Phoenix House – Santa Ana

I admitted myself for a 7-day detox, and I have to say, the staff was absolutely wonderful, kind, and welcoming. They made what could have been a difficult experience feel so much more comfortable. A special shout-out… to Crystal S. for making my stay wonderful. Thank you for your kindness, compassion, and for treating me with genuine care. It truly meant a lot to me. ❤️

Phoenix House saved my life. It was there that I was able to not only learn about addiction and how to stay sober, but watch a staff go through their workday setting an incredible example, showing what can be achieved… in recovery. I "graduated" earlier this year, with a solid foundation in my recovery, upon which I'm building a great life. I've been sober now for far longer than ever before, and I wouldn't have been able to get here without the foundation they helped me to build. There aren't any words strong enough to express my gratitude for what they have done for me. If you are serious about recovery, this is absolutely the best place you can go to learn how to live a great life of freedom and happiness!

Great place staff is very nice but you have to put up with a lot of crazy clients it's like you are in a whole different world of lunatics drugs are bad

Very helpful in most areas of recovery though staff could benefit from subsequent training.

I was a ward of the courts in the 90s & sent to the teen unit of Phoenix house orange county. They controlled every aspect of your existence. They claimed to have an "open door" policy, but I saw many kids try to jump… the fence & escape just to be ripped off the fence & beat down by multiple kids with staff encouragement! The encounter groups were what is now known as attack therapy. All the residents & staff would choose someone to hurl insults & as cruel as they could think of things to scream at the person targeted. Worthless, should be dead, the devil, etc.... The tiniest infraction, even if accidental was punished harshly. Saying darn or accidentally stepping on grass resulted in a minimum of 3 days of flipping dirt with an old splinters shovel, no talking,eating last, if you were allowed family visits on occasion, nope, not if you were in trouble. I was there for around 5-6 months & only escaped by planning to unalive myself. If you like the idea of developing C-PTSD, it's the place for you!

I definitely recommend this program. If you are open minded and willing your life will change. I've been to lots of rehabs, however this one I willing stayed longer then 1 month I stayed all 3 and even extended to 4.… I'm so grateful for the Phoenix House.

I know one of the drug counselors here and he is very special to me , and I am very proud of him and that he has made something with his life ...it gives me peace and comfort and hope

My little sister was in phoenix house and the main reason that she was able to keep doing good was because of Sherie, I think she’s a counselor or something like that. She went above and beyond to help her and even made… a connection with us so shoutout her

2019 - 2022 I had court ordered visitation and it was denied. When they reached out to my than spouse: whom I was in the middle of nasty divorce & custody battle with, my than Husband reported to Richard my counselor… that "we were divorced, our children were adopted and that him and his new wife wish the best for me" ... The Phoenix House took away my phone privileges, rather report anything to the Police.. Rather than doing what the Veterans Affairs had paid them to do, help reunite me with my children; The Phoenix house enabled my abuser instead.... -------( MEANWHILE I NEVER ACTUALLY LOST MY RIGHTS TO THE CHILDREN IT WAS JUST A DIVORCE )----- Jan 6th 2025 - I finally got DIVORCED -- And I currently have paid 32K this year in Lawyer Fees, and I AM STILL FIGHTING TO INCREASE MY CUSTODY !!!! All of which could have been avoided, if my counselor believed the God's Honest Truth when it left my mouth.. Court Orders could have been READ & Followed, but NOT FOR ME. My request to go the Court House, to pick up a copy was Denied as well as my Phone Privileges.

I do NOT recommend this facility for anyone with co-occurring (dual-diagnosis) substance use and mental health disorders. I was referred to Phoenix House by the ART Team and I was hesitant because the majority of the… reviews were negative. However, given that many of them were old, I decided to give it a shot. I wanted to be a success story, but it didn’t work out. A few reasons why: During my short stay, I experienced rude and abrasive staff, unempathetic communication style, and groups that felt more educational/information based than the coping skills based support I’d hoped for. We experienced food scarcity at mealtimes; the facility often ran out of food, leaving some of the ladies waiting while staff scrambled to find replacements (usually dry overcooked nuggets or cereal). First upsetting experience happened early on, when I was sick and struggling to get out of bed. A staff member, ADELE, began banging her clipboard on the side of my bed and yelling at me to get me to wake up for group. When I explained I was having gastrointestinal issues and needed a few minutes, she threatened to discharge me and walked away. This was my third day there. As someone with insomnia who experiences frequent nightmares and new in recovery, I would’ve liked to have been given some grace. Another staff member, JOANNA, consistently spoke to me in a disrespectful, condescending tone, barking orders instead of communicating with basic empathy. She was inconsistent, would “loosely” grant me bed rest or the exception to sit during workout time, and would revoke it suddenly leaving me confused. People come to Phoenix House to heal. Our bodies get sick, and sometimes we’re not going to feel well. It’s not military boot camp. We’re human beings in recovery. I also experienced racial harassment from other residents. I was repeatedly called racial slurs, including the N-word, and was even threatened with being spit on by my roommate. After reporting all of these incidents, staff minimized it. CRYSTAL, brushed it off, saying, “Whaaat! Do you really think [resident name] is racist? I mean she has kids with an Asian man.” Another staff member ALYSSA, seemed more concerned about whether my response to the racial epithets violated “group confidentiality” than about the fact that I was verbally attacked. RYAN, witnessed my roommate throw out my belongings and did nothing to stop her. My clothes, shoes, makeup, etc all thrown out into the hallway. When I got home the following day, I noticed that pages were also torn from my journal. I was administratively discharged for damaging property, but my property was also damaged by another resident while staff did nothing. For a program that claims to value mutual respect, this was deeply disappointing. Overall, my experience left me feeling disrespected, unsafe, and unsupported. Phoenix House needs serious reform in staff training, cultural sensitivity, and basic compassion. I wouldn’t recommend this place to anyone who is serious about sobriety and desires to work towards sobriety in a positive environment. While my time at Phoenix House was primarily a negative experience, I do want to take the time to acknowledge the staff who through our interactions, gave me hope to continue treatment and stick it out as long as I did. Thank you Toni, Robert, Andrew (or Anthony), Emily, Melissa, and Rhonda. Their kindness made a difference and I’m grateful for them. :)

Phoenix house santa Ana adult side I went in on 8-8-88 I worked my program it wasant easy but saved my life I owe my sobriety to Phoenix house my brother and me graduated from there my counselor was Lena Lindsey stern… boy she was smart she could separate the meat from the fat no getting over on her a big shout out to the other counselors Frank groves Frank ballisteros Mike lomatch Jodie Bell lee James I just want to thank you all for helping me over come my addiction 💗

I cant speak about the adult side, but I was here for 2 years starting in 1992 at the young age of 13. I was court ordered and it is one of the worst experiences of my life. When I finally got out, I felt like an alien… around my peers. I didn't know any pop culture references or even how to act with other kids my age. And that's coming from a guy that went to war in Iraq and lost his legs. If you are a parent and thinking of sending your child here PLEASE DON'T!! Unless you want to give them life long trauma. I have kids of my own now. One just turned 13. I would never in a million years let any program like this get ahold of them.

I went through the Phoenix house and the 90 day program, I actually ended up staying 120 days I completed the program and now I'm a proud member of the Alumni program. Being given the opportunity to give back to this… program that saved my life is the very least I can do. Honestly I can't say enough about the Phoenix house. If you want to get sober and stay sober this is the perfect place for you. I Absolutely love this place.

I am a graduate of 2000, it was the best thing I could have done to get my addictions under control, thank you for helping me find me

Isolation isn’t good especially in recovery. My boyfriend just did a year in county jail and was released to this place. He isn’t allowed to have visitors or go on passes. This is not safe for a recovering addict. This… is actually a trigger how does this place expect anyone to stay clean? Recovery isn’t making the patients feel like prisoners. Or is only about the money you receive for each patient.

This place is the shizznizz the food great! They have a big campus. Would be better if they were Co-Ed they have the girls and guys separate that's the only downer, I been here since the 1-12-23 only suppose to do 2… months but they have a gym I'm going to get a extention for another month ") They have Counselors that are very nice and beautiful lol

Excellent treatment facility. Alot of groups and hands on assistance if needed. I attribute my sobriety to PH.

They expect you to buy most of your own food and they are grossly understaffed. They're just trying to make as much money off of you as possible.

I went to Phoenix House a few years ago in 2016. The people were cool and I had a really hot therapist, her name was Sophia =)

I am currently doing treatment at The Phoenix House and the staff here promotes inappropriate behavior. The staff at this location are very unprofessional they antogonize clients and they do not listen to client… concerns. They allow the Caucasian clients to bully, harass, slander and physically attack colored clients without any consequences. Furthermore, as in my situation I have been harrassed, stalked, slander and threatened by 2 Caucasian clients and instead of addressing my current concern they are turning a blind eye and addressing previous issues that I was not made aware of until I started voicing current problems. One of the staff members told a client that he was part of the ARIAN Brotherhood. There have been no reprecussions to the 2 individuals for threatening me. When I wanted to leave and my family had arrived at the Phoenix House to pick me up I was not allowed to leave. I have spoken to almost every staff member here and they are unwilling to address my concerns. I have been sleeping with pens under my pillow in case I am attacked by one or both of these individuals for 2 nights now. I find myself in a worst state of mind than the one I came in here with. My efforts in seeking staff assistance to help to feel safe here have failed. Now they want to kick me out while it is raining. I find myself in distraught over this situation while being concerned of my safety. Several other clients with the resources to leave are deciding to leave this place. This has been the worse experience of my life and I am anxiously waiting for my family to return home so they can pick me up

I just completed my rehabilitation, the staff is great and very compassionate, be prepared for none stop meetings back to back, but they manage to give you alot of freedom, TV, cell phone, killer gym,you can bring none… perishable food. No AC in dorms bring a small fan it's a must....compared to other rehabs where they work u to death and have a ton of stupid rules this place has about ten rules all common sense. The place is old food is ok but all around the best for free thank you medical

Hello I go Monday for inpatient treatment and have a few questions if anyone can answer them please how big is the closet dresser nightstand are as well as does each room have it's own shower and toilet? Is there room… for little sized plastic storage drawers on the nightstand and dresser? Are the beds twins or bunk beds? Thank you kindly.

Terrible terrible place! No care or help at all. I feel bad for the people forced to go there =(

This is a good program. I've been to a couple and know.