ABOUT CHAD’S HOPE: TEEN CHALLENGE
Located in the small, eastern Kentucky town of Manchester, Chad’s Hope provides men struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol one year of residential, faith-based therapy and training. The comprehensive approach to recovery relies heavily on Christian education and includes a work program. Some clients attend in compliance with legal requirements. This facility began as an independent treatment center in 2008 and has operated as part of the international Teen Challenge organization since 2009. Another related facility in the region is Middle Georgia Teen Challenge.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
The goal of the four-phase Chad’s Hope program is to support men in pursuing holistic recovery through addressing physical, social, emotional, mental, and spiritual needs. Clients, called “students” in Teen Challenge, are required to be detoxed before admission. Assessment for admission involves a written application and extensive questionnaire, phone interview, and health screening. Individuals who are HIV- or hepatitis-positive are accepted, but no medical treatment is available on-site.
Clients progress through treatment in phases of one to four months, participating regularly in individual counseling, group discussions, bible study, church services, structured recreation, and household chores. Random drug, alcohol, and tobacco testing is also required. At later stages of rehabilitation, men have access to vocational training and assistance with completing their GED.
Work assignments include participating in assembly, packaging, and other tasks at an on-site warehouse and in short-term off-site commitments.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
Among the staff members listed on this facility’s website are some who received training or a bachelor’s degree from bible colleges, Teen Challenge alumni, pastors, an Air Force veteran, and a master’s level licensed social worker.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Chad’s Hope website materials depict a strict, communal environment. Men share bedrooms, adhere to a dress code, and agree not to have close contact with women during their year-long program. Phone use is regulated and no smoking is allowed.
Physical wellness is also presented as a priority, with meals described as nutritious, tight daily schedules including exercise and recreation time, and an on-site treadmill and weight room provided. The center also has a pool table and game room. Personal reading material must be pre-approved.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
While Best-rehabs.com has not yet received any feedback from this facility’s former clients, reviews posted on a Facebook page (which does not appear to be maintained by the facility) are overwhelmingly favorable. Fourteen of 15 ratings are five stars out of five. A sole one-star rating had no accompanying written comments.
Two alumni reviews emphasized the positive role of faith and Christian practices in the program and characterized their experience as life-saving.[1]
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The two loved ones who submitted survey responses to Best-rehabs.com also both provided generally positive reviews and would strongly recommend the program to others. They rated the effectiveness of treatment and opportunities for family participation each four and five stars out of five.
Metrics measuring the level of staff training and experience and the availability of options in counseling approaches to fit a client’s preferences received slightly lower ratings of three and four stars each. One relative identified a need for “more highly educated staff” as a weakness, while both noted that the Christian basis of lessons was a strength.
One reviewer characterized the program as too strict, particularly regarding smoking and Internet use. The two awarded policies regarding connectivity with the outside just one and three stars. Meals and the facility’s cleanliness and upkeep fared better with fours and fives.
While rating the affordability of treatment only one and three stars, both reviewers indicated that the cost was worth it.
Elsewhere, the single reviewer on Google rated Chad’s Hope five stars out of five and reported that it saved her son’s life.[2] Likewise, two parents offered praise for the program on the Facebook page cited previously. “Thanks be to God for this awesome place to retrain a mind and soul,” Pam wrote.
FINANCING
This facility posts its fees online, with the explanation that some clients may receive scholarships or cover part of their costs through soliciting outside sponsorship. No insurance is accepted.
Intake requires a non-refundable $700 fee and monthly fees are $1,500.
[1] https://www.facebook.com/Chads-Hope-Teen-Challenge-114918963164/
[2] https://goo.gl/rV9sbm