My visit to this location was extremely educational as I had a chance to witness firsthand how mental illness can be treated in this type of environment. I spoke to many people while there, including doctors, nurses, counselors and patients. The experience was informational but I am not convinced that this place is operating at its fullest potential. My experience sitting in on a group therapy session was very enlightening. I heard many troubled stories and immediately became grateful for my personal upbringing and development. Hearing stories of abuse and reckless behavior had a profound impact on the way I see mental illness and can now appreciate the many complexities that accompany treating these wayward youths. The lead counselor for these sessions, was a bit overwhelmed and often lost control of the session while some of the boys demonstrated rude and unstable behavior. Perhaps this is normal for this type of session, but for me, I appreciate a more formal and control orientated structure.

Some of the staff members were not very helpful when I approached them for...

Still, many of the young boys were making significant progress and those at the tail end of their stay were eager to get back into the real world and start living again. Other boys clearly did not belong in this type of agency as their mental problems need much more individual attention and seclusion to sort out some of the more troubling aspects of their young lives.
This institution does not appeal to me as a place of future employment. There are too many regulations and rules that apply to this organization which results in too much bureaucracy and silly administrative games. At times, it felt that these tasks became more important than the boys themselves. I would prefer to work in a smaller clinic with less administrative distractions and a more clear cut approach. It appears the Crossroads achieves success at some level, but until this organization can eliminate the distractions, many of these youngsters will continue to experience problems.