Cringeworthy Online Reviews
No, this is not about my writings. Although, that could be another topic for another day! I wanted to write about program reviews and how I find myself still recommending programs with scathing reviews online to families.
No, not all of the programs I recommend have horrible reviews. Let’s be clear: the majority of the programs I recommend having glowing reviews. Occasionally though, someone will have a less-than-stellar experience and thus writes an online review. For anyone wondering how the heck I could still recommend a program with less than 5 stars, here is what I need you to know:
I do not recommend programs I have not personally toured myself. I’d like to say I can sniff through the bullshit and any smoke & mirror-type presentation. I want to see the space, I want to speak with the Clinical team, and if it seems appropriate, I want to see/speak with current residents. I’m not impressed by the jacuzzi bathroom tub in the fancy accommodations, because that’s not why my client is in treatment. Having a relationship with a program allows me to ask uncomfortable questions directly in the future.
You cannot believe everything you read online. People will put things out there that you want to believe, whether it is true or not. Don’t believe me? Well, these people seem to believe the Earth is flat. There’s a few things to understand about this specific topic:
If the person truly went to that program, you need to think about where they were before they enrolled. Not physically, but with mental health, addiction, etc. Just think about that.
Not everyone’s experience is the same, even if they were in the same program at the same time. Everyone has their own perspective. For a program that’s been around for several years, to have five negative reviews would actually be considering impressive. Especially if it is a large program where they are graduating participants regularly.
People do not sign their name under negative reviews. They are hidden behind the names like JJ or I like to Make Cookies. Sometimes there is no picture affiliated with the profile, or they don’t even write a review other than giving the program a 1 out of 5 stars. It leaves me to question if they, in fact, were enrolled or had experience with the program.
There are very unethical programs out there that will pay someone to write a negative review for a competitor program. For real. That’s shady!
Make sure you read the good and the bad. If you only focus on the bad reviews, you will be concerned about the program recommendation. Keep in mind that there are a lot of different families who have enrolled a love one in this program. Ask the prospective program to be able to speak with a former parent. Then you’ll definitely hear a positive experience!
One of the questions I ask programs when I visit is “if I were to Google your program, what would pop up?” Programs are forced to share all secrets. Transparency is the only way anyone will truly get better. The programs that won’t talk with you honestly about what you’ll find online , are the ones you need to be wary of. Those aren’t the programs I’m recommending. And if there was an incident where something traumatic did happen, you better be certain I’m asking the staff to speak to staffing or programmatic changes they made so they won’t be repeating history.
Please don’t read everything you read online. Take it all with a grain of salt. Don’t believe all the good, or all the bad. We are all human afterall and treatment is not a smooth process. Read the reviews, but then ask the program about what you’ve read. Trust your gut in what you hear.
For questions or comments contact Joanna.
