Everyone is hard working, attentive to details, and very easy to talk with. The ones in charge of me were careful enough with my belongings.
About John Volken Academy
John Volken Academy in Kent, Washington, helps men overcome addiction. The Kent campus provides a real-world approach that empowers residents to take charge of their future. Their program is designed to give each individual the tools they need to live independently, find meaningful employment, and build connections with others.
Sobriety as Well as Life Skills and Growth
The program offers job readiness training, lessons in managing finances, and access to educational paths that help participants get back on their feet. Breaking free from addiction is just the beginning but the real challenge is to create a lasting change. The men here aren’t just going through the motions—they’re learning useful skills and setting habits that will serve them for years to come. Group therapies and life skills workshops also play a key role here.
Healthy Recreation and Amenities During Your Recovery
With a fitness center, a woodshop for hands-on learning, and a peaceful meditation garden, this facility provides a balanced recovery. Everything is set up for participants to get comfortable with life again—whether that’s through physical activity, learning a new craft, or simply finding moments of peace. The environment is about more than just recovery; it’s about discovering the person you can be without addiction and realizing your potential.
Recovery in a Peaceful Environment
Nestled in the heart of the Pacific Northwest, John Volken Academy offers breathtaking views of Mount Rainier and the Pacific Ocean. It’s the ideal location to rediscover who you are meant to be. Medical detox is not offered at the John Volken Academy. Individuals considering the program who feel they may require detox will be encouraged to get their appropriate medical care prior to enrollment.
Facility Overview
$180 Avg Cost per Day
Latest Reviews
Need to move ? I highly recommend this company. The process from start to finish was easy. Each of the staff was kind, courteous and respectful. The moving day team (Clark, Scott, Blaine and Spencer) were awesome! They worked well with us listening to us and solving any problems that came up. They treated our things with respect and made moving day as easy as possible.
It's been over 8 years, and I still have PTSD and nightmares about this CULT. The two best things I got out of this cult were 1: Being released due to mental health reasons, because I honestly believed that I would never be able to escape this place, and 2: I did actually get and have stayed sober. But I will not give them any credit for my sobriety, because trust me, as soon as I escaped this place, I IMMEDIATELY wanted to use to suppress the extreme feeling of worthlessness this place put upon me. My sobriety came from a wonderful therapist that I started seeing as soon as I escaped this cult and my own hard work and determination. And that's exactly what it is. A CULT! Please do your research on therapeutic communities before going here or sending a loved one here. I'm sure some of them are great. But from my experience, this was just a glorified cult. I can't speak on how things are today. As I've said it's been over 8 years since I escaped from this place. I don't want to get into too much detail, but I was put in several situations that no human being should be put through, including physical abuse, mental abuse, and unfortunately even multiple SAs. And when the worst of it, the SA, was brought up to the "higher ups" (which I'll get to in a moment), it was turned around on me, and I was the one who was punished for it. And the punishments were extremely harsh and extreme. Things that the US government doesn't even put prisoners through as they would be seen as cruel and unusual. As far as the "higher ups," this place is run by the students. At least when I was there. There was only one employee, who was a former recent graduate and was only there for a few hours each week. The rest of the time, every decision was made by fellow students, including punishments. Which gave a lot of room for them to create very odd and extreme punishments for anything and everything, especially if the ones who had a higher up position didn't like you. It was all based on politics, and who could become best friends with whoever was in leadership positions. If you didn't immediately get your foot in that door, then you could expect to be the scape goat for a lot of things that didn't even involve you. This is just my experience, again, from 8 years ago. So I can't speak on how this place is now. Unfortunately I signed a very tight contract that didn't give me much leverage when it comes to holding this place accountable for their actions. However, after years of research and therapy, my family's new lawyer thinks he may have found an avenue that we can take to finally hold this place accountable for what I went through. And I really hope I get the justice that I deserve so nobody else has to experience what I had to experience. I wouldn't wish this place on my worst enemy based on my experience here, and I just beg for everyone to please do their research on therapeutic communities and how harmful they truly can be. This place claimed that they had a 100% sobriety rate from their graduates, which wasn't even true at the time as I personally witnessed 3 different graduates relapse and go back there or to another facility. Just please, if you love yourself or your family members, please do your research.P.S.- Walker, Devon, Noah, Garrett, and Spencer, you're all hypocritical pos punks. Glad to see how well y'all are doing in life (full of sarcasm) lmao! It's how badly y'all are truly doing out there in this world right now that gets me. Y'all treated me with less respect than a dog when I came back and relapsed because of how y'all treated me. Wouldn't even look at me. Haha! Look where y'all are at now and where I'm at. Funny how the tables turn. Remember how you treat people and don't throw rocks when you're living in glass houses. PUNKS! (This is all just my opinion)
This is NOT a licensed facility! They also do not allow the men to keep their hair long. My son, as a Native, had to have his hair cut off.
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7.4 / 10
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FreeAddiction Treatments
Levels of Care
Inpatient Residential treatment programs are those that offer housing and meals in addition to substance abuse treatment. Rehab facilities that offer residential treatment allow patients to focus solely on recovery, in an environment totally separate from their lives. Some rehab centers specialize in short-term residential treatment (a few days to a week or two), while others solely provide treatment on a long-term basis (several weeks to months). Some offer both, and tailor treatment to the patient's individual requirements.
Aftercare Support Completing a drug or alcohol rehab program shouldn't spell the end of substance abuse treatment. Aftercare involves making a sustainable plan for recovery, including ongoing support. This can include sober living arrangements like halfway houses, career counseling, and setting a patient up with community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) or Narcotics Anonymous (NA).
Treatments
The goal of treatment for alcoholism is abstinence. Those with poor social support, poor motivation, or psychiatric disorders tend to relapse within a few years of treatment. For these people, success is measured by longer periods of abstinence, reduced use of alcohol, better health, and improved social functioning. Recovery and Maintenance are usually based on 12 step programs and AA meetings.
Effective drug rehab in Washington integrates care for the whole person, offering comprehensive solutions to addiction. Treatment methods address mental, physical, and relational aspects of substance abuse.
Opioid rehabs specialize in supporting those recovering from opioid addiction. They treat those suffering from addiction to illegal opioids like heroin, as well as prescription drugs like oxycodone. These centers typically combine both physical as well as mental and emotional support to help stop addiction. Physical support often includes medical detox and subsequent medical support (including medication), and mental support includes in-depth therapy to address the underlying causes of addiction.
Substance rehabs focus on helping individuals recover from substance abuse, including alcohol and drug addiction (both illegal and prescription drugs). They often include the opportunity to engage in both individual as well as group therapy.
Programs
Adult Program
Adult rehab programs include therapies tailored to each client's specific needs, goals, and recovery progress. They are tailored to the specific challenges adult clients may face, including family and work pressures and commitments. From inpatient and residential treatment to various levels of outpatient services, there are many options available. Some facilities also help adults work through co-occurring conditions, like anxiety, that can accompany addiction.
Young Adult Program
Young adulthood can be an exciting, yet difficult, time of transition. Individuals in their late teens to mid-20s face unique stressors related to school, jobs, families, and social circles, which can lead to a rise in substance use. Rehab centers with dedicated young adult programs will include activities and amenities that cater to this age group, with an emphasis on specialized counseling, peer socialization, and ongoing aftercare.
Clinical Services
Whether a marriage or other committed relationship, an intimate partnership is one of the most important aspects of a person's life. Drug and alcohol addiction affects both members of a couple in deep and meaningful ways, as does rehab and recovery. Couples therapy and other couples-focused treatment programs are significant parts of exploring triggers of addiction, as well as learning how to build healthy patterns to support ongoing sobriety.
Research clearly demonstrates that recovery is far more successful and sustainable when loved ones like family members participate in rehab and substance abuse treatment. Genetic factors may be at play when it comes to drug and alcohol addiction, as well as mental health issues. Family dynamics often play a critical role in addiction triggers, and if properly educated, family members can be a strong source of support when it comes to rehabilitation.
Group therapy is any therapeutic work that happens in a group (not one-on-one). There are a number of different group therapy modalities, including support groups, experiential therapy, psycho-education, and more. Group therapy involves treatment as well as processing interaction between group members.
In individual therapy, a patient meets one-on-one with a trained psychologist or counselor. Therapy is a pivotal part of effective substance abuse treatment, as it often covers root causes of addiction, including challenges faced by the patient in their social, family, and work/school life.
Life skills trainings involve all the skills a person must have in order to function successfully in the world. These include time management, career guidance, money management, and effective communication. Truly successful addiction recovery is based on the ability to not only live substance-free, but to thrive. Life skills teaches the practical necessities of functioning in society, which sets clients up for success in life, and therefore sobriety.
Staff
Garrett Ballreich
Counselor to Council President
Derek Johnson
Operations & Addiction Recovery
John Academy
Addiction Recovery
Chawna Volken
Director
Contact Information
(253) 480-6060 
921 North Central Avenue
Kent, WA 98032
Get Help Now - 206-809-2983
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Fact checked and written by:
Sehar Uddin
Edited by:
Nikki Wisher, BA
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