http://cafety.org/index.php?option=com_ ... &Itemid=38It was recently brought to our attention that 'End Institutionalized Child Abuse Act of 2005', bill HR 1738 has stalled in Sub-Committee for Select Education. As citizens concerned for the well being of youth we ask that you please give this bill the appropriate time and consideration it deserves.
Many of us in support of HR 1738 are young people who have been abused or treated with methods that are not consistent with ethical principles and scientific based therapeutic techniques whose efficacy has been proven. This is mainly so because these facilities escape standards applicable to regulated RTC's by calling themselves names which differ such as wilderness programs, therapeutic boarding schools, or are religiously exempt.
Standards at RTC's were developed in the interest of protecting the well being, safety and the rights of youth. Over the past 15 years, however, since this industry has begun to grow exponentially, we regularly hear of these standards being violated, risking countless young people?s lives and well being, as well as we have witnessed a great resistance from the industry to regulation. Simply because a person who decides to open a facility and may be interested in introducing their own method of what they would consider therapy does not, however, exempt these facilities from proving they are not harming young people with experimental treatment and that they should not ensure that rights of youth are not being violated.
Many of these facilities, for instance, do not even afford youth the same rights afforded young people in what is considered the most restrictive from of institutionalization- psychiatric hospitalization- that is, access to advocates. By law in most if not all states, youth must have access to advocates and procedures in place to voice grievances and contest placement, yet in the select states with a disproportionate number of unregulated facilities, such rights are not granted- nor are such basic rights as freedom of speech and expression. Young people have no way of contacting anyone in the case of neglectful or abusive treatment, nor in instances where pseudo therapeutic intervention is harming them- they have no right to express dissent or have their thoughts heard, as frequently any dissent is deemed manipulative. This is but a few of many possible examples that point to the significance of holding a hearing on HR 1738, which would provide financial incentives for states to regulate and license these facilities.
In a recent news article a young women describes her experience at a facility, touted as the best by educational consultants who connect parents to these therapeutic facilities, as having the effect of ?obliterating her mind?. This young woman, like many others, still suffer from depression and anxiety from being tormented by the staff and forced to dig tree stumps for months on end as therapy. This ?therapy? was as a result of not telling staff what they thought was true or feeling she was not giving herself entirely to the program?it is also worth noting that the headmaster at this particular facility is not qualified to run therapy, yet determined the ?consequences? for what he deemed was her ?resistance? to the program. It comes as no surprise to most who have experienced these facilities that such a statement would be made. The experience of being forced to believe and act in such a manner inconsistent with reality and ones true feelings is difficult to describe. To be physically controlled in an effort to force a belief that reality is what the program deems reality to be, with regular fear tactics imposed such as stating ?confessing all regularly or be punished? as the only way to escape certain death, or to achieve freedom and connect once more with family is to ask one to completely turn over themselves (and mind) to the program without question? this is not therapy, but forced obedience. For some, years of this type of powerless imprisonment becomes mental torture from which it takes years to recover.
Young people who enter these facilities are often troubled and are in need of help, but many of these facilities stick to the one size fits all approach. They advertise as being able to handle any issue ranging from adoption issues, to eating disorders, drug addition and sexual abuse issues yet, in many of our experiences these are simply misleading gimmicks. Ultimately the individualized approach is not an accurate assessment of what the program actually provided and it is our nations young people, who need the most, are being served the least.
We sincerely hope that as chairman of Subcommittee on Select Education that you will take a moment to review HR 1738 and research what mental health professionals and alumni concerns are about these facilities. Far too many young people have been harmed and parents conned into assuming what has been proven to be obvious quackery is now passing for therapy and care. Youth continue graduating from these facilities, suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, socially impaired and struggle to pick up the pieces of their lives. No child should have to seek therapy for what was supposed to be a therapeutic experience to begin with, as so many of us have. Please consider the significance of action, or rather, in action on this important issue.
Sincerely,
