There are obviously a lot of people on this forum that believe The Aspen Ranch (and programs like them) are terrible for kids. I am still continuing to evaluate the whole thing. My question to all of you is: What should I have done instead? To let you know what we did do: we had our son see pyschologists (he liked the one he was seeing, but not taking his advice). We went to a psychiatrist. My son agreed that he was depressed and wanted to try medication. He stopped taking them in January and refused to see another psychiatrist. We had teachers that my son liked try to talk to him, to no avail. We had other family members step in----he listened to them and was polite, but he never took their advice. He had basically failed out of school (he claims he saw no value in it), was running away and relying on pot and lsd and alcohol to get him through the day (this is what my son has said). He claimed he was going to kill himself. As I said before, he was not going to accept my advice or help (he claims I have no idea how he feels and that my advice sucks----our talks have been much more open the last couple of months, but he is still hurting big time and he hates the ranch). Sending him to a relative is probably not realistic as I don't think any of my family is ready to take this on. What would you have done if this was your son. I am open to advice, as he will eventually be coming home and I have to have a game plan that my son will go along with.
Being in the program gave my daughter the time she needed to heal in a safe environment. There were no options at home left that we had not tried. Once she became accustomed to what was expected of her and that she could not break the rules without consequences she began to work on what was important which was herself. She learned to speak openly about what was going on which opened up a whole new type of communication that I was not prepared for. She became an incredible listener and engaged her mother and myself in conversations we never had before....... Open conversations about her drug use, why she dropped out of school, the events leading up to being placed etc. which made laying the ground work for her transition home that much easier and apparent.
Nigel, the struggle you are seeing your son go through is normal as I compare it to what my daughter went thru (it is painful for both of you). I think it is important that you listen to all the stories and advice here on fornits because programs are not effective for all kids. Many of the kids posting here were not helped by the program and like any other treatment there is fallout. This fallout is important to be aware of. There were about 14 kids that where in my daughters group (some outside her peer group) that she kept in contact with and they are all doing fine.. some better than others. So from my experience I can tell you that treatment failure is not the norm, but there are varying degrees of success.
I would caution that when you decide to bring your son home that you have a well defined plan that yourself and your son agree to and that you design a seamless transition to that plan (including a therapist) which does not allow for any “down time” or opportunity to slide backwards. A plan which is structured and understood by both of you... not “your plan” or “his plan” it needs to be mutual.
Questioning your decision is healthy. Stay involved in your son’s treatment like you are now and it will work out eventually no matter what path the two of you choose.
I wish you well
Any "therapy" said to take place at the Aspen Education Group gulags is " of a clandestine, undefined and unconfirmed nature." No Aspen Education Group gulag has EVER presented ANY authentication of the "therapy" they claim to offer, unlike even the most backwater and resource strained psychiatric hospital.
What HAS been authenticated is abduction, imprisonment, torture , brainwashing, and deliberate torment induced death of detainees. Most of its gulags were formed by, and designed by cultic disciples of CEDU, CEDU itself made of the tactics of Synanon, by Synanite Mel Wasserman. These FACTS have been ascertained through media report, lawsuit, criminal investigation, and are accessible through google and research .
Aspen Education Group has adopted a strategy of google bombing to attempt to keep its crimes from ranking high in earches
It is reasonable to assume that the endless trolling of fornits by John Reuben and co are more attempts by Aspen Education Group to hide their crimes. Their subterfuge fails to make any Aspen program less deadly
http://www.caica.org/SAGEWALK_DEATH_SER ... _CAICA.htmTeen's lockdown called 'outrage'
Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Oct 11, 2004 by Amy Joi Bryson Deseret Morning News
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A California teenager who says she was abducted from her home and forcibly placed in a 14-bed lockdown facility in Draper is asking a federal judge to release her, arguing it violates her constitutional rights to liberty, speech and privacy.
Sarah Utterman, who turns 17 today, petitioned U.S. District Judge Paul Cassell for immediate release from Youth Care of Utah Inc., where she has been since August of this year.
The document, filed Wednesday, says Sarah's mother, Anne, paid a "large sum of money" to have the teenager taken from her home and put in the Draper facility after she was expelled from high school.
"The whole thing, as far as I am concerned, is an outrage," said the girl's attorney, Thomas Burton. "Basically, we feel it is unconstitutional to hire someone from out of state to spirit a teenager away to lockdown simply because they do not like what they are doing."
Burton claims the teenager's mother consented to place her daughter in the program on the recommendation of an independent educational consultant "connected" with Youth Care.
Sarah Utterman, the petition says, suffers from Lyme disease and depression and is in need of highly skilled assessment and treatment.
Instead of treatment, however, Burton says Utterman has been cut off from the world and put in a place where teenagers are "incarcerated against their will and without their consent for dubious treatment of a clandestine, undefined and unconfirmed nature."
While he has not seen the petition, a spokesman defended the residential treatment program.
"We feel very strongly it is a well-run, well-operated pro-
gram employing highly qualified, trained staff," said David Terbest, director of consumer affairs for Aspen Education Group, the parent company.
But in his investigation, Burton said he has tried to visit with the teenager and was turned away. In addition, a licensed marriage and family therapist from California who knows Utterman has had her letters returned.
The therapist, Elisabeth Feldman, is the one who brought the petition on the teenager's behalf, saying she is prepared to accept her in her home upon her release.
Terbest said such restrictions are not unusual and it is the parent's enrollment agreement that specifies the nature of the contact the child has, and with whom.
"This litigation sounds frivolous," he said.
Burton, who has gone up against the teen help industry before in civil actions, said he believes the secretive nature of such facilities should raise serious concerns for everyone.
"I can walk into San Quentin, and I have several times, and represent clients who have been involved in serious felonies, and no one can keep me from talking to someone," he said.
Burton added that Utterman, who has no criminal history, would enjoy more rights if she were in juvenile detention.
"If she had been charged with a crime, she'd be a lot better off because at least there would still be some access."
Burton also doubts the credentials of the facility and says for the same amount of money, Utterman could get treatment at the Kennedy- Kreiger Institute connected to John Hopkins University, a pediatric neuropsychiatric hospital in Baltimore, or at the Menninger Medical Center in Topeka, Kan.
"In those cases, you would know exactly the credentials of the people involved in the treatment and what that treatment is. None of that is possible here."
As a teenager nearing 17, Burton said Utterman should be involved in decisions affecting her care and not be under the complete "subjection" of someone else.
"It is a constitutional issue of major proportions."
Burton previously filed suit against the World Wide Association of Speciality Programs, headquartered in Utah.
Although he lost that case brought on behalf of a teenage boy who was held at WWASP's Samoa facility, Burton is appealing.
He was successful in his efforts against a now-defunct Utah Wilderness program in which a 15-year-old California teenager died of dehydration during a "forced march" in an Arizona desert.
Burton was able to obtain a settlement on behalf of the parents.
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