A parent's advice to other parents:
Current Parents of Students at HLA:
Like most of us who put their kids at HLA, you were probably in a desperate situation where you felt you had to put your child somewhere for his or her own safety. It's a stressful time in which the only thing on your mind was saving your kid from self-destructing. HLA, by all appearances, seems to be the place that can do that in your time of desperation.Hopefully the dust has settle and you will start asking some tough questiions.
Ask your child's Peer Group counselors about their professional experience in dealing with teenagers - years of experience, where they've worked, etc, are they professionally licensed? On paper they look good, but reality is quite another thing. Your child is obviously there for therapeutic reasons otherwise you wouldn't be spending almost $6,000 per month on tuition.
Ask about your child's teachers - are they certified to teach in GA? What are they certified to teach? Ask to see a copy of their GA state certificates.
Ask HLA to see a copy of their report from SACS and SAIS.
Ask for a tour of HLA's science labs - your paying money for your child to be there, you have a right to see these things.
Ask HLA if they've ever had any lawsuits against them. Settled any lawsuits out of court?
Ask about the strip search policy. Did you know your child is strip searched each time they return to campus? Did you consent to this?
Ask about the qualifications and certifications of the individuals running the Addicitions and Substance Abuse counseling. Are those individuals qualified as Addicitions Counselors? Are they certified in the state of GA as licensed Addictions Counselors?
Ask about the counselors who are providing services to kids that engage in self-injurious behaviors such as cutting - what experience do they have to provide counseling? are they certified or have they specialized in this area? Are they licensed to provide this type of counseling?
Ask about the "interventions".
Ask about the Nightstaff - do they know CPR and other life-saving procedures? Ask to see proof.
Ask why HLA isn't licensed as a Therapeutic Boarding School by the state of GA. (They're not; they're a corporation whose purpose is "Education with Special Purpose".)
Ask HLA whether or not they are licensed through the Department of Human Resources and the Office of Regulatory Services. (They're not so they don't have to follow GA state laws to protect children.)
Ask HLA why they opposed being licensed by DHR and ORS. DHR and ORS ensures the safety of your child - why would any legitimate organization oppose being licensed? (Don't let them tell you they didn't.)
Ask the tough questions. It's your child and it's your money.
I agree with Mary and the parent who posted the original comment. As a former staff member, even though I was only at HLA for a short period, I did get the impression that some of the staff were not completely honest even with each other about their previous experience and schooling. I know that when I was hired, along with 3 other individuals in the counseling department, we were the only individuals with undergraduate and graduate degrees in psychology. I find it difficult for an organization such as HLA, which is trying to be so therapeutically based, to hire individuals without degrees rooted in a social science degree. I know just from my experience that I have been studying psychology for about 8 years (this includes even in high school, undergrad, and graduate school). That may not seem like that long, but considering that I am fairly young, and probably one of the youngest people that was employed at HLA when I was there, but I consistently studied psych without taking breaks till I received my Master's degree. I took every available opportunity to work within the field, even if I was not getting paid through internships and practicums because the experience working with as many different populations was important to me. So, I think it is important to inquire with your child's peer counselor and primary therapist about their education (what their degree is in, are they licensed, what colleges did they attend) and most importantly what experience do they have and how does that experience pertain to working with their children. Another important question to inquire about would be why they chose to work at HLA, because hopefully most individuals who find themselves working at an organization like HLA doing something within the field of psychology or education, is doing it primarily because they want to and want to work at the school, not just because they need a job or money. Someone gets into this field because they are in it for more than the money, because they money is never great, and to continue on with you education is time consuming (which I am sure anyone in/or who has been through grad school can agree).
