Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry
Academy at Sisters
Morgans Dad:
Joel, I Would LOVE to consider and alternative plan. However, attitude towards counseling from her side has flat out been declined. She believes it's a useless waste. Being a loving parent, I have her future in my foremost thoughts. I want to see her start to care. To start to make good choices. Stop the unnecessary lying. I'm not going to say I've been a saint but let us just say if there was any sign of responsiveness to alternatives we'd not be considering this course of action. If doing counseling and keeping her at home with us seemed to be a real option we'd go for it I'm sure. From MY extensive research on this particular facility I find that after 16 years of operation under the same name and no scathing data found by parents or participants to actually be a good sign. Granted there's no real GOOD data either. I appreciate all of the input and have found a lot of other good discussions on this site. The main point here is SOMETHING needs to change. The approaches we've tried thus far have failed to take root. It takes 2 to tango. We are ultra serious about what our expectations have been and how if she wont participate we'll make the choices for her. Again, good things to ask when we 'tour' (and no plans to just dump her at that time). We're pretty open with Morgan in all things involving family matters. I can't imagine how she would feel if we just told her we were going for a tour and dumped her and ran away. That would SURELY be abuse IMO. Please, provide more input to ALL sides here. Maybe she'll take some outside advice and show us some real desire to respect authority and make effort in her academics. I want her to be happy in whatever she chooses to dobe. If that's being a piercing tattoo artist, fine by me. I just want her honest, trustworthy and educated. She wont get far in the UK without a good education. There's Lots of things about the UK she's not aware of from a governmental perspective yet. Would love to have enough trust to let her have a summer alone there when she gets a bit older. :soapbox:
Troll Control:
Can you emlighten us as to how her safety and future are jeopardized?
I can't imagine that it would rise to the level of institutionalizing her, which is what you're contemplating. It is institutionalization and should only be used when she has either tried to kill/harm herself or someone else. It's very serious business and should be reserved for only the most serious, life-threatening cases.
Take a look at the links in my signature that point to the reasoning of an Aspen (a NATSAP member, BTW, as is Sisters) marketer who frequents this site. He comes right out and says it: The parent is the customer, the child is the product. That is the disgusting objectification of children that these programs not-so-openly espouse. I see a family wrestling with serious familial issues. They see dollar signs. You have to open your eyes to this indelible reality.
Why don't we see if we can get a commitment right now out of you and Morgan and make a contract between you that you will seek family and individual counseling at home? I think you scared the bejeezus out of her already. She's probably more open now that she sees the very real possibility of being institutionalized for an indefinite period (i.e.,as long as you can pay the bill they will try to keep her or until she turns 18, whichever comes first).
Many of us have intimate knowledge of how these places operate and you'd do yourself a favor to get answers to the questions we've asked of Sisters. Two of the programs in Oregon pushed by the Aspen (NATSAP) marketer mentioned earlier were shuttered by the state; one for murdering a child (Sheriff's words, not mine) and one for abusing 100% of the kids in their care (state regulator's words, not mine) and failing to report a forcible rape on their premises. These two programs, by the way, were considered by industry people to be two of the "safer," "better" programs out there.
You have no way to know what goes on behind closed doors in these institutions, sir and madam. Remember, care should be delivered in the least restrictive setting possible and should first, do no harm.
Thank you for coming here to talk with us. It is greatly appreciated.
Whooter:
My daughter was struggling with similar issues (at 15 years old), although she agreed to counseling prior to being placed onto a program, so we did work on local options first, which seems to be what you are trying. I would strongly suggest that Morgan try this path prior to having control of her life handed off to others. My daughter was very hesitant at first but slowly the high structure of the program and focus on academics took hold and she began to blossom and come into her own. She gained confidence in her own abilities and matured beyond her years before she graduated and got back on track and finished highschool when she returned home.
It’s a hard decision to sent a child away and it is not for most families but the data suggests that the majority (some studies say 80%) of the kids do well and are helped by their time there and get back on track.
One thing you could ask the program is to speak to other families who were in similar situation and had a child graduate. Maybe they have some kids who could speak to Morgan. Just a thought.
Thanks for responding mom and dad and hang in there you are thinking of Morgan first and weighing all the options which is great. I am sure you will be getting a lot of responses over the next few days. I will chime in again with more thoughts I am sure.
...
Academy at Sisters:
--- Quote from: "MorganMDC" ---Well, After having a nice long discussion with my mother, It seems this is going no where.
I asked her about if the program allowed me to contact family, friends, and listen to music, and have basic privileges, and she said, "Well, I asked, but the woman would not tell me. It looks as though that would be a no, because that's not what this is about. It's about staying in touch with the program, not the distractions, and not allowing yourself to be in contact with who you were before.". When I asked her if she had heard any of the negatives or positives to this program, she hadn't even researched it. "Why would these people lie to me?" exact quotes from mother, of course, "Once the kid writes back and tells her parents what's happening, the kid wouldn't stay in the program, right? If you told me what was going on when it was, I wouldn't keep you in the program."
--- End quote ---
Morgan, are you in the UK?
Pile of Dead Kids:
Whooter again, screenshot again. Pardon the spam. But this really is how he sees this. If you can't find the flaw in his reasoning then look closer. And remember, you're about to send your kid to people *just like him*.
Okay, if "Morgan's Mom" and "Morgan's Dad" are the actual parents, here, I can personally settle this really, REALLY fucking quick. Watch. Because, in case you missed the previous few pages of this thread, she IS listening to ME.
Morgan's Mom: If this is not about changing who she is, then you picked the TOTALLY wrong approach. And don't think for a minute that the things mentioned on Fornits won't happen to her.
Morgan's Dad: She's a 15 year old girl, right? They do that. They're like that. Now please get her on the computer.
Morgan: Listen very, *very* carefully here. You've been trusting me so far, trust me now. I'm not saying to trust your parents or to change what you believe. I'm saying to start being fucking nicer to them, pronto. No more lies, no more bullshit, anywhere, ever. Your parents are being overprotective and parents of 15-year-old girls are also simply like that. You're a teenager. As we've discovered in this thread you should likely be COUNTING YOUR FUCKING BLESSINGS that you have Internet access and parents smart enough to read Fornits before doing something incredibly stupid. I know. The public school system sucks. It's not that hard for someone of your intelligence, and it beats the ever-loving PANTS off the place your parents are trying to send you. And if your UK boyfriend can't wait until you're 18 then he's not really your boyfriend is he?
So there is NO reason whatsoever for your family to blow 1500 bucks a month on sending you to some shithole.
Morgan's Mom, Morgan's Dad, here's what I want you to do. Give your daughter a nice, big hug, and tell her truthfully that she is not going to end up in some hellhole under the "care" of some stranger. And Morgan? They're your parents. At least pretend to respect them until you're 18.
Got it? Are we settled, yet? Or is this going to get ugly and into territory nobody on Fornits (well, except maybe Whooter) wants to see you get to.
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