Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Aspen Education Group
Bromley Brook
Anonymous:
Has anyone been to Bromley Brook? I would like some information.
Anonymous:
My daughter is currently at Bromley Brook. I have mixed feelings about it. Do you have any specific concerns/questions?
Anonymous:
I am not the same poster as before but I do. Is the academic programme good? Is there any censorship of the contact between parents and children?
What are your concerns? What kind of behavoiural management programmes do they have? I would love to hear from you as It all looked pretty good on the website & I am thinking of it an an option for my daughter. If you have some concerns or helpful advice I would love to hear from you :wave:
Anonymous:
The website is a marketing tool and is impressive, but it's more fluff than substance and the reality of the school is different from the image promoted by the website. That said, I feel like it was the best alternative for my daughter - it looked and felt like the most traditional of the therapeutic boarding schools we visited and considered.
The academic program seems okay. Her grades have improved. That's likely due to the small class size coupled with the structured environment rather than the quality of the teachers. The credits may not be accepted in your state since it's a newer school and does not yet have accredidation from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. That is an important consideration depending on how you intend to get your daughter through high school. That issue was not mentioned by the school during our interview or enrollment process.
The behavior modification/management program is a combination of individualized therapy and group sessions. The jury is still out on whether it's had a positive and lasting impact.
Telephone calls are limited to one per week initially and then two per week, but can be revoked by the school for bad behavior. Mail is unlimited (subject to parent's approval of who she can write to and receive mail from). There is no e-mail communication.
The reservations/concerns I have about the school are the lack of active disclosure concerning the accreditation issue, the limited telephone calls, the sense that sometimes the school makes decisions/recommendations that are motivated by business considerations instead of what may be in the girls' best interest, a relatively high turn over rate of staff and students, exposure to girls that have done bad/negative things my daughter has never experienced, and the general efficacy of the therapeutic boarding school approach.
In short, I'm ambivalent about the place but frankly don't feel that my options are much better.
You should visit the school w/o your child b/f making a decision, talk w/ other parents, etc.
I'm not sure I'd do it all over again. Things were out of control at home and it did solve some of our immediate problems, it got her in a safe place where she couldn't get into trouble, it forced her to focus on academics, etc. Keeping her there is a difficult decision that we struggle with almost everyday. I doubt she'll finish the entire year (like most of these places, you sign a year long contract).
It definately is not a silver bullet that is going to solve all of your daughter's problems and the program is "over sold."
The majority of girls in the school have come from "wilderness" programs (no doubt also affiliated w/ Aspen). A lot of them claim to have used drugs, engaged in promiscuity, engaged in lesbianism, some have a history of cutting themselves, etc. B/c of these myriad of experiences and the structure of the school, it has an institutional feel about it. I view that as a big negative.
I hope my feedback is of some value to you.
Anonymous:
You know, and yet you leave her there.
Lemme know when she gets raped, 'k?
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