Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Aspen Education Group
My son at Aspen Ranch
NIGEL:
Hi,
I am new to this board. I enrolled my son at Aspen Ranch two months ago. We visited him for the first time last weekend. We sent him there because we felt we had tried everything and he was heading downhill fast. He is severly depressed, taking drugs (pot and lsd), gave up on school, suicidal, running away. We felt we had to do something or we were going to lose him.
On our visit last weekend, our son claims he has a new perspective on life and he wants us to take him out of "the ranch." (I'm sure most/if not all kids tell their parents the same thing). He told us some stories about other kids and was trying to shock us.
His therapists claim that he is making improvements in his efforts in school and also his relationships with his peers (our son says this is true), but that he still wants to come home. I am inclined to keep him there, but my wife is truly hurting and wants to bring him home.
Any advice from parents and/or former students would be much appreciated.
Thanks in advane.
TheWho:
I'll write a little more later. But basically what you are seeing is your son has realized that he cannot manipulate any of the staff or teachers there like he did at home and is realizing how good he had it at home. But if you brought him home he would go right back to his old ways. He is in a very safe and structured enviornment. I would listen to his therapist and get a read on how your son is doing thru him/her.
I would expect for you to get very negative feedback here on fornits for placing your son in a program. But hang in there and dont take the negative posts to heart. There will be some good advice if you read enough here.
Ursus:
--- Quote from: "NIGEL" ---He told us some stories about other kids and was trying to shock us.
--- End quote ---
He may or may not having been trying to shock you but, chances are, those stories were true.
Btw, pot and LSD are hardly in keeping with the brain re-wiring your son is probably going through right now. Personally, I'd recommend that you bring him home.
Here is another thread of possible interest from a few years ago; similar situation, similar title even. The OP of this thread had sent her son to Aspen Ranch ... and brought him right back home soon enough. At the end of it all, she did not have a very high opinion of what transpires at Aspen Ranch.
My son is currently at Aspen Ranch
viewtopic.php?f=48&t=12902[/list]
psy:
@NIGEL: What, specifically, were the allegations your son made? Those things might have been said to encourage you to take him home but they might also be true. Why not relate them here so some of us who have been in bad programs can comment on the probability they might be true.
Are you aware, for example, of the story of Aaron Bacon?
http://www.nospank.net/bacon.htm
Are you willing to take the risk that your son is telling the truth? Are you willing to take the risk of him being scarred emotionally for life or even killed? My advice is that if you hear reports of any crimes such as abuse from your son you relay it to the police. If your son is lying, he'll suffer the consequences from lying to the authorities. If he's telling the truth, you may have helped to save his life and the life of others. Allegations of abuse, if that's what he is relaying, are not something that should ever be ignored.
AuntieEm2:
Aspen Ranch has a substantial financial interest in keeping your son there, and in encouraging you to place no credibility in his reports, or the reports of others.
Casting your child as a “liar and manipulator” drives a wedge in the parent-child relationship
Be very cautious about adopting the position that your son is lying to you--especially the notion that "these kids will say anything to get out of here." This is your own son, your own flesh and blood, a child who has placed his trust in you, as his parent, since he was born. Forgive me for being direct, but at present he sees that you have betrayed him. I expect the school instructed you to transport him to the school under a pretense, such as "we're going on a family vacation," or “we’re going to tour a boarding school,” or they may have instructed you to use an escort service, in which case he was physically forced to accompany strangers to the school. While he may someday comply with the requirements of the school, he will not forget the betrayal. You may only have a short time to recover this boy's trust in you before it is gone for good. Remove him from the program as soon as possible, and there is a chance you can rebuild the relationship.
The “troubled teen” industry is a profit-driven enterprise with no motivation to reunite you with your son
I am guessing you got to a point with raising your boy when you just felt you had nowhere to turn. Perhaps you questioned your abilities as a parent, or feared that you could not be successful in protecting him from danger. You may have longed for the silence and relief of a household free of fighting and conflict. Guess what? Those are absolutely normal feelings for a parent. They are so commonplace, in fact, that the "troubled teen" industry has made a fortune responding to the fears and worries of parents like you. This is a virtually unregulated multi-billion dollar industry. Aspen's parent company, Bain Capital, is an investment conglomerate. The wilderness and ranch programs are “feeder” programs for the emotional growth and behavior modification boarding schools. Mark my words: In a few months your son will be diagnosed with a behavioral problem that Aspen will tell you requires that he be enrolled in a boarding school. They will be paid a substantial finder’s fee for referring you.
You need not take my word for any of this. The accounts of survivors provide detailed accounts of the experiences of actual former students. Even if some families report good outcomes, the documented reports of widespread abuse, maltreatment and death in programs--including Aspen programs--should cause any parent to choose the wiser path and remove their child from a system known to pose a danger to children.
See the reports on the forensic investigations conducted by the United States Government Acccountability Office, and the testimony of parents before the US House of Representatives.
Reports:
Report 1: http://http://edlabor.house.gov/testimony/101007GregoryKutzTestimony.pdf
Report 2: http://http://edlabor.house.gov/testimony/2008-04-24-GregKutz.pdf
Report 3: http://http://edlabor.house.gov/testimony/2008-04-24-KayBrown.pdf
Parent Testimony:
Parent testimony 1: http://http://edlabor.house.gov/testimony/101007CynthiaHarveyTestimony.pdf
Parent testimony 2: http://http://edlabor.house.gov/testimony/101007BobBaconTestimony.pdf
Parent testimony 3: http://http://edlabor.house.gov/testimony/101007PaulLewisTestimony.pdf
Auntie Em
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