Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry
Anything to add
Buddha22:
(in the faqs) what i have found is that they admit the abuse and are proud of it, which is a rarity for these evil programs to do.
psy:
--- Quote from: "Buddha22" ---(in the faqs) what i have found is that they admit the abuse and are proud of it, which is a rarity for these evil programs to do.
--- End quote ---
Well... It all depends on your definition of abuse. What they call "Milieu Therapy*" for example, the way they practice it, is straight out of Robert J Lifton's writings on thought reform. They turn a bad thing into a good thing through spin. What I find is more effective than calling something "abuse" (even though I might agree), is to explain the facts of what exactly is done, present the other side of the argument, and let parents decide whether or not something is indeed "abuse". Even if they don't agree that such things are abusive, after reading some Lifton or Singer, they'll have a hard time arguing that the so-called "therapy" is effective in any case. Milieu control requires a milieu to exist and be sustained.
* "Milieu therapy" is actually a legitimate term, but it doesn't mean what they define it as. As usual, cults redefine language, appropriting legitimate terminology to mean other things.
What they define it as is this (commented):
--- Quote ---Milieu (Mill-you) Therapy consists of the entire structure and environment of Diamond Ranch. This includes a token economy and the process of student advancement. It also includes the open ranch setting where students can be outdoors in a beautiful, safe environment. Through milieu therapy, the youth learn the law of the harvest :ftard: , the consequences of their actions (big euphemism here), and basic life and interpersonal skills (like bitching other people out). In it’s simplicity, milieu therapy is everything Diamond Ranch Academy offers your youth.
--- End quote ---
I also have a hard time believing all of their staff are actually licensed to practice any sort of therapy (they probably have one, and when the inspectors come around, probably claim he runs all the groups ::) ). It might be true, but if you take a look on their staff page, a licence number is only listed for one person. If you want a good exercise at shooting fish in a barrel, look the clowns up and see if they really are certified. Then if you want an exercise in pulling teeth, try and get anything done about it. This is Utah after all... No wonder they try and teach the kids "Utah Life Skills"
::puke::
Buddha22:
but it is still verbal and psychotraumatic abuse IMO
Anonymous:
I was a student at DRA from January to July of 2005. I learned a lot from DRA, though it was from the girls that I lived with - girls that became like sisters to me. Though there were rare staff members who seemed to genuinely care for our well-being, the program, in general, is incredibly deceptive. Rob and Sherri Dias would always make a point to interact with us when parents came to visit, but as soon as they left, the Dias' disappeared. We were forced to do intensive labor and calisthenics, and although they are permitted to use restraints when a student is endangering themself or others, staff members took advantage of this frequently. Robbie, one of the Dias' son, made a habit of getting physical with kids under even the most trivial circumstances. If anyone has any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them. DRA is a disturbing and emotional part of my past, and although parts of it seem good-intentioned, there was something dark and disturbing about the experience as an attendant.
Greer Gaddie
gmgaddie@yahoo.com
wdtony:
Check out this site-Myspace page?
Looks like they aren't too happy with their experiences at DRA. Says 438 members......wow!
http://groups.myspace.com/index.cfm?fus ... 3341893196
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