Have you ever posted at Amazing Forums?
http://amazingforums.com/forum/BS4/forum.htmlMight be a waste of time. The following thread was removed in the past week. I found it cached at Google. Anyone know the poop on that board? Who runs it? Why they might censor important information?
Author Topic: Hidden Lake Academy
Sally posted 1/12/03 4:13 AM
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Does anyone have info or stories about Hidden Lake Academy in Ga?
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jm posted 1/15/03 3:16 AM
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try
http://www.strugglingteens.com grad's mom posted 1/15/03 5:11 PM
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Overall, I have a very positive opinion of HLA's program. Most of the (minor) things I didn't like were changed/improved during my daughter's nearly two years there. She is still corresponding with friends there and plans to go to their grad in May.
jill (a graduate's mom) posted 3/20/03 5:43 PM
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our experience at hla was life-changing. my 15 year-old son was a substance abuser, was failing in school, was diagnosed with conduct disorder and was not responding to individual weekly counseling. we enrolled him at hla and he graduated from the program about 22 months later. the first few months were so difficult, painful and arduous. then, he began adjusting to the program. hla staff are masters level counselors. there is no medication, no restraining, no lock up. the kids, through intensive individual, group, wilderness therapy learn self-control. the staff lives by their stated philosophy- there is no b.s. about it. the program is strict but the kids know exactly what the rules are and they learn the consequences. they know what to expect. i never could have provided the supervision and consistency hla provided. the family workshops helped us to bond again in healthier ways than we had before. we learned so much.
my son is graduating from our local high school this june(2003) with honors! has carried a 3.75 gpa throughout his highschool education! he was inducted into the national honor society! he has been accepted to ohio state u. and u. of delaware for next fall! now, he has an array of choices to make. i look at my son now- im so proud of him and happy for him, tears well up in my eyes- but they are the most joyful tears these days:) overall- i would say, the road to these positive changes was not an easy one, for my son or us(his family), but it was so worth it. hla is a first rate therapeutic boarding school.
Kelly posted 3/23/03 2:40 PM
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Thank you for your response.I have a child there and have been wanting to hear from the parents of graduates.It puts my mind at ease to know it's not like some of the other abusive schools I read about. This was the hardest decision of our lives. It's still a daily struggle for us and our teen. I'm encouraged though to hear it gets easier. Thanks again for posting your stories.
mark taha posted 4/11/03 3:31 PM
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I believe that boarding schools are unnatural.Those that don't allow their pupils to communicate with the outside world shouldn't be allowed to exist.Parents who agree to have their children deprived of all contact for months aren't fit to have them.
JM posted 4/11/03 8:39 PM
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I recently graduated from HLA (Dec. '02), and I highly reccomend the program. I found support and "tough love" (heavy on the love :smile: ), from many staff members, and although there were some negative things I would like to see the school change, HLA definitely has the right idea for helping adolescents. I rediscovered my own value as a person and completely turned my life around. Three months before I entered HLA, I wrote my will and had given up on my life. Now, almost three years later, and three months after graduating, I love my life. I graduated high school there, and I am now choosing between Vanderbilt on an almost full scholarship and UGA in the honors program on a Charter scholarship. My life and happiness amazes me and I enjoy it immensely. I love my family, and I cherish them. Sure, the road always been easy-going, but I am very grateful to my parents and the staff at HLA for helping me turn my life around. HLA is definitely a top-notch, caring school. Also, please feel free to email me with any questions. I'm quite honest - I'll tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly, but overall it's a great place. :smile:
JM posted 4/11/03 8:43 PM
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Sorry, clarification - I meant that it "has NOT always been easy-going." Sorry. :smile:
Susan posted 6/1/03 10:16 AM
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I'm thinking of sending my son there. We're visiting next week. He is at another school now and I'm relieved to hear positive comments about Hidden Lake. Thank you.
Brian posted 7/21/03 5:20 PM
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I attended HLA, I can tell you it is nothing but BS. It is a dangerous place where children are emotionally and mentally raped on a regular basis. I was able to escape the school if it can even be called that as the education they provide is lacking to say the least. I will say this though in its favor, if your child has a drug or gang related problem it probably would do him/her some good, anything other than that I would highly recommend you find another place. I had never done any kind of drug and was placed there, I hated every minute of my life there and when I got out I finished highschool and enrolled in college all my own. Just something to take into consideration.
Kelly posted 7/22/03 3:48 PM
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Brian, I hope you don't mind me asking, when were you there? How long were you there?
Brian posted 8/23/03 3:02 AM
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I was there during 98-99, it was the werst expiernece of my life.
steve posted 9/5/03 6:48 PM
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Alumni of pg 34, I stand here to say only one thing. Hidden Lake Academy was the most frodulent school I have ever been exposed to in my life. The PTSD i drew from that school has scarred me for the rest of my life. The "boot camp" based enviornment in wich i was starved for almost 18 months was horrific. I would never wis upon any human given birth to by god would never have to go there.
SW posted 9/6/03 12:58 AM
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I am interested in the good, the bad, the ugly, and the great about this school. I live in Dahlonega, and have considered employment there. I have worked in residential settings for over 15 years and have seen good and bad. What are some of the specifics in regards to HLA? Please feel free to e-mail me directly - please use HLA as the subject line, so I don't get it confused with all the Spam I get!
Thanks.
SW posted 9/6/03 1:00 PM
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Seems the e-mail address doesn't show in the post -
[email protected] I look foward to hearing from you...did you say you had a child at HLA??
Emily posted 9/15/03 8:10 PM
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Mike- I left in Jnuary of 2003 shortly after my 18th birthday.."beat your face" was what they scream at you when they wanted you to get down and do push ups. Any other questions you can email me at
http://pub57.ezboard.com/bwevebeenthereOn 27 June 01. My son has been home for a little over a year now. I will post another message at a later time explaining my observations of the ?changes? they made in him. It will not be positive. HLA is not a ?school? by any stretch of the imagination. My son returned from this $5K/mo college-prep TBS, five (5) credits behind his peers.
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My son's father enrolled him at Hidden Lake Therapeutic Boarding School in Ga, Nov 00. They registered with the state seven years ago as a private school but advertised to the public as a TBS. This appears to be fraud, deception at the very least, and common practice for such facilities to avoid protective regulations.
My son was not labeled ODD before his placement.
This label is growing in use largely, in my opinion, to "justify" the need for and to bring profits to the recently booming mulit-million dollar "Teen Help" industry; which includes: wilderness programs, boot camps, therapeutic boarding schools, transitional schools, ed consultants, and transport services.
I am appalled that many such facilities are operating in a gray area without proper licensure. For all intents and purposes they appear to be Residential Treatment Facilities with Academic components, which require licensure. While licensure is not a guarantee, it could provide minimal protection for the teens in their care. If they are on the up and up, then why avoid regs?
I attempted to enforce Xmas visitation in Dec 00, one month after XXX was enrolled. My ex told the court that if XXX came home he would be dismissed from the program and he would consequently loose the $110,000 he had pre-paid for tuition. HLA's Dir. of Counseling validated this under oath via phone, which influenced the judge's ruling that he would stay. I am now in possession of their tuition policy that all pre-paid tuition will be reimbursed whether a child is dismissed or withdrawn.
The Interstate Compact Law was ignored. This law exists to protect against the rushed and/or unnecessary placement of children in out-of-state facilities. My son did not receive a psych evaluation before enrollment. Had my ex or the Ed Con complied with this law, I am certain that the evaluation would've shown that this placement was too drastic.
The first 6 weeks he was allowed NO phone contact with his parents. Then came a period of three-way calls with the counselor interrupting frequently. For the next few months, only XXX was monitored for content. Any negative comment about the facility were labled "manipulation" and consequenced. The teen has no outlet to report abuse or neglect...a violation of most state laws. Currently, our calls are back to three-way and I was told that this could be indefinite. I suspect that it was a reaction to a call to Ga ORS which resulted in an investigation of the facility.
XXX told me that he didn't feel like he was getting enough time with his counselors. I asked his counselor to give him the opportunity to talk about this. Instead he was talked to for 2 hours about how much time they spend and how many kids they have to take care of. He was then "consequenced" for "lying" to me. As a counseling student, I lost all trust and confidence in their ability to be effective counselors and was sure to never repeat anything XXX had said to me. XXX's counselor cut me off when I confronted her about violating my confidence in this matter....stating that they expect the child to always be "in agreement". In agreement....doesn't that mean that the other person has "agreed" to something? And their stated goal is to build trust....
I saw XXX for 36 hours in Mar. He was thin, pale, and he'd had diarrhea for 3 days. He was extremely anxious about making mistakes,very self-critical, couldn't make eye contact with people in public, avoided making decisions when given the opportunity. This was not my son. And what really broke my heart was when he asked me not to show him love or affection...it was "too confusing". We both cried.
XXX had been on "restriction" for a month prior to the visit. Due to the rules and procedures, a child could be on restriction the majority of the time spent there, and parents are warned to expect this. While on restriction he is isolated from his peers except when in school. He is given work detail to fill his free time and can't enter the dorm until 9pm. He is fed a semi-starvation diet that consists of: 2 boxes of dry cereal for breakfast, and for lunch and dinner- a white bread and cheese sandwich, a cup of soup, and a piece of fruit. That's 1220 calories and the USDA recommends 3-4000. More with physical exertion. The headmaster told parents in Mar that while "sparse" the Health Dept had approved this diet. Not so. I contacted the HD and they refuted this, stating that it is not within their scope to approved such diets. My nutritionist warned that a teen should not receive this diet for more than 24 hours. Period. Then referred to the movie Oliver regarding starvation used for submission.
We had been looking forward to his first trip home for 4 days in July. His father was trying to prevent this, but finally relented when he realized he needed a court order. One week later HLA called to notify me that XXX had been referred to their wilderness program; which made him ineligible for his summer visit. In order to refer him to the WP they skipped a step in their written procedures. A child is referred to pre-wilderness, then wilderness if necessary. They have since changed the written policy for referral.
The student that gave XXX's friend the cigarette followed behind them, and banged on the door to attract night security. They are encouraged to "fall out" on each other to receive less punishment. Where did this kid get a cigarette to begin with? What was his punishment? I didn't receive an answer to those questions and they were put off that I would have the nerve to ask. The teens are never unsupervised, even when walking around campus; radio communication is happening to ensure that a student arrived at their destination. It's 15 miles to the nearest little town. I have since learned that tobacco and drugs can be had in these facilities, and some violations are "overlooked". So much for 24/7 security. Although it is not mentioned in the parent manual, it is reported that strip searches are becoming common, particularly after home visits.
The rep that testified in Dec told me that according to the Director of the program, wilderness programs were not required to be licensed. I was transferred to the voice mail of someone else who never returned my call. I placed 2 more calls to the directors of both campuses. No responses. She then sent a scathing letter to my ex's attorney who forwarded it to mine, grossly exaggerating the situation. She accused me of harassing the staff of both facilities at home and work, and of speaking adversarialy to the staff of both facilities. I spoke to her respectfully, but asked questions she did not want to answer. I have yet to speak to anyone at the "boot camp". I can't call HLA, all communications must go through their corp. attorney. This has resulted in many missed phone calls. The Headmaster accused me of searching out his home email address, when in fact I had responded to an email sent from his home. HLA's attorney has threatened a lawsuit if I don't cease and desist "making negative comments" about the facility.
The staff told me not to tell my son that he was going to boot camp and had lost his summer break. He knew, as they all do, when he was ordered to take a physical...the dreaded sign. To avoid out-right lying to him, I told him the truth, that I was asked not to discuss it with him. This is not helpful or effective therapy. It damages the parent/child relationship which should be based on trust and honesty. They justify this by claiming that they are attempting to avoid any acting out before the teen leaves.
ORS has determined that their Wilderness Program must be licensed as a Therapeutic Camp. Their brochure emphasizes that they are not a "boot camp"...then why ex-military with no credentials (Educ or Exp working with youth).
ORS is "negotiating" with HLA regarding their status. Last communication was that they appeared to be a Residential Care Facility. It also seems that HLA will successfully avoid sanctions by claiming that they began as a private boarding school and later became a therapeutic facility. I found web advertisements back to the year they opened promoting themselves as a TBS.
These are the people who are "treating" my son; in fact, abusing him in the name of therapy. The one's who are "consequencing" him for any minor infraction or what they ignorantly perceive as manipulation, or lying, or avoiding communication. It's black and white, and no common sense employed. No matter what the teens diagnosis or problem, all stay a minimum of 18 months. Individual needs are not taken into consideration and apparently a diagnosis is not required for acceptance.
I spent 1000 dollars to travel to the required parent workshop in order to see my son for 36 hours. I expected a workshop. What I got was a 5 hour sales pitch for the facility. The headmaster first bonded with parents by allowing them to vent their fears and grief. Then relieved them of all guilt....reminded and ensured them that they had made the right decision....encouraged them to do what they had to do to keep their child there, even resorting to using the college funds (which they might not use otherwise)....that parents can't watch their "troubled youth" 24/7, but the school and their security could... The rest of the time was taken with a tour of the nicely manicured and well kept campus.
The "Teen Help" industry is based on profit before people. It's a job, and they will defend their livelihood at all cost. They are self-regulating, power hungry, business people whose employees receive no "consequence" for treating people with absolute disrespect.
Any program is only as good as the personnel. I encourage every parent to do thorough research. Ask difficult questions. Check with state agencies for complaints and appropriate licensure. Your child deserves this. Answers will provide some information, but it will not give you insight into the psyche of the person(s) who will be spending time with your child. That takes time. A degree in Psychology is not a guarantee. I was reminded recently that the highest suicide rate among professionals, is psychiatrists. And as so many people here have said, Children don't live in a bubble. Even if the program happens to be a good one, and there are gains made; the dysfunction in the family unit remains. I believe this why many of these facilities encourage parents to place their teen in another residential environment after the program. No chance of the family issues coming up again, which provides a nice illusion that the program was successful.
I am thoroughly disgusted by the whole industry and feel great empathy for parents who feel so desperate to place their children in these "psuedo psych facilities". We need to stop pretending that the problem doesn't involve parents as well. People possess respect for self and others when they have received respect.
I don't believe that isolating a teen from their family, subjecting them to questionable Behavior Mod techniques (heavy on punishment and shame), limiting calories and social contact with peers and the outside world are respectful or effective methods for dealing with so-called "struggling teens". These traits are more common to harmful cults. What exactly are these teens learning?
I would like to hear other parent's and student's experiences with HLA, and particularly from those who would like to see reform or closure of such facilities.
andrew M posted 9/26/03 5:42 PM
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Abuse by any other name is still abuse. It doesnt matter if these people call it therapy, in god's eyes it's abuse. I was a wwasp student, which was far worse than this sounds, but I still think your a sickly person to do this to your kids. It's their heads. You're fucking with their minds. Look up BRAINWASHING in a psychology book.
CW posted 9/27/03 9:00 PM
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My son has been there now for about 5 months and the early changes are striking and positive. If we had not sent him there or a similar place he would be dead or in jail. I suspect that many of the students horror stories are the products of drug riddled minds that are potentially beyond rehabilitation. I suspect that the elaborate parent's story is the product of a beyond nasty divorce that everyone needs to move forward from. So far so good on our end, good luck and God's help to anyone facing the thankless need to make decisions related to sending an out of control teen to any similar establishment.
We will only know the worth fo the program in 3-5 years when he has had a chance to really be out and choose his way through early adulthood but at least we are on a track consistant with at least living long enough to make those future choices.
Deborah posted 10/1/03 5:47 PM
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CW I have to wonder if you?re really a parent with a child at this facility or someone with a vested interest in defending it. If you are a parent, is it not enough to share your ?good? experience without attempting to discredit me or my son? I resent your comments:
?I suspect that many of the students horror stories are the products of drug riddled minds that are potentially beyond rehabilitation. I suspect that the elaborate parent's story is the product of a beyond nasty divorce that everyone needs to move forward from.?
For your information, my son did not have a problem with drugs. And while my relationship with my ex was less than perfect, that is not the issue here. Had it been perfect, it would not have altered the facts about this facility or the events that occurred- it would not have changed the fact that the facility wasn?t licensed, that they lied to the state and to parents, that they lied to the court to keep my son there, that they interfered with my parental rights and violated my son?s rights, etc.
You may continue to have a good experience, provided you never challenge or question a policy or decision they make regarding YOUR son. You may be comfortable with this form of ?treatment? and with abdicating responsibility, that is your prerogative. The fact remains, you do not know what is happening there on a daily basis. My ?elaborate story? apparently contradicts what you need and want to believe, I can assure you it is factual. Disregard it if you choose, but refrain from insinuating that I am lying or fabricating the story based on a ?beyond nasty divorce?. Would you care to explain why as a parent happy with the program you chose, you feel the need to come onto a public forum and say such things about another parent?s experience? Why are you so defensive? Have you confirmed that they are now licensed? Or is that important to you?
Having your son incarcerated 24/7 is not insurance that he will not hurt himself or be hurt physically or mentally, or that he will not have access to drugs, tobacco, dip.
It only ensures that he is no longer your problem.
And, to the ex-WWASP participant, I didn?t do this to my son. I did make every attempt to get him out. The program assisted my ex in ensuring that he would stay.
SHANCHEZ... R.P. -- 33 posted 10/4/03 4:57 AM
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I attended HLA, i was in peer group 33. This place is insane and NOTHING but hell. I was a post graduate... it was an absolute terrible place... TBC
CW posted 10/7/03 9:17 PM
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My message remains and I stand by every word. We will be seeing him in the next couple of weeks for the 2nd time and I will file an update.
DO NOT accuse me of abdicating responsibility.....! We made an ugly decision to do that which was necessary to preserve our son's life and give him a fighting chance to grow up without a drug problem or criminal record. It is not an ideal place, but it sure beats jail or the morgue!!
Deborah posted 10/8/03 1:09 PM
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I don't know another term that describes a situation in which a parent turns their child over to strangers and has no say in what happens on a daily basis or knowledge of what's actually happening.
Oh, DO NOT accuse you of doing what you have done, but you feel justified in accusing me of fabricating my story?
That's rather a double standard. You probably won't have any problem with the program- they operate much the same way- but the shoe may not feel so great when it's on the other foot.
[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2005-08-27 14:26 ]