Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => The Troubled Teen Industry => Topic started by: Chase08 on July 03, 2004, 12:05:00 AM
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I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT SPRING CREEK LODGE, OR ANY OTHER W.A.S.P. PROGRAMS ARE PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY HORRIBLE PLACE FOR TROUBLED TEEENS. I KNOW BECAUSE I WAS THERE 9 LONG MONTHS, AND THAT'S A SHORT TIME RELATIVE TO KIDS THAT HAVE STAYED MORE THAN 4 YEARS! THESE PROGRAMS MANIPULATE YOU, AND IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING SENDING YOUR KID THERE PLEASE CONTACT ME AT CDEKKO@HYDE.EDU BEFORE YOU DO FOR ANY QUESTIONS, AND I CAN PROVIDE ANY OTHER INFO. *********NOTE: I'VE SEEN THINGS SO GRAPHIC HAPPEN THERE (AND HEARD OF THINGS HAPPENING AT OTHER W.A.S.P. PROGRAMS) THAT ARE PROBABLY TOO EXPLICIT TO POST. TRUST ME, DON'T SEND YOUR KID TO ANY OF THESE PROGRAMS!
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I feel horrible.. I sent my daughter there two weeks ago and now I am finding out a lot of things over the internet that make me doubt what I have done. If anyone has any information I need to know please email me at dresehand1@aol.com. Thanks
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Post what happened to you, graphic depiction and all, so the mom above can consider giving herself a wake up call and bringing her kid home.
Mom, how will you like it when your kid is posting to some forum 30 years from now, talking about his nightmares and inablility to function in normal society, regretting he has had to keep a horrible secret from his wife, his boss, his children?
Wake up.
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Thank you so much for being so honest. I had already emailed the individual Chase who posted. I have been on the internet for days researching and what I have found is horrifying. I had no idea.. We were a broken family who reached out for help and of course these scammers came to our "rescue" with all the answers. I knew I had this sick feeling in my stomach for the past few weeks. I've hardly slept. I'm going to get my daughter. she needs me..not abuse..
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THANK YOU!
THANK YOU FOR SAVING YOUR DAUGHTER!
When she gets out, listen to her, tell her you are sorry, BELIEVE EVEYRTHING SHE TELLS YOU.
Tell the story to the people at askquestions.org about the teen help industry. I think its editors@askquestions.org check their thing about the teen help industry. Also, post the story here if you can bare to do so.
Thank you for being a good mom, and not just a program parent!!!
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Mom waslooking for an excuse to go pick up her daughter. She could read literally hundreds of positive stories, but she chose to believe the handful of "victim" stories. Daughter will again be back in control because of mom's guilt and giving her whatever it takes to "forgive" her for doing that to her... :lol:
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See what we mean by brainwashing?
Or, for that matter, what a 'troll' is.
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I rescued my own child after a month in an abusive residential program, sometimes you need to trust your God given mother's intuition. I also had a horrible feeling that something was terribly wrong. Those feelings are there for a reason - to protect your offspring from harm.
I made the right decision. They were messing with her education - preventing her from going to school and isolating her instead (staring at the wall all day long) 8 months later - she has been clean and sober thanks to AA (a FREE program), her AA sponcer, A good family therapist - she has graduated from high school, is working, planning to go to college. This would not have happenend IF I HAD LEFT HER THERE. It took a lot of my time - but it was worth it.
Don't feel guilty - go and get your daughter out of Spring Creek Lodge - there have been many reports of abuse.
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*** Mom waslooking for an excuse to go pick up her daughter. She could read literally hundreds of positive stories, but she chose to believe the handful of "victim" stories. Daughter will again be back in control because of mom's guilt and giving her whatever it takes to "forgive" her for doing that to her... :lol:
Even if your interpretation of this situation were accurate, please explain what you found amusing? I mean, if you truly feel the girl desperately needed 'treatment' the mother was preventing her from getting; why would you find that funny? Or choose to ridicule the mother? Let's face it, you know nothing about this teen or this family's situation.
Even if your interpretation were accurate, please explain what business it is of your's what this mother 'chooses'?
You Waspies are soooo big on 'choices', why can't you 'choose' to accept other parents choices, even if god forbid they were wrong; and lay off the criticism of those who remove their children?
What's the payoff for you?
Your interpretation of parent/child relationships is really whack. Kids are never 'in control', although they might desperately want to be. They are and always will be at the mercy of their parents choices and/or the laws of society. And, one who exhibits destructive, disconnected, distressed behavior is NOT someone who is 'in control'. In fact, quiet the opposite.
You are 'choosing' to be a nosey control freak. Choosing to think you know better than this mother what is in the best interest of HER child. Bad, bad choices!! My goodness, would you be attempting to 'control' this mother by influencing her choice? In effect suggesting she not allow her daughter to control her, but to defer to your control?
I'd go a step further and say that your comment was also designed to influence other parents choices who may be riding the fence, questioning their choice to incarcerate their teen. I mean, no parent wants to feel a 'victim' of their kid, or that they are failures if they choose to remove them.
There are many 'success' stories that don't include having one's teen isolated from the world and BM'd into a passive stupor. Your attitude toward teens and parents should be a big red flag for anyone considering this option.
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I was not looking for an "excuse" to go get my daughter. I took her there with the intention of letting her stay a year because I was lied and manipulated into believe this would "save" my child. It has been two weeks and I thought I had made the right choice. It was only just the other day when I was checking into their "seminars" to sign up for did all this came out. I came across your forum as well as other people who have told me horror stories and one is from a sick, and I mean, in a health way who was there. She is plagued by nightmares, has developed an eating disorder and a national magazine has published her story. She is struggling hard and has begged me not to do that to my child. I believed this program was to be academically based, not mind control. I dont want someone "breaking her down" so they can reprogram her mind. I loved her mind, just not her choices. I dont want a little mindless robot doing everything I wanted. I like her spunk and who she is. I didnt want to change that. I wanted her to finish school since she was struggling with that. I never wanted this. I see now that all these programs want are money and they have education consultants aka recruiters who stand to gain a lot of money by convincing you that this will your answer and you are saving your child. The only thing I want to save my child from is them...We plan on setting my child up with a great therapist, which is what she needs and they do not offer..I'll do anything to protect my child. Thanks again.. and for the cynic..you are brainwashed..
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You are doing the right thing. I faced a similar situation several months ago. There are other less drastic measures. We started independent study - which removed her from any negative peer influence. Completely screened all friends and dates. Instituted a strict curfew and had to know exactly where she was and who she was with. Literrally told those who were a negative influence to stop contacting her. Therapy and daily AA meetings helped.
I can say this about the abusive program - as I always try to find something postive about a negative experience. She did learn that people who use drugs and alcohol get no respect and no one cares what happens to them - and this was a major reason for HER desire to change.
Best Wishes to you and your child.[ This Message was edited by: cherish wisdom on 2004-07-06 10:56 ]
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Thanks for all the encouragement. As the other person said, you should listen to your mother's intuition. I have never been lead wrong before, and I think your instinct is to protect your child. When I was feeling that strange vibe at SCL while dropping my daughter off I just tried to dismiss it as a normal parent's anxiety. At that point, I still believed in everything. Once it all came out and I learned about this program, I knew it wasnt just the normal anxiety, my heart was telling me to help her and fast.. I know there are good programs out there but I'm not convinced this was the right choice for me. I say to any parent looking into a "boarding school" do your homework before you take your child..not after.. There is so much out there good and bad on the internet to sort out but at least you'll know you made an informed decision. All I had were "consultants" telling me what an excellent decision I was making to "save" my child and how going into debt, taking out second mortgages etc.. was all worth it.. Easy for them to say, we're paying their bills while we're going bankrupt..No thanks.. Best wishes to all parents seeking the right choice for their child.
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http://www.wwasprebuttal.com/ (http://www.wwasprebuttal.com/) -
Pay close attention to Case 1 and Case 2 regarding internet postings.
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I guess what I am supposed to believe is that all of these people who have come forth are just in fact made up and do not exist. Hmmmmmm
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If the program is so honest, forthright and justified; Why is it there is no way what-so-ever for any critic to rebut their claims on their site?
Why is it that you must so blindly trust the Program?
Why is it that anyone questioning whats going on in the program gets booted from their BBS?
What is it they are so afraid of?
If they are as bathed in the light of truth as they claim, why must the critics be ejected to the wide open internet to voice their concerns?
Could it be, that in this way, they can claim the critics have no credibility and have agendas; Where-as if they remained on the BBS, or were allowed access to rebut the rebuttal, their obvious credibility and lack of an agenda would be to difficult to refute?
I think so.
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There have been hundreds of reports of abuse and sexual improprieties at WWASP facilities. These programs attract sadist, pediophiles and predators of all types. Many are unregulated, unlicensed and staff members are often unscreened. The authorities do nothing when parents and former students report abuse. Here is an aritcal by a reporter: (WWASP does not have a leg to stand on - parents who send their children there are essentially paying others to abuse their own children)
Parents call 'tough love' center abusive
Trouble follows program to help wayward teens
Spring Creek Lodge Academy, home to thousands of wayward children since 1996, calls itself ?a safe haven for change.? Many parents swear with near-religious devotion that the program, one of the nation's largest, has saved their sons and daughters. Others have come to curse it.
The program is affiliated with the World Wide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools, or WWASPS, a multimillion-dollar business in the industry of ?tough love? programs and "specialty boarding schools" that have flourished, often unregulated, for two decades.
WWASPS affiliates in Mexico, Costa Rica, Western Samoa and the Czech Republic have closed under accusations of cruelty since 1996. The affiliate in Costa Rica collapsed in May when students revolted. A review of seven of the company's largest affiliates in the United States, where it remains the fastest-growing program of its kind, found accusations of misconduct or wrongdoing at four of them. In Utah and South Carolina, state officials have cited the programs and their staffs for violations including child abuse and overcrowding, and they have challenged their right to operate. At the company's largest affiliate, Spring Creek, the program and its staff have been accused of sexual abuse, physical violence and psychological duress.
WWASPS, whose programs house about 2,400 youths in all, some as young as 10, has fought and denied all charges. The founder, Robert Lichfield, 49, called the allegations part of a difficult business. ?When you have troubled kids and troubled parents ? any school or program that works with troubled kids has complaints,? Lichfield said. ?We're no different.? He attributed the growth of WWASPS to ?the breakdown of the family. When the family is not functioning,? he said, ?society suffers.?
WWASPS has flourished and profited by tapping a deep well of woe in American families, interviews and correspondence with more than 200 parents, children, staff members and program officials made clear. Parents said they turned to the programs in exasperation, or exhaustion, seeking salvation, or in some cases exile, for their sons and daughters. Many say WWASPS was their only alternative after schools, public health systems, counseling and the courts failed them.
Spring Creek's associate director, Chaffin Pullan, 32, said, ?We're crazy enough to say, 'Hey, we'll take your child, and we'll work on their values.'?
But at Spring Creek, as at several other affiliates, some of that work takes place under conditions and circumstances that some children and parents call physically and psychologically brutal. Where state regulators have challenged affiliates, government officials often spend years trying to place controls on the programs or sanction them for defiance of licensing rules. South Carolina officials, for example, after four years of fighting, have barred Narvin Lichfield, the brother of the WWASPS founder, from Carolina Springs Academy, the program that Narvin Lichfield owns in the tiny town of Due West.
In Utah, officials are wrestling with Majestic Ranch, which takes children as young as 10, and where a program director was recently charged with child abuse, as well as with a new program at the flagship affiliate, Cross Creek, for clients older than 18. Neither program has obtained the required operating license, state officials said.
Robert Lichfield, who once said he believed that only Satan stood in the way of the programs' goals, said state authorities were merely reacting to pressure from parents or reporters, adding, ?If I was in their position, I would be doing the same thing.?
In Montana, where 50 other programs for troubled teenagers have opened in addition to Spring Creek, the state does not regulate private schools, state officials say. ?We have a tremendous number ? an inordinate amount ? of these programs in western Montana,? said Paul Clark, a Montana state legislator who represents the Thompson Falls area and also runs a program for about a dozen wayward teenagers. But the state lacks the capacity or the expertise to regulate them, Clark said. ?We'll get action after there's a crisis.?
Many children from the affiliate that collapsed in Costa Rica wound up at Spring Creek, where the enrollment has doubled to about 500 since 2000, and whose parents pay roughly $40,000 a year and up. That growth has created a demand for trained teachers and counselors, staff members say. The program is the largest employer in this corner of Montana, where jobs are scarce and wages low. As the school has grown, so have charges of abuse.
A log cabin with tiny isolation rooms, called the Hobbit, stands on the edge of Spring Creek's compound in the woods. Some teenagers, like Alex Ziperovich, 16, say they have spent months in the Hobbit, eating meals of beans and bananas. ?He came out 35 pounds lighter, acting like a zombie,? said his mother, Michele Ziperovich, a Seattle lawyer. ?When he came back, he was worse, far worse.?
In March, a 20-year-old staff member was charged by the county prosecutor with sexually assaulting two boys in the Hobbit, one 14 and the other 17. He denies the charges.
In June, one girl was beaten by students with a shower-curtain rod; in September 2002, a student bent on escape beat a guard with a vacuum-cleaner pipe and shattered his cheekbone, Pullan and several present and former staff members said. The September assault followed a similar attack three weeks earlier; Thompson Falls residents say escape attempts are rising.
Pullan, Spring Creek's assistant director, said the center was curtailing use of the isolation rooms. He called the recent violence against staff members unusual and ?horrific.? He is convinced that Spring Creek is helping the vast majority of its children. Some parents of children damaged by drugs, drinking, depression or divorce said that WWASPS programs were their sole alternative.
?We refer to it, my husband and I, as the program of last resort,? Debbie Wood said. She and her husband moved from Seattle to Thompson Falls in March to be near their son, Sam, now 17, at Spring Creek. ?I don't know of another program that would fill our needs the way WWASPS has,? Wood said.
A crucial part of the company's effort to shape its success is a requisite series of emotional-growth seminars for parents. ?The seminars are the most important thing we have experienced as a family,? said Rosemary Hinch, a teacher in Phoenix. ?It was painful. It was hard,? Hinch said. ?They teach you to take a really good look at yourself.?
But the seminars convinced Michele Ziperovich to pull her son Alex out. ?It was 300 adults screaming and beating on chairs, three days of no sleep, and after that, you'll buy into whatever they say,? Ziperovich said.
By Tim Weiner
15 September 2003
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... 293329.DTL (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/chronicle/a/2003/09/12/MN293329.DTL)
Applying computer technology is simply finding the right wrench to pound in the correct screw.
--Bastard Administrator
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To the mom who god her kid out -
Get your child (when your kid is ready and willing) to tell the story of what happened and put it up here. Go to the people at askquestions.org (click on teen help industry) and send your stuff to the editors.
Getting this information out DIRECTLY FROM THE PEOPLE IN THERE will help in that 1. its RECENT INFO and 2. you can shut up the brainwashed idiots by telling them to their face "Well, gee golly willickers, I just dealt with this MYSELF! You can't call ME a liar".
And, again, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. ::bigsmilebounce::
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Generally, WWASP Parents who have had sufficient time and involvement with the WWASP Schools and Programs are not affected by the truth behind the allegations that many people have promulgated. This is mostly due to the fact that the parents have had sufficient personal experience with the Schools and Programs to be brain washed. Fortunately, these people have swayed a few of the new or prospective parents who were open minded because they did not have sufficient personal experience with the Schools or Programs. This is why the WWASP felt they had to sue some people for defamation, conspiracy, and business interference. Furthermore, these people have helped and assisted many former students who are struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. They enlist these former students to come forward with their personal experience, and allegations for the news media and on the Internet. This is fairly easy to do because News reporters are often more interested in creating sensationalism or controversy and the program has plenty of both. WWASP can provide you with many graphic examples of inaccuracies and falsehoods contained in news accounts. There are also numerous people who feel that they have had their words deliberately twisted, changed, or ignored by news reporters in order to sensationalize an article. These would naturally be from the legion of faithful who have been with the programs long enough to be programmed. (For this information: e-mail and request news media info) It is no wonder that a recent Gallop Poll showed that only 36% of people believe that the press generally gets the facts correct. The other 74% believe all are lying manipulators.
The Internet is even more unreliable. It is often a haven for fabrications, lies, biases, rumors, and gossip. This is because anyone can post anything on the Internet as factual even though inaccurate or even down right dishonest. We know this, because we do this to great effect and huge profit. Most forums don't require you to even identify yourself nor do they monitor or preview any postings for accuracy or honesty. In contrast, we monitor our BBS very carefully and get rid of anyone who begins to approach the truth about us.
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This is Alex Ziperovich speaking here, who was quoted without my consent in an article that was nonetheless accurate and factual. My mother wasn't there, none of you speaking about Spring Creek spent any time there, and the vast majority of those involved in SCL's commentary have had no direct interaction with this program. I, however, spent about 4 months locked down in the lower levels of Spring Creek. My story is incredibly difficult to tell and extremely painful to recall. It is a huge source of anger between my parents and I to this day, almost 4 years later. And it remains a huge source of anger for me, in an abstract sense whenever I stop to remember it. The place is horrific, abusive, and in the spirit of a russian gulag or concentration camp, and I AM NOT EXAGGERATING. There are easy comparisons to be made, especially from a kid that was there for awhile. Anyway, feel free to email me for more information, and I would be to give my account of what takes place in there and of what I know from eyewitness accounts about the other even more horrendous programs in foreign countries. Bigzip44@mac.com is my email address, and I'm in the process of recording a complete account of my time at spring creek for the benefit of everyone involved, especially kids who might be subjected to its abuses in the future.
- Alex
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Very clever .
Speaking of lies and misquotes; where does 97% success come into to play?
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Hi Alex,
I think that is a great idea. When I got out of CCM back in the early 90's I wrote down pages, and pages of what happened to me. I have no idea where the heck they are though?!! I've moved a few times since. I would write down all the stuff that did happen to you, but more importantly write down what an average day was like for you there. I think people would understand more if you could explain to them what an average day in hell is actually like.
Take care,
M