the girls didn't get any empowerment speeches. It's a disgusting program. It didn't work for my kids. It won't work for yours...unless you're very rich and they can kowtow to you. more

First, yes - they will help your kid get off drugs/alcohol. However, they will exchange one addiction for another, and that's an addiction to the group, and the false dichotomy that your kid either stays in this group or will die. School and work are heavily discouraged for YEARS. Kids are separated from their families, and there is limited interaction - no family therapy, no trained psychologists on staff to deal with the root causes of your child's problems. No skills are taught to help these kids deal with the real world. They are, in fact, isolated as much from the real world as possible, including their own families who they are taught are ""toxic"" and hindering their treatment. Kids are taught to play ""the parent game"" where they're nice to you and tell you they love you, but you'll only see them when they need money for the fun-filled events. Your child's problems will be exaggerated by staff to get you to buy into the program and commit your money - and LOTS of it. If you have a death in the family, or an important family event - no matter how ""sober"" the occasion and people may be - your child will probably not be allowed to attend, or if so, only for a few hours, and probably accompanied by an approved person in the program. Your visits with your child will be very time-limited, if you get to see him/her alone at all, and will feel very much like court-ordered supervised visitation. They wish to control every aspect of the parent-child interaction. There are better programs, and there is NO evidence whatsoever that years and years (many times, it's upwards of 4 with no job or school or any focus apart from the program) of this isolation treatment have any positive effect on addiction remission over other treatments. Just do a web search on the founder, Bob Meehan - you'll find numerous videos of the man, and numerous Bob Meehan cult refugees sharing their stories of how they were damaged by this cultish program. I feel sorry for how ILstudent was treated, and hope that he/she recovers from the program's effects. more

If you are thinking of trying this program, first read about Steve Hassan's BITE Mind Control model (easily found in a google search). Then, search Youtube for videos of the founder of ICECAP (Crossroads), Bob Meehan. He has a foul mouth, a (recent) criminal history, and the verbally manipulative tactics of Charles Mansion. When I decided to try the group for thirty days, it quickly led to inpatient stays in their unaccredited facility in Phoenix, until I went on to their St. Louis based outpatient program. And once they found out that I'm gay, I was told to undergo rigorous therapy sessions with their quack Medical Director, Lee Lockwood, who uses outdated, manipulative, Freudian methods, and is an alcoholic in treatment himself. At first, you'll get plenty of hugs. The counselors will suggest to parents that their kids should be allowed to smoke cigarettes (as young as 13), then if the parents can afford the bogus treatment, it's endless amounts of that ... And if you're lucky, you graduate the program and go on to A.A. meetings with all the other guys who never figured out how to leave the self-fulfilling paradigm of, ""Only we can cure you. Your thinking got you here."" Parents will be turned against their kids if need be to keep them in the program and vice versa. I am not bitter, simply a person who's life was changed evermore since I went to that first meeting. After a year of sobriety- no relapses- I was kicked out of the program because I ""wasn't willing to work a program with my homosexuality."" Is this group something you really want your vulnerable teen to devote the next several years of his/her life? Crossroaders are not encouraged to finish high school or college, as the case may be. It is difficult to quit hard drugs cold turkey (trust me, I know), but the group supplements the drug experience with something that seems greater than family or society: evangelizing a drug-free, awesome, good time ... and at one BIG price: one's sense of self. ***Friends don't let friends join cults that pose as the answer to life's questions. This one does, but it can't! Pros: PROS - A good distraction from drugs, school, homelife, self Cons: CONS - Nothing is what it seems. Beware of these salesmen more

Crossroads has a unique way of helping teens get off of alcohol and other substances. They taught me how to stay sober and more importantly how to like staying sober. My life changed after my first appointment at Crossroads. I spent the first few months of sobriety hanging out with people, staying up late at night, having fun and fellowship with people my own age. These people were also staying sober. At around 3 months of sobriety, I got a job. Things started to become important to me. When I say things I mean anything other than myself. Having a job, going to school, amending my broken relationship with my family, just to name a few. I attended meetings and functions provided by Crossroads until I graduated the program. From there I have continued to be a productive member of society. I attend A.A. meeetings almost daily, I go to work everyday and I have a loving relationship with my family. I am in debt to Crossroads because they helped me save my life. They gave me the tools that I choose to live my life by today. I guess that I get a little offended when people say that Crossroads takes up too much time, because in the big picture, that is what Crossroads has given me, time. Time to live and enjoy my life sober and happy. I love who they are and what they do. I am grateful that Crossroads is set up the way that it is, because it helped me at 18, find a way to get sober and love it! Pros: saved my life Cons: can't get high anymore, cause life is so good! more

This treatment center is supposed to help teens and young adults with substance abuse issues. Everything revolves around the program, 24/7, at all costs. This is not a realistic way to help anyone deal with the everyday issues of life. Keep your child away unless you want to lose them to a ""cult"" like family. more

Crossroads provides the best treatment for young people and parents in Missouri. They offer an outpatient, Intensive outpatient, weekly support group meetings for both young people and parents, sober functions on the weekends, and a counseling staff that is above and beyond dedication and commitment. They make sobriety attractive. The support group is 18-24 months and they also offer alumni meetings to graduates. No other treatment program in Mo, offers this. Pros: 12step approach, enthusastic recovery, it works! Cons: n/a more