Something possibly beneficial from the econimic crisis?

[try another castle]

You know how some parents have to take out a second mortgage just to put their kid in raisin-cake camp?

Well, sounds like that might not be happening for a while...

[iamartsy]

That did not stop my parents during the mid 80s recession.I remember the docs saying that if my mother lost her job they would just send me to a state hospital in Texas. That scared me. Later, I found out they were not as bad as T-lawn.

[dishdutyfugitive]

raisin rice cakes?

raisin pimento loaf sage baguette cake?

raisin cup cakes?

[ZenAgent]

You can't dispose of your kid without disposable income.  Parents will be too preoccupied with their dwindling portfolios to lock their kids up for their sexual orientation or experimentation.  The fear of losing status in the community because Junior likes to get high and have sex will no longer have the same priority when the parents can't afford to look good.  I'm not a biological parent, but I've learned that reproducing doesn't automatically make a person a "parent".  Not a good one, anyway.  The best program parents are the most self-absorbed and shallow.  They're too self-absorbed to consider treatment requiring frequent participation in boring family therapy sessions or tedious re-working of family dynamics at home.  They certainly do not want to be involved in treatment that places any blame on them.
 
The TTI grew into a cash cow by offering a "no brainer" solution to narcissistic, selfish parents - a warehouse for their potential Columbine kid that would lay blame squarely on the teen without judging the parents.  RTC's can administer torture, starvation, and drugs far more dangerous than any teen could score or want.  Teen programs can deliver brutal beatings parents would go to jail for, but programs hide behind "tough love" and the "clinical necessity" shield - no one questions these "professionals".  Programs play on parents egos by making them feel like "saviors" instead of negligent assholes abandoning their kids.  The parents are convinced they are saving kids from death or jail - something to brag about at the country club.  Really expensive programs also cut down on the abandonment guilt - "We picked the very best RTC for our child,"

The economy is going to shut down the most expensive places first - PV's admissions are rumored to be as miserable as Benchmark's.  PV's new smoke and mirrors treatment philosophy is a feeble attempt to deny the program's 20 year history of physical and mental torture, over-medication, and regular outbreaks of GI viruses like E. Coli and Norovirus due to sanitation issues.  The line staff are unqualified for their duties and licensing of clinicians has always been an issue.  How can PV claim to "change" when Bob Pegler, a twenty year PV veteran, is the new program director?  Despite being misrepresented on the PV website as a state licensed psychologist for two years , Pegler has no degree and no state licenses.  He used to be the rope course guy until the PV treatment team got fired this year without explanation.  Now Mr. Bob runs the whole program.  

Excel Academy, a CRC/Aspen program, is now dust.  Lone Star Expeditions, another CRC/Aspen program, is downsizing by cutting treatment and dropping the tuition.  Times are hard for big boys like CRC/Aspen Education Group.  

Maybe theWho was laid-off due to Aspen's downsizing.

[Ursus]

Maybe theWho was laid-off due to Aspen's downsizing.

Sadly, no. He's got his own (separate) gig, as far as his income is concerned.

Pimping for Aspen is "just" an ideological sideline, one that I am guessing will not financially impact him significantly one way or the other. The actual money comes from the Justice Dept. and "charitable donations." Aspen kicks in freebies and discounts, and TheWho does a bang-up job at marketing for them in return.

[Anonymous]

Maybe theWho was laid-off due to Aspen's downsizing.

Sadly, no. He's got his own (separate) gig, as far as his income is concerned.

Pimping for Aspen is "just" an ideological sideline, one that I am guessing will not financially impact him significantly one way or the other. The actual money comes from the Justice Dept. and "charitable donations." Aspen kicks in freebies and discounts, and TheWho does a bang-up job at marketing for them in return.

how do you know what thewho does?
What does the who do?

[iamartsy]

I still say that if parents are still employed and have insurance then there will be a psych hospital willing to open up their arms. All these places do is find out what the diagnosis of the month is and use it. The current insurable diagnosis gets you so many hospital treatment days and maybe even a referral to an "affordable" treatment program. My parents met with my treatment team more thank once fearing that I mother would be laid off. If that happened then I would have had to leave the hospital. The doctors always gave a cynical reply that I would just have to go to a state facility. I was mortified. It was one more thing to keep me from sleeping. I could not imagine what abuses the state hospital had in store. I was already at a private institution that had some pretty creative punishments that were abusive and destructive.

[Anonymous]

The good news is hardly anyone has any home equity to use for funding duck farms for their rebellious offspring. The better news is insurance companies are broke too, and even in good times -- a few years ago -- few would pay for anything more than the "therapy" component of these bogus programs, which amounted to a couple hours a week in most cases. Now that they are scrutinizing things even more, insurers are most likely not going to pay for even a few hours a week with a MSW or BS Psych at one of these shyster operations. Big corporations aren't as stupid or as careless with their cash as they used to be.

Many more programs will die a natural death as a result of this economy. And I can't think of a better gift for the next generation of young Americans.
 :cheers:

[ZenAgent]

Maybe theWho was laid-off due to Aspen's downsizing.

Sadly, no. He's got his own (separate) gig, as far as his income is concerned.

Pimping for Aspen is "just" an ideological sideline, one that I am guessing will not financially impact him significantly one way or the other. The actual money comes from the Justice Dept. and "charitable donations." Aspen kicks in freebies and discounts, and TheWho does a bang-up job at marketing for them in return.

how do you know what thewho does?
What does the who do?

I was going to ask more about "that individual", too, but as long as he isn't marketing here I'd rather forget him then know more about him.

Is it a good thing for the programs to die a natural death due to a recession?  They''ll be gone, but without being Exposed (plug) they have nothing to prevent them from re-opening shop when the economy improves.  Programs are downsizing and consolidating which shows they feel the squeeze.  PV is gasping and thrashing like a fish on the bank because the program's $100,000 tuition has caused admissions to flatline like Benchmark's.  The girls STU was empty and may still be.   PV is part of Covenant Health, a medical conglomerate with the resources to help PV survive the storm.  If PV becomes too much of an albatross because of public awareness of the program's abusive treatment, Covenant will no doubt pull the plug.  So how do we create public awareness of PV in a way that embarrasses the shit out of Covenant?  Hmmm....we do have a plan which would require help from Fornits folk who can travel.  It will be in a venue where survivors can protest their own programs and the TTI in general, too.