Author Topic: Benchmark Young Adult School's version of a Time - Out  (Read 6156 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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Benchmark Young Adult School's version of a Time - Out
« on: April 27, 2009, 02:58:43 PM »
AGREEMENT - BRONZE PHASE

Financial Sponsor understands and agrees that Benchmark reserves the right to secure additional behavioral health services for the Student. Examples include, but are not limited to: outside therapists, psychologists, in-patient or out-patient recovery, hospitalization or by utilizing alternative Benchmark curriculum such as “Time Out.” Unless these fees are covered by insurance, the costs will be charged to the SRF.

What is Benchmark Young Adult School's version of a Time -  Out?
« Last Edit: April 27, 2009, 11:46:48 PM by Anonymous »

Offline psy

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Re: Benchmark Young Adult School's version of a Time - Out
« Reply #1 on: April 27, 2009, 04:03:50 PM »
Quote from: "bobpeterson1973"
Financial Sponsor understands and agrees that Benchmark reserves the right to secure additional behavioral health services for the Student. Examples include, but are not limited to: outside therapists, psychologists, in-patient or out-patient recovery, hospitalization or by utilizing alternative Benchmark curriculum such as “Time Out.” Unless these fees are covered by insurance, the costs will be charged to the SRF.

What is Benchmark Young Adult School's version of a Time -  Out?
It's explained on my website or in the linked thread I posted yesterday.  In some ways, it's not as sinister as it sounds, in some ways, it's more.  "time out" is basically when benchmark decides your too "negative", are a bad influence on the rest of the population, and are then isolated away from teh rest of the students in a motel room (with caveats so you can't leave).  Examples of "negative" could be demanding to speak with parents without monitoring, questioning the wisdom of the program's methods, making a fuss about rights, etc.  They consider it contagious so they get rid of you to shut you up (when bans doesn't work anymore).  They then tell you to get a job, but if you do (which is difficult since you don't have access to a phone, don't have an actual address, etc...), they take away your paychecks so you can't really take the money and leave.  It's a long story, but they have ways of keeping you there.  Sure it's not so bad in the motels (well... maybe Che would disagree since he stayed in one) but it's not like there is much of a possibility to go anywhere from there.  Staff can, at any time, decide "that's it" and throw you out, taking all the money you earned in the process...  that can also happen if your parents run out of money.

Benchmark considers their studnets not competent enough to handle their own money, so they consider it necessary to keep it from them, lest they buy drugs or something.    Personally I think that's an excuse since by doing this, Benchmark not only isolates a student, but uses them as free labor and extra income.  According to Cults in Our Midst, it's pretty common for cultic groups to send workers out and take away their paychecks.  Since punitive measures are at the whim of staff and you can be fined for anything whatsoever (flirting with a girl without a proposal to date or have sex, for example), any money you earn is basically Benchmark's.  IF you fight with them on that, you'll find yourself on the streets (often not permanantly... they do this as punishment... luring you back with false promises).

It's not your cookie cutter program.  They have different ways of doing things, but in a way it's more sinister.  The cage may be bigger, and the bars may be more or less invisible, but it's there.  They confiscate your money, ID, property, etc...  If you ask for it back, they often refuse (and I have this practice on video).  The place claims to be about emotional growth and emancipation and all that jazz but in my opinion, all the place does is foster dependency on the group and create a sense of powerlessness in a person...  after all, half the program is about drilling you about how you can't make it on the outside and you wouldn't be there if you didn't need them to survive.  "you can make it" is not something you hear often, if ever.

In theory, a person sent to "time out" is supposed to be able to move up to level 3 from there, but how often that happens is...  well.. rare in my experience, and more often not of any fault of the "student".  It's more of a carrot on a stick...  and even if you do get to level 3 it's not much better than a motel.  You don't really ever get any freedom.  You get an illusion of freedom they give you (privileges) which can be revoked at any time.  You never "own" anything.  It's all up to the program and they can take everything away at any time for any reason.  In my opinion, this power is abused.

When I was at Benchmark, the vast majority of students I was there with ended up in motels eventually, and the vast majority of those ended up on the streets after that.  If the program were actually about helping kids, that wouldn't be the case.  It seems more likely that it's about keeping kids in program for as long as possible (more tuition) as cheaply as possible (or making a profit off their labor).  I'm not sure whether the staff are fully aware of all of this. At least when I was there, Jayne made all the executive decisions when it came to consequences, priviledges and so forth (at the staff meeting).  There is more on my website about the motels if you want to check it out.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
Benchmark Young Adult School - bad place [archive.org link]
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"Our services are free; we do not make a profit. Parents of troubled teens ourselves, PURE strives to create a safe haven of truth and reality." - Sue Scheff - August 13th, 2007 (fukkin surreal)

Offline jsweetbi

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Re: Benchmark Young Adult School's version of a Time - Out
« Reply #2 on: May 19, 2009, 11:53:11 PM »
they  also put  u  one the  bencmark  diet.  cup of noddles  and  tang   which  wil give  u  malnutrian.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »

Offline Che Gookin

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Re: Benchmark Young Adult School's version of a Time - Out
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2009, 08:49:59 AM »
Most of the kids on Benchmark time out, at least to my recollection, looked pale and like they needed a good meal or three. Jsweetbi hit it right on the head with the cup o' crap and tang.

Also, the motels involved literally for the most part have the distinct privilege of being whore struts. At one moment I was absolutely sure that if I looked under one of the beds in a the hotel Psy and I were at that I would find a dead hooker.

That was the first night were if you remember psy where I refused to even sleep on the bed as it looked so disgusting. This is also coming from a guy who honest to god has used a dead animal as a pillow before.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »