Updated July 24, 2026
At CooperRiis, we’re proud to have served over 3000 people improve their mental health over the past 23 years. The vast majority have been pleased with and appreciative of our services. Some credit us with saving or transforming their lives. However, occasionally people leave angry or dissatisfied with their experience. We are in the people and relationship business, specializing in complicated situations, and there are sometimes residents or families with whom our efforts do not resonate.
Negative Reviews: What to do with them?
Those of us in the “census-driven” residential care business are always worried about how many beds are full on any given day, so that we can continue to be here for those who need us. The treatment business adage that “there is no treatment without interaction” is true. We believe in what we do and care deeply about its effects in people’s lives. So, when a negative CooperRiis review comes to our attention, we all take a deep breath and hope it is not a) someone who attended one of our programs and b) feedback that will turn others away from what we do.
Reasons for Negative CooperRiis Reviews
Anonymity & Emotion
The most basic reason you see 3.4 stars on our Google reviews has to do with the public nature of Google reviews. There’s no way for a reviewer to hide the full name associated with their Google profile. This tends to be a problem across our industry, because only a small minority of people choose such public disclosure of their mental health journey. Meanwhile, those compelled to write negative reviews are generally much more motivated, and privacy can feel secondary to a strong emotion like anger.
We encourage everyone to see our testimonials for more feedback from alumni, where each person is able to dictate what identifying information they wanted shared or not shared.
Direct vs. Indirect Experience
Negative reviews come from people in one of two categories: Those who have attended a CooperRiis program, and those who have not. The majority are part of that second group, those without direct personal experience. As for adverse reviews from those who did attend a CooperRiis program: This, we especially regret, because we’ve worked hard to craft our programs to be person-centered and patient-led. When that doesn’t come through for people, we seek to understand why.
Responding and Privacy
In terms of seeking more detailed information or addressing specific concerns from program alumni, we’re very limited. HIPAA and CARF rules prevent any transparent, public back and forth. (These back-and-forth discussions are seldom helpful anyway, usually only inflaming an issue and serving no one.) I am always open to a private conversation, though, and in our responses to the CooperRiis reviews on Google, we offer that opportunity. Hardly anyone ever takes us up on it, but I wish they would. We welcome constructive feedback, even if it is harsh.
Disagreements Over Medications
Our psychiatrists are very careful when prescribing medications, being mindful of concerns like titration, side effects, medication history, and the impact of multiple medications. Regardless, disagreement over medications can lead to hard feelings. Sometimes, family members believe that a resident should be taking a specific medication, and the resident disagrees with all considerations. Because we provide person-centered care, our psychiatrists work collaboratively with residents to find the right medication(s), and sometimes, the medication plan does not fit with the family’s vision, leading to dissatisfaction.
Behavior & Compatibility
We are a healing community, which means the community’s cohesiveness and safety (both physical and emotional) are paramount. It is important for members of our community to abide by a set of community agreements. We expect people to treat one another with respect, care, and kindness. There have been occasions when that has not occurred, and despite efforts to intervene in a supportive way, we have had to ask people to leave from time to time. This almost always creates resentment, and a negative Google or Facebook review typically follows.
Outcomes & Timing
Sometimes, people enter treatment looking for a cure. Mental illness does not go away, but given the right treatment experience, we firmly believe recovery can happen. Recovery in the mental health world is an individually determined outcome, and there is a difference between Recovery and Cure. Our programs are created to support people in building a strong foundation for lifelong recovery.
If someone enters our program and their unwanted symptoms or traits are at a 9/10, and they leave at a 3/10 or 4/10 and stay there for 6 months or more, then I would say they are in Recovery. Recovery is an active and dynamic process, requiring ongoing work. The hope is that they would not need to go to the hospital or another treatment center down the road, but relapse sometimes happens.
The typical recovery journey, for someone who requires residential treatment to feel safe, stable, and participate in life, is about 18 months (through CooperRiis’ full continuum of care). This does not include the work that needs to happen after “stepping down.” Sometimes, the resident or the family will be frustrated that progress is not happening quickly enough and will feel like they have invested too much money for too little benefit. I get it. Private treatment is extremely expensive, and people sometimes want to see tangible progress in weeks, not months or years. Unfortunately, recovery is not linear, and it takes time.
Program Cost
Private residential care is expensive. When we think of it in terms of someone getting a chance at a fulfilling life when that didn’t seem possible otherwise, it’s a worthwhile investment. That is, for families who have the resources. People sometimes feel hurt or angry when they learn how much it costs for the care their loved one needs. I would too. I think we all would. The entire system is egregiously unfair.
But! Our Asheville program takes insurance, and we have a very generous scholarship program available to prospective community members who are a good fit for CooperRiis, and for whom we are a good fit. Some family members have called us, learned the price, and not been offered a scholarship because their loved one needs a different level of care. But this distinction wasn’t effectively communicated to them. This is something we have been able to learn from–how we communicate with people makes all the difference.
Communication
We work with adults, meaning our residents can choose how involved family members are in their recovery process (unless guardianship or a power of attorney exists). Sometimes, residents work hard to individuate and wish to restrict family involvement or not have CooperRiis communicating with family. We respect and support these wishes, because each person’s recovery is about them and what they need to heal.
We understand this can be very difficult for families, not to mention complicated when families are paying for treatment. They may feel that since they are spending the money for treatment, they should be privy to what is happening. We absolutely support residents in opening lines of communication with family members if they’re open to it. Still, ultimately, it is their decision when, how, and how much information is shared, which can lead to difficulty between the recovery team and family.
Commitment to Recovery
We accept the critical feedback and are open to hearing the hard stuff. I feel confident and proud of the work we do here. This business is tough, and while we can’t “make” people get better, we know that the CooperRiis staff is a caring, dedicated, and hard-working group of people committed to each resident’s recovery process.
Thank you for your time and consideration on this challenging topic.
-Eric A. Levine, Ed.D.
