Lichfield/Dundee in the News

[Anonymous]

I just got this flashback to the WWASPS documentary when they were deposing Robert Lichfield and he says something to the effect of "business... my interest in school was business..." these people don't want to help kids, if they did they'd shut down and transfer them to regulated facilities or home.

[CCM girl 1989]

The only thing I can say, is that there are people that I have hurt in my lifetime that didn't deserve it. I think what I'm going to say might be a complete shock to people, but I think it's important that I say it.

My parents for their own reasons made the decision to send me away at the age of 12. By the time I was 16 I was so burnt out on placements, that I was on the verge of ending my own life. I actually had attempted it a few times. Anyway, Bob Lichfield was one of the few people that tried to make life better for me. He went out of his way to give me more privelages then the other girls such as having staff take me to ride his horses in my freetime. I think he did so because he actually felt bad for me. He even took time out of his hectic life to talk to me about my situation, and he didn't have to. It wasn't his job. I had a therapist. But, he felt sorry for me.

Well, it was never enough for me. What I wanted was complete freedom, and release. He couldn't make that happen, only my parents could. I even went as far as to try and blackmail him. I told him if he didn't get my parents to let me go that I would tell them he was molesting me. I took it way too far. I literally convinced myself of this because I had to come across as the victim. I needed to play the part, and win an award for it. Because, if I didn't it meant I had to stay in placements until I was 18. BTW, that part came easy to me since I had been abused by men since the day I entered this world.

I hadn't revisted any of these memories till 2 years ago when I came across Fornits. I looked back at those times, and remembered being the victim. I told the same story as I did back then. In every other part of my life I had come so far, except for my memories of CCM. I never really took a good look at what happened to me there, and seperated the fact from fiction until about a year ago. That's when you started to see a complete change in my posts.

I find it a little bizarre, as I am sure you do too! How I could be the person I have been for the last 10 years atleast, the type of person who is honest, and does not hurt people as she once did. But, not come out and be a 100% honest about my relationship with Bob Lichfield? I couldn't tell you why. I think it's because I forced myself at that young age to believe my own lies and then never took the time to correct my brain until now.

If you think I am the only one who did such things you are wrong. But, I may be one of only a few that has the strength to come out, and set things straight, and admit I was wrong. I'm not saying that all kids who claim they were abused are liars. I am absolutely not saying that whatsover. But, there are kids who were in similiar situations such as myself that made false accusations to try and gain freedom.

I think I was nervous to come out and admit to people what I did, especially being this is such an open public forum. So I started becoming more sympathetic to people such as Narvin. I was more open to hearing both sides of the story, and NOT judging them until then.

I realize that if Bob wanted to come after me for the things I have said about him, he could. But, I highly doubt he will. Bigger fish to fry, and the fact he probably understandsand and forgives me for what I did. He's been in this business a long time, I wasn't the first to say such things, I will not be the last.

It's pretty safe to assume that by setting the record straight here, that I will be attacked, called a bunch of names, and told what I horrible person I am blah, blah, blah!!!! But, I really could care less. I know what I'm doing is the right thing.

[Anonymous]

I'm so sorry your parents abandoned you like that for your entire teenage life.. what can you say to a person after this happens to them? You were reacting to an insane situation, and doing whatever you could do to get out would be expected, nobody is ever going to judge you for this, it's a human reaction.. I don't think anybody here is going to bash you or say mean things, we have all been hurt by the same people.. and I say WWASPS hurt me and my parents did.

My parents for believing in WWASPS and WWASPS for providing them an outlet in which to just abandon me, although not nearly as long as you were. I saw abuse and experienced abuse, sometimes kids would say or do something that would not be with the program, hbut the reaction from staff was way overkill. You don't need to restrain kids for no reason or lock them up in isolation for being depressed or trying to run.

They are kids, doing what kids do, reacting to the strange reality placed in front of them... I know what WWASPS did to me was wrong. They violated my human rights, and left a scar that will never heal.. no it wasn't the program owner, and some of the staff were nice yes, but it's not them that do it. It''s the system which they built and profit from, a system that allows our parents to leave us , without anybody ever asking any questions other than telling them where to send the paycheck.
I'm sorry you had to endure so many years of captivity and non traditional life as a teen.

And yes I can too admit that I did some things to "deserve" the punishments I received. I ran from the facility, so they tackled me and restrained me and dragged me to isolation for 5 days and made me snow shovel the facility to be let out for Christmas. By the end of that I was thanking them for letting me out. Its weird how that works.

But to me the bottom line is, no matter what went down, none of us deserved what we got. The system is corrupt. They built it, and made a financial empire off it. Their main customer base, is, uncaring selfish parents who want to abandon their kids and also some legitimately scared parents who are fooled , I think. What are some people's guesses on the percentage? I'd wager about an even split.

What if a kid is being sexually abused in their house by a parent and then are sent away for years? Maybe they feel saved from abuse, who knows right. I'm sure this has happened. But to go from a household of abuse into a controlled, cold and completely non-empathetic environment is not doing any favors for a kid who suffered abuse. There are countless better places to help a kid in that situation, than to just leave them at some facility where the world forgets about them. Seminars in my opinion are hurtful there is no reason for that. Traditional therapy and treatment work much better, but they cost a lot and cannot be repackaged and sold at such low rates. So WWASPS just makes it up as it goes, so long as the money doesn't stop coming in. That's why I have a problem with them.

scd

[Joyce Harris]

CCM Girl,  Your truth is your truth--and that is all you have to live with. Hopefully, no one will attack you for speaking your truth. I certainly repect your right to do that.  Joyce

[Oz girl]

CCM girl. i dont think you are disliked though I sometimes disagree with some of the things you say. i certainly dont dislike you. I have heard from some people that there are good programs.
I have also occasionally spoken to kids/parents which say their place was not bad in the sense that the kids were well fed and not physically abused or called names. But here is why I see programs as deeply philosophically and morally flawed;

-While every parent who sends their child to a program is not bad, programs do enable bad parents to abandon their children.
 
-Programs (even the good ones) appear to promote the idea that kids problems stem from the fact that the kid is "bad" or has done something wrong. I am yet to see a program which does not incorporate this philosophy at some point. While there are some kids who are real horrors most who are behaving in a way that is just off the charts are either in distress or trying to deal with some other problem. i also just dont think that issues like aspergers, depression etc are moral problems.

-Programs are not about education, they are about changing the way a person views the world. Whether it is about accepting Jesus into your heart in the case of religious programs or accepting some new age philosophy this to me is a serious civil liberty issue. Nobody should be told how they can think. Liberty is also something that American culture claims to value above all else. It must then be very confusing for a kid to hear that they must think a certain way. Deciding to join a cult is one thing. Being placed in one is another

-Programs claim to be able to treat just about everything. How can anything work when it uses the same model for treating drug addiction as it does for mental health disorders or eating disorders. Some problems are unique and require very specific treatment

-The idea that emotional growth is something that can be rewarded or punished is absurd. Nobody is rewarded or punished for physical growth.

-Few programs have adequate abuse reporting systems. Censorship of mail and phone calls or severely limiting phone calls is a recepie for disaster

[Rude Intrusion]

CCM, you write:
By the time I was 16 I was so burnt out on placements, that I was on the verge of ending my own life. I actually had attempted it a few times. Anyway, Bob Lichfield was one of the few people that tried to make life better for me. He went out of his way to give me more privelages then the other girls such as having staff take me to ride his horses in my freetime. I think he did so because he actually felt bad for me. He even took time out of his hectic life to talk to me about my situation, and he didn't have to. It wasn't his job. I had a therapist. But, he felt sorry for me.

Question: Do you realize this is typical behavior for a pedophile looking for a victim? They befriend the vulnerable - and then begin the sexual advances. They can easily have the victim believing they were responsible; or that it is "no big deal"; or that they would hurt someone they have come to care about - the one person who seemed to care about them, if they report the abuse. It is insidious and evil. Not trying to talk you out of your retraction - especially if the retraction is the truth. But I did want to point out, even your retraction raises a lot of red flags.

If you aren't talking to a therapist you like and trust, you really should.  This isn't meant to be a snide remark. It is meant as concerned advice.

[Rude Intrusion]

CCM girl. i dont think you are disliked though I sometimes disagree with some of the things you say. i certainly dont dislike you. I have heard from some people that there are good programs.
I have also occasionally spoken to kids/parents which say their place was not bad in the sense that the kids were well fed and not physically abused or called names. But here is why I see programs as deeply philosophically and morally flawed;

-While every parent who sends their child to a program is not bad, programs do enable bad parents to abandon their children.
 
-Programs (even the good ones) appear to promote the idea that kids problems stem from the fact that the kid is "bad" or has done something wrong. I am yet to see a program which does not incorporate this philosophy at some point. While there are some kids who are real horrors most who are behaving in a way that is just off the charts are either in distress or trying to deal with some other problem. i also just dont think that issues like aspergers, depression etc are moral problems.

-Programs are not about education, they are about changing the way a person views the world. Whether it is about accepting Jesus into your heart in the case of religious programs or accepting some new age philosophy this to me is a serious civil liberty issue. Nobody should be told how they can think. Liberty is also something that American culture claims to value above all else. It must then be very confusing for a kid to hear that they must think a certain way. Deciding to join a cult is one thing. Being placed in one is another

-Programs claim to be able to treat just about everything. How can anything work when it uses the same model for treating drug addiction as it does for mental health disorders or eating disorders. Some problems are unique and require very specific treatment

-The idea that emotional growth is something that can be rewarded or punished is absurd. Nobody is rewarded or punished for physical growth.

-Few programs have adequate abuse reporting systems. Censorship of mail and phone calls or severely limiting phone calls is a recepie for disaster

All excellent points, worth repeating.

[CCM girl 1989]

Rude Intrusion- I can't believe you're telling me I need to go see a shrink. Ouch! I've never felt better in my whole life. If I felt like I needed to talk to someone, I would. Thank you for your concern though.

I just merely wanted to set the record straight, which I did. It was difficult but something that I felt I needed to do.

[Anonymous]

There is nothing wrong with seeing shrink

[Anonymous]

There is nothing wrong with seeing shrink

That's because you haven't studied psychiatry like I have, my friend Tom will explain.

[Anonymous]

OH....never mind.
PLEASE, not Tom.....and his shit. You really do need to keep your word, and check back as you promised in about a month.