one more reason why teen residential programs are dangerous

[ZenAgent]

I remember TheWho Vol.1 as being more middle of the road and not nearly as short on diplomacy as the post-ban Who.

[Anonymous]

The above post is exactly why I keep saying you can’t make a decision based solely on the advice of people here (myself included) you need to be careful.  They don’t like opposing views here only negative program posts.  So you won’t get a balanced view.

Contact the individual schools for details on their approaches to education and this will help you to determine if your child will fit in or not.  I suggest visiting the schools and speaking with some of the students and staff.  Every school has a different program and they all may not be right for your child.  I would also speak to some parents who had been thru the programs.


...

SINCE WHEN do parents "go thru the programs? :roll:  :roll:  :roll:

[Kathy]

It is interesting reading all the different accounts (very well written, by the way, psy) and stories of each person.  I use to mainly focus on how similar the accounts were but I have been noticing lately how different each person’s experience was and the approach the schools took.
At ASR they worked extremely hard on resolving the problems between the child and his/her family with the primary goal of bringing everyone closer together (not driving them apart).
 
I wonder if the reason Benchmark did this was because the kids were so much older and they were trying to make the kids more independent from their families.  I am not saying I agree with Benchmarks  tactics nor claim to understand the process, but merely from a philosophical stand point this may have been their goal.



...

Extremely well put, Psy  I don't think you could have stated it any more clearly.  That is exactly what many of us are here doing. And I have to say, it is well worth it.  I realized that I've inadvertently healed from my program experience through the the work that I've done (and continue to do) just like what you described above.  :exclaim:

[Kathy]

Crap, I keep pushing the wrong Quote button, my previous response was a reply to psy's post, not the whos....

[Kathy]

The above post is exactly why I keep saying you can’t make a decision based solely on the advice of people here (myself included) you need to be careful.  They don’t like opposing views here only negative program posts.  So you won’t get a balanced view.

Contact the individual schools for details on their approaches to education and this will help you to determine if your child will fit in or not.  I suggest visiting the schools and speaking with some of the students and staff.  Every school has a different program and they all may not be right for your child.  I would also speak to some parents who had been thru the programs.



...

This site is not intending to provide a balanced view. This site is providing the proverbial "other side" of the story.

So people visiting this site ought to figure the truth is some where between our extreme disgust with the program and the program's extreme delight with itself. The truth is PARENTS ought to start PARENTING their children, instead of OUTSOURCING that job as they do with everything else.  What could be more important that raising the next generation with love and encouragement? NOTHING, in my opinion.
But obviously that is not the consensus or children wouldn't be consistently being institutionalized from the moment they hit 6 weeks old! First they are in DayCare, then in after school day care, then they are left alone when they get to high school, and to the parents surprise, they get in trouble, so what do they do??? They put them in residential care for teens!!! What's up with that?  Who?? Anybody???

[Kathy]

It is interesting reading all the different accounts (very well written, by the way, psy) and stories of each person.  I use to mainly focus on how similar the accounts were but I have been noticing lately how different each person’s experience was and the approach the schools took.
At ASR they worked extremely hard on resolving the problems between the child and his/her family with the primary goal of bringing everyone closer together (not driving them apart).
 
I wonder if the reason Benchmark did this was because the kids were so much older and they were trying to make the kids more independent from their families.  I am not saying I agree with Benchmarks  tactics nor claim to understand the process, but merely from a philosophical stand point this may have been their goal.



...

ASR- Academy at Swift River?? an Aspen Program? Is this one of the programs you are associated with?  Aspen tries so hard to come across as the "Nice Guy" of the industry... their tactics are exposed in this article http://www.associatedcontent.com/articl ... grams.html
AND....
they even call themselves "people who care about helping people" in the following job advertisement...
 WRITER/CONTENT EDITOR

Description
Aspen Education Group is recognized nationwide as the leading provider of education and therapeutic programs for adolescents.  Aspen Education Group is a private organization based in Cerritos and was voted as one of LA’s “Best Places to Workâ€

[psy]

The above post is exactly why I keep saying you can’t make a decision based solely on the advice of people here (myself included) you need to be careful.  They don’t like opposing views here only negative program posts.  So you won’t get a balanced view.

Contact the individual schools for details on their approaches to education and this will help you to determine if your child will fit in or not.

Did that. The fed us a load of BS.

I suggest visiting the schools and speaking with some of the students and staff.

Ditto.  The students were cherry-picked.

But if you're going to do it anyway, interview one at a time (who you, not they, pick) and compare their stories.  Make sure to bring a notepad so you can write questions such as "can the staff hear us talking?"  Then make sure NOT to tell the staff what you were told.

Every school has a different program

Yes.  Cults are not all alike.

and they all may not be right for your child.

Probably

I would also speak to some parents who had been thru the programs.

Well.  Good luck finding any since I haven't yet seen a program for parents.  If ya find one, please let me know.  I think somebody needs a little treatment .

[TheWho]

If that's what you call therapy....then something is very wrong with you. Both of those recordings took place in an Aspen Facility on two separate occasions.

What you failed to mention is that this is footage from a television show.  When Hollywood decided to call the show "Brat Camp" and were going over the actors eerrrrr… I mean kids to participate I am sure the script didn’t call for 14 hours of kids sitting around the camp fire singing…. “I am a rock. I am an islandâ€

[TheWho]

Did that. The fed us a load of BS.

If you feel it is BS, what I typically tell the parents is to move on and keep trying to find a school you are comfortable with.

Ditto. The students were cherry-picked.

What we did was walk around the campus ourselves and spoke to kids at random, individually.  We had lunch in the main cafeteria and sat where chose and spoke to a group of kids.

Yes. Cults are not all alike.

No their not, good point.  What we did was ask to speak with parents who have been thru the program and speak with them and find out how they are doing and how their kids are doing.

Well. Good luck finding any since I haven't yet seen a program for parents. If ya find one, please let me know. I think somebody needs a little treatment

Ha,Ha,Ha, I get it!!  



...

[Anonymous]

There is no "we". TheWho works for them, and posts here full time. It's part of his job. Aspen Education Group is hiring more people to do just this.

[Kathy]

If that's what you call therapy....then something is very wrong with you. Both of those recordings took place in an Aspen Facility on two separate occasions.

What you failed to mention is that this is footage from a television show.  When Hollywood decided to call the show "Brat Camp" and were going over the actors eerrrrr… I mean kids to participate I am sure the script didn’t call for 14 hours of kids sitting around the camp fire singing…. “I am a rock. I am an islandâ€

[Kathy]

If you feel it is BS, what I typically tell the parents is to move on and keep trying to find a school you are comfortable with.

Are you an educational consultant? Why would you be telling parents what to do?  Especially if you were once a parent in trouble yourself?
Are there kickbacks or commissions involved?

What we did was walk around the campus ourselves and spoke to kids at random, individually. We had lunch in the main cafeteria and sat where chose and spoke to a group of kids.

I'm sure all of that group of kids had been there long enough to know the drill.... of course  :roll:  It doesn't take very long to know that if you tell the truth to outsiders you will soon be having your bones bent like in the above video clips.

What we did was ask to speak with parents who have been thru the program and speak with them and find out how they are doing and how their kids are doing.

Why not ask to speak to the other half of the parents who pulled their children out, and find out their viewpoints?  Thereby giving yourself a more BALANCED view of the program.

I am shocked that you were once banned from this board.  I don't think that has ever happened (besides you, obviously) in the last 10 years!  What in the hell did you do? WOW, it must have been bad!  :question:

[TheWho]

Why not ask to speak to the other half of the parents who pulled their children out, and find out their viewpoints? Thereby giving yourself a more BALANCED view of the program.

I try to keep in touch the best I can to see how others are doing.

There were 4 parents I know of that pulled there kids.  2 of them them their kids got pregnant, single moms, within a year of leaving without even a GED ages 16 and 15 (?).  A boy who was replaced into another program within 6 months of leaving (lost touch), up in Maine somewhere.  The 4th I never heard from again.



...

[Anonymous]

Wow. He must be getting DESPERATE. If any of this shit was in any way true he would have said it a LOT fucking earlier. :lol:

[Kathy]

Why not ask to speak to the other half of the parents who pulled their children out, and find out their viewpoints? Thereby giving yourself a more BALANCED view of the program.

I try to keep in touch the best I can to see how others are doing.

There were 4 parents I know of that pulled there kids.  2 of them them their kids got pregnant, single moms, within a year of leaving without even a GED ages 16 and 15 (?).  A boy who was replaced into another program within 6 months of leaving (lost touch), up in Maine somewhere.  The 4th I never heard from again.



...

Can you attempt to answer the other 6 questions too please?