Foundation for Living – Mansfield

i was here for like 9 months i was on 3 west and it was cool fr but it was alot of fighting on monadys bc of drama from the weekend and it was alot of group punishment but mr scotty pimpin was cool karen rowwlen talazha… reily petty kim p relly ms d JEN COLE mick 3 east larau (drug lady) colton tabitha abby lohr

ptsd is all it ever gave me and everyone i know that got sent there terrible place with a 50/50 gamble chance of even 1 respectable staff member

I remember the horrors that went on with this place. There used to be a boys unit when I was at FFL back in 2022. I never thought to this day I would still be broken inside after getting beaten up numerous of times. I… was so sad till the point I almost took my own life. I’m not afraid to speak out, nor will I bow. After reading these reviews, I can safely say that they’re 100% accurate. I was never safe. I just was traumatized after my girlfriend named Nina overdosed, giving me nightmares every single dream I slept on, and the staff have a right to make these girls feel bullied and hurt inside? I wouldn’t, and the fact that we couldn’t let our emotions when we wanted to is disgusting and makes me sick. So much for the help FFL, but trust and believe… I will be back, and this won’t be the last time you hear from me! Thanks for the bruise on my left hand, by the way. That’s why I love making you feel so guilty inside, thinking you can get away with the abuse all these years… well will see what happens when you haft to protect yourselves, because you might as well admit to those actions

This place had its ups and downs but all the staff helped me get this far to be able to go home the staff never gave up on me even when it was hard thank you for accepting me on 1 east you were the best lead ms.B and… the best co-lead ms. Danielle and thank you ms Chloe and ms Jen h for being the best qmhs and therapist and thank you Kayla, makeever, Veronica , perrell, and especially mick and Cindy thank you guys for helping me and leading me on the right path it was an eventful 6 months but I’ll never forget ffl and the good impact you guys gave me.

There truly aren’t enough words to express how grateful I am for the care and support my daughter received these last 7 months. From the very beginning, the staff believed in her, even during the moments when she… struggled to believe in herself. They never gave up on her, and that unwavering support made all the difference. The team treated her with compassion, patience, and respect while holding her accountable in ways that helped her grow. They provided her with the tools, guidance, and encouragement she needed to make positive changes in her life. Watching the progress she has made has been incredible, and I know this facility played a huge role in her journey. Thank you for seeing the potential in my daughter and for never giving up on her. You have made a lasting impact on our family, and we will always be grateful. Also a special shout out to some of her favorite staff from her directly: Jen H, Chloe M, Mick, Miss B, Miss Danielle, Veronica, Africa, Perell, and Miss Cindy on 3rd shift :)

I was in this place for an entire year and it was INSANE. I literally saw another resident try to end another residents life. I was constantly pumped up on meds. Staff told kids business all the time, especially the… leads and the staff who were 'friends' with the more popular kids. They moved my unit multiple times by tricking me into getting onto the different unit and then locking me in. The only person who had my back was Becky, my old therapist who is no longer employed here. (Thank God she isn't, she deserves better). I was also talked about and picked on by staff. They allowed kids to bully others. At some point, UM Michelle (who was also a grown adult bully) started a mentorship program that basically allowed higher tiers to pick on lower tiers. Eventually this "program" was shut down due to the complaints of bullying. There was also constant favoritism. In another review there is a girl named Harley and I was on the same unit as her and everything she said is true. This place DOES NOT care about your kids, and your kids will come out worse than they were before. The best staff and only staff who really cares is One Wests lead, Michaela. This place is terrible. Abusive, even. I was put in a hold and when I screamed they were hurting me they pulled tighter and were even conversating and laughing during my hold. I was sore for days. I met some girls in there, Arianna and Andrea and they really helped me. Without them I don't know if I would have made it. I was bullied so bad that I had to dissociate just to get through my time. They constantly held my tier even when I should have had it and was acting right. Scott was my glimmer of hope and fought so hard to get me out. I literally still have nightmares of this place and I'll wake up afraid that I'm still there. When people ask me, "What was your time at Foundations like?" I will tell them it was hell on earth. I will ALWAYS advocate against this place and I hope it gets shut down so no girls ever have to go through this. Also- There was a staff named Jae who was so amazing. He sat with us and let us cry. He allowed us to be humans. He sadly had to quit after being severely hurt during a restraint. Foundations treated him horribly as well, so they also overwork the staff. Terrible place to be. EDIT: I have now been out of foundations for two years. It sounds crazy to even say it. I just wanted to say that I did get one good thing out of foundations. The girl I mentioned earlier in my review, Arianna and I are now great long distance friends and we will probably be friends for life. So even though foundations is absolutely atrocious, I did get one really good friend out of it. And just so it’s clear we DO talk shit about the past residents who bullied us and the staff too and if anybody got a problem yall can fight us on instagram because we are not kids no more and we don’t play

I do have another review on here already but it’s been a little over two years since I got out of Foundations. I’m leaving a second review to tell everyone that I still wake up in the night sweating and shaking after… having awful nightmares about my experience. I’ve also changed irrevocably from the way all the way us CHILDREN here were treated. I used to cry and have panic attacks when I was upset which may sound bad in the surface but it allowed me to be able to express how I was feeling. Now whenever I’m having an episode it’s all in my head. I can’t cry and I’m physically incapable of asking anyone for help without a sense of dread filling my entire body. I’ve had to drive through Mansfield a couple of times since I’ve been out and every single time I’m reduced to silence as I undergo a panic attack I have no power to control. At one point in my stay the staff found out I cheeked my medicine. (Putting the pills in your cheeks so you didn’t have to take them.) I didn’t take my medicine because I was on a pill that put me to sleep within the hour. When I was there we had groups that would last until almost 10 PM. They gave us our meds at 7. I was threatened with write ups almost every night so I cheeked my meds. Once they found out that I did that they took me off of all my pills, even the medically necessary ones, cold turkey. I experienced heavy withdrawal off of one pill in specific but I was still threatened with write ups despite that not being my fault. I’ve been diagnosed with ptsd that my therapist has confirmed would be cptsd if she could diagnose that. Her and I have talked about Foundation extensively and I’ve realized that I don’t remember much of what went on there, my brain actively trauma blocking it. While my mind might not recall certain memories my body does. I still flinch when people raise their hands too fast or when people start yelling. I can’t eat with my back to an open space without the fear of getting attacked like I’d seen happen so many times. Foundations For Living is one of the worst places you can send anyone, let alone someone you claim to care about. My mother put me in FFL and I have her blocked on everything for putting me through that trauma and refusing to believe me about it. There are some people who do genuinely grow from being at Foundations. If you’re thinking of sending anyone here I beg you to let them read these reviews. Let them decide if they’re willing to give this place specifically a chance. There are many other places that provide the same kind of treatment. You all will come to an agreement eventually. Sending someone here without letting them know what they’re getting themselves into will permanently damage them. If you are thinking of sending your child here without their knowledge then all I can do is hope the best for your future relationship if you continue to have one.

I had my arm broken into a complete fracture during a “restraint” the male staff who broke my arm was never fired instead I was bullied and silenced by everyone there so that a lawsuit would not come about.

Foundations For Living is such a great place. I worked with them for 8 months. The staffs are very nice and polite. They always make sure parents understand everything and will always give us updates about everything.… During the time I worked with them, I had no issues with contacting through email or phone calls. They are on top of everything and making sure that not just the kid understands but also making sure us family understands everything. I love how they work with families. It was a very nice moment. Thank you so much taking good care of my daughter and working with us. I will recommend this place for sure.

Scott Hingsbergen The therapist is the best!

Reading the experiences of survivors makes me so sad: I was in this institution in early 1990, when it was Richland Hospital and the teen ward was co-ed and on the bottom floor and was called The Tomorrow Center. (There… was an adult psych and substance abuse unit above, where we were sent as punishment when we acted out. It was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest up there.) To this day, I am close friends with 2 of my fellow patients. There was no bullying between patients. In fact, the staff would scream “no physical contact!” at us all the time because we’d all hug each other. This used to be a place for kids who’d been abused; who’d attempted suicide — all psych issues; not substance abuse issues and I can’t recall anyone who was court ordered there. Kids would try to hook up, but staff were perpetually watching that one, long hallway, and no one could get away with ANYTHING. Most of the counselors, unit managers, and orderlies were nice to us. I was in Room 214 at one point, if I remember right; it was the only room that housed 4 of us. I was told that after the last of us left, they turned the room into a rec room because we’d been so bad and they said “never again.” Bad = laughing all night and pranking people and fighting like sisters. Breaks my heart to read that Richland turned into Juvenile Hall. There were definitely no physical fights and we were all generally incredibly supportive of each other, like family. I WILL say that even in 1990, I was scared when I first saw the place — prison wire on the fences; that grey winter sky — all the buildings were were run down and dirty and old when I was there, so I can’t even imagine. We’d get drugged when upset, and a body net and restraints if we resisted staff, so I get the evolution. But it was actually a place that I have fond memories of because of the relationships we all built on that unit. I’m so sorry to all of you who went from Patient to Survivor. I’m so sad and so disturbed and wish you could have been there when most of the staff and all of the kids were kind and supportive and loving. Instead, you were given more trauma — the last thing any of you needed. [leaving one star after reading the experiences of others.]

i was here for a year and some change and came out as a diffrent person thank you to Roland Emily makeever ms b ms michela kayla petty all the staff was such a big help and if you go in there with a positive attitude… you will leave with one trust they were my family and will be yours to if you need help

I wish 0 stars was a option bc my gf is in there for some bs i miss u em forever

This place fails children. If you are thinking about sending your child to this facility, if you are a CASEWORKER planning on sending your client here, or if you are a SURVIVOR of this place, I highly encourage you to… read my review. This is all based on personal experience. I also heavily encourage you to read my review from 6 years ago. It is under the same name and has 31 reacts currently. I was 16 when I wrote that review. Why am I coming back 6 years later to write another? The answer is incredibly simple. FFL has traumatized me deeply and 6 years later I am still struggling to work through said trauma. I am now 22 years old. I have FREQUENT nightmares about Foundations For Living, panic attacks if I think too deeply about my experiences there, and I have permanent nerve damage in my right arm due to their terrible restraint methods. I was never restrained because I was the aggressor, but because I was defending myself. I was often attacked by other girls because I was considered the "weaker link" as they liked to call me. Yet I always ended up in restraints for defending myself and it has cost me permanent damage in my right arm. My husband has seen the trauma this place has left me, he sees me try to work through it every single day. I recently tried to call FFL out on their Facebook page for the neglect and abuse that goes on inside of the facility. Their response was to delete my comments and block me, rather than actually address the issues. I have screenshot proof of this. They struggle to get and keep employees and I'm sure they weren't happy that I spread the TRUTH in the comments of their "hiring" posts. They STILL haven't updated any of the photos on their website, and they refuse to address the survivors of their facility. The inside of this facility is nowhere near as nice as their website claims. Everything is incredibly outdated, and needs to be brought to someone's attention that can actually do something about it. I recently made a TikTok account to connect with other survivors of foundations for living and the troubled teen industry in general, and I was very shocked to actually find others. They all have very similar things to say. There are very few, and FFL isn't talked about nearly enough. It pains me to check these reviews every now and again to see new survivors with stories to tell. The employees even hate it here! Read the reviews from employees on Indeed. They don't have very good things to say either. I'm so sad to see that this place hasn't been shut down. "Well why were you even sent there to begin with? You must have been bad or crazy." Actuallv no. I was a displaced and traumatized child who had been taken away by my parents due to DV and abuse. I was put into a group home that I then got sex trafficked at. Due to my roommate sex trafficking me, I was forced to awol with her a lot. This put me in a lot of danger and for my safety my caseworker put me in a locked down facility. I was NOT put onto the appropriate unit within FFL. They decided to put me on 3West which is the drug and alcohol rehabilitation unit, instead of 2East which is literally the human trafficking unit. They didn't put me on 2East until towards the end of my stay, which was 10 months. Rest in peace to my old friend and roommate from FFL, Emma Roberts. She passed away at the age of 15 years old, not long after being released from FFL and put into a group home. The system as a whole failed her, and everyone has forgotten her. Foundations For Living is partially to blame for her death and I will die on that hill. Places like this are why children in the states custody are failed every single day. My TikTok is @isxIxted for anyone who needs to talk about this horrible place and how it has affected you. FFL will not silence me. Please stay safe everyone. Everyone has a story to tell. It's important that you tell yours.

I was a resident here from nov 8 2024 till April 12 2025 and I can say that this place is horrible I don’t recommend at all. The staff are very messy and most pick favorites or even bully kids there sometimes even… threatening. There’s only like 5 people I will say that actually do their job right there. Beds are uncomfortable. Food is horrible. The place is unsanitary and dirty !! Pipes and building are just old. The amount of times this building started to leak and flood is beyond me. I also feel that this place is not a “black kid friendly “ place either they don’t know how to maintain our hair or give us the right product for it nor do they have a hair worker that works with all hair types so they have will have you looking any kind of way. During my stay here I had the worst experience possible and being there took a toll on my mental health and sanity aswell and when I brought that up to them they put me on more medication. when I ended up getting out I slipped back into my old ways until one day I decided to change my life around and now I’m graduating in June and I am happily in a relationship aswell as employed I’m happy with how I turned out but this place lowk traumatized me I wouldn’t wish this place on anyone 👎🏽 For any of the girls that I was grouped with are trying to find me my Facebook is Dharielle carpenter if you ever wanna talk or need advice on anything I’m here anytime if needed 🫶🏽

Hi I was a kid a this place , and they mess with your mental health, and tell you things that they want you to hear they drop your Teir for things you had nothing to do with just so they can make you stay longer , they… use Force when it don’t need to be , they write you up for stuff that don’t make sense, staff in there pick who they like , even the bosses they’ll pick with you because they know you want to go home , FOUNDATIONS FOR LIVING IS A HELL WHOLE . , if you are a case worker do not send your kids there , oh and also they lose your clothes when you first get them and tell you they don’t have them anymore so the case worker will haft to give more and more or haft to hear you about not having clothes 💯❌.. and shout out to ms Mary , Mr haper , Mr.Isaiah , and Mr Chris and two other female staff I forgot name but yk who you are thank you all , the only reason I made it through that hell whole ❤️‍🩹!

I would honestly give this place 0 stars if I could, to be real this place never helped. I got out and was home not even 3 weeks and got sent back to jail. Because THIS PLACE IS NO HELP. I was there for like 5 months.… The staff constantly talk crap about kids there and laugh with other kids about it. The male staff sleeps around with the children there and all staff bring in vapes to the kids. And honestly I wouldn't be surprised if they brought in drugs for the kids too. I barely saw my therapist Tanya at all. And when I did see her, we barely talked. We just sat in her office with the door open while she was on her phone texting or on her laptop. I hate this place and I can't stress that enough.

I was in here from Feb 5th to June smtn 2024 and it was awful. It was absolute total khaos 24/7. I barely ever got to see my assigned therapist. Quite literally to the point I had staff pissed at her because she would… not come see me. My two unit leads were very nice I will say. They did a lot of fun activities with us but that was about the only good thing there. I was put on vitamin D because of how little we were allowed outside. Another thing is the monthly psychiatric zoom meetings. I have never met this person irl only over 20-30 minute zooms. She changed my meds EVERY time I talked with her. At one point she quite literally told my therapist "she needs to be diagnosed with something to justify me putting her on lithium". At some point I was prescribed a medicine that I ended up having a very severe allergic reaction to. I was freezing to the point my lips were purple, I was covered in pumps, I was weak, I was profusely sweating and was having trouble breathing. 99% of staff did NOT care and kept forcing me to participate in activities and group. Thank God for the one staff that allowed me to rest during that. But I think it took a good 3 or 4 days for them to even really check me out. I ended up needing to be rushed to the ER and they said if it was any worse I would have needed to go to Cincinnati childrens. Another time I briefly passed out while getting my night meds and the nurse accused me of faking it..? This place is a hell hole full of crazy staff, bugs, fighting, school that doesnt even count for anything ( I now have to retake an entire second semester bc of this place not teaching me crap). Thats a bit of a rant. But for the love of God dont send your children here.

I went to FFL from November 6th of 2024 to February 21th of 2025. This place was not in the best condition. In January the basement flooded so we could not do school. We had to do it in the north dayroom or the unit. I… had a incident on 1 west were I was mad so I tried to slam my door and the staff mama E ran in my room and tried to put me in a hold on my bed and the staff a FFL are not allowed to do that, so I tried to push her off of me so then she pushed me on the wall and grab me by my neck then staff got her off of me and they took pictures of it but she just got a 3 day suspension, I don’t think that mama E should work with kids at all. And the staff at FFL buy kids' vapes. Also the staff love to mess with the kids to make them angry. I do not think that kids should go here so if you are trying to send your kid here this should be your last choice.

Bad medical experience Bed bugs No hot water from time to time

My daughter was at Foundations for 5 months. She has significant mental issues and was sent there for treatment. She was one of the few residents who was not court ordered. We were told specifically what to bring but it… took weeks and multiple calls to actually get her clothes, she was provided with used sweatpants and tee shirts that would have been in my rag bag. She was issued "prison soap and shampoo". She gained 50 pounds on the high carb and fat diet and when I voiced concerns, they were not appropriately addressed. Medications were changed and diagnosis after diagnosis were thrown around that were pull out of nowhere. When I tried to call nightly, I was spoked to rudely and hung up on. At times, it would take 40 re-dials to get through on the one phone line. Staff called her names, but when I addressed it. I was told the staff was joking. I understand that many of the girls were destructive, but I was disappointed at the poorly cared for facility, the pictures of the building are nothing close to the actual appearance. Everyone I spoke to had a different story, no one was on the same page. Complaints were blown off or the administration would "right fight" the issue. The counselors would bad talk and complain about each other. My daughter came out three times worse than she went in. There are not merit opportunities, everything is based on time. She could follow the "plan" and be "perfect" but the tiers were based on time. The psychiatrist told my daughter multiple times she was doing so well that she would be going home sooner than originally thought. When I asked the counselor about the early release, she said she would have a talk with the psychiatrist and tell her not to tell my daughter that she could go home earlier. As a healthcare professional, I have always been under the impression that the doctor was in charge. Foundations has very poor communication with family. I felt like their goal was to keep my daughter the longest they could. This was my first experience with a residential mental health facility and I found it lacking on every level. If this is an example of what these kinds of programs are, I understand why they are failing to help our children. I expected a component of things that would build self esteem, maybe yoga, Meditation, style/dressing, and makeup, nothing even close. They have to do better.

Someone needs to call the health department on this old nasty disgusting place

Great

I was a resident at FFL for eight months. I’ll be fair and say nothing truly happened to me. I was never put in a hold, however I was threatened with them often, but no one put hands on me. Michaela and Ms. B from 1… East were absolute god sends. I don’t know what I would do if they weren’t there. They definitely could’ve done some things better, but they were in my opinion the best staff there. I remember near the end of my stay a girl kept trying to end her life pretty much every day. Staff didn’t seem to actually care. They seemed annoyed like it was all a burden. I get that it’s stressful to cut something off of someone’s neck everyday, but you don’t have to go around talking about how annoying it was. It truly disgusts me how staff handled the kids in here. My friend was jumped by four people and the staff put them all in the hallway together. No medical treatment was given to any of them. I had Covid at one point during my stay, but all medical staff refused to test me. They said I had no symptoms when I did in fact have them. I just didn’t have a fever. I gave my family Covid while on a homepass and they still didn’t care. They just didn’t want to gown up every time they had to come on the unit. The dating there was awful, but so was the staff’s response to it. We were all troubled kids, putting a fake restraining order on us is only going to make us want to be together more. The place is absolutely disgusting in person, especially because residents aren’t allowed to wear shoes. We had to wear slides around all day, and when I developed an ingrown toenail they took me to the doctor, even the medical professionals said that people from FFL came in with ingrown toenails all the time. I saw so many people get injured there and the nursing department not even bat an eye. The psychiatrist met me one time over video and diagnosed me with Borderline Personality Disorder. I was 15. I was given an antipsychotic injection I had to get every month that made me dull and lifeless. I told everyone I was getting better but I was faking every part of that. It’s so easy to manipulate everyone into thinking you’re doing okay when they don’t actually care about you. If you’re considering sending your kid here, don’t. It’s just straight up abuse at this point.