Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Aspen Education Group

My son at Aspen Ranch

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Anonymous:
Thread on the recent Sagewalk death: viewtopic.php?f=49&t=28470

psy:

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--- Quote from: "Guest" ---
Great post.  The SINGLE poster 'who' is in favor of AR is now claiming his daughter went there but for five loooong years claimed she went to another 'school'.  Very fishy.  This poster, aka 'thewho' runs an Aspen feeder group.  Nigel, BEWARE of Aspen.
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Yes, but in all fairness to the guest poster, like Aunti Em mentioned, it was an Aspen program and she did turn out well while the ones that were pulled went back to their old ways, got pregnant and moved away.
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If we're only talking about the same person (TheWho), his "daughter" was in ASR.  He never mentioned any other kids and due to his near fanatical support of aspen, I highly doubt he would remove his other kids if he had any.  If the above guests are TheWho as several guests have implied, he would have to be lying, or at the very least trying to pass his one story off as multiple.

Nigel.  Face the facts.  Kids have been killed in aspen programs and their "lifeSteps" use deplorable techinques.  Read about their techinques for yourself as reported by time magazine (Mount Batchelors is an Aspen program using Aspen's LifeSteps):

http://www.time.com/time/health/article ... -3,00.html

From the article:

--- Quote ---One 18-year-old former student and victim of rape wept while recounting what happened to her during a Lifesteps seminar. Jane, who asked not to be identified by her real name, left the school in March. "They had me dress up as a French maid," she said, describing an outfit that included fishnet stockings and a short skirt. "I had to sit on guys' laps and give them lap dances," while sexually suggestive songs, like "Milkshake" by Kelis, played at high volume.

"They told me I was dirty and I had to put mud on myself for being raped," she said in reference to another Lifesteps session. "They basically blamed me for getting raped."
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See.  You might find that suspect or absurd but I don't.  Why?  Because LifeSteps seminars are basically CEDU "propheets" and I saw the *exact* same thing happen at a CEDU clone I was at, down to the french maid outfit (complete with feather duster prop).  Everybody had a humiliating part to play in their skits.  I have no doubt with Aspen's identical DNA and the testimony that has come forth about their LifeSteps that the same thing continues to this very day.  Mark my words, that shit messes with your head for a long time after the program.  At first after the LGAT seminar it seems like it's some eye opening experience but eventually perspective sets in and you realize how messed up what went on was...  sort of like how a victim of child sexual abuse might not recognize what's wrong at the time, but only later figure out just how wrong it was.  Only then does such a person put 2 and 2 together and realize the effects those experiences have had on their life (a person might not realize why they are prone to promiscuity or abusive relationships or so on and so forth until that point).

It's the same with LifeSteps or any CEDU propheet LGAT variant.  There is no doubt it causes dramatic change in the short and medium terms.  The long term effects is where the damage is at.  Does it damage all participants equally?  Probably not, and some it might even strangely help in some way (subjectively).  That being said, the risk is just too high as far as i'm concerned.  I've seen a kid flip out, have a complete break with reality, and have to be dragged out of one of these sorts of seminars.  Especially if your kid is sensitive and intelligent, it's not something that will likely be a good experience.


--- Quote ---I think Nigel is looking for a little more direction for his son besides what he was getting at home, unless there were local solutions that he did not try, then I could see him brining him home early.  But if all the local options have been exhausted then I think this is the right place for him right now to keep him safe and get him moving along a better path with a healthier life style.
Either direction will not be easy.  It takes hard work to turn around a persons behavior and habits.
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Hard work on whose part?  You can't force a person to change.  Even AA folk wisdom holds that change has to come from within.  That can't be pressured or as soon as the pressure is removed the behavior returns.  Long term permanent thought reform is just not possible as Robert Lifton wrote...  However the damging effects including but not limited to PTSD can last a lifetime.

TheWho:
I don’t think that posting a child’s death is going to dissuade a person from getting help for their child.  If I posted a child dying in a public school should we expect that people would run to remove them?  Should we expect people to decline the assistance of an ambulance because they heard cars can get in accidents and kill people?

Will kids die in programs, public schools, private schools and the local McDonalds?  Of course, but the statistics show that kids are overwhelmingly much more safer in a program environment then they are at home or in a public school system.  Especially when they exhibit at-risk behavior.  The program can offer structure and the safety of oversight from staff on a 24 hour basis.

As far as changing a person I have to disagree with you, Psy, experience says otherwise.  You can change a persons habits thru behavior modification.  Children who are potty trained don’t just start peeing in their pants once the training stops.  They are shown the benefits of having dry pants and eventually the child decides himself/herself that peeing in the potty is a better choice for them.  The methods take time but they teach the child a better life style, if this could happen overnight then the programs would only last a month, but time is needed to undue dangerous and destructive habits.  Potty training cant be attained in a day either and each child is different and requires their own time to achieve the goal.  But very few children grow up to resent their parents for subjecting them to behavior modification which lead to their consistent use of the restroom.

Once the child is placed on a healthy path and matures they will look back and see that the programs was helpful.  But since change is hard work the child will not be happy with the change occuring today and cannot foresee the benefits down the road.  The fact that the child wants to leave shows that change is occuring.  If the child was happy and wanted to stay that would raise a red flag for me and indicate the program isnt very effective or isnt a good match for him.

TheWho:
Here is an article I came across in fornits Aspen forum which may help.

Aspen Education Group's Therapeutic Programs Featured on 'Dr. Phil'
Friday May 6, 12:14 pm ET
Aspen Ranch and SUWS of the Carolinas Get 'Thumbs Up' From Dr. Phil

CERRITOS, Calif., May 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Education Group's Aspen Ranch, a Utah-based residential treatment center for teens, and SUWS of the Carolinas, a North Carolina-based outdoor behavioral healthcare program, were featured on a May 5, 2005, segment of the nationally syndicated "Dr. Phil" show. Aspen Education Group is the nation's leading provider of education programs that improve the quality of life for underachieving children, young adults and their families.

The segment followed up on the progress of a student that Dr. Phil referred to Aspen's SUWS of the Carolinas program in December 2004. After a successful experience there, the student chose to continue his learning and growth experience at Aspen Ranch. Dr. Phil featured video clips from both facilities as well as an interview with the student's mother, Jennifer Sinclair of Ontario, Canada.

"For many, many months I saw my son spiraling downward and felt he needed some kind of intervention," said Sinclair. "With the help of Dr. Phil, that intervention happened; and we admitted my son first to a wilderness therapy program called SUWS of the Carolinas, where he was removed from all the bad influences and distractions in his life and participated in individual and group therapy. After 91 days he was sober, reflective and ready to go on to Aspen Ranch for more growth opportunities. SUWS of the Carolinas saved my child's life, and Aspen Ranch is now nurturing his self-confidence as a young man and a leader."

"Dr. Phil has been a tremendous influence on parents and youths and has been particularly instrumental in helping families discover new hope through the life-changing experiences offered by the therapeutic education industry and programs such as Aspen's," said Elliot Sainer, chief executive officer of Aspen Education Group. "We're very pleased that Dr. Phil has featured several Aspen programs over the past year, and believe this is a testament not only to the kind of quality programs Aspen offers, but to the important role our industry plays in saving families and changing lives. The ability to share these kinds of stories on a program that reaches millions of people allows us to bring hope into the lives of many families needing assistance."

Aspen Ranch is a licensed residential treatment center for troubled teens between the ages of 13 and 17 who need an opportunity to make positive changes in their lives and overcome feelings of low self-esteem and anger due to academic underachievement, substance abuse or family conflict. Aspen Ranch is noted for its unique equine therapy program that allows students to learn empathy, improve communication and enhance self-confidence and self-worth through their experience with the animal.

SUWS of the Carolinas is a licensed treatment program for students 11 to 17 years of age who are suffering from low self-esteem, family conflict, substance use, defiance issues, attention deficit disorder, and other emotional and behavioral problems. SUWS of the Carolinas utilizes outdoor experiences and peer interaction in combination with individual and family therapy to help positively change the lives of young people who are experiencing difficulties at home or in school.

Anonymous:
Here's another article found here on fornits that might help.
--- Quote from: "Inculcated" ---Teen dies on Redmond wilderness school hike-From KTVZ.COM news sources

http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s= ... =Printable


 
SageWalk Website assures parents of prospective participants that student safety is top concern
 
Autopsy performed, but cause of death east of Bend not yet revealed



A 16-year-old Portland youth collapsed and died on a hike with Redmond-based SageWalk Wilderness School, about 70 miles southeast of Bend, Lake County authorities said Tuesday.


Lake County Deputy Sheriff Chuck Pore' identified the teen who died Friday afternoon as Sergey Blaschishen, but told NewsChannel 21 he had yet to receive the medical examiner's findings on an autopsy performed Sunday in Lakeview, regarding the cause of death or other details.

Pore' labeled as "procedural" a suspension of the school's (http://www.sagewalk.com) BLM permit to operate on public lands.

But he confirmed that Blashishen had reported feeling ill and collapsed a short time later.

The teen's mother, Lyudmilla Blashchishena, told The Oregonian she was told her son vomited, then passed out during the hike. She said he did not suffer from any medical conditions.

She said her son dropped out of Parkrose High School last year and had worked construction and lived with an uncle before asking to be palced in the SageWalk program. "He asked me to place him in the boot camp," she told the newspaper. "He really wanted to change his behavior.

Here is the complete news release from the Lake County Sheriff's Office and a statement issued by SageWalk's executive director.

---

MEDIA RELEASE



LAKE COUNTY SHERIFF INVESTIGATION 090529



At about 2:30pm on Friday, August 28th, 2009, members of the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, and Law Enforcement of the Bureau of Land Management responded to a report of the death of a juvenile male at a wilderness camp in northern Lake County. According to the initial information given to the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the juvenile was attending the Sage Walk Wilderness Camp. The juvenile had been received at the Sage Walk camp facility the day before, after having passed a sports physical. At the time of the incident, the youth had been participating in a hike which is a part of the behavioral program of the wilderness camp.


The initial report received by the Sheriff's Office was of a sick male, followed by information that CPR was in progress. Air Link air ambulance was requested by Deschutes County Sheriff out of Bend. CPR continued for approximately 45 minutes until the air ambulance arrived. Subsequently, the 16 year old male from Portland was declared dead at the scene.


Due to the remoteness and inaccessibility of the northern part of Lake County, Deschutes County Sheriff responded and secured the scene until Lake County law enforcement arrived.


Deputies interviewed camp counselors and other juveniles that had been on the hike. An autopsy was performed on the youth on Sunday, August 30th.


Pending the results of the Sheriff's investigation, the Bureau of Land Management has suspended the permit for the wilderness camp to operate on BLM Land.

Chuck Poré, Deputy Sheriff

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Statement from SageWalk:


SageWalk Wilderness School is saddened to confirm the unfortunate death of one of our students on Friday, August 28th. At this time, the exact details of the incident are still being determined. We do know that our EMT-trained staff worked tirelessly with the student until the AirLink emergency helicopter arrived on the scene, at which time the student's care was turned over to the AirLink medics. SageWalk considers student safety our number one priority and takes this incident very seriously. Over the course of our 12 year history, our program has adhered to the highest standards of care and we currently meet or exceed all industry and state standards. We were the first wilderness program to be individually accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, and we are licensed by the State of Oregon to work with students who are experiencing issues with substance abuse and are also licensed by the State of Oregon as both an Outdoor Youth Program and Private School.



Due to the limited information available, HIPAA regulations, and out of respect for the student's family, this is all we are able to communicate at this time.



CONTACT:

Mike Bednarz, MS, MBA
Executive Director
SageWalk Wilderness School

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The state Legislature passed a new law governing wilderness schools after the September 2000 death of a 15-year-old student with Bend-based Obsidian Trails, which later closed.

William "Eddie" Lee of Scappoose died after an instructor held him face-down on the ground as punishment for an emotional outburst during a hike east of Burns.

Early this year, the Government Accountability Office listed 10 examples of youths who died at wilderness schools, and thousands of reports of abuse, as Congress considered legislation to require federal oversight for outdoor therapy programs.

At that time, a spokeswoman for SageWalk's parent company, Aspen Education Group, told The Bulletin that the bill went too far, and that schools already licensed by states and accredited by reputable groups should be exempt from federal regulations.
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