Dallas Straight? Sundown Ranch? Canton Texas?

[Kathy]

Does this sound familiar to anyone?

Is there a connection?

Is anyone familiar with Sundown Ranch, Inc. a.k.a. Sundown Recovery Center (or Ranch academy) in Canton, Texas?? It sounds a lot like Straight, Inc


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[taureana]

I worked at Sundown Ranch in either 1994 or 1995.  It was nothing like Straight.  I loved working there.  When the kids would gripe about being in "rehab", I used to tell them how lucky they were to be there.  It was beautiful and peaceful.  We used to go on hikes through the pastures and they could ride horses and garden and fish.

Where'd you get the idea that it was like Straight?

[Carmel]

When we were in Straight, they used to tell us how lucky WE were to be there instead of KIDS or Cenikor.

I'm not knockin you or anything....it just reminded me of how that was always thrown at us by staff.

I dont the first thing about Sundown tho......

I do not consider it an insult, but rather a compliment, to be called an agnostic. I do not pretend to know where many ignorant men are sure.
--Clarence Darrow, American lawyer

[Froderik]

I worked at Sundown Ranch in either 1994 or 1995. It was nothing like Straight. I loved working there. When the kids would gripe about being in "rehab", I used to tell them how lucky they were to be there. It was beautiful and peaceful. We used to go on hikes through the pastures and they could ride horses and garden and fish.

Where'd you get the idea that it was like Straight?

This is how I envisioned straight on that saturday in november back in 82 when my parents said that they were taking me down to virginia to stay with some people that would 'talk with me.'

[Anonymous]

On 2004-12-17 06:10:00, Carmel wrote:

"When we were in Straight, they used to tell us how lucky WE were to be there instead of KIDS or Cenikor."

Funny, when I was in KIDS they told us how lucky we were not to be in STRAIGHT.  

I toured Cenikor in Fort Worth Texas well after KIDS (1992 or so) and didn't see apparent similiarities aside from peer staff.  They do use a TC based modality for treatment and first phase can last up to 2 years (at least they are 'honest' about that, in KIDS they said 1st phase lasted only 14 days but was often actually more like 1-2 years), however they were grown adults, many ex-offenders out of prison, etc.  I saw no peer to peer confrontation, restraint, etc.  Even if that did occur, the program as I remember was voluntary and for adults who could leave at any time.  Far different from teenage children experiencing blatant abuse under the guise of 'rehabilitation'.  The ONLY reason that I went there was because I met a college classmate there to work on a report we were doing (ironically about cocaine).

[Carmel]

Yeah, I found out much later that Cenikor was mostly 18 and up....however, we had a guy on staff for a short period who was a Cenikor graduate.  Whether or not Cenikor was any different at the time was unknown, seeing as how he had no problem perpetuating the ideas put forth by staff.

 

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/188301123X/circlofmiamithem' target='_new'>George Washington

[Anonymous]

On 2004-12-17 13:29:00, Carmel wrote:

"Yeah, I found out much later that Cenikor was mostly 18 and up....however, we had a guy on staff for a short period who was a Cenikor graduate.  Whether or not Cenikor was any different at the time was unknown, seeing as how he had no problem perpetuating the ideas put forth by staff.



 

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/188301123X/circlofmiamithem' target='_new'>George Washington

"

Hey, get your own name and avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flame:

[Anonymous]

if you are the original......never mind. :smile:  :grin:

[Kathy]

Where did I get the idea it was like Straight?  I was asking if it was like Straight, because it consists of Peer Support and REBT therapy and Phases or stages all similar to Straight.  Other than that I have no idea.  I know that it's in the midle of nowhere like most of the specialty schools today, but that's all.  I wanted to know, because I've heard of someone being creepily wisked away in the middle of the night, right before Christmas,and was curious about the program.  So were you in Straight and ON staff at Sundown Ranch in Texas?  And what the heck is Cenikor?

[Anonymous]

Sundown Ranch, Inc. a.k.a. Sundown Recovery Center (or Ranch academy) in Canton, Texas is NOT Straight, Inc.  The two programs have nothing in common and have none of the same executives.  I am not saying it is a good or bad program just that it is not one the straight spin offs.  The Straight programs are; KIDS Centers of America, LIFE, Inc., Life-Line, Growing Together, SAFE, Inc., Kids Helping Kids, The Seed, Straight-Midwest, Inc. and The Phoenix Institute for Adolescents.  The reasons why I say they are the same is because they all have shared staff members, they have the Exact same treatment program and they have transferred kids to and fro each other and have kept the same status in the programs.  They all share the New comer-Old comer status and use the rows of chairs in a warehouse.  The Sundown Ranch allows clients free roam and are allowed to see the sun.

[Kathy]

Well, I wasn't really saying that Sundown is a Straight spinoff.  I'm trying to find out if Sundown, is another abusive program or not. ::

[Carmel]

On 2004-12-17 13:30:00, Anonymous wrote:

"

On 2004-12-17 13:29:00, Carmel wrote:


"Yeah, I found out much later that Cenikor was mostly 18 and up....however, we had a guy on staff for a short period who was a Cenikor graduate.  Whether or not Cenikor was any different at the time was unknown, seeing as how he had no problem perpetuating the ideas put forth by staff.





 

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/188301123X/circlofmiamithem' target='_new'>George Washington

"

Hey, get your own name and avatar!!!!!!!!!!!!! :flame: "

Hey, it really was me....but thanks for lookin out for me Anon! :wave:

Real criminals walk free every day to rape, rob, and murder again because the courts are so busy finding consensual criminals guilty of hurting no one but themselves.... To free cells for consensual criminals, real criminals are put on the street every day.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0931580587/circlofmiamithem' target='_new'>Peter McWilliams

[taureana]

On 2004-12-17 13:41:00, Kathy wrote:

"Where did I get the idea it was like Straight?  I was asking if it was like Straight, because it consists of Peer Support and REBT therapy and Phases or stages all similar to Straight.  Other than that I have no idea.  I know that it's in the midle of nowhere like most of the specialty schools today, but that's all.  I wanted to know, because I've heard of someone being creepily wisked away in the middle of the night, right before Christmas,and was curious about the program.  So were you in Straight and ON staff at Sundown Ranch in Texas?  And what the heck is Cenikor?"

When I worked at Sundown, it did not consist of Peer Support, and I'm not familiar with the phrase "REBT therapy".

I think there may have been phases, but it was so long ago, it's hard to remember.  I do know that kids were brought there not knowing that they were going there.  Under false pretenses like Straight.  But I think alot of treatment centers are like that.  How many kids will voluntarily go to rehab if their parents tell them that's where they're going?

The reason the place is out in the middle of nowhere is because before it was a treatment facility it was like a theme-type bed & breakfast or dude ranch or something.  It was called Eagle Ranch prior to it being Sundown Ranch.  When it went belly-up, someone came in and bought it up and turned it into the rehab.

I was in Straight for 10 months and walked after I turned 18.  I was a licensed chemical dependency counselor and worked at Sundown Ranch for a short period of time several years after Straight.

[taureana]

On 2004-12-17 14:10:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Sundown Ranch, Inc. a.k.a. Sundown Recovery Center (or Ranch academy) in Canton, Texas is NOT Straight, Inc.  The two programs have nothing in common and have none of the same executives.  I am not saying it is a good or bad program just that it is not one the straight spin offs.  The Straight programs are; KIDS Centers of America, LIFE, Inc., Life-Line, Growing Together, SAFE, Inc., Kids Helping Kids, The Seed, Straight-Midwest, Inc. and The Phoenix Institute for Adolescents.  The reasons why I say they are the same is because they all have shared staff members, they have the Exact same treatment program and they have transferred kids to and fro each other and have kept the same status in the programs.  They all share the New comer-Old comer status and use the rows of chairs in a warehouse.  The Sundown Ranch allows clients free roam and are allowed to see the sun."

Just as a quick correction, when I was employed at Sundown Ranch, there was an ex Straight executive staffer there by the name of Wes Kitchens.  However, please know that Wes was against Straight.  I worked with him prior to Sundown Ranch at a facility named FirsStep in Carrolton that was trying to model itself after Straight.  But as far as I know, FirsStep never got more than one client and closed down due to nonfunding.