Academy at Swift River - Information Needed - IMPORTANT

[Anonymous]

On 2006-06-21 17:47:00, Anonymous wrote:


I understand your comments about feeling isolated from the outside world.  I do think that this tends to happen at ASR, despite our attempt not to allow it to.  Kids do receive newspapers and magazines, and are allowed to watch some tv-  including news, sports, and appropriate movies (no sex, drugs, violence).  We often talk about current events in meetings to help the kids stay in contact with the "outside" world.  They also have trips on weekends and during school breaks.  



I do think it's easy to lose sight of what "normal" teens are doing and thinking. .

I think you underestimate what this can do to a person.  Very often this doesn't go away for  
years if at all.  It makes relationships difficult to say the least.  Especially with friends.  Trusting anyone is out of the question due to the snitch culture created by peer counseling and therapeutic communities.

 

We challenge the students to be really self-reflective and take on an emotional maturity that many teens don't have

Why would you want to do that?  Why accelerate that process?

 Their awarness of their emotions may make them feel a little isolated from their peers after graduation.

Yeah, we were told it was a gift.  Propoganda to try and make us feel somehow advantaged or superior when we felt nothing like that.  We felt isolated and unsure.  

Honestly, I have only heard the term LGAT seminars here and don't know much about them.  We have lifesteps which have changed a lot recently and are designed to be team building and trust building seminars.  They used to be focused on taking kids deep into their pain in order to help them understand it and heal, and now they are about increasing self esteem and connection to others."

How is this increase in self esteem accomplished?  How does the lifesteps system work?

[Anonymous]

On 2006-06-21 19:01:00, Anonymous wrote:

As I said, I never heard of LGAT before reading about it here.  Lifesteps were not changed because they were deemed harmful.  They have changed because we have decided to become a more individualized program and take on that level of therapeutic work in individual sessions.  

Someone else who knows please correct me if I'm wrong but aren't the lifesteps based on Gilcrease's LGATs?

[PFRR]

If you are not willing to open identify yourself here please do so by emailing me directly at pfrr@fcsn.org I also would like you to clarify something all of the kids are special needs?  Are they on medication as well?  When you say special needs please describe without identifying any of the particular students, what you mean ie: diagnoses etc?  I really appreciate your help - you are helping me to understand more clearly the populations that are served there.
Andrea

[Anonymous]

It's TheWho. Under another name. Lying. AGAIN.

[Anonymous]

"Letters from kids to parents are read pretty thoroughly in the first part of the program because kids can be really hurtful and disrespectful.  Most are very angry at their parents for sending them away or for situations at home.  We try to support them and guide them as they begin to take these issues on and learn to trust their family again.  We do not censor the letters for content unless they are really out of control-  in that case we would teach the student about effective communication and try to help them re-write the letter in a more productive way."

Do they learn to "trust" their family again because that family had done something (intensive family thereapy for instance) to deserve that trust? because without a clear understanding of WHY they don't trust their family they are just being set up for failure.  They go and trust, open themselves up to that family when they go home and get retraumatized so to focus on the child trusting the family without exploring the reason for that distrust and a meaningful change on the part of everyone it is just bogus.  In fact it is worse for the child because they no longer have the pretection of the defenses they have built up and some kids come from some pretty sick families.

If you don't censor for content why even read the mail at all?

[Badpuppy]

On 2006-06-21 22:36:00, Anonymous wrote:

""Letters from kids to parents are read pretty thoroughly in the first part of the program because kids can be really hurtful and disrespectful.  Most are very angry at their parents for sending them away or for situations at home.  We try to support them and guide them as they begin to take these issues on and learn to trust their family again.  We do not censor the letters for content unless they are really out of control-  in that case we would teach the student about effective communication and try to help them re-write the letter in a more productive way."



Do they learn to "trust" their family again because that family had done something (intensive family thereapy for instance) to deserve that trust? because without a clear understanding of WHY they don't trust their family they are just being set up for failure.  They go and trust, open themselves up to that family when they go home and get retraumatized so to focus on the child trusting the family without exploring the reason for that distrust and a meaningful change on the part of everyone it is just bogus.  In fact it is worse for the child because they no longer have the pretection of the defenses they have built up and some kids come from some pretty sick families.



If you don't censor for content why even read the mail at all?  "

You do understand that reading mail to parents is illegal. Kids substantial liberty interests cannot be waived by a contract. What happens if a kid is being abused? You are not looking to protect anyone except your economic interest.

[TheWho]

On 2006-06-22 07:31:00, Badpuppy wrote:

"

On 2006-06-21 22:36:00, Anonymous wrote:


""Letters from kids to parents are read pretty thoroughly in the first part of the program because kids can be really hurtful and disrespectful.  Most are very angry at their parents for sending them away or for situations at home.  We try to support them and guide them as they begin to take these issues on and learn to trust their family again.  We do not censor the letters for content unless they are really out of control-  in that case we would teach the student about effective communication and try to help them re-write the letter in a more productive way."





Do they learn to "trust" their family again because that family had done something (intensive family thereapy for instance) to deserve that trust? because without a clear understanding of WHY they don't trust their family they are just being set up for failure.  They go and trust, open themselves up to that family when they go home and get retraumatized so to focus on the child trusting the family without exploring the reason for that distrust and a meaningful change on the part of everyone it is just bogus.  In fact it is worse for the child because they no longer have the pretection of the defenses they have built up and some kids come from some pretty sick families.





If you don't censor for content why even read the mail at all?  "

You do understand that reading mail to parents is illegal. Kids substantial liberty interests cannot be waived by a contract. What happens if a kid is being abused? You are not looking to protect anyone except your economic interest. "

I think the question of why they read the mail was answered.  Personally, I am not familiar with the laws and whether it is legal or not to read a childs mail, I will see what I can find on this.  As far as being abused goes, the child can just walk away (police station is less than 2 miles I believe) or they could call home.

[Anonymous]

Who, what do you do for a living?

[Anonymous]

All of my opinions about ASR aren't positive.  Generally, however, I do firmly believe in the power of the work we do with families and in the skill and intentions of the staff.  I have seen many many kids and their families make tremendous progress while at ASR and after graduation.

[TheWho]

On 2006-06-22 13:05:00, Anonymous wrote:

"All of my opinions about ASR aren't positive.  Generally, however, I do firmly believe in the power of the work we do with families and in the skill and intentions of the staff.  I have seen many many kids and their families make tremendous progress while at ASR and after graduation."

What are some of the areas that you see as not so positive or need improvement.  This is important to me to understand, it would be a great help.
Thanks

[Anonymous]

On 2006-06-21 20:19:00, PFRR wrote:

"If you are not willing to open identify yourself here please do so by emailing me directly at pfrr@fcsn.org I also would like you to clarify something all of the kids are special needs?  Are they on medication as well?  When you say special needs please describe without identifying any of the particular students, what you mean ie: diagnoses etc?  I really appreciate your help - you are helping me to understand more clearly the populations that are served there.

Andrea"

I would call all of the kids "special needs" because they have been unable to remain in the mainstream education system.  Many of them have diagnosis of ADHD, depression, ODD, OCD, PTSD, Bipolar,and some have experienced physical/sexual abuse, neglect, or loss as in death or adoption.  These issues coupled with special learning needs to address their ADHD, NVLD, etc. has made it pretty impossible for most of our kids to be successful in a mainstream classroom.  We have very small classes (4-10 kids) with teachers who have expereinec working with these issues.   When they have dealt with these issues mediaccaly and emotionally, and have gained better relationships with their families and friends, most are able to go on to colleges or more mainstream schools.   I would guess that 60% of our students are on meds for these diagnosis.  

Thanks for not attacking me-  I am enjoying answering your questions.

[Anonymous]

On 2006-06-22 13:14:00, TheWho wrote:

"

On 2006-06-22 13:05:00, Anonymous wrote:


"All of my opinions about ASR aren't positive.  Generally, however, I do firmly believe in the power of the work we do with families and in the skill and intentions of the staff.  I have seen many many kids and their families make tremendous progress while at ASR and after graduation."

What are some of the areas that you see as not so positive or need improvement.  This is important to me to understand, it would be a great help.

Thanks"

The staff turn over is huge.  All the staff work very hard at their jobs and do excellent work, yet feel unappreciated by upper management and some are disgruntled about working for Aspen.  Some of the positions are designed to be entry level, and many staff leave after a year to go to grad school.  It's hard to get good training going when new people are always coming in.  The decision makers travel a lot and don't have a good idea of what happens outside of their offices, during the evenings and on weekends.  People get laid off occasionally, which makes everyone walk on egg shells.  The academic department needs to be raised to a higher level, although I by no means think they do an insufficient job.  Kids are bored on weekends and we could use more funding dedicated to increasing activities.

I do feel I need to qualify this by stating that none of these issues are creating a lack of safety or anything less than a great program.  These are just some basic (and common in many companies I think) issues that I see. I wish they would improve.

[Anonymous]

"We challenge the students to be really self-reflective and take on an emotional maturity that many teens don't have"



"Why would you want to do that? Why accelerate that process? "




We do it because we have to help them heal from traumas and the pain they carry individually and as a family.  In the course of their therapy, they become more emotionally aware than the average teen.  I think it must be hard for them to relate to some kids when they get home, although I wouldn't under-estimate all mainstream teens-  there are certainly some very intelligent, mature, and insightful kids in the world who are able to develop great friendships with former ASR students.

[TheWho]

On 2006-06-22 13:31:00, Anonymous wrote:

"

On 2006-06-22 13:14:00, TheWho wrote:


"

On 2006-06-22 13:05:00, Anonymous wrote:



"All of my opinions about ASR aren't positive.  Generally, however, I do firmly believe in the power of the work we do with families and in the skill and intentions of the staff.  I have seen many many kids and their families make tremendous progress while at ASR and after graduation."

What are some of the areas that you see as not so positive or need improvement.  This is important to me to understand, it would be a great help.


Thanks"

The staff turn over is huge.  All the staff work very hard at their jobs and do excellent work, yet feel unappreciated by upper management and some are disgruntled about working for Aspen.  Some of the positions are designed to be entry level, and many staff leave after a year to go to grad school.  It's hard to get good training going when new people are always coming in.  The decision makers travel a lot and don't have a good idea of what happens outside of their offices, during the evenings and on weekends.  People get laid off occasionally, which makes everyone walk on egg shells.  The academic department needs to be raised to a higher level, although I by no means think they do an insufficient job.  Kids are bored on weekends and we could use more funding dedicated to increasing activities.



I do feel I need to qualify this by stating that none of these issues are creating a lack of safety or anything less than a great program.  These are just some basic (and common in many companies I think) issues that I see. I wish they would improve."

Thank you,  The turn over seems to be an industry wide problem based on what I have read here and experienced with other parents from other programs.

I am surprised that the kids are bored on weekends, is this seasonal or year round?

Do kids basically feel safe there?  Are there feelings of distress or afraid to speak out, disagree with staff?
How many kids attempt to run away per month?  (my daughter tried it while she was there and was talked back)

[Fire Swamp]

Just one more question, Who(re)...

While being sodomized, which do you prefer- vaseline or KY??  :lol: