Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Anonymous on October 12, 2007, 02:46:23 PM
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Caretakers at Draper youth care center charged with child abuse in death of 14-year-old
By Jason Bergreen
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 10/11/2007 05:22:00 PM MDT
Two caretakers at a Draper assisted-living facility were charged Thursday with failing to provide medical aid to a 14-year-old resident who died under their supervision in June.
Jorge Ramirez and Deborah Cole were both on duty at Youth Care Inc. on June 27 when 14-year-old Brendan Blum of Santa Barbara, Calif., died.
An autopsy concluded that Blum died from an inadequate blood supply to his small bowel, according to a criminal complaint filed in 3rd District Court.
On the night of his death, Blum had a loss of bowel control, vomited and complained of stomach pain, but Ramirez and Cole did not provide or seek medical help for him, the complaint states.
Blum was found dead on the morning of June 28.
A state medical examiner concluded that Blum's death could have been prevented if he had been given medical attention.
"Secure treatment facilities are responsible for providing appropriate medical treatment and care for the children entrusted to their supervision," Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller said in a news release. "In this case, it is alleged that a young boy's need for emergency medical treatment was ignored and that this negligence resulted in the boy's death."
Miller also said that state law requires that treatment facilities and their
employees be held to a "heightened standard of care."
Blum was at the facility because he had Asperger's Syndrome, a disorder related to autism.
Cole and Ramirez are each charged with one third-degree felony count of abuse or neglect of a child. The crime is punishable by up to five years in jail.
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Sorry for the typing error (Brendan Blum was 14 not 15).
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Makes no odds, they'll get away with it - cos if they don't they'd have to shut down all facilties
Doomed :(
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Hmmm ... seems Utah may be waking up to the reality they can no longer turn a blind eye or deaf ear to these preventable tragedies. Five years may not sound like much, but it sure beats no punishment at all if it turns out there is a trial and the jurors find these caregivers are indeed responsible for this child's death.
Too bad the program wasn't closed immediately pending the results of an investigation and/or criminal trial. It is an outrage these programs are allowed to stay open, albeit with a suspended license. Just seems like they ought to err on the side of caution.
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Exhausted, your statement makes no sense, whatsoever!
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Alright PBMom!!!
:tup: :tup: :tup: :tup: Good Luck
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Facility put on probation, but free to take new clients
By Kirsten Stewart
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 10/13/2007 12:55:43 AM MDT
A residential youth treatment center was cited on Friday for providing inadequate medical care to Brendan James Blum, a 14-year-old California boy who died at its Draper facility.
Utah licensers placed Youth Care of Utah on probation, requiring the center to, among other requirements, retool employee training. Youth Care was not fined and it is free to accept new clients, though no more than five every 30 days.
The disciplinary action was reached as part of a settlement between the facility and lawyers for the state Human Services Office of Licensing, which regulates Utah's teen-help industry.
Licensing director Ken Stettler said he hopes Friday's action shows the state takes its watchdog role seriously. It comes a day after criminal neglect charges were filed against two former Youth Care counselors in connection with Brendan's June 28 death.
It also coincides with a congressional probe into wilderness camps, which detailed thousands of cases of abuse nationwide since 1990. Of 10 deaths detailed in the federal report, five occurred in Utah.
The cases showed a pattern of lax government oversight and medical neglect, with counselors assuming the teens were making up their symptoms.
Brendan Blum's mother, Dana Blum, fears the same issues may have played a role in her son's death.
Blum said she "feels" for the employees at Youth Care, but said the facility should have been shut down, at least temporarily, and the owners held accountable.
"Nothing will bring Brendan back," said Blum. "But the bottom line is that when a parent makes a difficult decision to place their child in a treatment program, the management and caretakers have a responsibility to ensure their safety. There shouldn't be any tolerance for the death of a child."
Sent to bed
Blum said the coroner described her son's death as "violent and painful." An autopsy concluded that he died after his bowel twisted, cutting off the blood supply to his small intestine.
Brendan had vomited and been suffering diarrhea all night, according to police. Instead of phoning the on-call nurse, per Youth Care's policy, counselors treated the boy with an over-the-counter medicine and sent him to bed, said Draper police Sgt. Gerry Allred.
The next morning, Brendan, who had Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, was found dead on his mattress.
The on-call nurse, who was later interviewed by police, said had she been consulted, she would have advised sending Brendan to the hospital, said Allred. The Utah State Medical Examiner said with medical intervention, the boy might have survived.
'Flu-like' symptoms
Youth Care officials maintain Brendan complained only of "flu-like" symptoms.
"We extend our deepest sympathies to the family, and we continue to work closely with Utah officials and law enforcement. But we are confident a criminal prosecution will be found unwarranted," said Kristen Hayes, spokeswoman for Aspen Education Group, which owns Youth Care.
Based in Cerritos, Calif., Aspen is a division of the CRC Health Group, which runs boarding schools, outdoor education programs and weight-loss camps.
For two decades, Youth Care has "delivered the highest standards of care," treating more than 1,300 children with behavioral and addiction problems last year, said Hayes. "All of Aspen's programs either meet or exceed state and national standards."
Aspen's record
Stettler confirmed Aspen's reputation, saying, "They've had a pretty spotless record."
Three of four recent deaths at Utah treatment programs, however, happened at Aspen facilities: Blum's and two suicides; one in July 2004 at Island View Academy in Syracuse, and another in April at Aspen Achievement Academy of Loa.
Stettler said the April suicide remains under investigation by law enforcement, but his own probe found Aspen wasn't at fault. The suicide at Island View happened before Aspen purchased the facility.
Blum said she thoroughly researched Youth Care and Aspen and was never told of the fatalities.
"If nothing else, I would like to see them create a searchable database so parents can review deaths and complaints and not have to rely on the subjective descriptions of licensors," said Blum.
The Web site of state licensors has contact information for facilities and shows whether their license is in good standing. But for more detailed information, parents need to phone regulators, who keep only paper files.
Sense of justice
Blum has "taken heat" for enrolling Brendan at Youth Care, but she says research shows behavioral modification programs can work for children with Asperger's.
"The real problem is there are not adequate community resources for kids with mental health problems," said Blum.
Brendan was "erratic and unpredictable," and started acting aggressively at age 3, said Blum. "There were no consequences that were meaningful to him. You could take away privileges with friends, TV, or PlayStation. It didn't matter."
Trips to her county mental health facility, school counselors and private therapists yielded no firm diagnosis.
It wasn't until Brendan turned 13 and got swept up in the juvenile justice system that doctors at a local university diagnosed him with Asperger's.
"They said he was a textbook case of high-functioning autism and should have been diagnosed at age 8," said Blum.
Brendan had a "fine-tuned sense of justice. As his mother, I feel I need to make sure Youth Care is held accountable," said Blum.
"These kids come from families that care about them. They're not just throwaway kids."
kstewart@sltrib.com
Doesn't seem that they take their watchdog role all that seriously, considering how many kids have died.
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bleh.. no kidding...
Anyone want to take bets that they don't even loose their license?
and why the hell wasn't the supervisor on duty charged as well?
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What kind of behavior modification did Youth Care offer? As for the national clearinghouse, that is a virtual guarantee given the hearings and the fact that the GAO is well aware of the need for one. Advocates and survivors have been calling for this for years. It's not a new request. See the fornits archives.
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What kind of behavior modification did Youth Care offer? As for the national clearinghouse, that is a virtual guarantee given the hearings and the fact that the GAO is well aware of the need for one. Advocates and survivors have been calling for this for years. It's not a new request. See the fornits archives.
Dialectical behavioral therapy is used at Youth Care and many other programs for kids with mental health issues. It is one of the many treatments that typically fall under the term "behavior modication".
Dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT) is a psychosocial treatment developed by Marsha M. Linehan specifically to treat individuals with borderline personality disorder. While DBT was designed for individuals with borderline personality disorder, it is used for patients with other diagnoses as well.
The treatment itself is based largely in behaviorist theory with some cognitive therapy elements as well. Unlike cognitive therapy it incorporates mindfulness practice as a central component of the therapy.
"DBT is based on a biosocial theory of personality functioning in which BPD is seen as a biological disorder of emotional regulation. The disorder is characterized by heightened sensitivity to emotion, increased emotional intensity and a slow return to emotional baseline. Characteristic behaviors and emotional experiences associated with BPD theoretically result from the expression of this biological dysfunction in a social environment experienced as invalidating by the borderline patient."
http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavioral_therapy
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Too many of these kids diagnosed with illnesses in the austism spectrum are being medicated with powerful drugs that can cause extreme side effects, violent acting out being one of them leading parents to send children AWAY primarily out of fear. Very sad situation that needs to be addressed especially since there is so much evidence to support critics claims that many (if not most) of the school shootings and youth suicides are being committed by children who are taking psychotropic drugs.
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Does Youth Care take adjudicated youth or kids with a history of violence?
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Exhausted, your statement makes no sense, whatsoever!
Yer it does
The people who didn't take care of this boy will get away with murder
If they don't get away with it (I.E. someone does something about it) then the facilities will be shut down, that's why they'll get away wth it
That is why these kids are doomed
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Does Youth Care take adjudicated youth or kids with a history of violence?
Good question!
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Does Youth Care take adjudicated youth or kids with a history of violence?
Good question!
they don't take court ordered placements, but they will take kids who have had run-ins with the juvenile justice system. And they take a lot of kids with self harm issues.
Many very young kids with mental health issues end up in the juvenile justice system becaue no one has any better ideas or options. Parents are routinely told (by both professionals and friends/family) to draw the line and have their kids arrested when they get aggressive. So real juvenile delingquents and kids with mental health disorders get all mixed in together. It's a really bad mix, so very often parents turn to RTCs when they can't bring the kids home yet, because they don't have any other options.
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I'll say. Wonder how many of these kids are on meds making them act out and get in trouble with the juvenile justice system? Realistically, I would venture to say many. It's a vicious cycle. The kid can't win. Forced to take drugs that cause serious behavioral problems landing them in juvie or a program. I have seen many, many cases of this exact scenario. One case in Texas a child was on some anti-depressant and shot and killed his father. He was just 10 years old. Christopher Pittman is another example. He's doing 30 years for shooting his grandparents while on Paxil and coming off Zoloft.
When is this insanity going to stop? These deaths are preventable at many steps along the way, though it's clear no child should die while in the care of "professionals". The drugging of kids is being excused and that is a HUGE PART OF THE PROBLEM.
Bottom line is these programs must have all kinds of issues with kids caused by the meds they are taking. Sounds like a PRESCRIPTION FOR POTENTIAL DISASTER to me.
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Please tell me Pitbull Mom is not getting herself into something she may come to regret? I can understand wanting to spread the word, but CAICA and Isabelle Zehnder appear to have a history of credibility issues that I don't think PB needs to get herself tangled up in. Go to the ISAC website and read their watchlist of facilities and referral agents. CAICA is on their list. Also, the referral free zone.info is a good resource.
http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 433#288433 (http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?p=288433#288433)
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I'll say. Wonder how many of these kids are on meds making them act out and get in trouble with the juvenile justice system? Realistically, I would venture to say many. It's a vicious cycle. The kid can't win. Forced to take drugs that cause serious behavioral problems landing them in juvie or a program. I have seen many, many cases of this exact scenario. One case in Texas a child was on some anti-depressant and shot and killed his father. He was just 10 years old. Christopher Pittman is another example. He's doing 30 years for shooting his grandparents while on Paxil and coming off Zoloft.
When is this insanity going to stop? These deaths are preventable at many steps along the way, though it's clear no child should die while in the care of "professionals". The drugging of kids is being excused and that is a HUGE PART OF THE PROBLEM.
Bottom line is these programs must have all kinds of issues with kids caused by the meds they are taking. Sounds like a PRESCRIPTION FOR POTENTIAL DISASTER to me.
[/b]
Which is why parents need better family coaching and therapy options.
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A child was on Paxil and Zoloft??
Jesus what sort of quackery is it when they are oput on this stuff
It's widely avoided here due to the fact that so many people either commit suicide or murder when on these drugs, especialy Paxil - I really wonder about some doctors, they're more mental than the kids
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I can understand wanting to spread the word, but CAICA and Isabelle Zehnder appear to have a history of credibility issues that I don't think PB needs to get herself tangled up in.
Yeah. I totally agree. I don't see where Izzy fits in to this right now, but I agree. I wouldn't trust her farther than i could throw her (which isn't very far at all considering...)
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I can understand wanting to spread the word, but CAICA and Isabelle Zehnder appear to have a history of credibility issues that I don't think PB needs to get herself tangled up in.
Yeah. I totally agree. I don't see where Izzy fits in to this right now, but I agree. I wouldn't trust her farther than i could throw her (which isn't very far at all considering...)
PB Mom isn't getting tangled up in anything except exposing what happened to her son.
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If PB mom is mucking about with Izzy it would be more "smothered" than "tangled".
doubt it though.. I think Pb Mom learned her lesson about El Lardo grande when the fat twat posted one of PB mom's emails on her web page(caca).
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PB Mom isn't getting tangled up in anything except exposing what happened to her son.
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PB Mom isn't getting tangled up in anything except exposing what happened to her son.
Do always talk about yourself in the 3rd person?
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PB Mom isn't getting tangled up in anything except exposing what happened to her son.
Do always talk about yourself in the 3rd person?
No, just too busy to log in. what about you, do you always remain anonymous?
I, Pitbull Mom, am not getting tangled up in anything except exposing what happened to my son. If I step on a few toes in the process, or piss anyone off, so be it.
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Kristen Hayes
Communications Manager
562-229-2204
October 19, 2007
Youth Care, our staff and our community continue to be greatly saddened by the unfortunate death of one of our students this past June. We again wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of this young man.
Following a thorough investigation, the Utah State Department of Human Services has reached a resolution with Youth Care allowing us to continue serving our students and families with the highest level of quality care and service. Charges have been filed with the two former staff members on-duty at the time of the event, however we are confident that a criminal prosecution ultimately will be found to be unjustified and unwarranted.
Youth Care is a fully licensed and accredited residential treatment center. Our board-certified and licensed medical professionals have helped over 1,300 students with mental health and chemical dependency issues over the past 18 years.
Youth Care has adhered to the highest standards of care and currently meets or exceeds all industry and state requirements. We worked closely with local and state officials throughout the investigation, and following a thorough internal review, made proactive enhancements to our already strong policies and procedures. Our outstanding record, without other serious incident over the past two decades, contributed to this resolution, as did our comprehensive training protocols that were shown to have been in place prior to this unfortunate event.
We sincerely appreciate the understanding and compassion that our parents and referral sources have demonstrated during this difficult time. We look forward to continuing to serve you.
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Referral sources?
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Same ole' story. Blame the staff. Fire the staff. Then business as usual.
Same animal, but with different spots.
Catherine Sutton
Surviving Parent of a "Dumber than Rocks Wilderness Program" that claimed the life of my daughter.
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But notice - Youth Care is still defending these staff members they "fired."
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CampSafety where you there for the hearings?
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Youth Care’s Press Release is just damage control. The police investigated thoroughly, and discovered, obviously, evidence of a crime, otherwise they would not have charged 2 individual with felony neglect. If the charges are reduced or dropped, it will be a sham, and will prove that programs in Utah receive preferential treatment, as was evidenced by the inadequate investigation done by the Office of Licensing. They found the facility in violation of 2 policies, but did not choose to fine the facility or suspend their license. They only issued conditional licensing sanctions, allowing them to operate, with only have 5 new intakes in a 30 day period.
Their license is on CONDITIONAL STATUS for 90 days per the Office of Licensing.
The only place I have found the press release so far is on Struggling Teens here.
http://http://www.strugglingteens.com/artman/publish/YouthCarePR_071019.shtml
PBMOM
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No surprise there. This has been going in Utah for years. Holding children accountable for their own deaths is SOP in the industry, but no where more consistently does this occur than Utah. Home of more than 200 programs and a litany of deaths related to abuse and neglect.
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I certainly hope the GAO is going to follow this case as it unfolds as evidence of the consistently inadequate treatment these cases recieve both by the Office of Licensing in Utah, and in the criminal arena.
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"unfortunate event" ?? A kid dies, and it's just an "unfortunate event"...
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CampSafety where you there for the hearings?
There WAS NO FREAKING "HEARING". The office of Licensing made a DEAL with Youth Care, after I requested that I be allowed to attend the "hearing". I contested this action with Attorney General, but since they represent the Office of Licensing, my complaint fell on deaf ears. I have also written to the Governers of both Utah and California, and contacted the George Miller, the GAO and several civil rights groups about this sham of a proceeding. At ther VERY LEAST a huge fine would have been appropriate.
"pissed off "PBMOM :flame:
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Damn, unsurprising, shame.....
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Pitbull Mom - do you mind telling us how you came to choose this particular program? Was it recommended to you by someone or did you find it soley on your own? The reason I ask is that press release thanks Aspens' "referral sources". Who are these sources? If you were referred, can you tell us by whom and whether they received a fee either through the program, itself, or charged you for their referral/placement assistance?
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Following a thorough investigation, the Utah State Department of Human Services has reached a resolution with Youth Care allowing us to continue serving our students and families with the highest level of quality care and service
Excuse me -
Two staff members were fired, and have been charged with felonies in the death of this child; and Youth Care want to "continue" offering families and their children this "highest level of quality care and services?"
What are the "conditions" the Utah Office of Licencing has imposed on this facility?
What policy changes has Youth Care agreed to, to assure that other children will be provided emergency medical care, when needed?
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“more than 2,500 cases in a five-year period in which teachers were punished for actions from bizarre to sadistic. And no one has found a surefire way to keep molesting teachers out of classrooms.â€
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But the difference is, in the public school system, it's not approved of.
For the programs, it's a critical hiring criterion.
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“more than 2,500 cases in a five-year period in which teachers were punished for actions from bizarre to sadistic. And no one has found a surefire way to keep molesting teachers out of classrooms.â€
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The discussion was about a child who DIED in a program; not teachers who molest children in public schools.
BIG DIFFERENCE !
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The discussion was about a child who DIED in a program; not teachers who molest children in public schools.
BIG DIFFERENCE !
The point seemed to have been that the schools rarely get shut down, fined or anything else. They focus on the people who made the mistake and address them, not the institutions. This seems to apply public and private, licensed, non licensed, regulated, non regulated, Therapuetic, non therapeutic.
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I, too, would like to know about the referral sources Aspen gives thanks to for their support.
A child has died at one of Aspen's programs and of causes that were preventable, or at least treatable, had he been taken to the hospital for emergency care.
And the referral sources are being "supportive"? GMAFB! You would think they would be appalled.
PB, were you referred? If so, by whom?
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“more than 2,500 cases in a five-year period in which teachers were punished for actions from bizarre to sadistic. And no one has found a surefire way to keep molesting teachers out of classrooms.â€
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I, too, would like to know about the referral sources Aspen gives thanks to for their support.
A child has died at one of Aspen's programs and of causes that were preventable, or at least treatable, had he been taken to the hospital for emergency care.
And the referral sources are being "supportive"? GMAFB! You would think they would be appalled.
PB, were you referred? If so, by whom?
Sort of, but not by a referral source that gets a fee. I got a recommendation from another mom whose son went there, and did well with Dialectic Behavior Therapy and one on one coaching, learning coping and communication skills for high functioning autism. She did not recieve a fee. I interviewed the son who went to YC too. I also recieved an Aspen brochure with info on various Aspen programs, including Youth Care, from the psych unit he was on for a month. (After his death, the SW notified me they won't be passing out any more Aspen brochures.) I was very leery of ed cons or any other referral source because of the fees. I assume the school district also checked them out, since his placement was going to be funded under his IEP.
I don't know who Aspen's "referral sources" are, but I would like to know.
PBM
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Wikipedia page on DBT (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavioral_therapy)
Distress tolerance
Most approaches to mental health treatment focus on changing distressing events and circumstances. They have paid little attention to accepting, finding meaning for, and tolerating distress. This task has generally been tackled by religious and spiritual communities and leaders. Dialectical behavioral therapy emphasizes learning to bear pain skillfully.
Distress tolerance skills constitute a natural development from mindfulness skills. They have to do with the ability to accept, in a non-evaluative and nonjudgmental fashion[what does this mean?], both oneself and the current situation. Although the stance advocated here is a nonjudgmental one, this does not mean that it is one of approval: acceptance of reality is not approval of reality.
Distress tolerance behaviors are concerned with tolerating and surviving crises and with accepting life as it is in the moment. Four sets of crisis survival strategies are taught: distracting, self-soothing, improving the moment, and thinking of pros and cons. Acceptance skills include radical acceptance, turning the mind toward acceptance, and willingness versus willfulness.
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Do you think this has anything to do with why your son was ignored?
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hansomon4,
Yes, I did attend the GAO hearings in DC.
I felt the hearings were very positive and I look forward to their continued investigation. I would like to see DHS and the Governors Office put under the microscope.
Money trail.................
Corporate ladder........
Politics, Greed, Mindset............
The deadly trio strikes again!!
Catherine
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Wikipedia page on DBT (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavioral_therapy)
Distress tolerance
Most approaches to mental health treatment focus on changing distressing events and circumstances. They have paid little attention to accepting, finding meaning for, and tolerating distress. This task has generally been tackled by religious and spiritual communities and leaders. Dialectical behavioral therapy emphasizes learning to bear pain skillfully.
Distress tolerance skills constitute a natural development from mindfulness skills. They have to do with the ability to accept, in a non-evaluative and nonjudgmental fashion[what does this mean?], both oneself and the current situation. Although the stance advocated here is a nonjudgmental one, this does not mean that it is one of approval: acceptance of reality is not approval of reality.
Distress tolerance behaviors are concerned with tolerating and surviving crises and with accepting life as it is in the moment. Four sets of crisis survival strategies are taught: distracting, self-soothing, improving the moment, and thinking of pros and cons. Acceptance skills include radical acceptance, turning the mind toward acceptance, and willingness versus willfulness.
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Do you think this has anything to do with why your son was ignored?
I doubt it.. More the age old program ideology of ignoring a resident's "manipulation".
Can't trust these kids you know.. they manipulate everything, everyone, all day, everyday, and so on and so forth.
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Wikipedia page on DBT (http://http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dialectical_behavioral_therapy)
Distress tolerance
Most approaches to mental health treatment focus on changing distressing events and circumstances. They have paid little attention to accepting, finding meaning for, and tolerating distress. This task has generally been tackled by religious and spiritual communities and leaders. Dialectical behavioral therapy emphasizes learning to bear pain skillfully.
Distress tolerance skills constitute a natural development from mindfulness skills. They have to do with the ability to accept, in a non-evaluative and nonjudgmental fashion[what does this mean?], both oneself and the current situation. Although the stance advocated here is a nonjudgmental one, this does not mean that it is one of approval: acceptance of reality is not approval of reality.
Distress tolerance behaviors are concerned with tolerating and surviving crises and with accepting life as it is in the moment. Four sets of crisis survival strategies are taught: distracting, self-soothing, improving the moment, and thinking of pros and cons. Acceptance skills include radical acceptance, turning the mind toward acceptance, and willingness versus willfulness.
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Do you think this has anything to do with why your son was ignored?
No, I don't, but it's a good question. I don't think even a tough adult could 'tolerate' the pain of a bowel infarction.
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Bump
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bump