The Refuge A Healing Place

Who is this facility a good fit for?

• Best fit if: Adults looking for residential treatment in a quiet, rural environment; seeking trauma-informed care; need care for an eating disorder or mental health condition; want a veteran-specific recovery track; have private insurance or can self-pay.

• Not a fit if: Those who need acute, hospital-level care; prefer a city setting; want outpatient-only or self-directed care; looking for a non-12-step-only approach; have Medicaid, or are uninsured and unable to self-pay.

What to expect

Typical schedule

• Mornings: Clients wake up around 6:30 a.m. and are given time to get ready for the day. Breakfast is served cafeteria-style between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. After breakfast, morning community meetings are held.
• Daily programming: Daily groups and educational sessions start between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. Group topics include trauma-informed therapy, psychological education, life skills, wellness, and recovery meetings, including 12-step meetings. Daily work concludes around 4:30 p.m.
• Evenings: After dinner, clients can join optional evening groups, and enjoy recreational activities or downtime. Lights out is around 11:00 p.m.
• Treatment methods: Evidence-based approaches used by therapists throughout both groups and individual sessions include cognitive processing therapy (CPT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), trauma-informed eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), exposure therapy, relapse prevention, and motivational interviewing (MI).
• Veterans recovery track: For veterans and active military, programming is centered around processing trauma specific to service. This includes support with emotional regulation, reintegration, rebuilding identity, isolation, hypervigilance, and moral injury. Connection with peers is emphasized within the program.

Developing your care plan

• First steps: Staff perform a phone assessment and evaluation. This includes a medical screening, review of medical records, and mental health evaluation. The assessment also goes through substance use history, as well as analysis of day-to-day functioning and behaviors.
• Client collaboration: Clients are fully involved in the creation and progression of their treatment plans. This includes their interests and goals being part of their daily activities. Clinicians work closely with clients to make sure the plan is a good fit.
• Reassessment: Care staff monitor how clients are doing throughout their stay and adjust their treatment plans as needed based on their progress, evolving goals, challenges, and setbacks.

Who you will meet with

• Therapists: One-on-one therapy is held once a week, and therapists also lead daily group sessions. Experiential therapists guide clients through holistic experiences like art and equine therapy.
• Psychiatrists: A psychiatrist meets with clients every week to provide mental health care, including prescribing and adjusting medications as needed.
• Dieticians: For clients who struggle with eating disorders, dieticians are on-staff to help address these needs and patterns.
• Medical staff: Doctors and nurses take care of clients 24/7 during withdrawal management (detox), and also see to clients’ health needs throughout their stay.
• Case managers: These professionals help clients with practical needs such as employment guidance and housing.

Living experiences and amenities

• Rural forest environment: The facility is located in a small town on 96 wooded acres in the Ocala National Forest. Clients stay in cabins shared with one roommate. The eating disorder program is located in separate residences from the trauma-track program.
• Meals and snacks: Meals are prepared by a chef and can accommodate various diets, such as kosher requirements. A mini-fridge is in each cabin so clients can have snacks and beverages throughout the day.
• Holistic and experiential therapies: Options include art and music therapy, yoga, meditation, ropes courses, and equine therapy, where clients are guided through interactions with horses.
• Recreation: During downtime, clients can swim in an outdoor swimming pool, use the on-site gym, and play sports together like volleyball, basketball, and frisbee golf. Bikes can be rented for clients to ride around the campus.

Aftercare

• Step-down PHP: After residential care, clients have the option to stay for an additional 20 days for a partial hospitalization program (PHP) while continuing to live on-campus.
• Alumni program: Peers can stay connected long-term through alumni dinners, weekly meetings, and speaker events.

Pre-Admissions Experience

We conducted a series of pre-admissions calls, the most recent on May 4, 2026, to evaluate response time, transparency, and patient experience.

When we reached out to The Refuge, the admissions team was prompt and compassionate. They walked us through daily client schedules, trauma-informed and eating disorder-centered recovery tracks, and recreational activities. The conversation felt detailed and straightforward, with clear explanations around cost and processes.

Client Reviews

Reviews often describe the program as meaningful, supportive, and healing, with frequent praise for individual staff members, the peer community, the peaceful campus, and the food. A smaller share of reviews describe concerns with communication, medical responsiveness, or discharge planning.

• Treatment Quality & Outcomes (60% positive): Many reviewers say treatment helped them work through trauma, improve mental health, build recovery tools, or regain stability. Clients often mention individual counseling, group work, and holistic support. Some reviewers felt treatment was not well matched to their needs. “The trauma focused therapy reached parts of me I didn’t even know needed healing.”
• Staff & Care Experience (60% positive): Reviews often highlight compassionate therapists, case managers, behavioral health associates, medical staff, kitchen staff, and other team members who made clients feel supported. Several describe issues with individual staff members. “The staff GENUINELY cares.”
• Support & Community: Many clients describe the peer community as a major part of their healing, saying they felt connected, encouraged, and less alone during treatment. A few reviewers noted that group dynamics could be challenging when clients had very different needs. “The community experience is beyond anything I could have expected.”
• Facility & Environment: Reviewers frequently describe the campus as peaceful and restorative, with positive mentions of the cabins, outdoor setting, horses, gym, activities, and meals. Food receives especially strong praise across many reviews. Some reviewers raised concerns about amenities. “The campus was beautiful and quiet.”

Facility Transparency

• Verified by Start Your Recovery: On May 17, 2026, our research team conducted a comprehensive review of this facility's advertising claims, registrations from public health departments, national accrediting bodies, and SAMHSA.

• Pre-Admissions Experience Evaluation: Most recent call conducted on May 4, 2026.