Seeking survivors
If you are survivor of a residential teen program and would like to take part in this survey, please answer the following questions:
1. Which program did you attend?
Copper Canyon Academy, Rimrock, AZ
2. How long were you in the program?
19 Months
3. Why were you sent there?
Cutting, suicide attmepts, anorexia, bulimia, depression
4. Did you feel your parents were justified in sending you away?
Yes, very much so. this was my fourth program that i went to, and without this program, and the other three, as well as many inpatient hospitalizations, I would have been dead before my 16th birthday. now, i am 19, an very much alive.
5. How did you get there? Escort service pick you up in the middle of the night, or did you go willingly.
I went willingly. I was at another program, where i was struggling. the program was just not the right structure for my issues, so my therapist and staff there, as well as my parents, talked to me about changing programs. I was very upset, because i was so attached to the program that i was already at, but i realized that it wasn't helping me.
6. If you went willingly, do you feel the program was misrepresented to you? If so, how?
no. i read everything about the program before i went, and nothing major was left out of the program description.
7. Education: Did you get a good education while you were in the program? Did you have teachers who gave lectures or was it all self teaching? Did you receive a high school diploma, or were you able to finish and get a diploma on time? Do you feel the education was adequate and helped you move on to college?
The education wasn't the best when i got there, because the school was still growing. It had mainly been self-taught courses. however, in the time that i was there, it changed to all teahcer -taught courses, with very good teachers. I got my highschool diploma, and i was a semester late in graduating, but that was my fault, for falling behind before i got sent away. The education was very adequate and helpful to me. Any courses they did not offer, i would do self-taught courses and the teachers would help me. Also, after i graduated highschool, I was able to take Self-taught COllege courses until i was able to finish the emotional part of the program.
8. How was the food? And the cleanliness of the place?
Cleanliness: A+...we spent 17 hours a week cleaning. Sounds like alot, but in a huge house, with nearly 80 girls, cleaning takes a while. Food was great. we had an awesome chef, who had previously owned his own restauraunt with his wife, and they cooked amazing food. they would come in on holidays and cook for us, as well as cook for us on our birthdays. We were Spoiled.
9. Were you abused? If so, how? How many times? By whom?
NO. Never once. And, i never saw any abuse of anyone else. There were often direct confrontations (vocally) but never anything mean or hatefull. Just honest. And physical force was never used unless a student was physically threatening herself or another student.
10. Did you witness others being abused? If so, what form of abuse and how often?
See above question.
11. Overall, was your experience positive or negative?
Very positive. Copper Canyon Academy Changed my life and i will be forever grateful to them. i still keep in contact with many girls, and many staff from my time there. And since i have graduated the program, they have been there to help me when i have struglled. I even went back for a week, because i relapsed, and i just stayed with one of my staff and hung out with them and got re-therapized.
12. If it was positive, please summarize your experience.
The program is difficult. you are pushed to think in different ways and act in different ways. But they push you to do your best. There is no getting away with faking it, or not living up to yourself. Staff believes in you, and gets excited for you when you do well. The staff, in general, treat you like real people, with the exception of the few staff who just dind't fit (and ended up leaving). This was a wonderful experience.
13. If it was negative, please summarize your experience.
Not negative
Thank you for your help with this survey.
Your welcome...feel free to reproduce this in anyway needed for your survey!! Copper Canyon is a wonderful school and helps many girls and their families.
