Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Aspen Education Group

Aspen Ranch, Mt. Bachelor, etc.

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Persistence:
From some info I have learned, I am astonished that Aspen-owned programs have escaped the bad rep CEDU and others have acquired.  Their parent Co. is in California (Aspen Education, Inc.) Aspen Achievement Academy is owned by a company described as Aspen Health on their web page, but they describe Aspen Ranch as a nearby "sister" program.  I queried in another post about SUWS, and have learned some very disturbing things about Mt. Bachelor, another Aspen program.  I also know they run the typical intra-company referral scam.  But what I get mostly is generalities like , they are not nearly as bad as CEDU or WWASP.  Not exactly high praise.  Does ANYONE have any specific negative info on any Aspen program? I am trying to help someone who was kidnapped off to one program and they are trying to convince the Mom that she needs to go to a long-term (Aspen-owned) place.  One thing I have learned is that once these companies smell cash and gullibility they really get their clutches on the parents and the pull is enormous.  I have watched this, followed by a period of desperation by the Mom to justify sending her daughter off to suffer AND justify the absurd cash outlay that probably is pissing away the poor kid's college fund.  My only chance to break the stranglehold is specific bad info on Aspen-owned or controlled programs even if it is not "as bad" as other programs.  I can't exactly have this Mom kidnapped and de-programmed.If not here, any suggestions as to WHERE I can go for info?  BTW, anyone know if there is a present connection to Aspen and Alldredge Academy or whatever it is called now?

Anonymous:
Try http://www.teenliberty.org/

hawaiistacey:
My name is stacey lauprecht I attended Mount Bachelor Academy for 9 months but did not stay for the duration of the program. It has changed my life in many ways. I am 15 years old and have never experienced anything as horrible as this program. It is one big money manipulation scam. It took me nine months of begging my parents to take me home to actually get out of there. The kinds of things that go on behind closed doors there is incredible almost every kid that goes in there comes out 10 times worst and 10 times more fucked up. I still have nightmares about that place. The staff there are the worst they will manipulate your parents before your eyes and then throw everything in your face, they say there is no way you are leaving here without graduating, your parents are strong in their decision ,they know this is where you need to be. its completely terrifying. I was at SUWS for three weeks before mba and the scariest thing being at mba, is knowing that they have the power to send you back to a wilderness program ,which is what keeps most kids in check. you can get put on "bans" with everything, people,weekly phone calls home, certain foods, certain clothes, the list goes on forever. My case was very different from most I got out of there in a not very normal way. I was given a one week home visit in june like the other kids who had been there for 6 months or more, and when I got home was able to talk my parents into letting me stay which usually doesnt happen.I cant say this program has improved my life except for maybe the way i now think and that definetly wasnt worth the 55,000 my parents blew on this program.I dont reccomend this to anyone unless your trying to screw your kids up a little more.there has been cases of suicide at this program to get a parents view i reccomend th book Augusta Gone BY:Martha Todd Dudman, the book doesnt say, but the school talked about in the story is Mount Bachelor Academy.to get in touch with me, my email is [email protected]

[ This Message was edited by: hawaiistacey on 2002-12-04 19:58 ]

gagesteele:
Didn't Mt. Bachelor and the Aspen-named facilities start life as CEDU programs?  When were they picked up by Aspen Education?  Is that an umbrella actually _under_ CEDU?

Sara
Amity Founding Class, 1988



[ This Message was edited by: gagesteele on 2002-12-05 08:37 ]

FaceKhan:
I think it might be. I did not realize SUWS was owned by Aspen. I had definitely heard bad things about Aspen owned programs. I think that CEDU and Aspen are closely connected or at least they once were. As to the question over whether Alldredge (now under a new name)is still connected to them I can't say for certain. L J Mitchell was an owner/operator involved both in SUWS and Alldredge. Officially he is banned from taking part in Alldredge under a deal with WV after pleading guilty to negligence in the suicide of a 14 year old at Alldredge. He knew the kid was suicidal and did not take appropriate measures to prevent his death.



It is not uncommon for these umbrella groups to distribute official ownership of each program on different people so that no one program being prosecuted or shut down can lead to lawsuits or criminal indictments against the entire organization. In this way these programs clearly violate the RICO act, a law commonly used against large organized crime groups.  



However it is also not uncommon for these cult-like groups of programs to split. It happened when parts of STRAIGHT splintered off to form KIDS and it may have happened between LJ Mitchell and the rest of the SUWS/Aspen group.

Since many of these groups are very cult like, ideology becomes very central. When the leadership disagree on a matter of dogma it can lead to a schism, think Protestantism, Catholocism, and Orthodox. The 3 are not very different and their disagreements are mostly abstract. An even better example is the rift that developed between the USSR, China, Vietnam, North Korea, and Camobodia. All communist nations supposedly following the same ideology but small differences of opinion between the leadership led to wars and hostility between them. And of course just like these programs, the ones who are suffering are an afterthought and the disagreements are mostly on how best to make the kids suffer.

[ This Message was edited by: FaceKhan on 2002-12-07 19:48 ]

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