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An open discussion about the troubled parent industry
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Quote from: "TigerEye"I was semi-delusional at that age, too. (I even ran away to Mexico thinking a could get a job there!!)
And somehow you survived without being shipped off to strangers using questionable "therapeutic" techniques. Hmmmm.
You're welcome!Quote from: "TigerEye"Quote from: "kenhuey"I realize in speaking as a program director here I start out at an immediate disadvantage. I urge you to put aside your prejudices for a moment and give me the chance to present my case. I realize many of you here have been hurt and many of you are angry but not all program directors are the same. Not all programs are the same. To judge me evil-intended or to judge CALO as somehow abusive--without knowing CALO and without hearing me out--is no better than the lack of due process and the prejudice many of you complain about when decrying residential treatment for teens.
I have spent the last 5 years presenting at conferences around the country on the need for change in residential treatment. I have presented at regional NATSAP’s, national NATSAP’s, FRUA, Wilderness Symposiums, Naropa, etc. about the need to move away from behavior modification and level systems to more humane, relationship-centered approaches that are fundamentally respectful to teenagers and those in programs. This is a matter of record. Searches of my name and many of these conferences will show that I have dedicated considerable professional energy to changing the way residential services are delivered. I believe that therapeutic invitations to change based on relationships, based on psycho-education, based on nurturing, are superior to change that is based on simply modifying behavior. Accountability, consequences, and structure are needed but relationship-based change is superior, in my opinion, to strict level-systems and behavior mod that do not provide nurturing. In even more succinct terms I openly repudiate change based on coercion, bullying, intimidation, and power. It does not work. It is not right.
The following are some of the ways I think CALO proves its commitment to what is stated above:
1. CALO does not allow the use of escort services for the transport of our teenagers.
a. The picture of a young person being awakened at 3am and taken by force from their home is not one I want to be a part of.
b. CALO will transport a teen by sending the CEO, Clinical Director, therapist, or other highly trained staff with a Residential Coach. This is done with full knowledge of the teenager and is non-confrontational in approach. We have not had a physical confrontation during a transport ever and hope to never have one.
2. CALO does not use level systems at all. We believe that lasting change comes as a byproduct of relationships that have mentoring power. You cannot mentor someone you control or manipulate. Trust has more impact on change than coercion or bribery.
3. CALO does censor some reading material, music, and movies. A certain level of maturity is needed to deal with pornography, racist books advocating death, homicidal or suicidal works, etc. Proven harmful material is kept from campus.
4. CALO does not force teens to change. We invite, encourage, model, and mentor change. We do not believe we can force a certain world view on drugs, relationships, or anything else. We explicitly try to convince teens that there are right and wrong choices but at the end of the day change must be internal or it will not last.
5. CALO does have high staff to student ratios. Our staffing ratios average about one staff member for every three kids. That is ONLY direct care staff. Therapists and teachers and admin staff do not count in those totals.
6. CALO does not believe in sleep deprivation or other systems of breaking down behavior in advance of “encounter” groups and the like. Arguments among peers or student anger at staff may be part of a group but we do nothing that is meant to break down a teen and then build them up in the image that CALO desires.
7. CALO does not have a waiting period before a teen can talk to his or her parents on the phone, or see them in person. Relationships are the key to change and we want teenagers to have access to their caregivers from their start in therapy.
8. CALO does not and will do nothing to take away basic rights to shelter, food, sleep, education, and nurturing. These are not “privileges” at CALO, they are rights. Nurturance is a right.
9. CALO does believe in licensure. We are voluntarily licensed by the state of Missouri. We sought out licensing and allow surprise inspections by the state.
10. CALO does not have custodial rights to kids. Parents retain custody of their children while they are in our care.
11. CALO does not rush the intake process. The intake process is as long as parents and child want. Usually it is several hours as parent and child are oriented to CALO. We do not require control of the child or hasty goodbyes.
12. CALO does not see homosexuality as a disease that can be treated.
13. CALO does not endorse or prohibit the practice of any religion. We have never banned a particular religion but would if it was proven to be an immediate danger.
14. CALO does not have any sort of time-out room.
15. CALO does not use mechanical or chemical restraints.
a. All staff are trained for two days on verbal de-escalation and crisis management. We try to complete this training in the first 30 days of employment. During the last part of that training staff are taught how to safely physically hold/restrain a teen who is a danger to self or others. The focus is on avoiding those holds.
b. We track holds and debrief them with staff, always focusing on keeping holds to a minimum and only initiating them in cases of a safety concern. Holds per student census have decreased every quarter since CALO was created.
16. CALO does not employ unqualified therapists. All CALO therapists are masters level or Psy.D./Ph.D. and appropriately credentialed. License numbers are available on parental request.
I do appreciate the opportunity to present some of the philosophy behind CALO’s program. I respectfully invite you to consider the possibility that CALO may be a nurturing, non-coercive, relationship-focused program.
I recognize that much of what is written in this post may challenge notions that some have about CALO and what we do. I am sorry you have had some misinformation about us and the nature of how we operate. This is who we are and what we believe. We are not perfect in the application of our beliefs but this is the standard to which we hold ourselves.
I'm a CALO parent, and his description is spot on. I would add that therapists are not needed to oversee every aspect of daily life or group problem-solving. The residential coaches are there to trouble shoot and manage things, under the guidance of the therapists. Anyway, it works.
Well, this letter definitely did not get much air time here. Thanks Tiger.
Hello. As you see by my login name, Ken Huey, I am certainly one of those in the middle of the various posts that have come in about CALO. There have been quite a number of statements made about CALO and our treatment, CALO students, CALO parents of students, Nicole Fuglsang, and about my own character and motivations. So far the vast majority of the discussion has been had without the benefit of any response from those who care about CALO.
I would respond with the most important request I can make relevant to this discussion: Please remove from these posts the names and treatment summaries of the children in our care. I am asking with a sincere plea. These kids have done nothing to any of you. To the person who calls him/herself “well proxied,” if you indeed care about these children do not use them as pawns because of your hatred for residential treatment. If your goal is to hurt CALO by such actions, that certainly is accomplished…but at what cost, at what collateral damage? I expect to take shots on the chin as I try to care for our students. Some people simply refuse to understand treatment or are angry at the residential treatment world for any number of reasons. That said, I have never in my career seen kids dragged into the middle of the fight in such an ugly and unfortunate way as this. Debate or attack me, disparage me, slander CALO, but please leave these children alone. Please.
I realize in speaking as a program director here I start out at an immediate disadvantage. I urge you to put aside your prejudices for a moment and give me the chance to present my case. I realize many of you here have been hurt and many of you are angry but not all program directors are the same. Not all programs are the same. To judge me evil-intended or to judge CALO as somehow abusive--without knowing CALO and without hearing me out--is no better than the lack of due process and the prejudice many of you complain about when decrying residential treatment for teens.
I have spent the last 5 years presenting at conferences around the country on the need for change in residential treatment. I have presented at regional NATSAP’s, national NATSAP’s, FRUA, Wilderness Symposiums, Naropa, etc. about the need to move away from behavior modification and level systems to more humane, relationship-centered approaches that are fundamentally respectful to teenagers and those in programs. This is a matter of record. Searches of my name and many of these conferences will show that I have dedicated considerable professional energy to changing the way residential services are delivered. I believe that therapeutic invitations to change based on relationships, based on psycho-education, based on nurturing, are superior to change that is based on simply modifying behavior. Accountability, consequences, and structure are needed but relationship-based change is superior, in my opinion, to strict level-systems and behavior mod that do not provide nurturing. In even more succinct terms I openly repudiate change based on coercion, bullying, intimidation, and power. It does not work. It is not right.
The following are some of the ways I think CALO proves its commitment to what is stated above:
1. CALO does not allow the use of escort services for the transport of our teenagers.
a. The picture of a young person being awakened at 3am and taken by force from their home is not one I want to be a part of.
b. CALO will transport a teen by sending the CEO, Clinical Director, therapist, or other highly trained staff with a Residential Coach. This is done with full knowledge of the teenager and is non-confrontational in approach. We have not had a physical confrontation during a transport ever and hope to never have one.
2. CALO does not use level systems at all. We believe that lasting change comes as a byproduct of relationships that have mentoring power. You cannot mentor someone you control or manipulate. Trust has more impact on change than coercion or bribery.
3. CALO does censor some reading material, music, and movies. A certain level of maturity is needed to deal with pornography, racist books advocating death, homicidal or suicidal works, etc. Proven harmful material is kept from campus.
4. CALO does not force teens to change. We invite, encourage, model, and mentor change. We do not believe we can force a certain world view on drugs, relationships, or anything else. We explicitly try to convince teens that there are right and wrong choices but at the end of the day change must be internal or it will not last.
5. CALO does have high staff to student ratios. Our staffing ratios average about one staff member for every three kids. That is ONLY direct care staff. Therapists and teachers and admin staff do not count in those totals.
6. CALO does not believe in sleep deprivation or other systems of breaking down behavior in advance of “encounter” groups and the like. Arguments among peers or student anger at staff may be part of a group but we do nothing that is meant to break down a teen and then build them up in the image that CALO desires.
7. CALO does not have a waiting period before a teen can talk to his or her parents on the phone, or see them in person. Relationships are the key to change and we want teenagers to have access to their caregivers from their start in therapy.
8. CALO does not and will do nothing to take away basic rights to shelter, food, sleep, education, and nurturing. These are not “privileges” at CALO, they are rights. Nurturance is a right.
9. CALO does believe in licensure. We are voluntarily licensed by the state of Missouri. We sought out licensing and allow surprise inspections by the state.
10. CALO does not have custodial rights to kids. Parents retain custody of their children while they are in our care.
11. CALO does not rush the intake process. The intake process is as long as parents and child want. Usually it is several hours as parent and child are oriented to CALO. We do not require control of the child or hasty goodbyes.
12. CALO does not see homosexuality as a disease that can be treated.
13. CALO does not endorse or prohibit the practice of any religion. We have never banned a particular religion but would if it was proven to be an immediate danger.
14. CALO does not have any sort of time-out room.
15. CALO does not use mechanical or chemical restraints.
a. All staff are trained for two days on verbal de-escalation and crisis management. We try to complete this training in the first 30 days of employment. During the last part of that training staff are taught how to safely physically hold/restrain a teen who is a danger to self or others. The focus is on avoiding those holds.
b. We track holds and debrief them with staff, always focusing on keeping holds to a minimum and only initiating them in cases of a safety concern. Holds per student census have decreased every quarter since CALO was created.
16. CALO does not employ unqualified therapists. All CALO therapists are masters level or Psy.D./Ph.D. and appropriately credentialed. License numbers are available on parental request.
I do appreciate the opportunity to present some of the philosophy behind CALO’s program. I respectfully invite you to consider the possibility that CALO may be a nurturing, non-coercive, relationship-focused program.
I recognize that much of what is written in this post may challenge notions that some have about CALO and what we do. I am sorry you have had some misinformation about us and the nature of how we operate. This is who we are and what we believe. We are not perfect in the application of our beliefs but this is the standard to which we hold ourselves.
Those "Certificates of Mailing" imply that CALO is suddenly unwilling to respond. I wonder why?No, it merely means that certain documents were mailed - the official certificate of mailing has to be documented in the "docket" or the registry about the case.
HELP! I am very concerned reading some of these posts!Don't know if you ended up sending your child to CALO, but I am willing to chat privately. I am a CALO parent - I might be able to reassure you (without being vilified publicly by anti-treatment zealots.)
I am about ready to send my teen to CALO and happened upon these forums. I would like to know what some of the experiences are that were not good.
It seemed that the kids I saw there were doing pretty well and seemed okay.
Would someone be willing to dialog with me privately?
Thx
Well we should at least give them credit for trying. Nobody else is trying to do any type of studies on the long term benefits of treatment as an adolescent. I really believe if there was a 10 year survey that reached every participant in teen programs, that the "success" rate would be well above the majority at about seventy percent. I believe those who say no difference would represent about twenty percent. Made it worse I'd guess around 9 percent. Those who were abused represent about 1%. This would show why fornits has a relatively small number of anti treatment posters here compared to the overall number. Abuse is wrong and should never happen in treatment, obviously, but I think a study like this would prove that it is relatively rare, especially now in today's modern contemporary programs.
Quote from: "TigerEye"Quote from: "DannyB II"Quote from: "TigerEye""There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
--HERBERT SPENCER
Che, Nihilist, etc. - you are all ignorant.
OH, more then they will ever acknowledge or can. Tiger we just play along and allow them space to operate in their brainless unsophisticated circus.
Great quote....been one of my favorites for years.
Cool - you must be a friend of Bill's then...
Have been a friend for a while, yes. Happy to see you here also. Most posters behave appropriately but some can be devilish. I have had my moments, here.
Getting better at it though.
Quote from: "TigerEye""There is a principle which is a bar against all information, which is proof against all arguments and which can not fail to keep a man in everlasting ignorance-that principle is contempt prior to investigation."
--HERBERT SPENCER
Che, Nihilist, etc. - you are all ignorant.
OH, more then they will ever acknowledge or can. Tiger we just play along and allow them space to operate in their brainless unsophisticated circus.
Great quote....been one of my favorites for years.
