West Ridge Academy Settles Another Lawsuit, Parent Erupts

[eric]

:soapbox:

[Pile of Dead Kids]

Eric, so long as you refuse to give important things like last names and other identifying information, there isn't much we can do to help.

[Whooter]

Eric, so long as you refuse to give important things like last names and other identifying information, there isn't much we can do to help.

Eric, be careful of any information you give to this PODKs guy.  Someone gave him the last name of a 15 year old girl who came to fornits looking for help and he built a web page pasting her name, photographs, address, phone number and linking it to pornography sites.  I am not sure if he gets paid for this but it is extremely dangerous.  Just beware.



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[Pile of Dead Kids]

Oh we did a great deal more than that.

One guess where she still isn't, right now.

[Whooter]

Kathleen, still unhinged from my telling her something she didn't want to hear, proceeded to email the directors of an organization I am a part of to "tattle" on me for daring to confront her about her parenting. After posting lots of mean messages on facebook.com about me, I had to block her.

Eric, not to be too critical myself, you made many assumptions without knowing the details or extent of J’s problems.  You also made assumptions about Kathleen’s parenting techniques.   I can see why she would be upset at that.  You also came across as a bit closed minded and judgmental in my opinion and offered little help or guidance vs. the amount of criticism.  It takes patience and listening to engage in a healthy conversation with a parent in a stressful situation as she was facing.  A softer approach along with more alternatives and information on the specific school she was attending may have furthered your cause.

Unfortunately, West Ridge Academy will be paying out roughly $300,000 to settle Kathleen's lawsuit before it gets filed in court. I can't help but think that only West Ridge Academy and J's parents are benefiting from this transaction, while J continues to be slowly institutionalized and locked up in the most dangerous state for youth in treatment.

The best move is to settle out of court.  Even if West Ridge won the case the exposure and publicity would cost them much more than $300,000.



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[Che Gookin]

Seems like you also posted a fair bit of personal information about Jenna herself and her so called "problems". Might want to consider redacting some of the posts between you and her mother to cut out the parts that include Jenna's personal medical history and  ongoing "problems". Note I'm being sarcastic regarding her "problems" as I know the tendency of programs to exaggerate these "problems" in the name of making a buck. Personally, it is my belief that anyone who trusts a psych profile from a program is just begging to get their kid abused or killed. Though, this doesn't seem to be the case here, but the mother's blind faith in DBT certainly is a bit worrying as well.

Though, I sympathize with your plight, parents don't carry the same burden of rage and drive for justice that the students do. Parents merely get to hear about the abuse and feel guilty about it later. You kids actually get to suffer it and wake up screaming in the middle of the night from it. The problem you are facing with West Ridge is they belong to a fairly profitable network of schools. You have Ca-lo, Renovo, and West Ridge all bleeding parents dry.

That gives West Ridge a fair bit of clout. If you do decide to settle, ask if you can demand some formal public apology and a cash settlement from West Ridge. Tell them you want them to fess up to their deeds in writing and to apologize for them and make them cough up a nice bit of cash. If anything it'll make great material for your website.

[DannyB II]

I am not a expert here on personal information being posted here that belongs to someone else, specifically concerning laws. Eric she is still a minor and her mother sounds like she is going through hell already. Trust me I get this is not about her mother. If this program is in fact a abusive program, yes, by all means fight to get her out.
Che and Whooter gave you some thoughtful advice, please consider it prior to posting anymore personal info. I am sure there are folks here who will allow you to PM them. Try this option for sensitive personal info.
My two cents.

[Whooter]

Seems like you also posted a fair bit of personal information about Jenna herself and her so called "problems". Might want to consider redacting some of the posts between you and her mother to cut out the parts that include Jenna's personal medical history and  ongoing "problems". Note I'm being sarcastic regarding her "problems" as I know the tendency of programs to exaggerate these "problems" in the name of making a buck. Personally, it is my belief that anyone who trusts a psych profile from a program is just begging to get their kid abused or killed. Though, this doesn't seem to be the case here, but the mother's blind faith in DBT certainly is a bit worrying as well.

Relying on Programs to evaluate the children is mostly in the past.  Che you might have missed that part in the correspondence, but, J was independently evaluated as most kids are now prior to the program accepting them.  I wish we could say that this is mandatory but it is not.  Programs have come a long way since the days of straight.
J did not qualify for treatment under the rules for coverage under California law, but she clearly needed help according to her evaluation.  This is the waste land between the professionals definition of needing help and the insurance companies definition of needing help.



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[Che Gookin]

Seems like you also posted a fair bit of personal information about Jenna herself and her so called "problems". Might want to consider redacting some of the posts between you and her mother to cut out the parts that include Jenna's personal medical history and  ongoing "problems". Note I'm being sarcastic regarding her "problems" as I know the tendency of programs to exaggerate these "problems" in the name of making a buck. Personally, it is my belief that anyone who trusts a psych profile from a program is just begging to get their kid abused or killed. Though, this doesn't seem to be the case here, but the mother's blind faith in DBT certainly is a bit worrying as well.

Relying on Programs to evaluate the children is mostly in the past.  Che you might have missed that part in the correspondence, but, J was independently evaluated as most kids are now prior to the program accepting them.  I wish we could say that this is mandatory but it is not.  Programs have come a long way since the days of straight.
J did not qualify for treatment under the rules for coverage under California law, but she clearly needed help according to her evaluation.  This is the waste land between the professionals definition of needing help and the insurance companies definition of needing help.



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Read it very carefully.

[Joel]

Edited: Wednesday, October 06, 2010

[Whooter]

Read it very carefully.

This is what I was referring to:

"I took [J] to an independent evaluator who I paid for not the state or school district, me. I found her on my own and was not recommended by anyone else. She did a complete psychological evaluation on her and Jenna was in imminent danger of harming herself."



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[Che Gookin]

As was I.

[Whooter]

As was I.

...and I think that is the best way to go.  Having the evaluation done by the program could be risky.



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[Che Gookin]

I'd say sending your child to a place like Utah where children are viewed as profitable items on a balance sheet on the word of one shrink is risky. Even more so when the mother states pretty clearly the child isn't trying to gank herself. Makes me wonder just what is the "problem"? Given the circumstances of the daughter's exit from West Ridge and that company's association with Renovo, a homosexuality reform unit, I'm almost wondering if this is more to do with a possible choice of sexuality on the daughter's part.

Throw in a few ABC diagnosis's for good measure to convince the state to fund a program...

Not much of a leap at all.

[Whooter]

I'd say sending your child to a place like Utah where children are viewed as profitable items on a balance sheet on the word of one shrink is risky. Even more so when the mother states pretty clearly the child isn't trying to gank herself. Makes me wonder just what is the "problem"? Given the circumstances of the daughter's exit from West Ridge and that company's association with Renovo, a homosexuality reform unit, I'm almost wondering if this is more to do with a possible choice of sexuality on the daughter's part.

Throw in a few ABC diagnosis's for good measure to convince the state to fund a program...

Not much of a leap at all.

I see your point, Che, But I think all of that is secondary,  the original point was that she did the right thing by seeking an independent evaluation for Jenna vs going with one the state recommended or one a program recommended.  You cant get much more of an unbiased opinion than that.  If the evaluation found that she needed treatment and the state wouldn't pay then she would need to find something out of pocket.
You may be right that Utah isn't the best place but the professionals state she does need to get help.



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