Serenity at Summit New Jersey — Attraction in Union

Profit Over People!

This is a for-profit company mascerading as a treatment provider. There is poor, incompetent leadership that results in constant staff turnover from management down to the line staff. At the site in Union, NJ, there was literally a purge of Behavioral Health Techs. For a period of 6 weeks, they literally fired 1-2 people every week while others resigned. Toward the end, 2/3 of the BHT department was gone without one new hire. This obviously led to the remaining staff being overworked and the units lacking coverage. Which ultimately compromises client safety and treatment outcomes. This location is also short drivers. So they decided they were going to make all BHT staff drivers in order to avoid hiring new drivers and eliminate the pay differential. This includes overnight staff. Who after working 8-10 hours throughout the night are expected to drive and pick up new admissions from places as far as Philadelphia as they are fighting sleep. This is clearly dangerous and a major safety issue for not only the staff member doing the driving, but the client that's being picked up. They brought in a new BHT manager who's experience hasn't been further than a counselor internship and attending a couple leadership seminars. Calls himself a "fixer". No seriously, he really identified himself as such. So instead of coming in to build up a strong, new team, he views the department and people in it as broken. He decided that he was going to come in and jerk around the remaining staff in the BHT department. Change everyone's schedules to fill in the gaps of shortage that were created by poor leadership decisions. Then expects everyone to fall in line because he knows these are low wage positions and understands that most staff work two jobs just to survive. Therefore they can't afford to walk away just like that. There's also extremely poor communication among staff and with the clients. Clients are screened and referred by another office who tells them they can bring certain items into the facility. The client arrives at the facility and loses it after he/she learns that those items will be taken and stored for the duration of their treatment. Those at the top get the money and those at the bottom have to deal with the clients being upset and angry because they were mislead. Also, THERE IS NO POLICY & PROCEDURES MANUAL!!! They make things up as they go and send out emails "reminding" staff of policies that do not exist or are outdated. Staff that are new and don't have experience working in these types of settings are often lost and end up quitting or getting fired due to the lack of proper guidance. If you are new to this field and think this place may be a good starting point for your journey, THINK AGAIN! They don't care about you going to school and will change your schedule week to week which will clearly cause a conflict with your class schedule. The toxic atmosphere in itself will most likely lead you to second guess your career choice. Lastly, there were periods where multiple clients were placed in isolation after testing positive for Covid. Staff were at times required to get tested on site before begining a shift and were sent home if they tested positive (which makes sense). After a period of time where clients were consistently testing negative, the company decides to have staff that were being tested to submit their health insurance so they can bill for it. Yeah, they did that! I've worked for a few different agencies over the years. Many that were shady and demonstrated questionable business practices. But Delphi is the absolute worst! This company is the typical example of how capitalism continues to rot helping...

Serenity is an amazing place and has an even more amazing staff! I walked in through those doors dead and came out as the person that I was so longing to be for years. The staff was truly amazing, but one staff member that helped me and was one of my favorites, definitely has to be Vennecia! She introduced herself to me on day one and made sure to get all the necessary information from me to help assist in making my life easier and less stressful! She was extremely professional and made me feel as if I was a priority. Which was equally just as impressive because I could clearly see how many clients she had to deal with on the daily. Vennecia was also one of the staff members that never said "NO" to a client, even if she wasn't your personal case manager. She made me and every other client feel as if all our problems and issues were just as important to her as the next client. She is the staff member that everyone ran to, especially for their work and disability applications. Her efficiency and ability to prioritize paperwork for our jobs, disability, legal issues, medical records/forms, etc. took a load of stress off my shoulders. Every time I would run to her with a professional, personal, or legal concern or worry, she made sure to explain the particular process of how everything worked. The work she does is so vital, meticulous, and detail-oriented that only a person with her work ethic and attention to detail can accomplish. Veneccia thank you so much for your hard work and caring soul!

Another employee that was also my favorite and just as important was Tirzah! Aside from being extremely professional and compassionate, she made me feel like a human being. There was never a time that I needed her and she pushed me aside or said no. Tirzah is the type of employee and person that makes you feel seen and heard without any judgment. If there was ever an issue or a problem, Tirzah is the staff member that everyone ran to because she gets the job done! She never made me feel like just a number, no matter how busy she was. She makes time for you and will sit there and cry with you, laugh with you, or even just listen to you. She plays the exact role you need her to play at any given moment. Her versatility and genuine, caring heart makes her very special and valuable. Tirzah is the type of employee and person that will go above and beyond just to help you and resolve any issue you may have at any given moment. She made me feel SEEN and HEARD! She helped me to be able to look myself in the mirror again and realize that my dark past didn’t define the person that I wanted to be and am becoming. She truly helped play a part in saving my life and doesn’t even realize how impactful and powerful she really is. She gave me the hope and knowledge that I have been searching for, for so long. Tirzah plays a major role in helping us reintegrate back into society! Her job role doesn’t just end once you complete the program, she continues to help and assist in any way possible once you are back in the “real world”. I am forever blessed and grateful to Serenity for having her as a part of their team! Tirzah if you ever read this, I thank you, I commend you, and I...

Posting this review on behalf of my fiancé. He was admitted in on a Sunday. I kept the staff updated upon our arrival. We finally arrived and the facility was not the easiest to find it’s pretty hidden. This admission was prepaid privately in full of 20k.5k for detox and the rest for rehabilitation. We had him set to do 5-7 detox followed by the rest of the time being the rehabilitation phase. We were told that the admission was pro rated so that we would not be charged for the rehabilitation until it started after the detox was finished. The inside of what we could see in the lobby looked nice, and had a relaxing atmosphere. However I felt the time it took for them to admit him in was taking a very long time, I had worries that he may just walk out because getting him there in the first place was exhausting. We were in the waiting room about 40 minutes before the nurse came out and asked for a urine sample. That was the last we saw of him.. up until 7 days later. I did l feel that the staff at the front desk were very nice and meant well, but they were really lacking the knowledge of the entire process and what to expect. I initially asked one of the women at desk if they allowed visitation. She told me no, that they do not. However I found out later on from speaking with one of the counselors Dwayne, that it was not the case. He had set up a date and time for when I could come to see him. I felt that Dwayne was a great counselor and really tried to help my fiancé overcome this evil addiction, and I still appreciate all his help. Unfortunately Ariel did not stay the 30 days, and is now in jail because of this addiction. He finished detox but then wanted to leave after detox. After going back and fourth with the nurses, he signed him self out against medical advice, according to them. We were charged the remaining 15k despite him never starting it. He had been through the final detox phase where the nurse herself confirmed over the phone when he called me that his urine was clean after the 5th day. Their website states that detox is 5-7 days... so I don’t understand why it would be against medical advice if he finished detox. They told me if he stayed one more day and made it to a week that we would be refunded 15k The site never said that it was a 7 day mandatory stay for detox. This place has really got to get it together with their “fine print” because nothing was what we were told. And if we have to go to court to get that refund we will. Not to mention my mother who paid for this already is an attorney. So it would be the smartest thing for them to give it back. The counselors and the nurses were great, but administration is seriously lacking here and I cannot say I would recommend this place to anyone that’s paying privately with...