Author Topic: Troubled Teen Boarding School?  (Read 1782 times)

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Offline Anonymous

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Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« on: November 11, 2008, 04:52:15 PM »
Can someone help me out here? I've been looking into one of these for my daughter and have been a bit surprised to find out how many of them are frauds. My daughter is a very smart girl, she doesn't do drugs, and is a good kid overall. She's just clinically depressed and therapy hasn't worked for her. Her depression keeps her from doing well in school, and I was under the impression that a "Troubled Teen Boarding School" could help her. Are they all filled with drug-addicted kids? Are they all like prisons?
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Offline psy

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #1 on: November 11, 2008, 05:01:17 PM »
Quote from: "Abi"
Can someone help me out here? I've been looking into one of these for my daughter and have been a bit surprised to find out how many of them are frauds. My daughter is a very smart girl, she doesn't do drugs, and is a good kid overall. She's just clinically depressed and therapy hasn't worked for her. Her depression keeps her from doing well in school, and I was under the impression that a "Troubled Teen Boarding School" could help her. Are they all filled with drug-addicted kids? Are they all like prisons?

Keep in mind, when viewing all the responses on this thread, that we were all in programs such as those which you are considering sending your child to (which I would highly recommend against).  With that being said, I shall let the others on this forum explain the intricacies of the program experiences to you.
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Benchmark Young Adult School - bad place [archive.org link]
Sue Scheff Truth - Blog on Sue Scheff
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2008, 05:34:06 PM »
To be more clear, I'm looking to find a therapeutic boarding school that isn't a cult/scam. I've certainly seen that many people on this board have had awful, traumatizing experiences at them. If anyone knows of any schools that are actually worth checking out, please let me know. I'm not sure where else to ask at this point. Thanks.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2008, 05:41:42 PM »
What community-based supports have you tried?  I assume your daughter is in therapy, and is taking some kind of anti-depressant.  If it's truly an educational issue you might want to talk to your local school district about support services that she's entitled to.  You may also want to look into wraparound services or some kind of mentoring program.  What's available in the community is largely dependant on where you live.  

There are day programs that have a therapeutic component to them, I just can't see what benefit there would be to a therapeutic boarding school based on what you've described.

Who may I ask made the suggestion of a therapeutic boarding school to begin with?
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Offline Ursus

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2008, 06:08:05 PM »
My advice would be to keep the therapist and the school as separate as possible. I am deeply suspicious of "wraparound services" since they usually entail communication between the therapist, the school, and (g-d forbid) the social service system. Should there ever be a conflict of interest, who do you think will come out on top?

Ideally, the school wouldn't even know about the therapist. If they already do, do not allow them to communicate with him/her. Inform the school that you are fully committed to being as involved as you need to be. Stress over and over again, as many times as you have to, that what your daughter really needs right now is to be in control of her own autonomy. If this is not your daughter's therapist's style, get another therapist. Sounds like you already need to, if the present situation isn't working.

I don't think it will really help your daughter's depression all that much to have the whole system peering into her private psyche and potentially passing judgment. Whether they actually are or not is probably not as important as how it is perceived by your daughter. Your daughter's therapist should be for her and her alone. Schools generally don't honor that respectful distance; they have other things on their agenda. The potential for a conflict of interest is too great to risk it, IMHO.

As to the boarding school question (should it really be necessary to incorporate a different environment), my advice would still hold. And that means that you wouldn't be looking into these hell-holes featured on fornits anyway.

Just my four cents, for what it's worth...
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Offline hurrikayne

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2008, 07:09:36 PM »
Abi - The Federal Trade Commission has weighed in on some questions you should ask ANY boarding school you are considering:

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, cautions that before you enroll a youngster in a private residential treatment program, check it out: ask questions; ask for proof or support for claims about staff credentials, program accreditation, and endorsements; do a site visit; and get all policies and promises in writing.
Questions to Ask

Here are some questions to ask representatives of any program you may be considering. The responses may help you determine if the program is appropriate for your child.

   1. Are you licensed by the state?

      If the answer is yes, find out what aspects of the program the license covers: educational, mental/behavioral health, and/or residential?

      If the program claims to be licensed, get the name of the state agency that issued the license and contact the agency to verify that the license is current. Often, the licensing will be through a state Department of Health and Human Services or its equivalent. If the program’s representative can’t provide the name of the licensing agency, consider it a red flag.

      If the program is unlicensed and you still want to consider it, contact the state Attorney General (www.naag.org), the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org), and the local consumer protection office (www.consumeraction.gov/state.shtml) where the program is located.

      Regardless of whether a program is licensed, when contacting any of these groups:
          * Ask for copies of all publicly available information, including any complaints or actions filed against the program, site visit evaluations, violations, and corrective actions.
          * Pay particular attention to any reports of unsanitary or unsafe living conditions, nutritionally compromised diets, exposure to extreme environmental conditions or extreme physical exertion, inadequate staff supervision or a low ratio of staff to residents, medical neglect, physical or sexual abuse of youth by program staff or other residents, and any violation of youth or family rights.
   2. Do you provide an academic curriculum?

      If so, is it available to all program participants? Do you have teachers who are certified or licensed by your state? Some programs may offer only self-study or distance education. Sometimes, educational options are not made available until a resident has reached an advanced phase of the program. In addition, some programs may claim that academic credits will transfer to the resident’s home school and count toward a high school diploma. Check with the board of education in the state where the program operates – and with your state board if you live out-of-state – to verify that academic credits will transfer.
   3. What about accreditation?

      Several independent nonprofit organizations, like the Joint Commission (JACHO), the Council on Accreditation (COA), and the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), accredit mental health programs and providers.
          * JACHO accredits and certifies more than 15,000 health care organizations and programs in the U.S. (www.jointcommission.org)
          * COA is an international child- and family-service and behavioral healthcare organization that accredits 38 different service areas, including substance abuse treatment, and more than 60 types of programs. (www.coanet.org)
          * CARF International is an independent accreditor of human services providers in areas including behavioral health, child and youth services, and employment and community services. (www.carf.org)

      Ask whether all components of the program are accredited, for example, the base program, the drug and alcohol component, and the wilderness program. Then contact the accrediting organization for confirmation.

      The GAO’s Report noted that one program claimed to be accredited by the JACHO, but in fact, only the base program was accredited. Neither the wilderness program nor the drug and alcohol component was accredited.

      The organizations above grant accreditation and certification after evaluating the quality of services provided by a treatment program. Parents and guardians should be aware that some other organizations that claim to accredit schools may serve merely as membership organizations, and may not conduct site inspections or otherwise evaluate the quality of the programs they certify. If a treatment program claims to be certified or accredited, parents and guardians should contact the accrediting organization and ask about the standards the organization uses when issuing a certification.
   4. Do you have a clinical director? What are his/her credentials?

      Typically, a clinical director is responsible for overseeing, supporting, and maintaining the quality of care for the program. A clinical director may have an advanced degree in a related field, like clinical psychology, and may be involved in providing individual therapy, assessment and consultation, staff training and development, and managing or supervising the components of the program.
   5. What are the credentials of the staff, especially the counselors and therapists, who will be working with my child?

      Do they have appropriate and relevant advanced degrees like a Masters in Social Work, a license to do clinical social work (LCSW), a Ph.D., or an M.D.? Are they certified or licensed within the state? If they are, by what agency or organization?

      Ask to see copies of relevant documents, and consider contacting the certifying or licensing organization to confirm the staff credentials. The GAO found that some program leaders falsely claimed to have credentials in therapy or medicine, which led some parents to trust them with teens who had serious mental or physical disabilities requiring different levels of treatment.
   6. How experienced is your staff? Have they worked at other residential treatment programs? If yes, where and for how long?

      Ask to see current certifications in CPR and other emergency medicine. For wilderness programs, also ask for proof of relevant training and expertise.
   7. Do you conduct background checks on your employees?

      If the answer is yes, find out who does the background check and how extensive it is. Call the company to confirm that it provides background check services for the treatment program. If the answer is no or the program does not conduct background checks, consider it a red flag.
   8. What are the criteria for admission ? Do you conduct pre-admission assessments? Are they in person, by phone, or over the Internet? Who conducts them?

      If your child has serious addiction problems or psychological issues, take special care to ensure that the program is equipped to deal with them. Discuss the appropriateness of the program with your child’s psychologist, psychiatrist, or other healthcare provider.
   9. Will you provide an individualized program with a detailed explanation of the therapies, interventions, and supports that will address my child’s needs? When is this done? How often will my child be reassessed?

      Ask whether your child will have group or individual therapy sessions. If the answer is yes, ask how often the sessions will take place and who will conduct them. Once enrolled, confirm with your child that the promised level of care is being received.
  10. How do you handle medical issues like illness or injury? Is there a nurse or doctor on staff? On the premises? Will you contact me? Will I be notified or consulted if there’s a change in treatment or medication?

      Ask for copies of procedures the program follows on dealing with medical emergencies.
  11. How do you define success? What is your success rate? How is it measured?

      Some programs make specific success claims in their advertising materials. To date, there is no systematic, independently collected descriptive or outcome data on these programs.
  12. How do you discipline program participants?

      Ask about policies and procedures for discipline.
  13. Can I contact/speak with my child when I want? Can my child contact me when he wants?

      Some programs prohibit, monitor, or otherwise restrict verbal or written communication between you and your child. Find out what is allowed and prohibited before you enroll your child.
  14. What are the costs? What do they cover? What is your refund policy if the program doesn’t work out?

      Private residential treatment programs often charge hundreds of dollars per day. While health insurance sometimes may pay a limited amount, for the most part, the youngster’s family is responsible for paying the fees and bills.
  15. Do you have relationships with companies and individuals that provide educational and referral services?

      Some companies may provide services, claiming to match troubled kids with an appropriate treatment program. Be aware that although some of these services represent themselves as independent, they may not be. They may actually be operated or paid by one or more of the treatment programs. Ask the service if it receives commissions from the treatment programs.

For More Information

Among the sources of information for families researching private residential treatment programs for troubled youngsters are:

    * The Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) Report to Congress: “Residential Treatment Programs: Concerns Regarding Abuse and Death in Certain Programs for Troubled Youth” (October 2007) – www.gao.gov
    * The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s list of state mental health agencies – www.cdc.gov/mentalhealth/state_orgs.htm
    * The U.S. Department of State Fact Sheet: “Behavior Modification Facilities” – www.state.gov
    * Your State Attorney General – www.naag.org
    * The Alliance for the Safe, Therapeutic and Appropriate use of Residential Treatment (A START) – http://astart.fmhi.usf.edu. A START is sponsored by the Department of Child and Family Studies of the University of South Florida. The Alliance includes leaders in psychology, psychiatry, nursing, mental health law, policy and family advocacy, as well as individuals with direct program experience as director, evaluator, parent, or participant in such programs.

 
About the FTC

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft, and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

As a survivor of a religious based program, I would plead with you to reconsider the treacherous path you are tip-toeing down.  Feel free to PM me.
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Offline beccabbyx

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #6 on: November 11, 2008, 07:54:45 PM »
i would say no to this woman. if your daughter is anything like me, which sounds about true, don't do it.
i am at a boarding school as we speak and i have an IQ of 145 and a GPA of 3.8 so and I really doubt your daughter will get the education she needs at a boarding facility. I would suggest a prep school near by, it's probably cheaper and the family support would be very helpful. keep contact with your child, bring her to her therapy, make it something that you help her with and not just shove her away to deal with like so many parents do. just my imput as a detainee of a "teen help boarding school".
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2008, 06:34:38 AM »
There are some such schools that are not gulags in the worst sense of the word. However even in these cases you need to keep in mind that your child is far from home in an environment that is likely to be highly structured and restrictive. This means she is potentially going to be homesick as well as depressed. She will also regardless of how well the kids are treated be in with some girls who are very ill, some with legal issues & some with drug problems as well as those who are not that troubled & sent by parents who have for whatever reason overreacted to slight misbehavior. For that last group of kids there is likely to be a lot of anger and pain. You dont know if such kids will take this out on their peers
 This is quite a cocktail & you need to question how any school can cater well to such a diverse bunch.
Some places with legitimate accreditation from bodies like jahco have still come under fire for questionable methods.

There is no surefire cure for depression but the love and hands on support of family goes a long way. Encouraging exercise & healthy eating can help. here is a site with some useful tips
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_tips.htm
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2008, 04:40:01 PM »
There's never been a program proved "successful" in helping youngsters in any capacity, so stay away from them.

Who suggested a tbs? My understanding's that since the reality of these "schools" have become public shrinks have stopped doing so for the most part.Was it a friend or an ed con? They, and shrinks as well, are often given consulting fees for referring.  Given your narrative, I can't understand why residential care would be suggested as a consideration.  If you got your info from a shrink  he has commited malpractice because a doc is not supposed to recommend treatment that has no scientific validity.

Do you abuse your daughter? The only grounds for your kid to leaving home would be that your household is abusive or dysfunctional. If that's the case, she's better off at a member of your extended family, or with one of her friend’s families, but never a tbs.

Residential care is only appropriate when someone is an immediate danger to themselves or others, and even then only on an emergency, short term basis. Otherwise, the damage it does(inevitably being in that sort of environment comes with unintended consequences) outweighs its potential for help.

There are schools that aren't cult-gulags that 'specialize' in teaching "troubled teens." The problem is due to a lack of laws (it’s legal to kidnap, imprison, kill, do anything to a kid & call it disciplining/treating them,  lie about the "program") it’s near impossible to tell a non gulag-cult from a troubled teen boarding school. There are tricks to help you tell them apart, but it’s easy enough to be tricked. These places are run by cult disciples and they’ll tell you anything they think you want to hear, to get ahold of your kid and your $.

Just so you know, if an org is willing to kidnap your kid, or if they restrict your kids contact with the outside world, they're a gulag-cult, straight up.

Don’t send your kids to a tbs even if it isn't a gulag cult. Again, tbs’s have no medical viability. Not one has ever been demonstrated effective, and all the studies have shown that residential treatment of teens never works as well as outpatient treatment.

From personal experience, non gulag tbs's aren't good. You get surrounded with kids who are heavy drug users, criminal, violent, a whole lot worse than "depressed." The kids don't take learning seriously, and because the kids aren't seen as students but patients, the culture of realizing excellence and respect for learning is lost. You end up just getting babysat.

Keep her in a real school. And have her see a real therapist. When you try mix the two you get the benefits of neither.

Maybe get her into a school that specializes in what she’s interested in. Or, look for a small or Montessori type school.

http://www.isaccorp.org/warningsigns.asp
Warning Signs of Potentially Abusive Facilities



The facility is not licensed.

Verbal and/or written communication between the child and his parents, siblings, grandparents, etc. is prohibited, restricted, or monitored on any level.


The facility requires that the parents and/or child sign a form releasing the program of liability in the event of injury to the child.


The program requests/demands/recommends that they have legal custody of children.


The program requires that children live in foster or "host" homes instead of allowing them to reside with their parents.


The child or parent or forbidden from discussing the daily happenings at the facility. Often this policy is called "confidentiality."


The child is denied access to a telephone.


Phone calls between children and parents are monitored.


The program uses confrontational therapy.


Parents must fulfill requirements of the facility before being permitted to visit their own children.


The facility is located outside the jurisdiction of the United States.


Children are restrained or otherwise physically prevented from leaving the facility.


The staff includes former students/clients of the facility.


Staff members claim that self-injury or cutting/carving on ones body is normal behavior for a child in treatment.


Parents are not allowed to remain with their child during the entire intake/entry process.


The program inflicts physical punishments on children such as exercising for extended periods of time, bizarre cleaning rituals (ie scrubbing floors with a toothbrush) or food restrictions.


The program uses humiliation to "break them down."


The program forces children to remain in solitary confinement/isolation/time-out for an unspecified amount of time.


The facility considers homosexuality to be a behavioral problem.


The facility claims to be able to "treat" homosexuality.


Reading materials are prohibited or severely limited.


The facility does not have a clearly visible sign outside the building or descriptions of their location are vague.


The facility claims to modify behavior, yet has no licensed therapists on staff.


A licensed doctor or registered nurse is not present at any time during normal operating hours.


Current clients/students participate in the intake/entry process.


Staff members offer to help parents obtain a court order forcing the child into, or keeping the child in, the facility.


Children are observed while bathing, dressing, or using the toilet on any level of the program.


The facility claims to treat drug abuse, but does not conduct a drug screen prior to entry.


The facility does not allow children to follow their religion of choice.


Staff members must "approve" family members, siblings, friends, or employment.


Children are not afforded an education in accordance with state requirements.


Medication is recommended, prescribed, approved, or dispensed by anyone other than a medical doctor (MD).


Children are denied medications that have been prescribed by an MD.


Staff members, admissions personnel, referrers, etc. make statements indicating that "your child will die without" the program.


Children escort/supervise other children.


Children have to "earn" the "right" to speak during group/therapy sessions.


Children are denied outside activities on any level/phase.


Staff members must approve the withdrawal of children from the facility.


The facility expects total and unquestioned support of parents.


Children on any level/phase are forbidden to speak to other children in the facility.


The facility will not disclose the names of any doctors or therapists on staff prior to the child's admittance into the program.
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2008, 04:48:20 PM »
Thanks for the information, everyone. My daughter's counselor mentioned these schools briefly when I expressed that my daughter might need more structure. It seems they certainly are structured places, but I would never risk sending her to any place where there has been abuse. I'm not sure what direction to look in now, but it's definitely not going to be the direction of "therapeutic boarding schools".
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Offline ktlvsnbreethz

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #10 on: November 13, 2008, 01:41:48 PM »
Please don't send her away unless it is your very ONLY LAST CHOISE!!! Trust me i am at one, i am not stupid, never done a drug and have a 4.0, and my mom is pulling me soon because this was NOT WHAT I NEEDED!!! they are all very very fake, just no that
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Offline Anonymous

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Re: Troubled Teen Boarding School?
« Reply #11 on: November 13, 2008, 08:43:37 PM »
If it is a matter of structure, or socialization why not an organised activity. Many kids loose interest as teens but they can be a good way of meeting new people and connecting with the community. If she is socially isolated then this is a   non threatening way of meeting others. A part time job might help too. Earning some money of her own will help her to feel independent & build self eseteem. There is no surefire fix but things like this can help.
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