Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry

Green Chimneys, Maltreatment Center

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LadyJean:
Green Chimneys in Brewster, NY is nothing but a Maltreatment Center.  My child was brutalized by staff and I later learned sexual abuse was part of the picture.  DO NOT SEND ANY CHILD TO GREEN CHIMNEYS NOR RECOMMEND GREEN CHIMNEYS TO ANYBODY!!!

Dr. Samuel B. Ross Jr. is nothing but a charletan, a mountebank, a liar.  He is good at swindling, yes, swindling money from big corporations and conning famous people to do photo shoots with, all with the idea of continuing this Maltreatment Center and fooling the public at large.  It was a jaw-dropping moment for me to learn that I was not the only parent to get the "the Pope gets kicked out of my office if a child has trouble" routine.  Other parents were told the same thing, practically if not verbatim.  My own child said that you don't seek help from Dr. Ross; he is just what you need protection from!

Dr. Ross Jr. is, according to my child and other kids I've listened, yes LISTENED to a very cruel person.  Kids have disclosed genuine horror stories of being slapped and having their hair pulled and sundry physical abuses, including beatings in front of the entire student body.  I also learned that untrained staff manned the dorms and kids were left to supervise the rooms.  Abuse was common and I have since  learned that many survivors, as these Green Chimneys kids are calling themselves are coming forward with disclosures.  I only wish I'd listened to my child when my child was trying to tell me about what was taking place there.  Hiding my head in the sand and defending the powers that be was the worst thing I could have done.  Had I only listened, I could have spared my child the extreme level of abuse and resulting trauma.  

The Green Chimneys videos on YouTube are completely deceptive.  Nobody can leave comments.  If you try, you get the "comment pending moderator approval" routine.  Loosely translated, that means nobody can leave any negative comments. Again, this is with the idea of fooling the public.

LadyJean:
I have also since learned and very recently that groups calling themselves survivors are speaking out about Green Chimneys.  They don't just take any child; they take court adjudicated cases where violence and criminal behavior are included.  These kids with dangerous backgrounds mix with nonviolent kids and as a result, a lot of sickness and abuse goes unchecked in such cases together with staff abuse of kids.

If that isn't bad enough, kids with violent and criminal pasts as well as poorly treated mental illness are sent to Green Chimneys, like Eric Lau.  He was arrested for murder in 2009.  Two others like him were Eric Napoletano and Philip Zagarella, both of whom killed people.  One survivor said that Dr. Ross sweeps these things under the rug or locks them in David Hall so as to keep on accepting praise and money from the public.

MedicalWhistleblower:
In regards to the professionalism of the staff at Green Chimneys:

Green Chimneys does an extensive background check on all employees, including Criminal History, State Central Registry on Child Abuse, Sexual Offenders Registry, Education and References.  There are training programs brought in to provide staff continuing education on professional issues and the facility is licensed and inspected regularly. The school psychologists must have Master's Degree in School Psychology as well as a NYS Certification as School Psychologist. The overnight nurse is required to have a current license in NYS and one year clinical experience in pediatric or psychiatric nursing.  For the position of occupational therapist NBCOT certification is preferred.  The occupational therapist must have a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy with a Masters is preferable as well as one year experience working with children.  The occupational therapist must be certified with New York State Education Department, or in process of securing licensure.  All youth counselors are required to take Therapeutic Crisis Intervention Training and take on going professional training as required by state licensing requirements.   All lifeguards working in the pool area are required to have American Red Cross Lifeguard Training/First Aid and CPR for the Professional Rescuer training is required.  The skill builder must have BA or AA with some field experience or a High School diploma with three years experience in related field and must meet all requirements from contracted agencies New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and Children’s Village (B2H).  Staff who drive the children all must have valid driver’s license and clean driving record.

Green Chimneys is also internationally known for its animal-assisted methods.

MedicalWhistleblower:
Eric Lau is accused of stabbing to death 32 year old gym teacher Jami Erlich 32 and Eric Lau now is facing murder charges.  Clearly this was a very troubled child who became even more problematic as he aged.  State Supreme Court Justice William A. Kelly scheduled Lau's next court appearance for Nov. 7, with jury selection set for Nov. 11.

Eric Lau who is now 32 years old, had a long history of mental illness that dates back to when he was 8 years old.  Lau had attended Birchwood School, a kindergarten- through-12th grade school in the Clarkstown school district that accommodates children with emotional or behavior problems.  

At age 16, Lau was placed in David Hall, a residential treatment facility for teenage boys with psychiatric illnesses, at Green Chimneys in Putnam County.  He apparently did not stay long at Green Chimneys because he was expelled from high school in Clarkstown for assault and his criminal record includes a felony conviction for attempted robbery and five other arrests in 1996 and 1997, when he was 18 and 19, according to court testimony.  Green Chimneys does not keep boys who are older than 17.

It is unfortunate that he did not obtain adequate care for his emotional problems during the formative years of his early childhood. He is clearly an example of a child who needed more effective treatment from the system and got too little too late.  Green Chimneys was a short term placement that happened after he was already 16 years old and had many years of behavioral problems before that placement.

Residents in Green Chimneys receive their educational classes at the Green Chimneys campus not at Clarkstown – so it appears that Lau’s placement at Green Chimneys was short term at best.  If a child’s behavior is unmanageable in the Green Chimneys facility or the child is deemed to present a danger to himself or others he would be transferred out of the program.  

Green Chimneys School is designed for students who have been unsuccessful in a traditional educational setting and who require a small, structured and therapeutically supportive setting.  There are small class sizes, high staff-to-student ratio, well-trained teaching staff and a safe and a therapeutic environment.  Children who do not do well in the less restrictive atmosphere of Green Chimneys will of course be placed elsewhere.

Green Chimneys offers a 14-bed psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (RTF) at the Brewster Campus. The New York State Office of Mental Health licensed program serves seriously emotionally disturbed adolescent males between the ages of 13 to 17 on admission, who require supervised, comprehensive, residential mental health services on a 24-hour basis. An anticipated length of stay for each of these young people is expected typically to exceed six months. Almost all services for these youth are provided on the Green Chimney premises by a multidisciplinary treatment team, and the services are dictated by and integrated into a treatment plan for each young man. The program fills a service gap between psychiatric hospitalization, which is too restrictive for these boys, and less-structured group settings, which are not self contained enough.  Referrals to this program must be made to a regional Pre-Admission Certification Committees (PACC) and only with the written approval of a psychiatrist who determines eligibility for each boy referred.  Residents who are housed in David Hall and receive their education in the Green Chimneys School program, with varying degrees of classroom and program integration. The program has access, as clinically appropriate, to all of the Green Chimneys program resources on the campus.

MedicalWhistleblower:
This is Green Chimneys Animal Assisted Therapy Program

ANIMAL-ASSISTED THERAPY AND ACTIVITIES

What’s the differences between Animal Assisted Therapy and Animal Assisted Activities?

Animal Assisted Activities provide opportunities for motivational, educational, recreational, and/or therapeutic benefits to enhance quality of life. AAA are delivered in a variety of environments by specially trained professionals, paraprofessionals, and/or volunteers, in association with animals that meet specific criteria.”

Animal Assisted Therapy is a goal-directed intervention in which an animal that meets specific criteria is an integral part of the treatment process. AAT is directed and/or delivered by a health/human service professional with specialized expertise, and within the scope of practice of his/her profession.

Why does animal assisted therapy work?

Children can respond to animals in ways they often can’t to people. The human-animal contact helps bring out a nurturing instinct.  Learning to care for animals seems to develop a sense of responsibility and caring among children who may not have known that themselves.  Contacts range from children who play with a dog, cat or rabbit during a session with a trained adult, to the more comprehensive approach used by Green Chimneys where children experience an immersion with animals, including therapeutic horseback riding, horticulture therapy including greenhouse and garden work, nature, adventure activities and the training of assistance dogs for people with physical disabilities.  We have found that many of our children come to us unable to trust others due to very difficult situations.  They are often sad or angry.  They are more apt to risk a friendship with an animal because the animal will not ask questions, will not judge them and will not tell their secrets to anyone. The animal then becomes a bridge to the caring adults who are trying to help the child become successful.

Are there clinical benefits to animal-assisted therapy and activities?

•   Caring – to be encouraged to demonstrate and feel care for other living beings
•   Trust – to experience trust toward farm/garden staff and with the animals
•   Emotional Regulation- to develop the ability to function appropriately despite emotional challenges with farm/garden staff, peers and with plants and animals
•   Relationship building – to become part of a greater “we”; that cares for the gardens and animals, to feel a healthy sense of belonging to a group that shares common goals and interests. Learning how to build healthy peer relationships and to relate with adults.
•   Self- Esteem - as competence is experienced and the child feels accepted, self esteem can become strengthened
•   Anxiety Reduction – fears can be mastered and behavior patterns can be learned to cope with anxiety
•   Empathy Development - the ability to gauge and imagine anothers emotional state, both animal and human
•   Task Mastery – to be able to actively participate in caring for animals and plants
•   Conceptual Mastery- to become knowledgeable and competent around plants and animals
•   Vocational responsibility – to experience what a work ethic is and to feel real responsibility
•   Body Localization - Child develops the ability to locate and identify parts of the horse’s/animal’s body.  This activity aids in developing an awareness and understanding of one’s own body.
•   Health and Hygiene - Child develops an understanding of the principals of health & hygiene.  In care for the horses, animals and plants, students are led to understand and utilize good habits.
•   Balance and Rhythm- Child develops the ability to maintain gross and fine motor balance and to move rhythmically while working around animals or riding horses.  Child is continuously involved in interpreting and reacting to the animal’s movements.
•   Directionality and Laterality - Child develops the ability to know and respond to right, left, up, down, forward, backward and directional orientation.  Activities focusing on directing an animal or working in the garden in a specific direction are used to aid the child in developing sensitivity to directionality of his body and space.
•   Time Orientation-  Child develops an awareness of determining feeding time, exercise time, and resting time for the animals, students develop an awareness of the appropriate activities based on the weather and seasonal change.
•   Anticipatory Response-  Child develops the ability to anticipate the probable outcome of his behavior with the animals and plants.  If he yells or acts out, the animal will become frightened and react negatively.  This aids the child in predicting the consequences of his own behavior and that of others in a given situation.
•   Comprehension -Child develops the ability to use judgment and reasoning in riding and working with animals and plants.  This enhances his ability to use judgment and reasoning when interacting with other forces in his environment.
•   Perceptual and Cognitive - Child develops and is stimulated through training in spatial orientation, body image, hand-eye coordination, motor planning and timing, improved attention span, memory and concentration.
•   Physical -Child develops to effectively influence muscular strength and tone.
Academic Impacts: There are three major types of goals commonly focused on in an academic school setting -
1.   Academic goals pertain to schooling. Children attempts to improve competence and knowledge in various subject areas. In the nature-based programs, skills such as reading, writing, mathematical skills, social studies and history can be integrated into “real life” non-academic situations. Reading a book in class may seem too hard, but reading the directions on a sheep feed bag seems important and manageable.
2.   Process goals focus on how you do something. Children learn how to do math problems, how to write, read etc. In learning how to measure animal feed, how to distinguish names of plants on a sign, children can be motivated more easily to attempt the process of learning. Learning to count in school seems uninteresting, but counting the chickens in the coop is a fun challenge.
3.   Character goals describe the attitude with which to approach work. Children learn how to adapt to the demands of school and how to effectively and successfully function in the academic setting. Even students that have a difficult time cooperating with peers in the school, to follow directions from staff, often develop these character skills first in the nature based programs. A child may not want to follow a teachers directions in class, but the same child will learn how to follow the direction of the riding instructor while riding.

The activities and work in the Green Chimneys nature-based programs directly and indirectly translate and “feed back” into the NY state mandated education standards required of Green Chimneys School

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