Author Topic: What about "Carlbrook School"? (Read 109578 times)

cooltherapy · « **Reply #120 on:** October 24, 2009, 11:23:07 AM »

Quote from: "Worried"

We are considering enrolling a child at Carlbrook. I would love to hear from some people who were there is the last 1 or 2 years. All the hugging and touching makes me very nervous and has a very cult-like feel. Also, I am not sure any of their tactics will prepare the students for "real-life", in the real world life does NOT revolve around you and your problems and the day cannot stop for you to talk about your issues with others.

worried - I graduated from Cbk in July 2006. The hugging and touching really freaked me out. I actually got permission from the psychiatrist on staff to not participate in the hugging after "last light" because the crowd sparked some anxiety (I don't know how everyone wasn't anxious). The other students thought that I was out of my mind, but I simply don't like being touched by just anyone. I have heard that Tim Brace once admitted to Carlbrook being a cult. Not sure how true this is, but honestly, I believe that it is pushing cult limits. I still hear the workshop "tools" echoing in my head. I've gone through so many stages since I graduated and still think about the school and what it did to me everyday.

Don't do it - and if you've already done it, listen very closely to your child. I didn't tell my parents what was going on in fear that they'd speak to my adviser about it and I would be punished. The only people you should turn to are the teachers and your own child. He/she is the only person who can truly tell you what's going on and if the school is negatively affecting him/her.

Good luck.

cooltherapy · « **Reply #121 on:** October 24, 2009, 11:25:37 AM »

Quote from: "Mr. Paperclip"

So I still have nightmares of being at carlbrook. Does anyone else still have these dreams?

Absolutely. At least once a week. And I've been gone for 3 and 1/2 years!

cooltherapy · « **Reply #122 on:** October 24, 2009, 11:29:09 AM »

Quote from: "Mr. Paperclip"

Something tells me that you know this casey marvins...do you work at carlbrook or you just attended it?
Oh and since we're on the topic of college. Carlbrook actually hurts your chances of getting into a good college. Since I didn't graduate from high school there, I didn't have to worry about this. But it hurts your chances in so many ways. They lie saying that it goes under a college preparatory boarding school. Any right minded college application officer would look up carlbrook on the internet and find out that its screwed up. They might even find this forum, wouldn't that be ironic? In addition, it doesn't offer enough rigorous courses and you cannot even be on a sport. I'm now attending a top college. Unlike other people on this forum (I'm not pointing fingers), I don't like to give away my personal info to strangers on the internet. But I can tell you that if I did graduate from carlbrook, I would be attending a college at least one level down from where I am now.

Mr. Paperclip - I'd love to talk to you... I thought I knew who you were but this post has made me question. Were we there at the same time? I graduated with the upsilon class in July 2006...

Anonymous · « **Reply #123 on:** October 25, 2009, 05:16:49 PM »

Quote from: "cooltherapy"

Mr. Paperclip - I'd love to talk to you... I thought I knew who you were but this post has made me question. Were we there at the same time? I graduated with the upsilon class in July 2006...

I'm sorry. I wouldn't have known you if you were there at those times, but I'd definetley want to talk to you. You can e-mail me at phenomenon5599@yahoo.com . It's my secondary e-mail.

Anonymous · « **Reply #124 on:** October 25, 2009, 08:41:14 PM »

Paperclip, be careful, the violent Carlbrook cult may be interested in uncovering your identity, especially because you have mentioned you are interested in suing them.

Consider the potential consequences, if any, of making your identity known to the cult. Consult an attorney.

As to your hesitation with dealing with Isac or HEAL: please consider providing them with your testimony and adding some kind of addendum stipulating that you don't necessarily support their beliefs, goals, or methods as a way of handling your qualms. Otherwise, your experience with Carlbrook cannot really be included in the public record, because its only represented on a message board. It's very important that it is included for so many reasons. Thank you. :rose:

cooltherapy · « **Reply #125 on:** October 26, 2009, 06:16:33 PM »

Quote from: "Guest"

Paperclip, be careful, the violent Carlbrook cult may be interested in uncovering your identity, especially because you have mentioned you are interested in suing them.

Consider the potential consequences, if any, of making your identity known to the cult. Consult an attorney.

As to your hesitation with dealing with Isac or HEAL: please consider providing them with your testimony and adding some kind of addendum stipulating that you don't necessarily support their beliefs, goals, or methods as a way of handling your qualms. Otherwise, your experience with Carlbrook cannot really be included in the public record, because its only represented on a message board. It's very important that it is included for so many reasons. Thank you. :rose:

Paperclip, I'm going to private message you with my name. Guest - how do you suggest that Cbk graduates who disagree with the program come together? And why is everyone trying to force legal action? You do realize that many of us are still struggling with things that happened to us there? This is a very new school and there are VERY few alumni who agree with Paperclip and me. Taking a stand against Cbk could mean losing friends who you went through the experience with. And they are not at fault for still having the blindfold on, Carlbrook tied it on pretty f*ing tight. I am personally not ready to tell my story to the world. I understand that this does not help kids who are there now, nor does it help the overall problem... but I spent a year and a half having shit shoved down my throat. I was convinced. Now I've spent the last 3 1/2 years trying to undo it all. Being pushy isn't going to help anything. If anything, it makes me feel even more uncomfortable about speaking.

And yes, it is possible that Cbk is worried and trying to expose the "rebellious" grads. But if you took a look at the contract that the parents have to sign when they put the kid in the school, your hopes for suing the school will be significantly lessened. It absolutely encompasses all that is done there plus more. And unfortunately - many of us appear to be doing better than we did before. Carlbrook has a very good argument with the "success rate." It is truly a different sort of place. These people are smart and know how to avoid trouble. I don't think they're bothering stalking alumni who are complaining on Fornits.

Anonymous · « **Reply #126 on:** October 28, 2009, 05:43:32 PM »

Reminder: Whatever contract your parents signed is completely meaningless with regards to abuse.

If anything it means your parents should be co-defendants.

Anonymous · « **Reply #127 on:** October 30, 2009, 12:33:39 AM »

From what I hear, Carlbrook is basically a dumbed down John Dewey Academy. Less intense, lower standards, slightly inferior colleges, but overall percentage-wise it stabilizes and helps more kids. Dewey kids will never break the rules and Carlbrook kids do all the time. The term used is "underground." The bars lower, but I suspect its safer. I was a Dewey grad btw.

FYI, never trust a parents perspective or someone with a solely positive perspective. Parents are either made stupid by their inobjectivity or just plain stupid. Also don't trust someone who has only positive things to say about a place, cause clearly they have involvement with the place or had a better time than most.

Anonymous · « **Reply #128 on:** October 30, 2009, 01:26:03 PM »

Yeah except for Carlbrook doesn't stabilize or help anyone.

cooltherapy · « **Reply #129 on:** October 30, 2009, 03:42:42 PM »

Quote from: "Guest"

Yeah except for Carlbrook doesn't stabilize or help anyone.

Guest, were you a Carlbrook student? This is partially true. Carlbrook "helps" simply by stabilizing people. It does stabilize many. Not necessarily forever, but it does. It stabilized me and this is literally the only good thing I have to say about it at this point.

And in response to the John Dewey comment - I hear that it is very similar. I think the real reason kids get away with more at Carlbrook is because of the size. Carlbrook has around 130 students at a time. I've hear that John Dewey is closer to 30?

Anonymous · « **Reply #130 on:** October 31, 2009, 04:11:06 PM »

I recently graduated from Carlbrook. I don't know when you went there cooltherapy but I can assure you that there was no underground going on. Everything was controlled. I heard that there was an underground in Carlbrook history but they did away with it by creating suspension and action plans as opposed to just programs. However, over the last couple years, suspension was turned into "a necessary part of everyone's treatment" as oppposed to just a punishment. I admit, there were things that happened during my stay which were to say the least, out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, the school quickly discovered it and the people were immediatley punished. They even contained it so much that no one on campus, besides for the people that were involved in it, ever knew what really happened.
I graduated last August and since I've been gone, I've noticed a lot of similar feelings on the internet that I'm feeling right now. I was pretty sure I loved Carlbrook after I graduated, but now, I'm beginning to question their methods. But of course, I can't tell anyone this because then my friends will hate me.

cooltherapy · « **Reply #131 on:** November 01, 2009, 12:01:06 PM »

Hey "the dude,"

Okay - I graduated in 2006 with all of the underground folks. It was actually pretty funny, the whole thing. The entire school lost it when the underground was "revealed." Actually, the leader of it couldn't handle the guilt anymore and turned himself and the rest of them in. And yes, this is when they created suspension. Before that, it was just "programs" which were somewhere between an action plan and suspension. Equally miserable. I hated mine. They lasted anywhere from 3 weeks to a few months. They also used to put people on "stumps" when I was there. When they were taken out of school on a program, they'd find a tree that had been cut down and make the kid dig the stump out of the ground. I hated watching that. It made me think of the book Holes.

Would you like to talk? Mr. Paperclip and I have started talking about finding some sort of support group for unhappy Cbk grads. I need to create an alternate email account for this purpose. Any interest in helping out?

Anonymous · « **Reply #132 on:** November 01, 2009, 12:57:53 PM »

Cooltherapy, I don't think I'm ready for that yet. My friends have already rejected other kids because they went against carlbrook. Besides, if I do this, then eventually I'm going to have to come clean entirely about my distaste for carlbrook, even to my parents! The last thing they want is to think that I'm going against them again. I know it sounds silly but we are talking about the same people who sent me there in the first place.

Anonymous · « **Reply #133 on:** November 01, 2009, 01:20:40 PM »

Extra special protip to The Dude: Don't tell *anyone*, except maybe a good lawyer or if you're in court, your real name in conjunction with your actual experiences at Carlbrook, until you turn 18 or become emancipated. Just don't.

cooltherapy · « **Reply #134 on:** November 01, 2009, 01:51:15 PM »

Quote from: "the dude"

Cooltherapy, I don't think I'm ready for that yet. My friends have already rejected other kids because they went against carlbrook. Besides, if I do this, then eventually I'm going to have to come clean entirely about my distaste for carlbrook, even to my parents! The last thing they want is to think that I'm going against them again. I know it sounds silly but we are talking about the same people who sent me there in the first place.

I completely understand. No pressure. Take your time. I can't believe you have kids rejecting you already. That's terrible. New Cbk grads can be so righteous and seem to suffer from the "dunning-kruger effect" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning-Kruger_effect_) Check that out, it's pretty hilarious.

Whenever you feel ready, we're here. This is why I want to do something like this. We need some sort of private forum where we can actually talk without the pressure of people trying to push us to take legal action, etc. Our school sounds different than all of the other schools I have read about. They did an incredible job of getting into our heads. Trust me, I know this. I've nearly been gone for 3 years.

If you change your mind, let me know. Otherwise, I'm here to talk on this forum. I know how weird it is at first. Good luck. I'd suggest you not talk to your graduating class until you've been out for longer. People get really offended at first.

And as for your parents - I have told both of mine how I feel about the school. My mother is extremely supportive of me but my father refuses to believe that he not only wasted his money, but misused it. We don't have as much money as most of the Carlbrook families. You might be surprised with the results you get. But I'd suggest you give it a year or two before you bring it up with them. Figure out where you really stand.

Okay, enough lecturing. Sorry about that. Good luck. If you need anything, I'm here.

-cooltherapy

Fornits
Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora
An open discussion about the troubled parent industry