Blog about Dr. Phil's repeated use of Aspen Education Group

[Oscar]

It is not a TV-show, it is child abuse
Blog-entry by Takjam Rotsne

I just saw the Dr. Phil show named Gorgeous, Gifted and Brutal. Once again a girl as it has happened before in this show ends up being forced to some kind of survival course or a boarding school. The program chosen – SUWS – has lost two boys in their care during the years they have been in operation. These two boys just died out there. It does not sound very safe for me.

What has this girl done?

Reacting out as most teenagers for once, dating someone her parents don’t like and used drugs because she lives in an odd country where teenagers are kept in school like here in Denmark with Friday bars on the high school campuses.

It is not a troubled teenager. It is a normal teenager.

A troubled teenager is one who is keeping herself apart from the peers. A person not found in the friday bar. Because such a student cannot create the social network everyone needs in high school, the universities or at work places.

In a lot of companies here in Denmark the employees also enjoy a beer or a glas of wine after work.

A quiet girl will basically be on the path for unemployment hoping that some man will pick her up and take her as a wife. The best she could hope for is a McJob career.

Secondly allowing strange men to take her away. What happened to “Never go with a stranger”? It is something I teach my kids as the very first lesson.

Source:
Gorgeous, Gifted and Brutal (Dr. Phil show)

[Oscar]

How many drug screens did the girl fail?   I watched that episode and you left out a lot of details in your original post.

She failed most and claimed that she cheated on others (which I believe was an empty claim to create drama on the show). Fact is that people can fail drug tests even if they are clean but where the person in charge of the test fail to use the test in the right way.

We don't know what kind of drugs she did. Until this is analyzed wilderness program should be off the table because taking persons on unkwown drugs out in the field can kill them. It has happened many times before. It closed Sagewalk.

[Che Gookin]

Even residential programs often tell the kids to suck it up and deal with coming off whatever drugs they might be on. It isn't just limited to wilderness programs.

[none-ya]

Even residential programs often tell the kids to suck it up and deal with coming off whatever drugs they might be on. It isn't just limited to wilderness programs.

And your point?

[psy]

Even residential programs often tell the kids to suck it up and deal with coming off whatever drugs they might be on. It isn't just limited to wilderness programs.

And your point?

I think his point is that it's common for programs to do this, yet it can be very, very dangerous or even fatal depending on what substances the person has been taking (prescription or otherwise).  See Oscar's post.

[Che Gookin]

Even residential programs often tell the kids to suck it up and deal with coming off whatever drugs they might be on. It isn't just limited to wilderness programs.

And your point?

I think his point is that it's common for programs to do this, yet it can be very, very dangerous or even fatal depending on what substances the person has been taking (prescription or otherwise).  See Oscar's post.

This.....

[none-ya]

Why do you sound defensive about "wilderness" programs?

[Che Gookin]

Why do you think that I sound defensive?

[none-ya]

I can't imagine being forced to go through drug withdrawals in the desert,or a swamp, or any extreme environment. It's got to be hard enough in a clinic,or residential treatment facility. It's one thing to punish kids for smoking pot,but people suffering hard core addiction, need less stress to cope. Not only do you get to jones, but if you don't catch any snakes,you don't eat tonight. The wilderness  programs seen particularly brutal.

[Che Gookin]

Neither can I imagine it, nor do I want to. Sounds awful to me whether it is in a wilderness or a residential setting.

[DannyB II]

Elan had a room on the second floor of Elan 3. They placed mattresses around the walls and on the floor, this is where I spent my first 4-5 days kicking my heroin habit. There were two others in with me also. I was 16yrs old and the other two were 15 years old. I bounced back much easier at 16 then I did at 28yrs when I kicked heroin for the second time and last time I might add. It is pure freaking hell to abstain from that drug. Thank god they have drugs today that can deal with the withdrawals.
They actually have a name for the effects of withdrawals today PAWS - Post-acute-withdrawal syndrome.  
http://www.addictioncareoptions.com/spe ... drome-paws
These T/C's and Wilderness Programs need to held accountable, science has progressed to the point that the "withdrawal treatment plan" for the drugs these kids were taking is clearly outlined now. I don't believe it includes a 5 mile hike up a mountain in the desert, sparsely hydrated...WTF!!

[Mitt Romney]

My Daughter was stabilized for a week, under a doctor’s care, prior to traveling to SUWS wilderness program.  I believe that SUWS now requires this of all kids prior to being accepted into the program now.  If programs don’t do this I think this would be a great area which could be improved.  Sending kids, with unknown medical conditions, into a wilderness program is extremely dangerous as we have all found out in the past.



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