Author Topic: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT  (Read 21276 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #30 on: May 15, 2009, 07:10:52 AM »
Quote from: "blombrowski"
To the parent, what state do you live in?  I want to withhold judgment, but why do I get the sense you live in neither Utah or Ohio.  The first placement is an understandable mistake.  But two separate placements in two RTC's thousands of miles away from each other, huh?  I pray for your sake and your daughter's sake that you live in Ohio or at least in a neighboring state.  I won't say that makes the decision to use Starr Commonwealth a good decision, just something that makes more sense.

Otherwise you really do sound like a parent who had an extremely difficult child, and you didn't want to be a parent to that child anymore, and found places far enough away from home that it wasn't reasonable for you to visit.  

You know I get the place you are coming from is saying this but a lot of ed cons actively encourage the idea that parents who specifically look close to home are being limited and making an error. Struggling teens itself list such a thing as a parental mistake. I dont know this woman or her kid or even you so it is hard to judge, but this is something parents are told repeatedly. It does not necessarily mean they want to get rid of them though for some it would be a handy side effect
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #31 on: May 22, 2009, 01:09:57 AM »
Soooo..back to Unita.  It's interesting that a parent thought that the director was not personally involved.  He was involved with the horses etc, which leaves the big question, who is running the place?  The therapists do their own things and can sorta be trusted, like they have all these ethical rules and c*** but what about the staff?  Sounds like we really were subject to someone who was an administrator and who wanted things to be calm and chill but maybe not so interested in ACTUALLY DOING SOMETHING for the residents even tho it was DIFFICULT.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #32 on: July 20, 2009, 08:10:50 PM »
I am wondering if any parents ever felt like there wasn't enough communication between the Uinta staff and themselves?  We have felt on numerous occasions that if we asked questions they thought we were nuts for wanting answers.  Just uneasy feelings all the time.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #33 on: July 21, 2009, 07:36:37 AM »
That's a sign to pull kid out, a big red flag, those places are horrible, keep your kids free from any of those places, every last one could be your last moment with child. :peace:
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #34 on: October 11, 2009, 11:51:58 PM »
I had a daughter there for less than a year. Was under the impression that progress was being made altho she obviously still had some problems.  Was getting non-controversial reports from therapist--problems pointed out but still seemed positive, never asked for additional meetings by phone with us, never suggested ramping up her meds, never suggested Uinta was having problems, etc.  In fact, therapist didn't meet with her for a couple of weeks due to illness, weather/road problems, a seminar, and didn't have another therapist or the head guy, Jeff, work with her individually.  Have a telephone conference call one day for what we thought was going to be a "next after Uinta" discussion since age 18 was fast approaching and, guess what?  They think she needs to be moved out of the program immediately because they are "only managing her" and they believe her psychosis is deepening even tho THEY NEVER CONSULTED THE PSYCHIATRIST about her, her meds, etc. during this supposedly worsening time. And, as noted, had failed not only to bump up individual therapy but had not even given her the weekly individual therapy she was supposed to have. Then, of course, the subsequent couple of weekly reports were very negative from her therapist.   The EdCon was speechless.  So I would have to agree with Mom that things were not as represented and if you are considering enrolling your kid because you think you  will get more complete info, don't bet on it.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #35 on: November 03, 2009, 09:57:00 PM »
Our daughter is currently at Uinta.  We have nothing but good things to say about the program and the results.  We expect her to leave after 12 months.   She now has a understanding how her dangerous behavior affected herself and those around her. We went from being hopeless after making the very difficult decision to send her to a wilderness program to hopeful as we drove her directly to Uinta.  They understand how to reach these girls.  Our daughter has embraced the target skills and comes to each therapy session with thoughtful analysis.  We got lucky w/ a therapist she really resonates with and, for the first time since grade school, she enjoys herself.  Please let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer.  I will say, with any type of program, it is important you advocate for yourself and your child.  

I hope the people on this blog who want to get into 'bad parent' bashing never have to experience what we have with our daughter.  You can't judge.  You don't know what kind of parents we were, what we tried to do to guide our daughter through the difficulty of middle/high school, and all the things we tried to get her help.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #36 on: November 03, 2009, 10:32:30 PM »
Last post was Unita staff.

You're not fooling anyone, seriously.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #37 on: November 04, 2009, 11:01:47 AM »
Not sure how to convince you...or why I need to.  Hopefully my message will resonate with other parents out there.  I don't know why you are cynical.  I think my previous message accurately represented our family's experience so far with the program.  It has been a difficult road for us and our daughter.  We, fortunately, are all on the same path now and are optimistic about our family's future.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #38 on: November 04, 2009, 11:47:42 AM »
Quote from: "we got our daughter back...."
Our daughter has embraced the target skills and comes to each therapy session with thoughtful analysis.

Ok, specific questions:  just exactly what are the "target skills" your daughter is embracing?  In what way have they helped her?  Do you participate in the therapy or are you being told that she is coming to "each therapy session with thoughtful analysis"?  How exactly do you know this an finally while your daughter is there are you or the family in therapy to examine issues relating to the situation that caused her to be placed?
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #39 on: November 04, 2009, 06:46:20 PM »
In each phase of the program she works w/ her therapist (and us) to define her target skills.  She just changed to three new ones i.e. showing empathy for others. We talk to her socially a few times a week for 15 minutes.  We talk to her therapist alone and then include her for 60 minutes a week.  We get a written academic progress report monthly.  It is a self paced on-line program through BYU.  We have visited her in Utah and she had her first home visit.  We see the progress then and she discusses it each week in therapy.  The preparation she brings to therapy is examples of what happened to her during the week and how she felt/handled it/or what it meant to her.  The topics in therapy center on the reasons for her 'downfall' as well as how she will cope after she graduates.  Not sure I understand your last sentence/question.  Maybe you were in the middle of an edit when you hit sent.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #40 on: November 04, 2009, 08:18:08 PM »
We get a written academic progress report monthly. It is a self paced on-line program through BYU. [/quote]

So she does her schooling on line through a Mormon university?  Is the program itself run by Mormons and if so does it square with your family and daughter's beliefs?
Quote from: "we got our daughter back...."
The topics in therapy center on the reasons for her 'downfall' as well as how she will cope after she graduates. Not sure I understand your last sentence/question. Maybe you were in the middle of an edit when you hit sent.

Let me ask it better.  The reason for placing your daughter in a program has to do with her behavior.  There are many things that have influenced that behavior, a great many of which center around family dynamics and relationships.  You did say that for the first time since grade school she is happy so from grade school until the time she was put in a program there was something serious going on;  she did not grow up in a vacuum.  So the question then is this:  apart from whatever therapy the program offers ( which I assume is by phone) are you and her family in therapy in the town where you live to gain insight into the family's role in the situation and how dynamics need to change to insure a successful transition?  Thanks
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #41 on: November 04, 2009, 09:37:26 PM »
Yes, it is recommended the family continue w/ therapy at home.  We also receive in-person therapy when we visit at Uinta.  We got a recommendation from our daughter's therapist what we needed to do to compliment what she was doing at Uinta.  Each family (as we learned from the Family Weekend in October) has very different dynamics that can contribute to their child's issues.  We feel like Uinta worked w/ us to determine changes we need to make at home that will help.  We were lucky and they were minimal (and controllable).  Also, she was in multiple forms of therapy since the beginning of 7th grade.  Maybe that is why you thought I sounded like a Uinta staff person...I feel fairly (and sadly) experienced in the whole troubled teen therapy scene.
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Offline Ursus

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #42 on: November 04, 2009, 10:02:31 PM »
How long has your daughter been there?
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #43 on: November 04, 2009, 10:11:36 PM »
She has been there since the spring and will probably move to the last level next month.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Unita Academy, Wellsville, UT
« Reply #44 on: November 04, 2009, 10:29:13 PM »
Sorry, forgot to address the question of Mormon (BYU) on-line classes and overall religion.  We assume many of the staff are Mormon.  It never comes up...we are not Mormon.

The on-line courses are certainly not religious in nature.  We would have heard about it from our daughter.  I know students all over the country who have taken on-line BYU courses as part of their high school education.  Sure, we'd rather have her in a 'real' high school but our attitude is the education is secondary to the therapy and overall healing.  She is going to graduate at Uinta and would like to attend college.  She feels good about her academic achievements too.
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