Three Springs wilderness camps

[Anonymous]

Nothing. I just got a laugh out of the guy who things everyone here is a bunch of young adults or recent program victims, when the fact is there are older parents who frequent this site too.

[Anonymous]

or people like DJ and TSW who are neither parents or program victims but just all-knowing assholes who worked at a program many moons ago, got canned and are living the rest of their lives seeking revenge.

[Anonymous]

Nothing. I just got a laugh out of the guy who things everyone here is a bunch of young adults or recent program victims, when the fact is there are older parents who frequent this site too.

Ah, totally misread that.

[Anonymous]

or people like DJ and TSW who are neither parents or program victims but just all-knowing assholes who worked at a program many moons ago, got canned and are living the rest of their lives seeking revenge.

Maybe, but as you can see there are others here too.  It's real easy to just dismiss what everyone says because those few get under your skin.  Again, ignore them and engage in conversation with the rest of us.  I went through a program and I'm a parent of 2 grown kids.  Let's talk.

[Oz girl]

some of us post because we are opposed to the philosophical idea of tough love and feel that imprisonment without trial is a human rights abuse. We lucky enough not to have worked within this cynical and cheap industry or to have been placed there as children.

[Anonymous]

Wow...that was a pretty weak come-back....

Hey...tell you what...I gotta go do some productive work so I can pay the be part of that majority who pays your fucking taxes so you can have roads to drive on, and schools for kids to go to, etc....

Geeez...  Go flip some more burgers...please.  I'll need a quick lunch tomorrow...

No wonder your kid hates you...instead of respectfully and honestly answering legitimate questions you evade the real issues and use sarcasm and put-downs.   Things get to this stage then parents abandon their kids to these abusive places so the parents don't have to deal with the shit they have created.     :roll:  :roll:

[Anonymous]

So then what are the qualifications of the counselors at Three Springs?
Family Service Worker is a Bachelor level in the social science field or higher.
Counselor that is with child's group 24 hours a day is a bachelor level is social science field.
Administrator is Bachelor level at girls program.
Director of Special Services which does sexual/physical abuse groups, grief groups, adoption, and substance abuse has a bachelor of science degree.

Quote:
This is a residential treatment facility / school. It is not a summer camp. No, we do not call whenever we feel like it.

Can you though if you chose to do so? Could you visit unexpectedly and speak with your child privately if you requested?
Yes, you could but you would be disrupting to the program.  By law they would have to allow this communication but if it happened to frequently they could discharge the child for disrupting the program.

Quote:
Although, as I said, conferences can be called. Children do make home visits, in later stages every month for 5, 6, 7, or 8 days - as more days are earned. They are able to fly by themselves. Parents visit the facility every month.
Truth:  Parents get a weekly update from their family service worker and other than that they can email with questions and they will get back with them when they can.  Conferences are usely scheduled monthly and are done either on campus or over the phone.  If they have a conference other than that there is usually a problem.

You're basing your 'observations' on once a month and a few monitored phone calls??
Quote:
Obviously, there are times when private communication occurs without someone listening in.
Truth:  The childrens phone calls are monitored! They start out as 5 minute calls and if the child manipulates the call they can imediately end the call.  They earn more time on the phone as they progress through the stage system but can only call parents.
As for the home visits the first visit is a visit on campus for the day the second visit is a visit close by for the day the third is a overnight visit close by and after that they can start earning home visits if they are all sucessful. The key is that they must earn them they are not automatic.  The once a month visit is parent support which is a parent training day every 3rd Saturday of the month usually from 10 - 5.

[Anonymous]

Then can we smush? ::kiss::

[Anonymous]

That is a GI offense sugar tits!

Is that GI as in gastroinstestinal?

[Anonymous]

Yes, you could but you would be disrupting to the program.  By law they would have to allow this communication but if it happened to frequently they could discharge the child for disrupting the program.

How would that be disruptive to the program and do they mean to your child's program or the program in general?

Truth:  The childrens phone calls are monitored! They start out as 5 minute calls and if the child manipulates the call they can imediately end the call.  They earn more time on the phone as they progress through the stage system but can only call parents.

What would be considered being manipulative?  If they have complaints about how they're being treated are they allowed to discuss those with you?  Either privately or during these monitored phone calls?  If something was going on that they were uncomfortable with or upset about don't you think it would be difficult for them to be able to communicate that with you if someone is listening in on the conversation?

As for the home visits the first visit is a visit on campus for the day the second visit is a visit close by for the day the third is a overnight visit close by and after that they can start earning home visits if they are all sucessful. The key is that they must earn them they are not automatic.  The once a month visit is parent support which is a parent training day every 3rd Saturday of the month usually from 10 - 5.

Is your child allowed on these visits unaccompanied?

What is involved in the parent training days?

[Anonymous]

Group ignore?  What's that?

[Anonymous]

Why is this all sounding so uncomfortably familiar?

[Anonymous]

How would that be disruptive to the program and do they mean to your child's program or the program in general?
It would be disruptive to the Program itself because that is not the way it is designed to work.  If they allow it to happen for one they would have others that would want the same thing thus disrupting the way the program runs.

What would be considered being manipulative?
A child hollering at their parents or cussing at them basically being mean and negative but more than normal.

If they have complaints about how they're being treated are they allowed to discuss those with you? Either privately or during these monitored phone calls? If something was going on that they were uncomfortable with or upset about don't you think it would be difficult for them to be able to communicate that with you if someone is listening in on the conversation?  They can tell them in the phone call or they can write it in a letter or discuss it on a visit with their parents.  The phone calls that they make to the parents are made as a group with all the phones in a hallway and a counselor is in the hallway with them but not directly listening to the 3 or 4 on the calls at the same time.  They also can file a grievance with the program and the parents are supposed to be notified if this is done.


Is your child allowed on these visits unaccompanied?
No the children are either picked up on campus by their parents or taken to the airport for their travel.
What is involved in the parent training days?
They train on various topics that come up and it is usually done by different members of the staff.  They also have lunch with their childrens group and the other parents.  They usually will have a conference with the family worker this day.  On some occassions they may get to meet with the psychiatrist.

[Anonymous]

How would that be disruptive to the program and do they mean to your child's program or the program in general?
It would be disruptive to the Program itself because that is not the way it is designed to work.  If they allow it to happen for one they would have others that would want the same thing thus disrupting the way the program runs.

How is the program designed to work?

What would be considered being manipulative?
A child hollering at their parents or cussing at them basically being mean and negative but more than normal.

If they have complaints about how they're being treated are they allowed to discuss those with you? Either privately or during these monitored phone calls? If something was going on that they were uncomfortable with or upset about don't you think it would be difficult for them to be able to communicate that with you if someone is listening in on the conversation?  They can tell them in the phone call or they can write it in a letter or discuss it on a visit with their parents.  The phone calls that they make to the parents are made as a group with all the phones in a hallway and a counselor is in the hallway with them but not directly listening to the 3 or 4 on the calls at the same time.  They also can file a grievance with the program and the parents are supposed to be notified if this is done.

Are  you warned when your child goes in that they'll try to manipulate you into removing them?  Any time I had a complaint in the program I was in I was confronted and told I was being manipulative.  The whole group that I was in would pretty much just shame or guilt me into retracting what I had said.  My parents were also warned about that.  They ended up not believing anything I said because of that.

What is involved in the parent training days?
They train on various topics that come up and it is usually done by different members of the staff.  They also have lunch with their childrens group and the other parents.  They usually will have a conference with the family worker this day.  On some occassions they may get to meet with the psychiatrist.

How often do the parents meet with a psychiatrist?  How often does the child adn how involved is the Dr. in the treatment plan and implementation of it?

[Anonymous]

I know.. I read a book about it once.. I think it was called "1985"??? Not sure though, might have been a three stooges movie also.

Yep, that and it's kinda giving me flashbacks of the place I was in.  None of these places seem much different from one another from what I can see.  They use fear, isolation, manipulation adn thought reform to mold these kids into the good little Stepford children they think they should be.

Same shit, different wrapper.