ABOUT PACIFIC NORTHWEST ADULT & TEEN CHALLENGE: TRI-CITIES CAMPUS
Teen Challenge is an international network of faith-based rehabilitation programs founded by the Reverend David Wilkerson in New York in 1958. The various Teen Challenge facilities run long-term, residential Christian discipleship programs for individuals struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol and other life-controlling problems. The Tri-Cities Campus, located on a quiet, residential street in Pasco in east-central Washington, offers treatment for men aged 18+ only. The Pacific Northwest branch of Teen Challenge also offers several women’s campuses, including one in Graham, Wash., and further men’s facilities, including one in Spokane.
Prospective clients must be fully detoxed before they arrive.
TREATMENT & ASSESSMENT
The program lasts a year, and is offered with the intention of helping its clients to become “mentally sound, emotionally balanced, socially adjusted, physically well, and spiritually alive.” It’s worth noting that treatment at Teen Challenge is non-medical and uses a discipleship model rather than clinical methods — meaning that the program is built in large part around Bible study. Another central component of treatment is work therapy: residents work at an affiliated thrift store, gaining work experience and developing a work ethic. Upon completing the program, clients receive a certificate of graduation.
Though the Tri-Cities Campus does not provide further information about its treatment specifics, Teen Challenge centers often divide treatment into three or four phases, granting clients greater privileges and greater duties as they progress through treatment. Privileges might include off-campus visits, while duties usually include acting as leaders for the new residents of the facility.
Graduates are also eligible to sign up for the Teen Challenge Ministry Institute, a further 12-month commitment that involves interning at a Teen Challenge center while completing an online course.
STAFF CREDENTIALS
There is currently no information provided by Teen Challenge’s Tri-Cities Campus regarding its treatment staff, however, the single individual polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave the facility three out of five stars for the level of staff support it provided.
ACCOMMODATIONS & AMENITIES
Teen Challenge programs ban the use of tobacco, cell phones, and other electronic devices, and residents may not listen to secular music, either. In addition, many medications are banned, including anti-depression and anti-anxiety medications. During treatment, clients may only communicate with their immediate families; this does not include girlfriends. The single individual polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave Teen Challenge’s Tri-Cities Campus four stars for its cleanliness, accommodations, and meals/nutrition, three stars for its exercise options, and two stars for its leisure options.
WHAT ALUMNI SAY
Best-rehabs.com has not yet received any review directly from alumni of this facility, but secondary sites did yield some coverage, and it was overwhelmingly positive: a 4.9-star average rating based on 14 reviews left on Facebook (where the center can manage its own page). The reviewers repeatedly expressed gratitude to the facility and to God for changing their lives: “God is so good. The Teen Challenge PNW ministry brought much restoration to my life and marriage. The Teen Challenge tri city campus also provided a life saving opportunity to my bro. I will be praying for you guys always!” K.J. wrote in a representative review.
WHAT FRIENDS & FAMILY SAY
The single loved one polled by Best-rehabs.com to date would recommend Teen Challenge’s Tri-Cities Campus to a friend, but would not attend the center themselves. “I believe teen challenge is a good program, but I also think many patients would benefit if mental health issues were addressed more aggressively,” they wrote anonymously, giving the facility four stars for the overall quality of its addiction treatment and its family involvement, three stars for the overall quality of its mental health treatment, and two stars for its holistic offerings. They indicated that treatment at the facility did benefit their loved one.
FINANCING
An application fee of $500 is due on admission. Following this, residents pay fees toward their stay by working at the organization’s thrift store. Some financial assistance is available, based on need. The single individual polled by Best-rehabs.com to date gave Teen Challenge’s Tri-Cities Campus four out of five stars for its pricing.