One testimonial in... more on the way...

If you feel like sharing your experiences openly, I invite you to the Benchmark section of Fornits discussion forum. You may post anonymously if you wish, or under a pseudonym by registering. If you wish to add to the testimonials, please e-mail me.

Testimonial One

Some people considering sending their child to Benchmark young adult school might consider it to be
worth the high enrollment fee. To be honest, I myself would have rather had my parents pay for my rent at an apartment and send me to a good psychotherapist rather than be pushed out into the unknown like I was. Don't get me wrong;I don't blame my parents. They were only doing what they thought was best for a young man with a severe anxiety disorder. Unfortunately, they were uninformed at the time.

My parents were told that Benchmark was an individualized program, specializing in the needs of many different inidividuals. I came to find out within a few weeks time that this was not the case.
Due to the nature of the staff at benchmark (many recovering addicts) the environment at Benchmark was
very 12-step based. I remember being required to go To AA and NA meetings, even though I had never touched a drink or a drug. In addition, meetings were held on state street ( the common name for the apartment complex that housed Benchmark students). I was dissapointed that none of the meetings I went to while attending benchmark, save those with my own psychotherapist, were even remotely helpful to me.
As a person suffering from a chemical imbalance in the brain, I can assure you that no amount of benchmark
groups will ever be helpful if you suffer from a mental illness. In fact, if you are experiencing high anxiety or depression, I can almost guarantee you that Benchmark will mostly make things worse.

While I don't really have any horror stories of my own from my stay at Benchmark, I did witness many. In
fact, a few of my very good friends went through some of their hardest times while enrolled in the program.
One such friend was kicked out on the street, as many students were, and told not to come back for two days. I tried to reason with staff and tell them that this student did not deserve to be punished in such a way,
but I was then turned against and told that I would be demoted in my level status (see the benchmark website
for level 1,2, and 3 information). Now that I look back, that was not such a big deal. But at the time,
it was very important to me to have my small piece of freedom in a program that gives it's students very
little. Many students were ridiculed and made to feel small and insignificant.

There are many things I could say about my experience at Benchmark that I will not, but in
closing I give parents thinking about Benchmark as an option a word of advice: Consider your child's need
for growth. If you don't think they will have any kind of growth inside of a tough love, one-sided program,then you should not enroll them. Benchmark is many good things to may of it's students, but what it is not is a cognitive, self-worth reinforcing program. If your child is outspoken or reluctant to
follow rules in any way, Benchmark staff will try to break them down. This is NOT a program for the meek
or lowly-feeling young adults such as I was. Keep that in mind, parents, and good luck with your search.

Anonymous