Parents don't want to listen

[Anonymous]

hey guest, you're totally right. hla's therapudic curriculum is like a cookie cutter, they will shape you to thier desire, by force or coerrsion (sp?). every kid is different, and this method simply does not work. it's a business more than anything and they do not give a fuck about anyone!!! this has been clearly shown by thier actions

Matt, you of all people should know better.  Stop a minute and really think about your experiences at HLA.  Think about how you acted toward people when you first got to HLA.  Think about the people that encouraged your talent in playing the drums.  Your ride was definitely a bumpy one at times, but I thought the folks at HLA always saw potential in you which is why they kept trying to help you.  Of course HLA has things that need to change, but really think about what you are saying when you write that HLA "doesn't give a fuck about anyone".  There were a lot of people that cared about you, including me.

[Anonymous]

And the prison food was really good too, Matt, and some of the guards were less sadistic than others! Don't blame us all! (Please? We HLA anons need love..)

[Anonymous]

Let us try this again:

WHAT WERE YOU PROMISED THAT YOU DIDN'T RECEIVE?

Can you see that?  Is it clear enough?  Let's stick to topic shall we.

Most of these are taken directly from HLA's web site:

- The teaching faculty at HLA hold a Bachelor to a Doctorate level degree in education.

- Full time nurse on staff.

- An estimated 15% of Hidden Lake Academy students have been diagnosed with a learning disorder and have an Individual Education Plan in place.

- An Individualized Therapeutic Plan, including clinical treatment goals, is maintained and revised by the clinical team throughout the enrollment of the student.

- All Counseling Staff are full-time and are clinically trained, holding a Master’s Degree or higher.

- Parents are informed of and involved in their child’s therapeutic work through the program via monthly written Counselor Reports, weekly update calls from the child’s Counselor

- Counselors receive weekly supervision by Doctoral and licensed Staff. In addition, biweekly therapeutic staffings are held to develop specific treatment goals and interventions for each student.

- A special skills program is available at HLA for students with special education needs. The academic history of these students, along with the results of the diagnostic reading and math test given upon entrance are thoroughly reviewed. Decisions are then made for placement into traditional classes, special skills classes, or a combination of the two. Teachers are provided information concerning the student's strengths and weaknesses. A certified special education teacher facilitates both classroom instruction and consultation. Students with special strengths are challenged through individualized activities. Gifted students are given opportunities such as literary debate meetings, mock legal trials, and many other challenges to stimulate their individual abilities.

- Hidden Lake Academy's Art and Theatre Programs are designed to be more than artistic enrichment.

- Can HLA provide a safe, healthy environment and teach my child self control? This same structure provides for the emotionally, psychologically, and socially safe environment where students may explore and learn to appropriately express feelings and work to heal past hurts. HLA is not a locked facility; however, physical safety is provided by round-the-clock staffing, dormitory security systems, and limited access to the campus.

- Our students are not court-ordered to HLA and do not include violent or severely disturbed children.

- HLA teachers hold a minimum Bachelor to Doctoral level degree, Counselors and the teaching staff work together to assure every child the optimal opportunity for academic success that will lead to positive, and successful future endeavors.

- Teachers' Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's or Master's Degree in related field with teaching
certificate.

- Counselor's Minimum Qualifications:
Master's Degree in related field. Commitment to 22-26
month contract or the duration of the assigned peer group
through to graduation.

- Assistant Counselors' Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree or above in related field.

This is just a short list of what parents were/are told they will receive for their money.....

[Anonymous]

Parents might be told that..... but telling them that and actually following through with that are 2 VERY different things.   :evil:

[Anonymous]

Being sold this beautiful tale of HLA is like being sold a beautiful Ferrari that is gorgeous on the outside and very expensive. It is like the salesman telling you how wonderful it is, and all looks great. THEN, you pay for it and drive away in in and discover that you have actually just paid a ton of money for a LEMON!!

[Anonymous]

- The teaching faculty at HLA hold a Bachelor to a Doctorate level degree in education.

GAC requires teachers to have at least a Bachelor's level education.  HLA teachers have at least a Bachelor's level education.

- Full time nurse on staff.

I am aware of very few instances where a full time nurse has not been on staff.  These typically have been between one nurse leaving and another being hired.  Be careful that you are not reading this as RN versus LPN, however.

- An estimated 15% of Hidden Lake Academy students have been diagnosed with a learning disorder and have an Individual Education Plan in place.

See no issues here, though I am unfamiliar with the statistics.

- An Individualized Therapeutic Plan, including clinical treatment goals, is maintained and revised by the clinical team throughout the enrollment of the student.

Students do not only have a therapeutic treatment plan based on the curriculum but also an individualized plan that is designed around the presenting problems.

- All Counseling Staff are full-time and are clinically trained, holding a Master’s Degree or higher.

All counselors work full-time, have completed some form of clinical training and hold a master's degree or higher.

- Parents are informed of and involved in their child’s therapeutic work through the program via monthly written Counselor Reports, weekly update calls from the child’s Counselor.

Monthly reports were replace by Element Reports to reduce redunancy.  Weekly calls are made to parents until Wind Element when they become bi-weekly.

- Counselors receive weekly supervision by Doctoral and licensed Staff. In addition, biweekly therapeutic staffings are held to develop specific treatment goals and interventions for each student.

Counselor's do recieve supervision by licesed LPC and/or Doctoral staff.  Be careful that you are not reading this as licensed LPC's and Licensed Ph.D/Psy.D's.  All supervision is also overseen by Dr. Buccellato who possess a license.  Treatment plans are updated during supervision and or at weekly counselor meetings and between elements.

- A special skills program is available at HLA for students with special education needs. The academic history of these students, along with the results of the diagnostic reading and math test given upon entrance are thoroughly reviewed. Decisions are then made for placement into traditional classes, special skills classes, or a combination of the two. Teachers are provided information concerning the student's strengths and weaknesses. A certified special education teacher facilitates both classroom instruction and consultation. Students with special strengths are challenged through individualized activities. Gifted students are given opportunities such as literary debate meetings, mock legal trials, and many other challenges to stimulate their individual abilities.

A special skills program is indeed available at HLA  including a learning computer lab (or at least was before the fire).   Harper was the certified special education teacher.  There is currenlty a special education teacher on staff, however I am unaware of her certification.  College level courses have been taught on campus.  Students are given opportunities to participate in mock trials, debates, philosophy club, business club, chess club, National Honor Society, Student Council, etc.

- Hidden Lake Academy's Art and Theatre Programs are designed to be more than artistic enrichment.

HLA's Art program has included showing at local galleries which students can attend.  Theatre presentations have been presented both on campus and off.

- Can HLA provide a safe, healthy environment and teach my child self control? This same structure provides for the emotionally, psychologically, and socially safe environment where students may explore and learn to appropriately express feelings and work to heal past hurts. HLA is not a locked facility; however, physical safety is provided by round-the-clock staffing, dormitory security systems, and limited access to the campus.

HLA is not a locked campus, it is staffed 24 hours, it does have dormitory security and access to campus is limited.

- Our students are not court-ordered to HLA and do not include violent or severely disturbed children.

This is correct, no student has been court-ordered to attend HLA.  Don't confuse this with students who have been either court-ordered to attend a program or with whom an agreement has been reached to drop or lessen charges if a student attends a program.  HLA does not knowingly admit violent or severely distrubed children, however, as discussed elsewhere , some parents are not forthcoming with information regarding the severity of their child's disorder and this is only realized after admission.  These families are encouraged to seek alternative placement.

- HLA teachers hold a minimum Bachelor to Doctoral level degree, Counselors and the teaching staff work together to assure every child the optimal opportunity for academic success that will lead to positive, and successful future endeavors.

All HLA teachers hold a minimum of a Bachelor's degree.  The counseling and education department work closely together to meet the students academic needs.

- Teachers' Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's or Master's Degree in related field with teaching
certificate.

All HLA teachers hold a minimum of a Bachelor's degree.  Again, Be careful that you are reading is correctly it does not say:
Bachelor's Degree with teaching certificate or Master's Degree in related field with teaching certificate.

- Counselor's Minimum Qualifications:
Master's Degree in related field. Commitment to 22-26
month contract or the duration of the assigned peer group
through to graduation.

All counselors have a Master's Degree in a related field and all ethical counselors are commited to graduating the peer group with which they started.

- Assistant Counselors' Minimum Qualifications:
Bachelor's Degree or above in related field.

HLA does not currently utilize Assistant Counselors but do utilize some Bachelor's level staff who are seeking a Master's Degree to assist counselors with groups.  I am unaware of the qualifications for the Recreational Counselors.

It appears that HLA provides all that you have listed.  These services may not be what you expected or what you believe you read but they are all met.  HLA provides parents an opportunity for a complete tour of the campus and all issues can be clarified at that point.  So, looks like you got what was advertised and what you paid for.

I apologize for the length of this post, don't want to be confused with Robert B. and his inane ramblings.

[Deborah]

Being sold this beautiful tale of HLA is like being sold a beautiful Ferrari that is gorgeous on the outside and very expensive. It is like the salesman telling you how wonderful it is, and all looks great. THEN, you pay for it and drive away in in and discover that you have actually just paid a ton of money for a LEMON!!

According to Judge O'Kelley (Who hasn't classed a suit since 1974), that would be fine and dandy, "You got a car didn't ya?"
http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 043#247043

[Anonymous]

Johnny Ringo- You can spin the story of HLA however you see fit. That will never change the negative experience that lots of families had at HLA. We were sold a bunch of BS upon entering our child to HLA. We were told that our child who have to be involved in so many things there. We were told all about kids playing sports, getting to go to the stables and about all the off campus trips that all sounded so wondereful. We were told about how our child would get all of this academic help for his learning disability etc. One thing that HLA does is not be straight up with parents before the decision to enroll their children into their school.

Parents should be made aware prior to enrollment that if their children have learning differences and really struggle in school, and get on the academic incomplete list, they don't get to do a thing! For kids who have learning struggles and problems which make them very frustrated and angry, to further punish them and keep them on academic restrictions all the time so they are not allowed to do one thing but physial labor and pushups etc. is disgusting!  


Makes LOTS of sense to take a child who has real learning struggles and then keep them in negativity and punishment the entire time they are at HLA. How in the world could that ever foster self esteem and compliant behavior in a child. That is a recipe for disaster! It is like kicking a child over and over when they are down and then expecting them to respect you and act nice and behave!

What kind of psychologist could possibly think that kind of constant negative reinforcement would work on kids struggling? Parents should be told all of these things before they sign that contract with HLA. I know if we were made aware of all that up front, there is no way we would have ever agreed to enrollment at there.

Parents need to know if their child has true academic problems, they could end up on academic restrictions and not get to go anywhere or do anything their entire incarceration at HLA. Parents deserve to know the the real "Harder Truth of HLA". It is not a pretty picture when you see the truth!  AND parents should also know when they tell you how pulling your child out of HLA will cause the child to regress, that is a brainwashing tactic. Our child is thriving and doing great and is so happy to be out of that negative nightmare. Lots of other parents feel the same way and their kids are doing great outside of that place!

I know HLA loves when they have families in their peer group that are so gullible and brainwashable. I was shocked at how truly gullible some parents can be. Some parents will believe whatever they want to believe instead of believing their child and having to go to the trouble of finding a better avenue for their child. I would never take the easy road because my child will always come first. The negativity of HLA was not a good place for us. I just wish we had known the truth before enrollment.

[Anonymous]

i second that. i have an acute learning disorder, particularly with math. they hired a philipino math teacher named Dominador, who although he was a virtual genius he had alot of trouble communicating that genius. he barely spoke english, and his lessons were essentially 45 miniute mumbles while he raced through all the problems on the board. the people who learned in that class had to teach themselves, the ones who couldnt were fucked. i spent a whole year on the incomplete list becouse i couldnt get a single passing grade.

they told me i couldnt graduate with an incomplete, so 2 months before grad dominador gave me a deal - if i can get a 70 or above on just 2 tests, any tests, which i can take when i'm ready, he'll give me a passing grade for the whole year. did he help me? no. i studied my fucking ass off for weeks. but i passed. did i learn any algebra 2 that year? absolutely not.

and i'm sure the rest of the kids on here back me up on this too.



and that big list of stuff HLA provides.....sure, it may sound great, but it's like doin a deal with the devil. you make a wish, but the devil somehow figures out a way to make your wish come true yet turn into your biggest nightmare. HLA may provide many of these things, but they do it so inconsistantly, poorly, and with such ethical corruption that as said before, it does more harm than good. they sacrifice many of the above listed things on a daily basis in order to keep things runnin and the money flowing.

[Anonymous]

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO TRUE!!

[Anonymous]

Bachelor's level staff who are seeking a Master's Degree

:rofl:

Yeah, that'll stand up in court.

[Anonymous]

A special skills program is indeed available at HLA including a learning computer lab (or at least was before the fire).

Isn't it so nice to be able to make claims like this when the evidence is ashes?

[Anonymous]

"AND parents should also know when they tell you how pulling your child out of HLA will cause the child to regress, that is a brainwashing tactic. Our child is thriving and doing great and is so happy to be out of that negative nightmare. Lots of other parents feel the same way and their kids are doing great outside of that place!"

Esplain somethin' Lucy.  If HLA is such a awful, disgusting, vile institution that does nothing but make promises to families to rob them of there money and provides absolutely no service what so ever........

How come you child has returned to you and is "thriving and doing great".  If he/she was traumatized I would not expect "thriving and doing great".  In addition, if you sent your child to HLA its a safe bet that he/she was not "thriving and doing great" in the many other programs you tried.

No need to thank HLA for another satsified customer whose child is "thriving and doing great" after HLA.  Could HLA use that as a testimony?

[Anonymous]

They did horrible at HLA and felt horrible about themselves in that negative environment. They are thriving because a place like HLA made them realize how great their families are versus living with a bunch of know it all smart ass staff members at HLA that know nothing but negativity. HLA cannot take credit for any thriving. They can just take credit for showing these kids what hell is like and they don't want that. You ought to change your ways to model some of the wilderness camps that are based in positive reinforcement. Oh yeah, I guess that is why Brad Carpenter, Kristen Bell, Josh Watson and Brian Church left HLA and Ridgecreek because they could see that negative reinforcement does not work with teens. Aspiro, SUWS and Second Nature are all about positive reinforcements and that is why they help kids. HLA does not help troubled teens at all.

[Anonymous]

BTW ass wipe, our child did great at his wilderness camp before entering HLA. We just fell for the ED Con that we hired ED CONNING us to believe that out child needed more treatment at HLA. What our child needed was only true academic help for their learning disability which they did not get.  We fell for the Ed Conning job and now we know it is exactly that Ed Conning. Do those Ed CONS get kickbacks for referrals? I believe they do. Our Ed Con ran for the hills when any questions were asked about the negative things going on at HLA.