Mount Bachelor Takes it in the Pooper?

[Che Gookin]

http://http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2009/04/state_conducts_two_investigati.html#3301177


Some of the comments on the article regarding this CEDU wannabe arsepit are priceless. I'm a bit more surprised by Cafety getting in there and mixing it up. It seems rather uncharacteristic for them, but more power to them. Nice to seem them fighting the good fight.

Probably one of more moving comments, for me, on the thread is by Beas, "I'd rather spend 14 months in a war zone in Iraq than in an RTC." Which is sort of telling considering Beas actually was both in Iraq and a RTC.

But for those of you a day late and a dollar short:

State of Oregon is investigating claims made into Mount Bachelor Academy being a duckfarm that utilized humiliating role playing games in workshops. Hopefully some justice for the kids can come out of it.

[Che Gookin]

Posted by adolpsych on 04/12/09 at 7:06PM

I am Charley Huffine, the psychiatrist on the board of CAFETY. I am sharing my name in the spirit of transparency that Brian Lombrowski and Bill Hoffman have initiated.

I have not been to Mt Bachelor Academy and my fate is most likely that I will not be their guest. I have not had youth in my practice from MBA and I have no inside information on their program. I can identify in spirit with Bill Hoffman in having had a steady stream of the same positive and emotionally gripping experiences as he described during my nearly 35 years of working with teenagers and young adults in an outpatient psychiatric practice. Bill I appreciate and honor your commitment to the kids that you have served and I would hope that my comments will be taken as a respectful dialogue in which your critics press you to reexamin your assumptions just as your comments have challenged me to do the same. I have seen amazing successes in my career and I am quick to admit that I have experienced some real tragedies.

I fully acknowledge that I don't know the program at MBA, nor can I envision a summary of the experiences of the masses of youth treated there over the past 20+ years. Nor have I experienced anything like the horrific abuse youth I interview have experienced in residential programs. I learn from what I am told. I learn from youth, I learn from families and I learn from colleagues. I have taken what you offered to heart Bill, and I do sense that you are a person guided by a desire to do good in the world and have some satisfaction in knowing that you have. You were cited by several as one of the MBA good guys.

Earlier in my career I provided consultation to the staff of three agencies that ran residential components. Each was located within an urban environment primarily for kids in the social service system. I am very familiar with our state run mental health residential programs. All are located within or near urban areas. I have had youth forced to go to state funded drug and alcohol programs. These are more restrictive but still in urban centers. I have had difficulties in relating to their programs as they don't share the clinical perspectives that I hold dear. But my patients at times get important things from such programs, even if after discharge most resume the bad behavior they were into before inpatient treatment. Thus it is left to me to help them clean up the messes. I have been in juvenile detention facilities many times seeing my patients. I have also had several youth in my practice either before or after they have been sent off to residential programs. Never have I seen a kid that I have worked with after they have been discharged from a long stay in a residential program.

Experiences with residential programs have been universally miserable. Most of my experiences occurred in the 80's and 90's. I have taken some youth in after discharge in recent years and I have actively talked parents out of seending their children to such facilities.

I tried hard to relate to such programs as MBA (but not MBA) when youth I worked with were sent away. My experience in every case was insulting and depressing. It seems that as an outpatient mental health provider I represented failure. If community based treatment worked the kid wouldn't be sent to a residential program. My credentials for aftercare were in every case actively disrespected and and parents were advised to cut off all relationship with me. I have never been sent an admission note or closing summary or even asked for a list of medications. Furthermore the general attitude I encountered was that anything I was trained to do to evaluate kids was seen as irrelevant.

I knew such attitudes did not exist in the programs I had been part of as a consultant. I was mystified initially and gradually and reluctantly became disillusioned with the residential treatment/therapeutic school industry. As ever more youth came into my practice after discharge from such facilities I began to have even more concerns. I have seen the results of both gross abuse and neglect and the more subtle damage to a youth's development due to undercutting of their self esteem and social confidence. I became aware that the programs who had held my patients for many months had a total lack of appreciation of developmentally normative behavior. I still believe that there must be good programs out their - humane, highly professional and on top of the clinical issues, but I have yet to find one. So my experience has been poor in relating to this industry.

I have learned so much in the last 3 years during my time as a founder and member of A START, and in my association with CAFETY. I have come to know resilient but scarred youth and parents whose children have been horrifically hurt or killed by neglect and abuse. This has made me very angry and ashamed. How could these travesties exist in the US - we indeed do have our gulag, one for our most vulnerable youth! Bill as you seem to be a sincere and passionate man, you should be horrified as well. A START's on line survey and the GAO report affirmed our worst fears and was entirely consistent with Maia Szalavitz's journalistic research - the industry is very sick and harbors terrible abuse. NATSAP is a joke as a trade organization as was clearly demonstrated in the April 07 House EdLab Committee hearings. We have heard many complaints from Aspin programs, the organization MBA is now affiliated with. In many of their programs there has been documented gross abuse - much worse then the worst allegations at MBA. Regulations in many states mean very little. In fact regulations poorly enforced seem to provide a cover for abuse and neglect in many agencies. It is also clear that rural counties where many programs like MBA exist are loath to interfere with a major employer in their midst. Regional human services offices don't touch them nor do local courts. Even in the worst of the programs, one's you would agree Bill are shameful and harmful, no one seems to do appropriate inspections, no one seems to look beyond the dog and pony show or the parents adamant endorsement of a cult like philosophy that condones abuse. Aspin and their parent company are extremely powerful and politically well connected and very imposing to an earnest set of reform minded professionals, parents and youth. This is my experience with your industry. I am admittedly suspicious because in every case, perhaps without your tone of sincerity Bill, we hear the same lofty comments from leaders in such organizations as yours.

Bill, none of us in the advocacy world presumed that MBA is one of the worst programs - Brian did a good 1-10 scale appraisal of where we start in our presumptions about MBA. I have no doubt that you are sincere and are legitimately horrified by the accusations that are swirling about your program. Let me try to explain what I think is our very rational approach to your program even though I am sure you will disagree. I cannot know your mind and will never claim to. But I am someone who has studied psychological process and have a need to apply it here as hypothesis building. Please don't take offence. We are eager for a skilled and objective evaluation of the allegations.

We must measure your credibility and that of your CEO against what youth have to say. Bottom line: I believe the youth. Let me explain why I think that this is a very rational perspective to take. Characterizing youth as liars or treatment failures who are too messed up to judge what is good for them is, in my opinion, pure nonsense. My experience is that youth are much more likely to cave into abusive programs and even defend them when they have experienced fear of retribution - they experience this years after their abuse has ended. Those who take the plunge and share their "dirty little secrets" are exposing themselves to more harm. And indeed they have in this dialogue with some very harsh comments directed at youth who have chosen to speak up about abuse at MBA. Thus these youth are the truly credible ones and are heroic for their agreeing to expose themselves to the ugly comments. In some cases it appears that whistle blowing youth have incurred abuse from other residents or from their own families.

Staff and program leadership are far less credible. One needs to start with their obvious self interest regarding their jobs. It is much more likely staff suffer credibility problems from more subtle and less self serving reasons. How painful it would be for you, Bill, if you had to really examine what some of the staff you have mentored may have done to abuse and harm those in your care. It is very likely that you would delude yourself and point to your programs positive results and the many youth's good outcomes. I believe you when you report such outcomes that you are being sincere and undoubtedly in many cases accurate. But you are still heavily at risk for denial. It is my assessment that this is probable. I can't "know," but it is a more credible possibility then doubting the honesty of youth who have complained.

I entirely agree with the LAWSPROTECT person's comments that it makes no difference whether the youth was resilient and took all the abuse in stride. Abuse is abuse and we have several recent and many past reports that in one of your programs/treatment modalities, Life Steps, gross abuse was practiced. You, Bill, have an obligation to investigate those allegations, talk with the youth, believe them and then stop the practices with a sense of horror and urgency - whether or not you are cited for violations by your local DHS. You need to look again at the qualifications and safety of your staff. You state that you have many more masters level employees and that is generally a good sign, but newly minted MA's are very capable in being swept up in an agency culture and join in the denial.

You say that youth receive individualize plans and know that "one size does not fit all," but what do you do to really understand the back grounds of your kids. Who gets what information and how do assessments actually differentiate the mix of treatment options for each individual kid.

Believe me I know DBT. I have had the training and know when treatment adheres to DBT criteria. As I am sure you know only strict adherence to the entire program, including peer consultation that examines the details of DBT sessions. assures that the effectiveness data applies. You cannot just offer skills with any claim that you are doing evidence based practice. Many of us do a version of CBT or Motivational interviewing and no doubt learning some of the principles inform our work. Real CBT or MI demand strict adherence. True behavioral therapies are the most collaborative and egalitarian forms of treatment and only work when there is a truly collaborative relationship between the therapist and the client. That may be hard to achieve in any residential program. I must say that what you shared about your program improvements didn't reassure me much and did not demonstrate a gritty knowledge of these very good treatments.

The last musing I must get off my chest is the larger question of the efficacy of remote residential treatment. I have doubts about its efficacy even if practiced in the most humane and expert way. On this point (as is different from issues of abuse) reasonable people can differ. We all suffer from gross absence of data. My concept of residential treatment when done right is that it is a short term intervention that is an alternative or stepdown from a hospitalization, should never last more then 2 months and should be focused on reintegrating a youth to their family and community. (Look up CALOCUS on the American Association of Community Psychiatrist's web site.)I really have trouble with the many incorrect and personally painful statements that youth are AT RISK OF DEATH! if they don't get to a program such as MBA when they stray into risk taking in the midst of their adolescent developmental process. I take exception to your claim that due to the social conditions today youth who have even minor difficulties may be best served by wrenching them away from their homes and communities for a remote residential facility. In a facility with a highly regimented existence that bears no resemblance to normal adolescent life youth cannot do legitimate growth. MY OPINION!! I completely disagree that youth in trouble; using drugs, cutting classes and in conflict with their parents - even those tough kids we both know who are late childhood adoptees with serious attachment disorders - cannot be safely treated in their communities. Talk to Aaron Bacon's parents about risk of death. I know this couple and several others where residential care has been lethal. There are those in this dialogue who tell of MBA graduates who have killed themselves after discharge. I have no way of knowing the score card of death by suicide between community and residential treatment. We have NO DATA, but my point is that the residential option has risks as well. My opinion is that they are much worse then staying in ones community. My perspective as an outpatient psychotherapist is that all youth can be treated in the community and that hospitals, juvenile detention, drug and alcohol inpt programs and even short term residential placements in community based group homes where youth go to community schools and maintain their social connections, are more safe then what you offer. Your perspective on relative risks shows little understanding of the very nature of the adolescent developmental process. One MUST master the hazards of what is in ones social environment, one MUST take some risks and negotiate risk taking with parents and other adults in ones life. I practice a harm reduction approach to treatment of youth in the community. I emphasizes a youth's strengths and seeks to empower youth AND their families. In this approach I am very influenced by the System of Care values and principles espoused by Friendman and Stoul (Bob Friedman is a founder of A START) in the concept monograph for the CASSP program which layed the foundations for the System of Care movement in mental health. I also believe that a skillful therapist or counselor offers the opportunity of a legitimate relationship with an alternative, non-family adult, a crucial component of a healthy adolescent developmental process. It is my opinion that this is a healing process which gives the best results. However beyond my opinions we are now getting data on the wraparound process, a core element of System of Care methodologies, that affirms it is an evidence based practice. I think we could all join in lamenting the lack of such resources in our communities. We should all lobby for more resources and better training of professionals so that families could rely on community based resources.

This last paragraph I offer to all with full respect for the fact that none of us has the ability to speak from adequate data. I would hope that in SAMHSA's Building Bridges initiatives we can define appropriate roles for RTCs and integrate this level of care into a community based set of services.

Sorry for the long note, but I was filled up with thoughts.

Interesting comments by Dr. Charles Huffine.

[Che Gookin]

Posted by GNMBA on 04/13/09 at 4:23PM

I was a student during the "dark ages".

i think "iamalive" is a staff member at MBA who called "graduatemba" out on their Cedu vs. MBA attendance. That person is right, MBA lingo is different from ANY lingo so don't feel bad for defending us, the students, who appreciate someone BELIEVING our stories.

i'll translate your questions so the staff from MBA can understand, and answer the questions, since i can.

1. Does MBA still use escort services to initially bring the child to the campus and/or pick up runaways?

YES. My friend was woken up in the middle of the night, handcuffed on the airplane and brought to MBA

2. Are phone calls and mail still monitored on a locked phone?

YES. There was a code on the phone to dial out, the phone was kept in a locked room, and I don't know if you could dial 911. Our incoming and outgoing mail was read. An ex-staff member who committed suicide wrote a friend of mine a letter, and knowing his mail would be read labeled the pages with numbers, she was only given page #3.

3. Are there still "raps" Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons? And in these raps are people encouraged to "take care of their feelings" and "get in touch with their inner child?"

There were GROUPS monday, wednesday and friday. ALL SCHOOL groups whenever the staff decided, which could last all day and into the night. A staff member's son hung a dead bird by a rope from a bell and of course, we the "troubled" teens were held all day being accused.

encouraged to share their feelings is a nice way of putting it.

4. Are the "life-steps" still over a 24 hour period? and is there still a rap from 2-6am?

YES, LIFESTEPS are 24+ HOURS. We did not have 2-6AM groups, but there's nothing like being woken up to kids screaming "I"M ALIVE" between 2 and 6 am.

5. In the workshops do they still have to "role-play" out negative characters hand PICKED by the faculty running the workshop? How long are those days too? 12 hours long? 16 hours long? 20 hours long?

Lifesteps are 24 HOURS, 3 DAYS, 5 DAYS, ONE WEEK, TWO WEEKS. I believe these time frames might be different from when I was a student. The staff is in control during the lifestep. You do what they say, if not, get ready for directed peer pressure, to be kicked out of the lifestep, or to tack on some hours. THERE ARE MANY MILES BEFORE WE SLEEP, THERE ARE PROMISES TO KEEP. (If I got that quote wrong, I'm sure someone can correct me).

6. Are punishments like Tables, Fulltimes, 21 days, bans, work assignments still in effect?

When I was there; self studies (stuck in a corner facing a wall or window, or in a separate room, ban (physical, verbal, total, whole school, individual, relationship, # of people and # of days vary), work assignments (too many to list), journals, consequence disk crew, and any creative punishment staff could think of.

BANS=
(Realize when under this punishment you cannot smile, be touched, laugh, sing, speak only when spoken to by approved staff and peers while

SELF STUDY=
sitting at a table during ALL your "free-time" doing harsh writing assignments and work assignments everyday except when attending raps... and this punishment can last several months.... When do you attend classes again?!?!)

7. Are lugs still used during rap call off?

no idea what lugs are, but god forbid you pass someone a tissue during group if they are crying.

8. Do you still make kids do the "You live/You die" Lifeboat experience? And write their own epitaph telling the world why they deserved to die?

We wrote our own obituary.

9. In the lifesteps do you still play music repeatedly for hours on end and change the temperature of the room to REALLY HOT and REALLY COLD in the wee AM hours?

Yes. Same song over and over again. So loud the stereo would over heat. You could hear the music outside the building. We also watched the same movies over and over again, if you fell asleep staff made you stand up, or poured ice water over your head, or told you to go splash water on your face.

10. Are the students still under strict orders to not "take things out of raps and workshops?"

EVERYTHING IS CONFIDENTIAL. Except when a staff member was participating in a lifestep and during his "clean-up" confessed to killing someone. He was fir

Here is something relevant from a veteran of the program.

[Che Gookin]

Little did I know Cafety has been keeping their eyes peeled on this one for awhile. Good on them and I hope they can do some damage to that place.

http://http://www.fornits.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=27260

A cafety insider has promised me the full story at a later time. I plan to hold them to their promise and will get them to write up a full report on the events once they are able to.

I'm curious as hell as to what sparked all this off and how they managed to get it from Facebook/myspace to the Oregon government.

[blombrowski]

So as not to jeopardize in any way the ongoing investigation, for now I'm going to keep the comments very brief.  The article that is linked below and the contents therein have been the product of equal parts luck, dedication, observation, preparation, skill, and bravery, least not from those who went to the press and the government agencies to tell their stories.  

http://www.time.com/time/health/article ... 82,00.html

[Che Gookin]

This article is worthy of a thread on its own. Well done old bean, well done.

[Nihilanthic]

This isn't allowed to be done to terror detainees. Less makes the world flip out when done to adults.

We do this to children and the world is slient.

Humanity never ceases to amaze.