http://www.gacpd.com/SUWS
A mother in Georgia contacted
GACPD to find out if a wilderness
camp, SUWs of the Carolinas,
located in the Nantahala Forest in
the mountains of North Carolina,
was a licensed mental health
facility. Her son had been sent to
the camp by his guardian for about
$10,000 for a couple of weeks (the
mother was not the guardian). A
thorough investigation found that
the ?wilderness camp,? advertised
as providing mental health
treatment, was not licensed. In
fact, the state?s Division of Facility
Services (DFS), which issues
mental health licenses, had never
heard of the camp. A DFS staff and
the GACPD western regional
DANET advocate visited the camp
and found minimal
accommodations. The children
were given little food and did not
have adequate sleeping quarters or
adequate hygiene supplies. DFS demanded
that the camp management bring the facility up
to licensing standards or leave the state.
When the camp did not respond, DFS issued a
letter demanding closure. The camp
responded immediately to proceed with
meeting the licensing requirements. Both DFS
and GACPD are continuing to monitor this
facility.
old.valleyadvocate.com/
ASW
It cited the school for "using behavior management techniques which subject students to verbal abuse, ridicule and humiliation, denial of sufficient sleep, and repetitive exercise as a response to an infraction of a rule."
OCCS also cited the school for monitoring students' telephone calls and mail. The agency said that the right to privacy in communications, even for juveniles, can be restricted only by court order -- for example, if a therapist believes that the teen's communication should be monitored, perhaps to support a young person through a crisis in relations with his or her family -- and then only temporarily.
The citation struck at another bone of contention between the state and ASR. A few months ago OCCS found itself at odds with ASR over whether the school needs to be licensed in Massachusetts as a treatment center, something College Health Enterprises had not done. ASR officials seemed to be having it both ways by enforcing rules usually associated withtreatment programs for people with emotional or behavioral disorders, but refusing to have the school licensed as a treatment center, which would give OCCS the right to oversee its operations. The disagreement is still unresolved, and has turned into a battle between lawyers for the state and the school.
I don't have time today to provide all the documentation necessary, but here's a head start anyway.
These programs have been proven unlicensed/unaccredited/abusive. There's tons of literature to back up that claim.
Anon, you need to do some fact-checking before you advise parents about "reputable" facilities. That is, unless you're just after the referral fee...
_________________
"Compassion is the basis of morality"
-Arnold Schopenhauer
[ This Message was edited by: Dysfunction Junction on 2005-08-14 08:05 ]
