Copper Canyon Academy , AZ & The Academy at Sisters, OR??

[Anonymous]

why would you not trust your parents?  they were only trying to do what they thought was best for you.  granted, yes, we have learned over time what the schools are about, but they feed on parent's desperation.  they did that to me, they fed on my desperation and i sent my son away.  thankfully i realized what the school was REALLY like and pulled him out.  he and i are much closer now because of it.  he had been placed into a hospital then into residential treatment and swore he would never trust me again...but he was able to recognize that everything i did was only to try to "help" him and not "hurt" him.

[anto_gm@msn.com]

I've tried everything I could to help my daughter. I even quit my job... Nothing worked. Not the love, nor the punishments. Her therapist has been a great help and my daughter opened up with her. That was what helped us to really understand what was going on. What my daughter has been doing lately was very very dangerous. Mixing all kinds of drugs, pills and alcohol and going around at night with friends driving under the influence. I'd ratherlose her trust than lose her forever. Hopefully one day she'll understand. Until then it's my duty as parent to keep her safe.

[Anonymous]

if the therapist was such a great help..why not keep goign with that?  She didn't get this waw overnight...and the problem wont be solved over night.  it takes time.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you wait till she is back from the wilderness therapy before making a decision?  It may have been enough to push her in the right direction and all you need to do is continue with her current therapist.  I have heard of cases where kids have benefited from wilderness therapy only to have had all the good work thrown away by being placed in the TBS that their parents were sold.

The longer term programs are where the money is.  They don't want to let the kids home too soon.

[plomly22]

If you have never been sent to one yourself you have no idea what it is like. I will agree that some people have good experiences. The feeling of rejection by your parents is horrible. I had a feeling before I went there that I wasn't going to be able to get out. My mom claims that I never asked which is a crock of crap. The first letter I wrote, she wrote back saying that my therapist said I was doing better this therapist saw me maybe once and left a week later.

One of the hardest parts about these programs is trying to be perfect. You have to make your bed perfectly, clean spotlessly, get all A's and B's in school, and be happy. The first work hour I got was for not taking a shower everyday, which how I was suppose to know that rule was beyond me when it wasn't in the rule book and no one ever told me. This is in no way like the real world. It is total shock to go from being with the same people everyday who talk, act, and dress the same to the outside world where people don't understand what you have been through.

[anto_gm@msn.com]

I don't know how to thank you all... You really gave me a lot of things to think about. I really had no idea.
I'm reconsidering the whole thing and exploring other options, maybe just tradinational boarding schools, with open doors and open minds. My daughter is not ready to come back home yet. She would go back to her old destructive habits.
Thank you everybody again. Your suggestions and thoughts have been invaluable.

[plomly22]

One other thing I would like to add is never bring up money. My parent's did with me. I thought what the hell you are the ones who sent me away and didn't want me at home. Don't blame me for using all of your money. I figured my parents spent over $160,000 in 2 and 1/2 years. Which in my opinion was a waste of 95 - 100% of it.

[chi3]

Dear auto_gm,

I am a parent of a 16 yr. old girl. She has had some of the issues you spoke of. She has had severe anger issues, defiance, depression, accepted no responsibility for any mistakes, some drug and alcohol use, promiscuious sex, ran away, etc. I beg you, please do not put your daughter in a beh. mod. program!!! I put my daughter in one of the WWASPS programs this past fall. She was there a little over 3 months. It was a nightmare! Do not believe what you are told, as far as how great they are. They only make things much worse. Read some more of these threads on this site, you will find tons of teens, and young adults, who have suffered at these facilities. There have been several deaths. You need help, I understand, but this is not an answer. She will not come out and be "fixed" and turn to you and tell you how much she loves you and thank you for helping her see the light. More than likely, it will be a chasm in your relationship she may never forgive. I don't know anyone who has been to Copper Canyon, but we checked into that facility at one time. It is run on the same premise as the WWASPS programs. If you need people to talk to, I'm sure everyone here will do their best to help you any way they can. Get your daughter a good psychologist, try in-patient therapy, try day therapy at the local adolescent center, try traditional boarding school, military school, etc. My daughter now attends traditional boarding school, and is doing very well. She is happy, making all A's, involved with sports, does community services, and attends church services. Will it work for your daughter? i don't know, but it is worth a try. The school my daughter is in is nicer than any college campus I have been to, but costs less than half of what the beh. mod. programs cost! Hope this has been helpful.

P.S. I am sorry if this sounds critical, but you said your daughter was out running around with kids and driving with them when they were drinking. At 14? I have to honestly say that I feel that is a big mistake. She is much too young to be riding with other teens, and especially at night. 14 is too young for a social life, they are just too immmature to make appropriate decisions. Please rethink this.

[micalah]

i was a student at copper canyon in 1999-2000 and i have to admit they were the worst years of my life. i encourage you to seek other schools.  i know there has been a lot of expansion since i went there but in my experience, it was a bad place.  counselors often come and go, students often come and go, and the staff is always changing.  it's hard to maintain stability there because of always having to be transition of new staff members and students. friendships are hard to make because you can only talk to people on your own "level", about 10 people. staff members treat students like dirt, and when i was there, a counselor was even fired for smoking pot with a student. this school is a joke.[ This Message was edited by: micalah on 2005-02-25 12:24 ]

[disk_pusher]

Hey Micalah,

It's Liz Gibson.  Nice to know you're still around and kicking.

~Liz

[Anonymous]

Hi,
I hope you and your daughter are doing well. It's been several months since you originally posted and I know from experience that every day with an out of control teenager is a heart wrenching roller coaster ride.

My daugher is at CCA and given the alternative of her self-destructive behavior at home, I consider it a blessing. Of course, no parent aspires to send their daughter to a therapeutic boarding school. We would not under normal circumstance wish such a thing on our worst enemy much less our beloved child.

My daughter's immediate problem is drug addiction. I looked into other alternatives such as a second go at inpatient drug treatment but she can and will walk out of most of these facilities.

My expectations for CCA at this point are modest. I would like to keep my daughter away from drugs for a while so she has a chance to grow up a bit without the damaging effects on her teenage brain of methamphetamines, cocaine, alcohol, and the miriad of other drugs that she abuses. CCA provides this opportunity.

I find my daughter's therapist at CCA is well-trained and compassionate. She has been with the program for 2 1/2 years. If she can help my daughter work through some of the underlying pain that is contributing to her chemical dependency that will be a bonus. However, I am not expecting miracles. I expect my daughter will still need lots of help for her chemical dependency after she turns 18 and leaves CCA.

The girls at CCA work hard and have a lot of restrictions on their freedom. It's not fun. Most really hate being there. But at some level many also appreciate the structure because once they are removed from the craziness of their world at home they realize that they were spinning out of control and really hurting themselves.

They do learn some life skills, and most are able to make a lot of progress in high school and get their diploma if they stay long enough. They also make some of the best friends of their lives. Teenagers involved with drugs tend to use and abuse each other. At CCA, the friendships are real and deep and based on real concern for each other.

Keep in mind though, this is a school full of teenage girls, and troubled ones at that. ALOT of drama will go on. God bless the girls and also the staff that have the patience and desire to work with them. Based on my experience with CCA I'm confident that the girls are treated well and the staff cares about them.

I think the bottom line is don't send your daughter to CCA or any other therapeutic boarding school if you can realistically work through the problems another way. But if your daughter's safety is truly at stake, depending on the her issues, CCA can be a literal life saver. I say depending on her issues because I think some girls that have psychiatric conditions may be too mentally fragile for such an environment.

I am a Mom that is sad that I'm not raising my own daugher but thankful that she is safe and getting some treatment.

[Anonymous]

As a mom of a child that went to a therapeutic boarding school, I understand.

It is truly the last thing that a parent wants to do, which is to give their child over to strangers.  My son is home and doing well now.  I am the one who is beating myself up wondering why and how...we sent him away.  I am not the narcissistic selfish parent that you all expect.

It was what we thought we needed to do at the time.  My guilt is my own, and I will have to live with it.

[Nihilanthic]

This post you just made reads like a damn advertisement or press release.

So, youre either a programmed parent whose trapped in the treatment lingo, or someone trying to sell CCA.

 :wstupid:

Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.
-- John Muir

[Anonymous]

I am not an advertisement or press release agent.  I am simply a parent.  Perhaps you are speaking to the anon prior to my post - if so, I can tell you that she is not a programmed parent or program spokesperson.  

So just hear me - I am a parent with no program agenda.  Okay?  Just relax.

[Anonymous]

On 2005-07-12 17:00:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Hi,

I hope you and your daughter are doing well. It's been several months since you originally posted and I know from experience that every day with an out of control teenager is a heart wrenching roller coaster ride.



My daugher is at CCA and given the alternative of her self-destructive behavior at home, I consider it a blessing. Of course, no parent aspires to send their daughter to a therapeutic boarding school. We would not under normal circumstance wish such a thing on our worst enemy much less our beloved child.



My daughter's immediate problem is drug addiction. I looked into other alternatives such as a second go at inpatient drug treatment but she can and will walk out of most of these facilities.



My expectations for CCA at this point are modest. I would like to keep my daughter away from drugs for a while so she has a chance to grow up a bit without the damaging effects on her teenage brain of methamphetamines, cocaine, alcohol, and the miriad of other drugs that she abuses. CCA provides this opportunity.



I find my daughter's therapist at CCA is well-trained and compassionate. She has been with the program for 2 1/2 years. If she can help my daughter work through some of the underlying pain that is contributing to her chemical dependency that will be a bonus. However, I am not expecting miracles. I expect my daughter will still need lots of help for her chemical dependency after she turns 18 and leaves CCA.



The girls at CCA work hard and have a lot of restrictions on their freedom. It's not fun. Most really hate being there. But at some level many also appreciate the structure because once they are removed from the craziness of their world at home they realize that they were spinning out of control and really hurting themselves.



They do learn some life skills, and most are able to make a lot of progress in high school and get their diploma if they stay long enough. They also make some of the best friends of their lives. Teenagers involved with drugs tend to use and abuse each other. At CCA, the friendships are real and deep and based on real concern for each other.



Keep in mind though, this is a school full of teenage girls, and troubled ones at that. ALOT of drama will go on. God bless the girls and also the staff that have the patience and desire to work with them. Based on my experience with CCA I'm confident that the girls are treated well and the staff cares about them.



I think the bottom line is don't send your daughter to CCA or any other therapeutic boarding school if you can realistically work through the problems another way. But if your daughter's safety is truly at stake, depending on the her issues, CCA can be a literal life saver. I say depending on her issues because I think some girls that have psychiatric conditions may be too mentally fragile for such an environment.



I am a Mom that is sad that I'm not raising my own daugher but thankful that she is safe and getting some treatment.



"

The bottom line is, Don't line is, don't send your children to CCA or anything or "therapeutic boarding school", and that's it.

You say your daughter being at CCA is better than her going through her "self-destructive behaviors". So you prefer that instead of going through some trouble, some tough times, and learn from her experience-- your daughter will be destroyed, abused, hurt so many times and in so many ways, it will likely haunt her for the rest of her life?

What kind of parent are you?

(I'm not even sure you are a parent, though. You sound like you're working for the CCA marketing department, coming over to do some damage control).