We rescued our daghter from mwa this year in Feb. She was there for just a month, believe me that was to long! Viewing her pictures, reflections, and letters, we knew something wasn't right. We jumped in our car and took the over ten hour drive to get her.
MWA, W.W.A.S.P. is only in it for their pocket book and do not care for the quality of a childs life. I continue to thank God that we observed and listened to our daughter's words and the pictures they post on the internet.
To this day she is still struggling with the acne (she never had until MWA). She does not trust many people and suffers more with depression, anxiety attacks, and panic attacks.
If puting a child of fifteen in isolation locked in a dirty metal room, lights kept on her, camera running and watching her every move, pounding on the door to make her get the covers from over her head because they are scared and having anxiety attacks and ask to talk to someone is supose to be healthy therapy, we have a problem.
Those who have attended MWA would know the punishments. Not anyone would be able to understand what it is like unless they lived it. It just breaks my heart to know she had to experience that suffering even for a day let alone a month.
They were well aware of the reason she was there and they continued to assure us that they specialize in her condition. Before we sent her it took them just about two months to convince me that MWA was the place she needed to be. After she was there for about two weeks, the nurse had e-mailed me to ask me if I could send her some information on what O.C.D. was. But they specialized in O.C.D. ?!!???!!
Some of you may know the tactics. You are so desperate after years of turmoil and you love your child so much and you think you have done all you can then they tell you they are the answer with their misleading advertisements, contracts, their rule book doesn't even contain all the rediculous don't do's.
Don't look out of line, don't look out windows, don't look at other students, don't look in mirrors, don't talk, don't non verbal (smile, wave, wink, mouth out words) Don't sit on your bed ever until bed time. don't put your crackers in your soup, don't doodle on paper, don't cross things off with a pen, no eracers, don't use bathroom unless they say, ect...
Do walk with an escort, do count while using bathroom or say abc's and leave feet outside of stall, do undress in front of someone before shower and get dressed in front of them when you are done, do raise your hand to throw a paper away and have it inspected, do ask permission to get permission to talk to someone when you need help (scared, sad, anxious, sick, school work)
There is so much more. If you don't do the do's or don'ts you get merits taken away and it takes you down a level. Your school work first of all is not accredited but they also take away merits if you are having a hard time with your work, if you get to do school work, it depends on how fast you copy the rule book that consists of almost fifty pages. They call this off task. What in the world is off task when you are needing help with your school work. What happened to the advertising of one on one classroom teaching. In the long run, even if you are doing well in school, they will demerit you for some reason or another and take you right back down to where you started or even below that, they will find a way.
They deprive you of food depending on what level you are. The food is all processed. Yummy, p & j packaged, hot dogs, they have a salad bar but can you use it? Depends on your level. If you want ketchup on your hot dog, you can't, not until you are a level two.
Girls by average gain about thirty pounds and the boys by average lose about twenty pounds. They strip these kids of all self asteem and make them totally dependent on them. They even tell the kids to not rely on God or your family they cannot help you. Concentrate on your problems.
When we picked our daughter up, she was soaking wet and had the biggest cold sore I had ever seen in my life on her lip and chin. She was demerited for touching it because it hurt, she did not know what it was because she could not look in the mirror. The nurse asked her if she ever had one before and she asked what and the nurse told her she had a cold sore. Are we surprised?, they did not give her anything to put on it.
I will not go on anymore. I just wanted those who are writting and saying these schools are loveing and kind to realize that the tactic they use at these facilities are the same tactics (especially the seminars) that they used on our P.O.W.'s in vietnam. The children come out exausted and compliant because they have no choice. This is all they know now. I just pray that they are able to cope. I know just from one month of it, our daughter needs much therapy. She is so angry at me and does not trust much any more.
Wow, I wrote alot, I was just writting to ask if anyone has seeked legal help? Has anyone contacted an attorney? I have a specific attorney (law firm) we are using and after the nightmare we experienced with MWA I ask alot of questions first before I can trust too. Before we sign the papers hopefully we can get some input from others.
God bless all of you and I pray life is good to you.
