They are certainly not qualified to implement treatment. It takes skilled professionals (not self styled ed-cons) to do this.
How is a parent to tell the difference? Who are they to trust. When the first place they go is the internet, they are cought up in the spamdexed mess of the ed-cons. Only porn sites use tactics so low as they do.
When reputable psychologists, who refer to ed-cons, get glowing reports from parents, they keep referring to the ed-cons. Most of the time the truth does not come out, and as such, the perception is that the ex-cons and programs they recommend are doing their jobs.
In the case of the auto industry, policies were established and regulations enacted to protect the consumer.
In the case of Programs, there is no regulation or consumer protection. Programs actively fight off any attempt to establish any such protections because they know they would fail under any meaningful scrutiny.
They argue that their methods are good, and would be misunderstood by those who looked to scrutinize their methods, in the words of Jayne Longnecker, program director of where i was at, in a letter to my father:
"I am not eager for parents to get involved in the questions surrounding therapy anymore than I am eager to explain the in's and out's of our emotional growth program" - Jayne S. Longnecker
Yes Jayne i have the letters -- all of them. ::bigsmilebounce::
And yet the parents trust these people becuase they are so convincing in the lies that they tell (and yes i can prove that Jayne). Con artists, have the communications and propoganda upper hand. I'm not so sure regulation could work, given how much these people already ignore existing law.
Personally i'm in favor of outlawing all programs unless regulation is truly enforced, and a child hotline is instituted that anybody may call, unattended, at any time. This is the way it is done in the UK and it works.
Medical Hospitals run under strict licensing rules and must follow sound, established, medical practices. Consumers have the right to get second opinions or even to refuse treatment. Insurance companies only pay for tried and true diagnosis and treatment.
The US never signed the UN Declaration of the Rights of the Child. As such, the real "consumer" in this case, has few rights if any. Even if a child has rights, what use are they if he/she does not know about them. I'm a US citizen, but grew up in Europe. You can call me a hippie liberal whatever, but i've noticed that in the States there is a lack of respect as to the desires of the child.
Parents view their teenagers as their responsibility, and attempt to coddle them, protecting them from the world. In my opinion, this does not teach a child to be responsible for his/her actions and inevitably results in a desire to seperate, which takes it's form as rebellion and/or destructive behaviour.
A good psychologist would spot this pattern and explain to the parents that it is just a part of growing up. Unfortunately, psychologists are not always consulted, or are only consulted by the parents (without the child) who often stress only the bad behaviour and cannot see the psychological meaning. These types of conflicts can easily be dealt with by therapy, thereby healing the family relationship instead of fracturing it irreparably as programs are likely to do.
Programs, which really fall under the mental health category hide from this very real classification by changing their stated mission (school, treatment center, etc) specifically to avoid the associated rules. That alone places their methods under a cloud of suspicion.
Maybe to the educated Fornits poster, or one who has been to program, but not to the average Joe on the street. Had i not experienced and seen what i did, i would not have believed it. This is why i did not blame my parents (especially after reading the parent-program correspondance). Ironically, realization of the BS we were both told has brought us closer than ever together. It is sad that so many families never reconcile.
Parents should be fully aware when placing their child into a program that caveat emptor is the rule of the day. Beware. Neither you nor your child is protected by any laws or regulations or overseeing agencies in this field. They just don't exist. These organizations can make any claim they want and use any methods they want in the name of 'helping' your child. These programs were not designed by nor endorsed by any medical or mental health experts. They were founded by amateurs, are run by amateurs, and have no accountability for any harm they may do.
Still want to buy their product?
Yes, but they can have fancy little "Woodbury Reports Seal of Excellence" gifs on their webpage. Not to mention NATSAP which sounds really official and trustworthy. It's all about marketing. Who is to educate the parents to these facts?
Clealy fornits can help clear things up, as well as other informational pages, such as ISAC, but the propoganda is clearly in the hands of the programs. I wonder how this could be resolved?