Just checking to be sure this is not being confused with High Impact, a Mexico program known to be one of the most abusive. Children were locked up in dog cages at that facility.
I found this on Struggling Teens website:
http://www.strugglingteens.com/news/pos ... 50225.htmlPositive Impact Closes:
February 25, 2005
Dear Positive Impact Parents,
Over the last six years, Positive Impact has provided one of the most unique and creative therapeutic programs for adolescent boys and their families. PI has served nearly 500 young men. We have seen so many of these families grow together and overcome overwhelming obstacles creating long-term change. Many of these young men and families remain in contact today and share their continued growth with us. We are proud of them and feel honored to be a part of their journey.
While Positive Impact's therapeutic program continues to thrive, the business in Mexico itself has suffered some devastating blows. Beginning with the fears of traveling and living abroad in a post 9/11 world; continued warnings from the US State Department against Americans traveling in Mexico; the recruiting and maintaining of qualified professional staff and the recent closing of multiple American-based programs throughout Mexico since September 2004. All these factors and more have lead to major difficulties in effectively marketing our American-based clinical program in Mexico.
We have made every possible effort to continue our outstanding work with families and young men. These efforts included the downsizing of the number of beds and the consolidation of milieus in November 2004. However, despite these efforts and our "never give up" attitude, the time has come that we can no longer provide services at the level we have in the past.
We are setting a closing date for no later than March 11, 2005. It is our belief that this will allow for enough time for transition and planning for those residents who need to be placed into other treatment facilities. We encourage you to contact your educational consultant to assist with this planning. PI staff will also be available to assist with this transition through consultation and recommendations for you and your educational consultant.
Please know that we understand the great hardship that this closing causes everyone involved, including residents, families and staff. Please accept our heartfelt apologies. We have exhausted every creative solution and business decision to prevent this from happening. We are greatly saddened by this event.
Additionally, we will be canceling the March Family Retreats. We feel that this time would be best used for the planning and transitioning of your son.
Your son will be notified of the closing today, Friday February 25, 2005 at 1:30pm MST. Educational consultants and other professionals are being notified on this day as well.
Our hearts are full of gratitude to you for trusting us with your most valuable treasures.
We have also been honored to have served and loved the people of Bahia de Kino. We will miss them greatly.
Sincerely,
J. John Andersen, M.S.
President/Founder
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Keith M. Breiland, M.D.
Vice-President/Co-Founder
Board Certified Child and Adolescent
Psychiatrist
________________________________________________
And more from Struggling Teens in 2004:
http://www.strugglingteens.com/news/pos ... t0409.htmlPositive Impact In Its
Sixth Year in Mexico:
Family Therapy Retreats
Begin This Month
Located on the shores of the Sea of Cortez in Bahia de Kino, Mexico, Positive Impact, a therapeutic program, is in its sixth year of helping teenage boys recover from addiction. The program currently treats approximately 50 teens, and Founder and Executive Director John Andersen said the program is in full compliance with Mexican government regulations.
Although the Mexican government shut down three behavior modification programs, Casa by the Sea and two other Baja California private rehabilitation centers for teens on Friday, Positive Impact has no connection to those programs. Andersen said "Positive Impact is beginning its family retreats this month, and we have a busy fall planned.?
"Positive Impact is the only therapeutic recovery program for adolescent boys in Mexico with U.S.-licensed therapists and U.S.-credentialed teachers," Andersen said. ?Most of the students at Positive Impact are from the United States.?
The New York Times reported last year that Positive Impact?s program was considered ?one of the best, in the opinion of several educational consultants in the United States whose profession is matching teenagers and parents with such schools.? At Positive Impact, the focus is on providing individual and group therapy with a strong emphasis on addiction and recovery to troubled teens. The program utilizes a three phase approach, the 12-step model, a social model of recovery and a positive peer culture.
?We find the location along the beautiful coast of the Sea of Cortez in Mexico an important aspect in the therapeutic and healing process for our young men," Andersen said. "In this place with minimal distractions, our participants are separated from negative peer cultures. The village of Kino Bay and its inhabitants help our boys develop cultural awareness while providing them with the opportunity for community service in a location that offers a vivid contrast to US cities and suburbs."
The program is located 60 miles from Hermosillo, Mexico, which is the nearest city. Direct flights are available to Hermosillo from Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas.
For more information, visit the program's website at:
http://www.bahiadekino.com or contact John Andersen through Positive Impact?s office in the United States at 877-236-1114.
_______________________________________________
Found this during a search, would be nice if other states and school districts would take note. Could make for less children being sent away to programs.
http://sde.state.nm.us/seo/discipline/p ... %20mexico'________________________________________________
Not sure if this helps:
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... heard.htmlMACKS JOIN CONNECTIONS IN NEW MEXICO
(August 28, 2003) Jonathan and Sandra Mack have moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico to join Connections, 505-385-3963 or 505-385-4329. This start-up business uses a home-based approach to support children and young adolescents, including those with Reactive Attachment Disorder, in forming and maintaining healthy relationships. The Macks state that if used preventatively, the program may eliminate the need for out-of-home placement and when residential treatment has been needed, Connections can help facilitate the transition back into the home. The Macks formerly were with Positive Impact, a residential program for boys in Kino Bay, Mexico.
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Something I found here on Fornits:
Sounds like a behavior modification program=ABUSIVE
Posted: 2004-09-15 11:49:00
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I unfortunately was a resident at "positive impact" for four hellish months. I could write a novel about what a terrible place it is, but I don't have the time, so let me just say a few things. I have been out for three years, and I am still struggling with post tramatic stress disorder as a result of that sick sadistic place. I have talked to a few kids from there since I have been out, and earned about others from them. The vast majority of them now are now addicted to cocaine and heroin even though most were not prior to entering the program. One kid I knew there who was constantly torfmented by the staff killed himself the first day he got out. Do not believe the lies on the website for the "program." Ninety percent of their effort is put into deceiving ed consultants and parents of prospective residents into thinki9ng it is a god place. They use the same brainwashing techniques on the residents that are employed by the military and the cult of scientology. And "cult" is a much more accurate description of this place than "treatment program." They do not let the kids say anything bad about the program during their 10 minutes of phone-time per week with parents. The reason it is in Mexico is not the reason they tell you. Most of the staff are local Mexicans who are paid poorly even by the wage standards of Mexico. There is barely any community service. Among other reasons, the program is located in Mexico to make it extremely hard for kids who turn 18 there to leave. Also, they usually convince parents to say to their son "If you leave the program when you turn 18, we will not support you financially." They lie to the kids, they lie to parents and they lie to ed consultants. This cult does not help young men- it severly harms them. I know all too well, and my friend Eric did too- before he killed himself.
________________________________________________
And more:
Sounds like a behavior modification program=ABUSIVE
Posted: 2005-03-26 15:22:00
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i too was a former student. last i heard a few weeks ago this program was shut down. its for the best the 8 months i spent there were very traumatic. in the end i walked out of the program and was homeless for 3 days on the beach with no money, while the staff talked with my parents back home telling them that i was mentally un-stable and needed to be committed if i went home otherwise i would be in jail or heavily using drugs in a week.
i was sent a plane ticket after that and went home and did not go crazy, or go to jail and was drug free and going to school.
personally i believe that this program is liable for neglect and many other things
we were served rotten milk, and nightly we would find cockroackes in our beds and bathrooms. constantly becmoing ill with diareah and fevers. a few months into the program i contracted parasites and was bleeding internally. when I requested to go to the doctor i was told by my therapist that i had better not be faking ilness to go and eat food in hermosillo, where the hospital was located. i was literally "shitting" blood excuse the vulgarity, and it took 2 days to arrange a trip to see the doctor
some nights staff would force students to sleep outside in the vida house compound on the ground. 3 times while i lived in that house we found coral snakes, which are very poisonus slithering through the house. these kids were put at risk.
Often times water would go out at the house, for many days at a time. you could not go to the bathroom because the toilets were filled to the brim with fecal matter. where it sat untill the water came back on.
this is the stone cold truth of the matter.
you can question me about it if you would like, and as much as i considered certain staff mambers to be friends i am glad that the program was shut down.
feel free to e-mail me about this if you would like to discuss this further. i hope that this company is sued h onestly because some of the things that happened in that program absolutely horrible
Powerfulismytruth@hotmail.com ________________________________________________
Hope this helps.
