The Who

[TheWho]

For those that are new to this and are not familiar with ASR.  I think one misconception that goes along with TBS?s is that "the Kid needs to be fixed?.  This is hardly ever the case, it is always a family problem and ASR takes the approach of including the entire family,  everyone gets a chance to talk things out in a small group.  Even siblings come if they are of an appropriate age and want to be involved

:roll:  :roll:


http://www.swiftriver.com/student_profile.htm

At the time of admission, however, these are not the descriptors that many would use to characterize them. Instead, they are typically seen as underachieving, impulsive, and oppositional and defiant. Many of our students begin their journey at Swift River possessing a low self-esteem, making poor decisions, lacking a direction in life, and not understanding the negative impact that they are having on their family and friends. Additionally, many of our students have experimented with drugs and/or alcohol, been sexually promiscuous, are acting out at home and in the classroom, and have shown decreasing respect for themselves and others. These students are also making poor choices of peers and have become unresponsive to authority figures.

Sorry you disagree.  Most of the problems that are affecting the child effect the entire family and it becomes a family issue.  

I know a lot of people dislike analogies and it might sound a little hokey but one way to look at it:
If your car is having alignment issues because you hit a curb you cant just send that one tire in to be fixed.  The tire does need to be adjusted but the whole car needs to go in also to make sure its in balance with the other tires and make adjustments as a whole.

Sorry, I know a lot of people dislike analogies.

[TheWho]

Any therapist or psychiatrist who doesn't have, "First, do no harm," as priority one of their ethics is a dangerous quack.

Thanks Julie, thats why we were recommended and chose ASR.

[ZenAgent]

Hey, Who...Was Don Vardell the administrator during your malingering association with ASR? He was at Peninsula Village. Does ASR change administrators as often as PV, like every 1 1/2 years?

I don?t recall the name, but many staff names have changed in the past 3 years.

Love the even and measured tone, Whodude, but I'll bet your monitor's got cracks in it and your keyboard's a wreck from angrily whacking them before composing yourself and your replies.

That?s funny, Yeah, I hear ya.  My nephew was over and hooked me up to a 70? plasma screen.  We saw one at a party over Christmas where people were picking music off the screen.  It was kind of cool, so he tossed my monitor and now I have to throw something at it because it is across the room.  I can still bang my keyboard on the table, though.

I see.  Why do you think ASR and PV go through staff at all levels so quickly?  It can't be a good thing.

[TheWho]

I see. Why do you think ASR and PV go through staff at all levels so quickly? It can't be a good thing.

I see it as very normal.  The jobs are very high stress, the counselors work a ton of hours and even spend some of their own times there.  The people get burned out very quickly working with so many kids, so many issues, many demanding parents .  Some cycle in and out of different jobs within ASR to relieve some of the pressure.  Some leave and come back.  But many move on and go back to school further their careers else where.  Very few people, in many professions, stay at a job their whole lives.  If you move around you can increase your pay, broaden your experience and find your niche.  Seems to be more and more the norm these days.

[Anonymous]

I see. Why do you think ASR and PV go through staff at all levels so quickly? It can't be a good thing.

I see it as very normal.  The jobs are very high stress, the counselors work a ton of hours and even spend some of their own times there.  The people get burned out very quickly working with so many kids, so many issues, many demanding parents .  Some cycle in and out of different jobs within ASR to relieve some of the pressure.  Some leave and come back.  But many move on and go back to school further their careers else where.  Very few people, in many professions, stay at a job their whole lives.  If you move around you can increase your pay, broaden your experience and find your niche.  Seems to be more and more the norm these days.

Then why is it that they just shuffle around to another program?  If they're so burned out, why jump out of the frying pan into the fire?

[Anonymous]

Any therapist or psychiatrist who doesn't have, "First, do no harm," as priority one of their ethics is a dangerous quack.

Thanks Julie, thats why we were recommended and chose ASR.

Somehow, I don't think she meant that as an attaboy towards you.

[Anonymous]

For the record, I think even traditional prep school (Hogwarts) is a lousy idea for a really screwed up kid.

However, if the parents of a perhaps (perhaps not) screwed up kid are bound and determined to abandon him, I think a traditional prep school is a less bad option than many.

If the parents are unfit--as dumping a perceived-damaged kid "away" despite his documented best interests proves--somebody has to pick up the slack.

The exception would be a kid with mental health problems whose dearest desire is to go to a top notch prep school and get into an Ivy League or other highly selective university. If it's the kid's dearest ambition, it's probably great for him to reach out to live a normal life despite having some problems to overcome.

Some parents send their kid to a TBS because they're ignorant. Some would have sent their kid even if they knew some other option would be better for the kid. The obvious question there is "Qui bono?"

Clearly, the parents are paying through the nose for their own convenience even though it's suboptimal for their sick kid--because the parents are the only ones benefitting from the arrangement, despite their protests.

So yeah, in my book "The Who" is one selfish SOB.

Considering we have a "troubled teen" as a foster kid, who is still living in her home community, getting the totally voluntary care she needs, and is still seeing quite a lot of her mom (who has severe financial upheaval and is dealing with her own serious mental health problems--loves her daughter very much, right now she's getting the benefit of optimum care living here), yeah, as a matter of fact I do have room to talk.

She financially can't take care of her child right now, and is dealing with far more than mere mental "issues." Parents who can afford $60k/yr or similar to send their kid away have no excuse for not caring for the kid at home.

Correction: If one of the parents was terminally ill or personally in and out of the giggle ward, "Hogwarts" could be a responsible choice.

Convenience of the "Oh, I couldn't take it anymore! You just don't know!" variety? When you knew it's worse for the kid, or still clinging to it after you find out? Cry me a river you selfish bastard.

Julie

[Anonymous]

ASR is not a traditional prep school.

ASR is not even accredited as a high school, last I heard.

I know someone who went to ASR, and within the past few years.

As a matter of fact, one of her peer group just offed himself.

ASR is a garden variety TBS, and has all the inherent flaws of a substandard treatment. Anyone who can afford ASR is dumping their kid into care that is at best suboptimal, potentially disastrous, for their own mere convenience.

Again, cry me a river you selfish bastard.

Julie

[TheWho]

Then why is it that they just shuffle around to another program? If they're so burned out, why jump out of the frying pan into the fire?

Not sure, it is probably because it is what they do best.  They may take some time off, relocate to a different climate or part of the country and get a similar job because it ends up paying more than other options or find they get satisfaction from it.
I see this in a lot of professions, for instance welders who get tired of looking at an arc all day.  They quit their jobs move away and end up at the same job because thats what they do.  Maybe if they could cycle into other jobs (on and off) it may help.  We tried this and people seemed to stay longer on average.

[Anonymous]

Traditional boarding schools do not accept kids with behavior or substance problems.  For lots of reasons, it is very easy to be thrown out of these schools.  Many have zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol violations.  They are not for screwed up kids. They are for kids seeking an enhanced academic or social environment.

[Anonymous]

How can you say this.....

For those that are new to this and are not familiar with ASR.  I think one misconception that goes along with TBS?s is that "the Kid needs to be fixed?.  This is hardly ever the case, it is always a family problem and ASR takes the approach of including the entire family,  everyone gets a chance to talk things out in a small group.  Even siblings come if they are of an appropriate age and want to be involved

when ASR's own website says this........?

http://www.swiftriver.com/student_profile.htm

At the time of admission, however, these are not the descriptors that many would use to characterize them. Instead, they are typically seen as underachieving, impulsive, and oppositional and defiant. Many of our students begin their journey at Swift River possessing a low self-esteem, making poor decisions, lacking a direction in life, and not understanding the negative impact that they are having on their family and friends. Additionally, many of our students have experimented with drugs and/or alcohol, been sexually promiscuous, are acting out at home and in the classroom, and have shown decreasing respect for themselves and others. These students are also making poor choices of peers and have become unresponsive to authority figures.

[Anonymous]

Then why is it that they just shuffle around to another program? If they're so burned out, why jump out of the frying pan into the fire?

Not sure, it is probably because it is what they do best.  They may take some time off, relocate to a different climate or part of the country and get a similar job because it ends up paying more than other options or find they get satisfaction from it.
I see this in a lot of professions, for instance welders who get tired of looking at an arc all day.  They quit their jobs move away and end up at the same job because thats what they do.  Maybe if they could cycle into other jobs (on and off) it may help.  We tried this and people seemed to stay longer on average.

What color is the sky in your world?

[Deborah]

Hey, Who...Was Don Vardell the administrator during your malingering association with ASR? He was at Peninsula Village. Does ASR change administrators as often as PV, like every 1 1/2 years?

I don?t recall the name, but many staff names have changed in the past 3 years.

Oh horseshit. You know his name, the infamous Rudy Bentz. Followed by John Powers, then the infamous Vardell. In fact, ASR had 6 Directors in 7 years? And about 3 or 4 different directors of the Addictions program.

[RobertBruce]

Because he talks out of his ass and has not sense of whats real and whats not.

[Anonymous]

No decent, traditional prep school would ever restrict a kid from recreationally reading books, except for books that had R or X-rated type content.

No decent, traditional prep school would ever restrict a kid from receiving non-X-or-R recreational books in the mail, or letters from friends, or simple hobby supplies like a knitting kit.

ASR did.

You think ASR is a prep school? Then you should be able to get me a letter from an admissions counselor at one of Massachusetts several Ivy League schools documenting that they consider ASR one of their "feeder schools." Let me know how that works out for you.

BTW--I used to work in college admissions for one of the top ten public science and engineering post-secondary schools.

I guarantee you we would not have even remotely counted ASR as a prep school. Not even on April Fool's. If ASR had been in Georgia, it would most emphatically not been on our admissions' counselors' list of "high schools" to visit, although one might have been induced to show up out of pity if they were doing charity work---but probably not even then. Their schedules would have been, regretfully, full. Nope, sorry, can't make it.

ASR a traditional prep school? ASR even remotely including what even remotely approaches a traditional prep school? If it weren't so tragically sad that you delude yourself into thinking so I'd be rolling on the floor laughing my ass off.

Julie