Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Ridge Creek School / Hidden Lake Academy => Topic started by: Anonymous on June 23, 2005, 01:31:00 PM
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I have a kid who graduated HLA last year. She was completely out of control and after trying everything, HLA was a last resort for us.
I think it did help her face many of the issues she was dealing with but was too afraid to face. Getting and staying sober was what she needed to do to really look into herself. They really did help her with that.
I also think there is ALOT wrong with the place. There were some amazing counselors there. I'm hearing that many of the really good ones are gone now and there are lots of changes in management, etc. It almost seems like the counsellors are "beaten down" and not allowed to do what they are hired to do, so they get disgruntled and kind of give up and leave.
We sent our kid there because we had NO other alternative. And with all of its faults (and there were many of them) it managed to help her. I don't know whether at this point I would recommend the place to other desparate parents.
It's really kind of sad, because this place had alot of promise. Did it just change or was it always like that? I know that none of the kids liked it there and I don't expect them to. They don't get sent there to have fun.
But if there any parents out there who have had any positve experiences I'd be interested. I'm not interested in hearing any more bashing. I've heard all that and I agree with alot of it.
Thanks.
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:20 ]
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I'll ignore the part about "loving my child" because I don't want to get into a big fight, like what I've seen over and over in this place. If I didn't love her enough to try everything, including sending her there, she'd be dead. You just have to trust me on that. Or not. Whatever. As I said, she came back better than when she left.
The bad things were that there was too much staff turnover, which made for little continuity in the kids' treatment. The academics were not as good as they could have been (no real SAT prep for kids taking the SATs) and they had the same rules for 14 year old kids that they did for 18 year old kids, which I thought was inappropriate.
My daughter was never abused. She's pretty normal now, in college and adjusting well. If you know of anyone who was abused, I would expect that you would report the school and warn others against it.
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:21 ]
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I worked there. Im from Dahlonega. Are you going to North Georgia?Did you work at HLA?
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You must have had a horrible experience there. What did they do to you?????
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:21 ]
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There's plenty of information on the HLA threads to wade through - good and bad. I suggest that you comb through those threads, as I'm sure you'll find them helpful.
I worked at HLA when they opened their doors in 1994. It's the same now as it was then, just wrapped up in a prettier package (thanks to millions of dollars in revenue from duped parents).
They are a one-size-fits-all treatment center that treats all kids as "oppositional/defiant" regardless of their actual diagnosis (which, by the way, HLA does NOT PERFORM ANY PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION WHATSOEVER before "diagnosing" residents as "oppositional/defiant").
They are not properly licensed by the State of Georgia. They employ techniques proven beyond doubt to harm developing children, including withholding of food as punishment and sleep deprivation. Their "break-'em-down-'n-build-'em -up" philosophy sounds nice until one realizes no kid has ever been "built back up," but rather just horribly abused mentally and sometimes physically.
The staff turns over in its entirety often. There are only two staff members currently at HLA from when I worked there, neither of whom are counselors.
The original staff was from CEDU, a known abusive cult-like facility now closed due to its being properly exposed to the public and sueed out of business. The people from CEDU included the headmaster, Rudy Bentz, who struck and killed a pedestrian while driving under the influence of alcohol (what would now be charged, at least in my state, as "vehicular manslaughter"), and who has been accused of assaulting children in his care and who has been fired from HLA and Swift River Academy for various innapropriate/abusive episodes with kids. His wife, Jill, also worked at HLA and was also fired for much the same reasons. There were two more CEDUites, Dean and Lauralyn, who ran the (still) unlicensed "wilderness" part of the "program," also both long since shitcanned from HLA. But this gives an idea of where the philosophy came from.
The bottom line: HLA is a Behavior Modification Warehouse for kids to be held captive against their will, abused, neglected, denigrated and humiliated, all for ENORMOUS PROFIT.
Please go back through the other HLA threads to see what other former employees and inmates have said about HLA. I think you'll find it educational at the very least.
Abusing kids for fun and profit the HLA way...
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:21 ]
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Visit the website for HLA for directions. No armed guards. Have fun!
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:22 ]
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hope you have a good lawyer :smokin:
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:22 ]
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Hidden Lake Academy is private property and unless you are delivering mail, or a UPS driver, a delivery service, or invited, you can be arrested for going onto their campus, just like any other private school. You should check with a lawyer before doing anything "questionable" in the eyes of the law.
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:22 ]
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DJ,
FYI, Ridge Creek (their Wilderness program) is now licensed, unless there has been a change that I am not aware of.
HLA is not licensed.
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careful what you say, they spy on these boards :skull:
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:23 ]
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My brother goes to North Georgia College. How old are you? I wonder if you know one antoher? OverLordd, where are you from and how old are you? Are you from GA too?
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:23 ]
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::bumps::
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::bumps::
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looks like the original poster ain't gonna reply. Where you at program mom?
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If you really want to get on to campus there are a couple ways to accomplish this. You can A) walk right up B) Take the AT to Devils Kitchen and head down the mountain right onto their property or C) this one may be harder to do but you gain freedom of movment- Join the army rangers and see if you can get transferred to Camp Wasega Thier property backs up to HLA's. The Army Rangers who are stationed thier also tend to be the resrictions counslers and do absolutely no counseling but they do give you one hell of a work out except for pete he rocks. Staples is a bad bad person and if you go to the college there you might want to avoid him. I really dont like him. He does Rotc at the college and loves to be an ass.
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1) Joining the Army Rangers will not get you onto the HLA campus, it will get you sent to Iraq. The Army Rangers property does not back up to HLA's property, it is 2 miles away.
2) Walking right up is not an option either. It is 1 mile off of a public road and they have security guards at night and staff during the day who will question your intentions.
3) Hiking from the AT is possible, but once again staff will spot you.
Feel free to do what you want, but these options will get you nowhere except arrested for trespassing.
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(Removed)[ This Message was edited by: OverLordd on 2006-01-17 12:24 ]
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On 2005-06-27 04:16:00, Anonymous wrote:
"careful what you say, they spy on these boards :skull: "
What an odd remark. How do you spy on a public discussion?Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.
--Anonymous