Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Aspen Education Group
ASR
Anonymous:
i went there, but years ago. i was just curious to see if it had changed at all and plus i'm getting my degree in social work and looking into different options - i've worked at a wilderness program since. but i think i'll stick to working with underprivileged youth and stay away from the boarding school "industry." however, i was curious nonetheless and this came up when i googled swift river. i was there just about 5 or 6 months after the school had opened. i don't know how much it has changed but when i was there, the owners and the administrative staff were as sneaky and dishonest as the students. it's a huge business. i'd say, for anyone thinking about sending their child to an aspen program, not to expect wonders - if you do it, be really clear about what you want for you and your child and have someone (therapist, ed. consultant) to walk you through it the whole way so you're on top of whatever the school is not. i think some kids get something from it, but more so because it's away from the environment they were "acting out" in. other than that, the work still remains between the guardian and their child. i think it's ridiculous to believe that a program can "fix" a child anyway, with no work from the parent/guardian, but especially within the therapeutic boarding school industry, it's important to know your own goals as parents/guardians and be clear about your boudaries and what you want from the school. sometimes the staff members don't know what they're doing, sometimes they do. sometimes they're as bad as the kids. i've heard many stories about staff getting high with students, and although i think this is more common with wilderness programs, i've heard a few stories of abuse. i think, whatever decision parents make, it's important to keep in mind that the school is a place away from home where their kid should safe - feel out the staff/faculty (visit the school). something key - a good program will incorporate the parents as much as possible into the process and... yes, hold the parents accountable as well. the parents have to be willing to do "emotional" work just as the students do. when i was there, it was very chaotic and the owners/administration lied about the facility and students. they had made things up about my life experiences before going there and because my mom and i (although things were bumpy) has a good relationship, she knew what they were saying wasn't true. they were giving dishonest information about me to a therapist who worked outside of the school who would then do write-ups to put in our academic records. my mom had to be really harsh with them because those lies would be in my records when it came time to applying to college, for jobs, etc. they also intentionally didn't give classes the students needed to postpone the amount of time students would stay there... even if students were doing fine and parents and students alike were ready to have them go back home. a good school with also be honest if it's not the right match. so, parents need to know what they're looking for, being willing to take responsibility for their part, have a connection outside of the school, and be a part of the process. if the parents go in with that attitude, they'll be able to be clear about the school and whether or not it's right for their child. they'll know if it isn't working and they need to find a different place. i'd recommend having a family therapist (if you can find a good one - haha, the hard part) and not relying 100% on the school. again, ASR may have changed since i was there, but it's still part of a huge industry. i wouldn't say don't use them, but know what you're doing and what you want out of it. there are good faculty members and counselors in the schools as well but don't expect it to "save" your child - it's a place for them to be away, to work on growing up and develop a better relationship with parents in a healthy way, and maybe if the school has improved, get something out of the experience.
Anonymous:
I am going to get jumped on by the fornits members but I currently have a son there (has been for 10 months. Things have changed for the better. There is no longer a wilderness component (which I have read about on this site to be borderline abusive).
AS for the staff (at ASR and in all of these programs) there are many loving, caring individuals. We lucked into an incredible therapist, which is perhaps why I feel positive about the school. There are also some staff that don't care. But currently, the good staff far outweigh the others.
AS for academics, we have found quite the opposite. We have chosen to accelerate his academics. He is able to complete both his junior and senior year and graduate high school (yes, I know many on this sight say they are not accredited and the diploma is worthless). Ous son is taking SAT and took ACT there (on site). He is applying to colleges and we have employed an EC to help us find the right college for him.
There are still petty little rules. In general, it is geared more toward earning positive things like a CD player, trips out on the weekends.... although our son has had his share of challenges. They are not inhumane, mostly writing assignments, not being able to sleep in on the weekends, no weekend movie or school store (snacks).
One main complaint that I have is that the kids seem quite bored on the weekends.
I think that part of our success there can be attributed to giving him a safe environment (from drugs) and time to mature. The other huge factor is the realization on ASR's part that it is a family problem. We all have issues,his sister, dad and I and we all have been addressing them as well as our son. ASR was able to address WHY our son self-medicated with drugs. He had very low self-esteem and these underlying issues had to be addressed before the drug use.
Perhaps you could work at one of these facilities and make a difference. Your background of what worked and did not for you puts you in a unique position. These programs need to change and are constantly reevaluating how to make them better.
In concept, I understand why the posters on this forum want to shut down ALL programs, saying they are ineffective and abusive. ASR does, and has been following up on kids after they leave the program. Relapses are bound to happen, but these kids have learned some tools to get back on track.
Sit back and watch my whole post dissected and being shot down. It will not be the first time. But, I am speaking from personal, current experience, not heresay or kids who were in the program several years ago.
I am glad to hear that you were able to move on with your life and are a productive member of society. Congratulations (this may or may not have happened if you hadn't gone to ASR)! Good luck!
TheWho:
Thanks for the input. My daughter graduated a few years ago and is doing well also. It is good to see that ASR is still thriving, improving and expanding.
I do remember my daughter going nuts because she was bored on the weekends, but as it turns out this is when she did the most reflection and writing in her diary/journal, some of the counselors, you could tell were there to get some experience and move on, but the nice thing was a child could work with a counselor they liked on certain projects (i.e. life steps, parent meetings, group etc.) to help them if they felt safer with them.
I think if any of the programs improve their success rate it will be programs like ASR because they track their students after graduation and implement improvements /changes based on input. I can see from your post that they are moving forward and am glad to see it..
The people here may not abuse you to much, they pounded me for about 100 pages on another thread and gave up, I think. I think their heart is in the right place but are working thru personal issues, which is part of what this forum is about. Well, thanks for posting your experience. Here is a link to a long heated debate:
http://fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.php?So ... &start=735
Troll Control:
--- Quote ---The people here may not abuse you to much, they pounded me for about 100 pages on another thread and gave up, I think. I think their heart is in the right place but are working thru personal issues, which is part of what this forum is about.
--- End quote ---
you get "pounded" because you say the same dumb shit over and over and over for hundreds of pages. people have stopped because you are as dumb as a rock and talking to you at all is a waste of time.
Troll Control:
--- Quote ---We lucked into an incredible therapist, which is perhaps why I feel positive about the school.
--- End quote ---
if you're relying on luck, why not just save the money and the pain hope you luck out at home? or maybe just go to a reputable, astablished psychologist and you don't have to rely on luck for your kid's well being.
pretty absurd to pay for services and only get them if you get lucky.
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