Can we throw it away and start over?

[Act UP]

How do we keep the public's attention on the corruption and maltreatment of our children?
How do we undo the brainwashing of those like Dr. Phil?
I don't believe that everyone is motivate by greed and power - but many rotten apples have spoiled the "industry".
This needs to stop being an INDUSTRY and realize it serves human beings, it needs to become ........?

In response to a previous thread - it all comes down to money!  The good, the bad and the ugly - the fat cats (no insult intended to felines) all want to make money and drive their big fancy Lexasses.

I wondered what $450+ pd bought - it certainly was not the salaries they paid the people out in the field, nor for upkeep. They have turned what might have been a morally commendable goal to help others in need - to filling their greedy hands. Leaving others to pay for their immoral behavior with blood, sweat and tears.

Is it idealism that brings a (young) therapist to a program? What makes them stay once their eyes are open? I don't believe it is an innate desire for power and control. Is it that they are brainwashed and beaten down and feel impotent - that they take it out on the clients?  

I am not a professional, just a parent, and I don't know what it would really take to make this work... but -
       
I have a dream of not just a good program but a great program. One run by licensed mental health professionals, families, communities, survivors - who believe they can make a positive and meaningful difference in the lives they touch.
The program would have to be 100% transparent to all, all the time, anytime.
It would be a leader on the cutting edge of mental health care, using evidence based practices, collaborative team building with all the stakeholders, clients, families and communities.
Serving all children and families in need, regardless of class.

Everyone involved would be highly and consistently  trained and supported. There would be continual on-going training. All would be accountable for their actions, being role models and working towards creating that elusive therapeutic milieu.  

The therapists (licsw, psy d, mhc)- would be involved every step pf the way. No once or twice a week bs. They would be an integral part of what was going on, they would be part of daily life, they would be involved in the nitty gritty, they would be there to support and encourage growth. They would be the front line.

The environment would foster cause and effect, accountability, and the means for growth. It would not be punitive but compassionate and supportive.
Demeaning & abusive behavior of any kind would be out, unnecessary hardships would be out. The consequences to actions would be appropriate for all, not just for the kids.

Family involvement is essential - without family work the child's growth would be in a vacuum, unrealistic, unsustainable and without meaning.


It rained very hard last night. I woke up thinking "if my kid was out in the wilderness in this rain, wind, mud, if he were wet and cold, hungry and afraid, depressed and angry - how by any means would this be therapeutic?

In the mean time, I was touched by a post (I think by a dad) talking about getting the therapeutic benefits by doing community service (ie Habitats for Humanity) or hiking with your kid on a family vacation. Yeah!

[Covergaard]

a) Create a webpage for an emancipation database. Every youth afraid, who is afraid that his or her parent want to ship the person away should be able to register at the webpage, get advice how to fill out the necessary papers and file them at two friend with date.

The person then needs to email the database every day. If the person fails to do that, emails will be send to the friend, who will date the papers and send them to the local athorities.

The parents will be contacted for a hearing. Excuses like discrimination angainst reglious belief or sexual orientation even if it is totally made up would be something that the authorities would listen to and order the child back for an interview.

b) Create youtube film about a staged pickup of a child with a little pretended violence combined with use of handcuffs and leg-irons. If you type "pillars of hope" on google video, you will see that someone has put small videoclips out in a effort to tell a story about false accusations against the owner of Dundee Ranch. It is a effort to rewrite the history, so why not show parents and other how a real pickup looks like. It will be a contrast to the movie, the owner of  USguides has made with his daughter in the leading role.

c) Please copy www.secretprisonsforteens.dk or contribute with new material (Parents and student handbooks are welcome).

d) Upload the contents on the above mentioned webpage on various encyclopaedias on the internet. Participate in the revert war on them.

[Karass]

What you're describing is a real treatment center, which is completely different from a teen program. Such places do exist. Julie described one last month:

http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=21803&start=0

Real treatment -- quality care -- has the elements you described. Most importantly, it is voluntary, it has no secrets to hide and it is staffed by qualified, licensed professionals. It does not use punishment or "tough love" techniques to elicit behavioral change.

Real treatment is expensive, and inpatient treatment is the most expensive of all, but also tends to be fairly short-term. Inpatient treatment is a pretty extreme step and should only be used for as long as is necessary to stabilize the patient and send him/her home, to be followed up with outpatient treatment for as long as the patient feels is necessary.

The guy my son sees on an outpatient basis told him at their first meeting, "my goal is to help you get yourself to a place where you don't need me anymore." Real treatment isn't motivated by profit, just as in regular (non-psychiatric) medical practice. You wouldn't go to a doctor who secretly hoped you stayed sick so you would keep paying him, would you? It's no different where mental health care is concerned.

Real treatment doesn't call itself a "school," just as real college-prep boarding schools don't pretend to offer "treatment."

I have no personal knowledge of the place Julie discussed and am in no position to recommend or dis-recommend one treatment option over another. But the place she mentioned is not unique, and you won't find it or others like it by Googling "troubled teen" or "teen help."

[Anonymous]

Every abusive program discussed on this forum started this exact same way. Most of them have good intentions, although extremely misguided.

[Anonymous]

A beautiful prison is still a prison. Most of these parnets are locking up their kid unnecessarily for truency, pot smoking, being gay, what needs to exist is programs that know how to say no to reactionary parents.

Let's say it togehter:

NO I WIL NOT IMPRISON/ABUSE YOUR KID FOR MONEY JUST BECAUSE YOU CLAIM THEY ARE FUCKED UP!

[Karass]

Every abusive program discussed on this forum started this exact same way. Most of them have good intentions, although extremely misguided.

This exact same way? Did a WWASPS program ever refuse to accept involuntarily escorted 'patients'? Did they ever limit the maximum stay to 30 days, 60 days, or any limit at all? Did they ever provide full, unsupervised access to advocates, parents, telephones and media? For that matter, did they ever provide real therapy -- did they ever tell a kid, "here's a licensed therapist you can talk to if you want to, but you have no obligation to do so -- ever." Did they ever tell a kid that Group was optional, and if you don't want to attend, then just go hang out and listen to music or find something else to do?

I understand that most if not all survivors here were imprisoned against their will in a place that used tough-love behavior mod tactics to try to break them down and change them. If you've never had "quality care" it's understandably hard to believe it could exist.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes kids would rather go to treatment to get away from their parents. Some of these treatment centers just need a little fine tuning.

[Anonymous]

The politicians have too much at stake.  Liberal "do gooders" think the "alternative" schools are okey dokey w/o even checking to see what they do.  Neocons love the get tough approach to the little delinquents.  Programs give both sides their talking points.

http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=22346

Non-partisan agency boosted Republicans
(they're talking about the DEA)
Non-partisan my ass.




By Stephanie Kirchgaessner in New York

Published: July 18 2007 03:00 | Last updated: July 18 2007 03:00

John Walters, head of the Bush administration's non-partisan drug agency, and his deputies engaged in a campaign blitz on behalf of vulnerable Republican members of Congress ahead of last year's mid-term elections, according to documents released yesterday.

Karl Rove, the chief political strategist for President George W. Bush, singled out the efforts of officials at the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), which shapes US drug policy, at a White House meeting after the congressional election last November.

In documents and e-mails released by Henry Waxman, the Democratic chairman of the chief House oversight committee who is investigating the matter, Douglas Simon, the agency's White House liaison, congratulated officials at the ONDCP for having their "hard work" noticed by Mr Rove.

"The director and deputies deserve the most recognition because they actually had to give up time with their families for the God-awful places we sent them," Mr Simon said in a November 21 e-mail.

Other documents show that at the suggestion of Sara Taylor, the former White House political affairs director, Mr Walters and his deputies attended 20 events in the months leading up to the election for Republicans who were in danger of losing their seats.

Mr Waxman's probe is part of a broader investigation of allegations that federal agencies, including the Department of Justice, the General Services Administration and the Office of the Surgeon General, have been improperly politicised under the Bush administration.

Mr Waxman said in a letter to Ms Taylor that it was not uncommon for political appointees such as Mr Walters to travel to events with lawmakers, but that the "degree of White House control, the number of trips, and the agency involved" were "striking" because it appeared to be inconsistent with the agency's tradition of non-partisanship.

A spokesman for the anti-drug agency yesterday denied it engaged in partisan political activity.

"It is not surprising that more Republicans than Democrats would want to stand with senior officials talking about the administration's success stories [during the campaign season]," a spokesman said.

"We do plenty of events with Democrats and would be happy to do events with Congressman Waxman," (I wish they'd ask LEAP to attend.
http://www.leap.cc/cms/index.php) he added. He declined to comment on a suggestion in Mr Simon's e-mail that the agency was working in concert with the White House ahead of the election.

Mr Waxman's probe is not the first time the ONDCP has come under scrutiny for its political activities. In 2005, the agency was rebuked by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, for producing illegal "covert propaganda" when it distributed fake news reports on the Bush administration's drug policies.






http://www.nospank.net/rehab.htm

DFAF also worked with then-governor Bush on anti-drug programs in Texas, and today claims to have his ear on national drug policy as well. Indeed, Arizona prosecutor and Sembler favorite Rick Romley was on Bush's short list for drug czar. Though Romley wasn't nominated, Bush did tap staunch drug warrior John Walters. The nomination caused Betty Sembler to remark, ".... we have lacked the leadership and support of the White House ... until now."





http://www.dfaf.org/press/detail.php?id=95

(Falls Church, Virginia) – Drug Free America Foundation commends the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for sponsoring four student drug testing regional summits this year. On March 15, 2006 ONDCP will host their third summit in Falls Church, Virginia at the Fairview Park Marriott, informing community leaders and school officials about the benefits of drug testing.

“These summits are extremely informative to communities considering the implementation of random student drug testing. The benefit of early detection of at-risk students should cut down addiction and ultimately save lives,” commented Calvina Fay, executive director of Drug Free America Foundation, Inc.



http://cannabisnews.com/news/22/thread22183.shtml

Denver -- The group opposing Amendment 44, which seeks to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes, said Wednesday that a series of lectures will serve as the primary weapon in the campaign.

The lectures by various experts on drugs and addiction will focus on the dangers of marijuana and the effects on the state of legalizing cannabis, said Calvina Fay, executive director of Save Our Society from Drugs.

“Marijuana is much more powerful and much more addictive than it was a generation ago,” Fay said. “The change proposed in Amendment 44 has terrible consequences for our state, particularly for our children.”

Fay’s group, which goes by S.O.S., is based in Florida but is helping lead the charge against Amendment 44.

Members of the coalition include Lt. Gov. Jane Norton and Andrew Barthwell, a Chicago-based doctor and former deputy director for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

In addition to lectures, S.O.S. said it hopes to have money for radio ads, direct mail and computerized phone calls during the campaign.

Fay said the group has raised about $40,000 so far.

http://wwf.fornits.com/viewtopic.php?t=22346

There are no good ones. Therapy cannot be coerced or forced. Period, end of story.

Parents need to do their fucking jobs and quit expecting the gubment to pick up the slack.





This is the kind of shit that scares the hell out of me.

http://www.character.org/atf/cf/%7B77B3 ... Report.pdf

Character Education: What Is It, How Does it Work, and How Effective is it?
For Policy Makers Based on Emerging Research

[Anonymous]

Every abusive program discussed on this forum started this exact same way. Most of them have good intentions, although extremely misguided.

This exact same way? Did a WWASPS program ever refuse to accept involuntarily escorted 'patients'? Did they ever limit the maximum stay to 30 days, 60 days, or any limit at all? Did they ever provide full, unsupervised access to advocates, parents, telephones and media? For that matter, did they ever provide real therapy -- did they ever tell a kid, "here's a licensed therapist you can talk to if you want to, but you have no obligation to do so -- ever." Did they ever tell a kid that Group was optional, and if you don't want to attend, then just go hang out and listen to music or find something else to do?

I understand that most if not all survivors here were imprisoned against their will in a place that used tough-love behavior mod tactics to try to break them down and change them. If you've never had "quality care" it's understandably hard to believe it could exist.

Find me a program discussed on this forum that is anything like what you just said. I'm not sure what part of my statement you are trying to refute.

I like how you assume to know where I have been in my life, can I book a psychic reading with you?

[Anonymous]

Some of these treatment centers just need a little fine tuning.

Uh, let me make this perfectly clear.


[/b]

[Anonymous]

Did a WWASPS program ever refuse to accept involuntarily escorted 'patients'? Did they ever limit the maximum stay to 30 days, 60 days, or any limit at all? Did they ever provide full, unsupervised access to advocates, parents, telephones and media? For that matter, did they ever provide real therapy -- did they ever tell a kid, "here's a licensed therapist you can talk to if you want to, but you have no obligation to do so -- ever." Did they ever tell a kid that Group was optional, and if you don't want to attend, then just go hang out and listen to music or find something else to do?

What does WWASP have to do with this discussion?

The treatment reality you colorfully fictionalize in this post doesn't exist.

If it did you would of posted the treatment facility name.

If you really believe this, send your kid on a cruise or something. It's cheaper.

[Anonymous]

Every abusive program discussed on this forum started this exact same way. Most of them have good intentions, although extremely misguided.

This exact same way? Did a WWASPS program ever refuse to accept involuntarily escorted 'patients'? Did they ever limit the maximum stay to 30 days, 60 days, or any limit at all? Did they ever provide full, unsupervised access to advocates, parents, telephones and media? For that matter, did they ever provide real therapy -- did they ever tell a kid, "here's a licensed therapist you can talk to if you want to, but you have no obligation to do so -- ever." Did they ever tell a kid that Group was optional, and if you don't want to attend, then just go hang out and listen to music or find something else to do?

I understand that most if not all survivors here were imprisoned against their will in a place that used tough-love behavior mod tactics to try to break them down and change them. If you've never had "quality care" it's understandably hard to believe it could exist.

I think the point was that a lot of these places start out with the best of intentions but we all know where that leads, right?  Look, there are two reasons to set up a program.  They're delusional and honestly believe therapy can be coerced or they're just in it for the money.  THAT'S why they continue to thrive.  Both sides of the political spectrum have something to gain by supporting these places.

[Karass]

Best intentions or not, I seriously doubt that the abusive programs so many of you experienced really started out looking like Julie's description of Ridgeway or my hypothetical anti-WWASPS, or anything else that resembles "quality care." They started out with a tough-love philosophy emphasizing lots of structure & discipline and removal of so-called 'negative' influences. Few if any had a policy of "no escorts," and none of them had a philosophy of "hurry up and discharge these kids so they can go back home where they belong." They would all happily keep kids imprisoned for as long as mommy & daddy paid the bill.

ACT Up is looking for info, and the rest of us are trying to figure out why she keeps her kid in a Program that even she doesn't think is helping him ("benignly negligent").

My point was not that there are any 'good programs.' There aren't. But there is such a thing as 'good treatment,' and it's mostly done on an outpatient basis. Inpatient treatment is very short term and usually in response to a situation where someone is in imminent danger. Just like a medical emergency that requires hospitalization, the goal in a real treatment center should be to stabilize and then discharge the patient as soon as possible.

Parents should view treatment options for their kids the same way they would view treatment options for themselves. Under what conditions would I check myself into this place? What kind of treatment am I going to get for my money? What kinds of rights and freedoms do I have in here? What is the grievance process if I'm not happy with the way things are done? When and how do I check myself out of this place and what happens next (outpatient, etc.)?

If it's not something a parent would sign up for themselves, then it's not something they should sign their child up for either.

And yes, a cruise is a lot cheaper -- and can also be very therapeutic.

[Act UP]

GabbaGabbaGabbaGabba You got it right on!
Thank you.


and excuse me for saying this again.... but am I the only one who gets confused with numerous "guests"?
I am starting to hear the different nuances in your writing though.

[blombro]

I would like to thank Act Up, for bringing this discussion to the table, because there seems to be some misinformation and misunderstandings about the issue of "residential treatment", and "treatment" in general.

The simplest way to tel the difference is if the "treatment" is voluntary.  Involuntary treatment is an oxymoron.  Involuntary treatment may in fact be therapeutic, but it is not treatment, it is punishment with side effects.

Remember that in many of the regulated programs like Summit, a good portion of the kids who go there are sent by state or local child welfare agencies.  The proliferation of "programs" is not as simple as parents not wanting to do their job, sometimes it's a matter of the parents being incapable of doing their job, and the state being able to find adequate families to do the job for the birth parents.

Regulated programs can be just as programmatic as the unregulated ones, but their funding sources and the way they are able to hang onto the kids for so long are different.

Youth can be in a "program" truly voluntarily (I know of many kids at Summit over 18) along with youth who don't want to be there at all or who are there as an alternative to an even worse program.

For me, the root of the problem is the "treatment" philosophy that programs use.  If the philosophy is based on following a program that can't be deviated from, it doesn't matter who's running the "program", the program will be abusive.  If the philosophy is based on harm-reduction, keeping kids safe, and only accepting kids who want to be there then actual treatment can occur.

All this is to say to our original poster, the only other treatment center in the New York Metropolitan area that seems to be more well run than Summit is Four Winds in Ketonah (check out their myspace group, the kids make the place sound like summer camp for sad kids).  But the bottom line is, does your son want to be there.  If he doesn't, find some way to get him home.  If he wants to be there, that's great, but start looking into what's available in your community or in the surrounding counties for when he returns home.  Summit seems to be good about putting in applications for VESID and making a referral to a local counseling agency, but beyond that they don't do much.

p.s. Next time you see me online, send me a message.  I lost your screenname. [/u]