son in WWASP program

[wwasp dad]

hi folks,
  just thought i would bring another side to all this information. my son has been at a WWASP school since 2/05, and he has been doing fantastic the last 6 months or so.  before i get unloaded on, i'd like to give you a bit of background info. he was 16 1/2 years old when we sent him there.  he had been a great young man up to the last 6 or 8 months before we sent him there, well i guess that's just me, he was just a typical teenager with all the problems and ups and downs that teens have.  then he found the drug we call METH, and he went downhill very, very quickly.  i won't go into the details because i'm sure you've all heard or read about this terrible shit. so we tried mental health pros, drug treatment, understanding and just went through all our options..all to no avail.  then we heard of this program and decided to try it.  it has been the best track we could have taken.  was i totally sold on it right away?? hell no--but over the past year and 1/2 i can't argue with the results--does he love it there??--another hell no, who would..but he's happy with alot of the tools he's learned about and can use in everyday life--i'm still not a program moonie, but as i said before, i can't argue the results..oh, and by the way-his mouth or nose isn't in a pile of METH either---and the thing that scares him more then anything is the thought of that drug, and what would happen if he did it just once again...........

          thanks for your time---wwasp dad

---------PS- - please reply with your opinion, i like to see the other side of things

[Anonymous]

Please watch this....

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid ... 9640426410

[CCM girl 1989]

On 2006-04-13 14:46:00, wwasp dad wrote:

"hi folks,

  just thought i would bring another side to all this information. my son has been at a WWASP school since 2/05, and he has been doing fantastic the last 6 months or so.  before i get unloaded on, i'd like to give you a bit of background info. he was 16 1/2 years old when we sent him there.  he had been a great young man up to the last 6 or 8 months before we sent him there, well i guess that's just me, he was just a typical teenager with all the problems and ups and downs that teens have.  then he found the drug we call METH, and he went downhill very, very quickly.  i won't go into the details because i'm sure you've all heard or read about this terrible shit. so we tried mental health pros, drug treatment, understanding and just went through all our options..all to no avail.  then we heard of this program and decided to try it.  it has been the best track we could have taken.  was i totally sold on it right away?? hell no--but over the past year and 1/2 i can't argue with the results--does he love it there??--another hell no, who would..but he's happy with alot of the tools he's learned about and can use in everyday life--i'm still not a program moonie, but as i said before, i can't argue the results..oh, and by the way-his mouth or nose isn't in a pile of METH either---and the thing that scares him more then anything is the thought of that drug, and what would happen if he did it just once again...........



          thanks for your time---wwasp dad



---------PS- - please reply with your opinion, i like to see the other side of things"

Which gulag is he currently residing in? Okay, so you say he was doing fine until he was about to turn 16? Because he found the drug Meth. So, you tried drug rehab? Tried therapy? None of that worked? But WWASPS did? Okay so drug rehab is good at getting people off drugs, but it didn't deal with the emotional pain, and so you had him seeing a theripest? Did he like the person he was seeing, had this person dealt primarily with kids his age with drug problems?

I don't recommend any of those programs. I truely think they do more harm then good. He will say just about anything right now to get out of there, or to complete the program so he will look good in your eyes, and can come home.

It's amazing how some of us have never acted a day in our life, or maybe just flat out suck at lying, and we get put in that awful situation, and are able to act almost instantly. Because we know it could be a life or death situation. Or they make you really uncomfortable by making you hold these stress positions. Or they restrain you, which take it from me does not feel good! I won't even go into the mind games they play.

So right now you think WWASPS was a godsend? I will be intrested to see what happens when he gets out, and is faced with nightmarish thoughts of what he went through. Then when he can't make those thoughts go away, he will eventually start doing drugs again, because atleast being on Meth it was fun, and it caused him not to dwell on shit. Then when you are scratching your head going what the fuck happened, I thought he was cured? You'll understand what I am talking about. But, by that time that happens you've lost your son, there are no refunds, and basically you will feel like one big sucker like most parents do. So, then you will entertain the thought of getting a lawyer, maybe even go to meet with a couple? (BTW, I am sure they will have you bring along a copy of your enrollment agreement which basically is going to screw you, and not give you a leg to stand on). Then when they are sitting there listening to you, and probably judging you thinking your a total asshole for sending your child away, then and only then will they tell you that they cannot help you. Atleast they will if you are trying to get them to take the case on contingency. Hey, if you willing to shell out some money, they will be more then happy to take it, and tell you what you want to hear. Kinda like when WWASPS sold you on the program for your son, you bought it, and are still buying it. Whatever, if it was me, I would pull him immediatly.

[wwasp dad]

i'm just curious, were you in a wwasp school?? if not,where are you getting your info

                thanks,  wwasp dad

[Anonymous]

Meth will still be available when he gets out, and his new 'tools' only work in a locked and isolated environment. Since he'll be at a disadvantage socially because of being in a controlled environment, drug use will likely continue and even likely get worse. WWASPS is not effective drug treatment, even they should of told you this.

[Anonymous]

On 2006-04-13 16:48:00, wwasp dad wrote:

"   i'm just curious, were you in a wwasp school?? if not,where are you getting your info



                thanks,  wwasp dad

"

What "school" is/was your kid in?

[Anonymous]

and the thing that scares him more then anything is the thought of that drug, and what would happen if he did it just once again...........

That's because WWASPS specializes in attack therapy, trying to scare you into submission and from returning to old behaviors. They do not address the issues that cause drug use, or other problems, they think drug use in of itself is somehow curable. Your son will return into the exact same environment that caused him to choose to do meth in the first place, so why would anything change? If you use the home contract stuff when he comes home, it will be worse. Of course it scares him, because he knows he is not addressing the reasons why he was doing drugs. Meth isn't some contagious disease you get, you choose to use it.

[Anonymous]

i can't argue the results..oh, and by the way-his mouth or nose isn't in a pile of METH either---

Yes, you succeeded in locking him up. He could not access drugs, sex, alcohol, ciggarettes, ditch school, or do any of the other things that teens get sent to these facilities for. But he is not doing this by choice, he has been coerced. So think about how effective all this will be when he gets out. WWASP camps are an illusion, a fake reality in which you can force teens to look and act good. What they aren't, is treatment. Spending 18 months locked up in an alternate reality can change anyone to appear 'better', especially if the whole idea is to coerce teens to progress through a level system, generic in every way. There is no individual attention at WWASP, every teen, no matter their issues, is treated the same. Like cattle, they wharehouse and try to pack 'em in to maximize profit, at the expense of the teens there. Sure, it will keep a teen safe so long as they are locked up there (unless they committ suicide, which has happened), the problem is, if they had serious issues to begin with, they will go unaddressed. Since your son has a serious drug issue it seems like, it won't dissappear when he gets home. You can't punish drug use out of teens, or coerce it... it only causes teens to learn to fake everything. They learn to live in the living play that is WWASP and do what is necessary to get through it. How does this help you once you get home though? It doesn't. The social interaction is so programmed and strange he will have a hard time making friends or reconnecting with his old ones when he comes home. He will be isolated, because of this experience. Maybe I'm wrong, but I was sent for a very similar reason and I am talking from experience... and many others that I know. If you want to go check out the myspace groups and read through some of the threads and you will see for yourself.

[emaree]

I understand what caused you to send your child to the program. I don't blame my parents now for doing what they did, but deep down I do blame them for not listening to me or believing me when I tell them how damaging it was to me psycologically. There are some good messages hidden in the program's bullshit, and one of them is "let go." I know it may not be easy to accept that your child is lost to meth, but if he has been there long enough to be sober and think about the consequences of using meth, he's been there long enough. Trust me, he has already made his decision about whether or not he will continue to use, and no other progress will be made in the program, unless it's detrimental progress. If he hasn't decided for himself that he doesn't want to use anymore, he will when he gets home, most likely out of anger or to fix his feelings of hopelessness. My boyfriend used meth for over a year and he got out of that shit on his own, because he woke the fuck up to what he was doing. If that's what your son needs, he got it, and past that all you can do is support him in that decision, not hurt him by subjecting him to a long stay there. You're hurting him by keeping him there. I know that they use all these fucking testimonials and shit in the parent support news and elsewhere to strengthen your decision to keep him there, but half of them are written in the program, or fresh out of the program, or from kids who are so brainwashed they don't know which way is up. He may sound like he is okay and takes pride in the "tools" he's learned, that will change the minute he comes home, or shortly thereafter. I think I read somebody else saying that those tools are used in an isolated, unrealistic enviornment - and that is completely true. When I got home I was lost for a good first year, and those fucking "tools" did not help me deal with an abusive boyfriend, or get out of depression, or pay rent when I was kicked out by my overzealous parents. There are other options to help your son, better options. Pull him, and he probably will be much more willing to work on things with you. He knows that he was fucking up, he knows that things need to change. But right now his anger and sadness is probably stronger than his will to change, and that creates an extremely bad outlook on life for when he comes back and tries to succeed. I've talked enough, but I know that I would be much better off if my parents had believed me and given me a chance to get out of there. I am fucked up for life, and I wasn't even subjected to the worst of the abuse I know goes on at these places. They are fooling you, and every day that goes by you're putting money into the hands of people that treat him like dirt.

[Anonymous]

to wwasp dad,

As a mother of a former wwasp student..I say to you. Your son is now a robot under the control of the WWASP system....and you are brainwashed by the Seminars. I removed my son as soon as I found out what was really going on. The children are not lieing and manipulating about everything as they tell you they are. When I picked up my son he did not stop eating for 2 days. I'm ashamed of myself for not getting the facts ...as we parent all act in desperation. The long term cure or harm is what you should be thinking about. The childrens spirts are broken and at that time the children start working the program. As any of us would if we are brainwashed.

 If I could shut down every WWASP school in this country  would. $3000.00 a month they cannot hire certified instructors or councilors. It is hard to find a school that will take any of the credits your child receives while he is there.

Sir you have found only a temporay fix.  Your bigger problems will come later when the nightmares start. After your son wakes up from the state of a ROBOT

[CCM girl 1989]

On 2006-04-13 16:48:00, wwasp dad wrote:

"   i'm just curious, were you in a wwasp school?? if not,where are you getting your info



                thanks,  wwasp dad

"

I was in Cross Creek Manor back in 1989, and I never in my wildess dreams thought they would have multiplied in such great numbers. I only found out back in July when my husband and I moved, and I had some extra time so I looked up Cross Creek Manor, and discovered this whole sick mess.

I basically have devoted in the last 8 months 2 hours a day toward researching them, and what they are doing. I also talk to a lot of former students, as well as parents. I know a lot about them, and I pass along a lot of information to news and government agencies. I am doing everything in my power to put a stop to this.

It's pretty unbelievable what they are getting away with. The more you research them, the more you will see what I am talking about. I want you to do your homework.
 
You also have not told us which program your son is at? In order for us to be able to help you, I want you to tell us that much. Not only that, but it will help with your credibility. All to often we get people on here pretending to be former students, and or parents that praise the program, but cannot give us dates as far when they attended or when their kids attended. Through a series of questions we are able to find out if you are real or not. We have really good BS detectors! We are more then willing to help, and want to, but honesty is very important.

[Anonymous]

sorry to disillusion you dad but these guys are right on.  Your son's nose isn't in a pile of meth because he's locked up but some day he is going to have to deal with the real world. What you have here is a temporary fix, like all drugs. These schools are not "theraputic" in any sense of the word.  They are brutal, demeaning, demoralizing and abusive. They are run by ill-educated (if at all) people with piles of their own problems they put on the kids. I am a parent.  My daughter's psychotic father had her kidnapped and shipped out to one.  It took three weeks for me to get her out but the damage done was enormous.  She was just 13, innocent, with a beautiful,feisty spirit.  She suffered years of post traumatic stress and finally hanged herself.
It sounds like  you really care about your son.  I am sorry there is not better news about these places and I do wish  you luck with helping your son.

[emaree]

I agree with the above poster. The reason WWASP is such a lucrative business is that good people who love their children will do anything to see them happy and successful. But at some point you have to realize that this isn't the way to do it. I hope that everything works out for you, and that you look into yourself and make the right decision.

[001010]

"and the thing that scares him more then anything is the thought of that drug, and what would happen if he did it just once again........... "

This is what scares me most of all about your post. You're acting as if your son, living in terror, is good. What if he has a relapse once he gets out? He's of age at this point, and now firmly believes that if he "goes back to his old ways" he'll end up, deadinjailorinsane! What then? Allow him to kill himself, believing that now, his life will amount to nothing since he "went back," so he proceeds to place himself in danger, while seething with self-hatred, his mind encompassed  with the idea that he?s a worthless piece of garbage, now?  

Because that's what these places program your mind to, not just think, but know. So, what then? How about ten years of therapy and de-programming? Do you know what de-programming is?

That's the scariest part of all, I think. People just don't realize what these places are doing to these kids.

[Q] What happens when you murder a child's free will?
 
[A] You have a prisoner of thought, based on choices he was forced to make, rooted in
Fear and Humiliation.
 
There are other ways of raising a child besides breaking them, right? Like love and attention... time, patience, responsibility?

_________________
Teen Advocate
est (Landmark/Discovery) '83
Salesmanship Club '84-'86
Straight, Inc. '86-'88

[Nihilanthic]

Got some questions for ya:

Do you know what WWASPS does, or how it does it?

We do, and we can tell you all youd ever want to know about it, too.

Do you know of any study showing that programs are effective at reducing redivism rates for anything?

We dont either. We do know plenty about bootcamps, but not programs, that show theres no change, and while one study does exist regarding a single program, "academy at swift river" it has no control group, and itself admits that theres no way to know if it was effective or not.

It also detailed how it basically abused children to make them do what the staff wanted them to do.

The only thing WWAPSS is doing is scaring, torturing and humiliating him into doing as told. As soon as hes out of there, and eventually he will be, he wont have someone forcing him to do as told, and hell do what he wants.

How likely do you think it is the first thing hes going to do is tell you and everything to do with the program, and everyONE to do with the program, to fuck off, and probably go crazy?

Do you even know about the seminars, and what they do? Do you know about the level system?

Im sure youre scared for your childs well being, otherwise you wouldnt have forfitted your child, contact with your child, and an assload of money, but youre buying smoke and mirrors - temporary piece of mind for *YOU* at the cost of his well being, and potentially his future. There is no proof these programs work, whatsoever, and if you draw an analogue to another behavior mod system, bootcamps, theyre shown to NOT work, by innumerable studies, and also to cause lots of problems for the people who are in them later on down the line.

Plus, if you care, they're abusing him. Hes living in a world of fear of punishment and is totally isolated from everything except that program, even you. If thats what you want, then fine, in this nation youre able to treat him as chattel property until he turns 18 - but this is solving nothing, and giving him more problems to deal with himself. And even if it does brainwash him, its going to wear off in a few years at most.

So, take your pick - spend thousands of dollars on a temporary fix for YOUR piece of mind at the cost of his own, or cut your losses, pull him out, and find some actual therapy for whatever problems he had before, PLUS what WWASPS did to him now.