wondering about ex-staff

[Jack1963]

[ This Message was edited by: Jack1963 on 2004-08-01 15:40 ]

[Anonymous]

Hi...you covered it all.  I, too, was an employee for about three years in the mid nineties.  I worked at Ascent and at NWA and have to say that there was a lot of "wrong doings" at both schools.  I have been approached several times for interviews with news programs and articles on the schools.  

I had over 10 years of experience working with troubled kids, a college degree, and I still was treated like a babysitter.  When "Mom and Dad" (the treatment/parent communicators) "got home", I was ridiculed for the way I conversed with the kids, and how I treated them as individuals (not clients or patients).  The tongue lashings were usually infront of the students or infront of other staff who were always too afraid to back me up...do to the fear of losing their precious jobs at a corrupt school where they would "setup" not only the kids, but the staff, too.

It was like a heavy cloud being lifted when I finally quit CEDU and moved out of Idaho.  I do still think about the kids that I worked with and I have kept up with a couple of them (they are grown with college degrees and families, now).  I
also keep in touch by email with a few of the other staff who have moved on, much like myself, but still are humiliated and ashamed that we even worked for such a program.

[Anonymous]

Ditto:

I can only say that all of the CEDU Schools are CULTS - There is a great book on what they do. It is called "Snapping." Everyone who posts here should read it to understand these pitfalls.

It may be out of print, but it is widely available in used book stores and in the internet.

[Anonymous]

Oh, I am SO glad you wrote this. I am an ex-CEDU (Running Springs) staff. Your mentioning of set-ups by staff really hit a chord with me. I left years ago, but here I am reading these posts. CEDU is so famous for hiring people with bogus degrees from non-accredited schools. I remember Brandi Elliot who was emotionally unstable, abusive, and frankly, significantly lacking intelligence. She was the most mean-spirited person I ever worked with. Her favorite word was "manipulating." She kept accusing kids of being manipulative. She has a psychology degree from California Coast College - a non-accredited, mail order school. We all noticed that the school would promote the most abusive staff. She was horrible and DEFINITELY set people up. Kids who AWOL'd reported that they saw her "dirty dancing" in a bar. They found that fascinating, as she had yelled and screamed in the profeets about her past as a slut. They all felt that it was not her past.

I was so happy to leave that unhealthy place. There is no therapy there. We had some good therapists but Brandi and the administration scorned them and told us to ignore their instructions. You would think I would be over it, but that Synonon-style hell hole will probably be with me forever. Damn.

On 2004-04-21 09:17:00, Anonymous wrote:

"Hi...you covered it all.  I, too, was an employee for about three years in the mid nineties.  I worked at Ascent and at NWA and have to say that there was a lot of "wrong doings" at both schools.  I have been approached several times for interviews with news programs and articles on the schools.  



I had over 10 years of experience working with troubled kids, a college degree, and I still was treated like a babysitter.  When "Mom and Dad" (the treatment/parent communicators) "got home", I was ridiculed for the way I conversed with the kids, and how I treated them as individuals (not clients or patients).  The tongue lashings were usually infront of the students or infront of other staff who were always too afraid to back me up...do to the fear of losing their precious jobs at a corrupt school where they would "setup" not only the kids, but the staff, too.



It was like a heavy cloud being lifted when I finally quit CEDU and moved out of Idaho.  I do still think about the kids that I worked with and I have kept up with a couple of them (they are grown with college degrees and families, now).  I

also keep in touch by email with a few of the other staff who have moved on, much like myself, but still are humiliated and ashamed that we even worked for such a program.

"

[Anonymous]

What happened to Roy? Is he no longer posting?

[Anonymous]

I actually am wondering what happened to Laurie Saunders and Jim Johnson who were at Cedu in the late 80's.  (They were staff.)

Anybody know?

[Nihilanthic]

If you are so sorry, join the fight.

Its not over for the people still in there, or for the children kidnapped every day.

Its still not over for those who suffered in their childhood.

Your testimony could be useful to a lot of people.

[Maximus]

I got this CEDU thing going on fornits last year. I worked on it for a long time to get it self sustaining by posting and posting and posting.

First, I am not an ex Staff - perhaps and ex anti-staff therapist.

Folks, not one of the therapists that I ever knew ever approved of CEDU, the staff, or any of the things they did.

Almost no "staff" that I know of is either posting here or is "sorry." They are all on a power trip - always have been and always will be.

OK Staff, I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.

I am not sorry for anything I have ever done at BCA except working for a Gulag. I worked relentlessly, as all the other therapists did, to prevent the school and the staff from killing the spirit of the kids, from sucking the life out of them, and, yes, from driving them insane.

I worked 14 hour days so I could bring kids into my office and let them vent, give them candy, and let them listen to any music they wanted to listen to - music is a healing thing.

As for the missing post identities, perhaps they are not missing. Perhaps they walk beside you as they have always done and always will.

They are not sorry. They have nothing to be sorry for. They just really care about you. We were never like the staff.

We don't break people to gain power,influence and that self ritous, arrogant, heroic stature of "saviour" at kids expense. We walk with you and gather you for battle. And the battle will be. And the tyranny will end. And I will be right here.

[Anonymous]

Thank you, Maximus, for posting that. I, too was a therapist. I know a couple of ex-staff who are traumatized by their experience.

I, too, was taking kids into my office, giving them cocoa (with marshmallows) and cookies and working long, long hours. I feel good about being a corner of sanity in that hell hole. And I probably will remain anonymous. These kids don't know who threatening CEDU is to us. Their own testimony, as a group, is powerful.

It saddens me to see some of these ex-students post who are giving angry retorts to anyone who expresses any kind of remorse or relays their very negative experience at work. Some of those ex-staff might be helpful in a lawsuit - it is not wise to alienate them.

I was not at BCA - I was at one of the other schools. I got into hot water now and then with staff and team leaders when I kept trying to fight the system by educating them. I learned the truth. They ABSOLUTELY DID NOT want to be educated. CEDU even made a show about having me do an inservice (the parents requested it - they loved me). It was a joke. They continued to ignore what I said. Eventually, I got the boot - but I was looking elsewhere by then, anyway.

My only regret is that I could not break the kids out and send them somewhere that really WAS helpful. I did what I could, but became more and more depressed as I saw how those kids were treated and how ignorant and mean-spirited the staff were. The good staff left, you know. They always do.

I saw such inappropriate placements, terrible treatment, and emotional power, control, and abuse going on. I think now and then about making a report, but I'm always scared off. I know that pisses some of these posters off, but they have not walked in my shoes. I have to continue my career where, incidentally, I really AM helping people.

On 2004-04-28 09:36:00, Maximus wrote:

"I got this CEDU thing going on fornits last year. I worked on it for a long time to get it self sustaining by posting and posting and posting.



First, I am not an ex Staff - perhaps and ex anti-staff therapist.



Folks, not one of the therapists that I ever knew ever approved of CEDU, the staff, or any of the things they did.



Almost no "staff" that I know of is either posting here or is "sorry." They are all on a power trip - always have been and always will be.



OK Staff, I'd be delighted to be proved wrong.



I am not sorry for anything I have ever done at BCA except working for a Gulag. I worked relentlessly, as all the other therapists did, to prevent the school and the staff from killing the spirit of the kids, from sucking the life out of them, and, yes, from driving them insane.



I worked 14 hour days so I could bring kids into my office and let them vent, give them candy, and let them listen to any music they wanted to listen to - music is a healing thing.



As for the missing post identities, perhaps they are not missing. Perhaps they walk beside you as they have always done and always will.



They are not sorry. They have nothing to be sorry for. They just really care about you. We were never like the staff.



We don't break people to gain power,influence and that self ritous, arrogant, heroic stature of "saviour" at kids expense. We walk with you and gather you for battle. And the battle will be. And the tyranny will end. And I will be right here.    "

[Maximus]

You were a fine mentor - lets have coffee some time

[Anonymous]

Max: email me - [email protected]

On 2004-04-28 10:58:00, Maximus wrote:

"You were a fine mentor - lets have coffee some time"

[mikehunt]

wow,
this is wild... i never thought i'd hear all this from ex-staff/therapists.  well, actually, some of my therapists tried to get me pulled.  it never werked tho.. it was because i couldn't control myself (what i mean is that i couldn't put on a front for the staff that i didn't trust.  i kept acting up and getting in trouble and ended up staying there for 3 years, having to graduate because they were so hopeless about me.)  i just had to rebel.  but that's got it's up-side... i've always been outspoken, as i always will be.
anyway, thank you guys for opening up to us.  it's amazing that the staff members there hated it as much as we did  (i only knew of a couple who were open enough to talk to me about it.)  honestly, a couple months ago, i had wanted to werk for cedu in order to revolutionize their faulty system and be what the counselors like randolph and dennis were for me... these were the guys that saw me as an individual with a unique psychology, not just another student to hit with the standardized aggressive fault-picking treatment (and, of course, there was robby who made my days so much more pleasant with his caring, strength/perseverence-building attitude.)  this obviously is not going to happen at this point, considering i've spent a good amount of time on here today trying to make rapport with the other people in the forum through sharing my brutally honest opinions that wouldn't fly by a freak like brandi (projectile bitch.)
ironically, they do a lot of spirit-breaking at cedu, when their mission statement claims to be quite the opposite... aren't the students supposed to be getting to know the real them in order to optimize their lives?  it's so sad... most of the posts in this forum are from students who are miserably reflecting on the horrors of their cedu encounters.   i'm fortunate that although i hated that place with every ounce of energy i had (for years), i've now come to appreciate it as a part of my past that's made me the outstanding person that i am today.  i have no idea what my life would've been like without the cedu trauma.
i'm now on a mission to help.  i now have the strength to do it.  it seems so backward.
anybody that would like to talk to me about cedu or anything, please feel free to hit me up... [email protected]  i'd really love to hear from you.

_________________
laura solomon
cedu vet. 1996-1999
RIP[ This Message was edited by: mikehunt on 2004-06-08 00:33 ]

[Anonymous]

So many wise words, Laura. Yes, the CEDU method comes from Synanon - break the person down and rebuild him. What BULLSHIT! Your posts brighten this spot on the Internet. Welcome to Fornits!

On 2004-06-08 00:31:00, mikehunt wrote:

"wow,

this is wild... i never thought i'd hear all this from ex-staff/therapists.  well, actually, some of my therapists tried to get me pulled.  it never werked tho.. it was because i couldn't control myself (what i mean is that i couldn't put on a front for the staff that i didn't trust.  i kept acting up and getting in trouble and ended up staying there for 3 years, having to graduate because they were so hopeless about me.)  i just had to rebel.  but that's got it's up-side... i've always been outspoken, as i always will be.

anyway, thank you guys for opening up to us.  it's amazing that the staff members there hated it as much as we did  (i only knew of a couple who were open enough to talk to me about it.)  honestly, a couple months ago, i had wanted to werk for cedu in order to revolutionize their faulty system and be what the counselors like randolph and dennis were for me... these were the guys that saw me as an individual with a unique psychology, not just another student to hit with the standardized aggressive fault-picking treatment (and, of course, there was robby who made my days so much more pleasant with his caring, strength/perseverence-building attitude.)  this obviously is not going to happen at this point, considering i've spent a good amount of time on here today trying to make rapport with the other people in the forum through sharing my brutally honest opinions that wouldn't fly by a freak like brandi (projectile bitch.)

ironically, they do a lot of spirit-breaking at cedu, when their mission statement claims to be quite the opposite... aren't the students supposed to be getting to know the real them in order to optimize their lives?  it's so sad... most of the posts in this forum are from students who are miserably reflecting on the horrors of their cedu encounters.   i'm fortunate that although i hated that place with every ounce of energy i had (for years), i've now come to appreciate it as a part of my past that's made me the outstanding person that i am today.  i have no idea what my life would've been like without the cedu trauma.

i'm now on a mission to help.  i now have the strength to do it.  it seems so backward.

anybody that would like to talk to me about cedu or anything, please feel free to hit me up... [email protected]  i'd really love to hear from you.



_________________

laura solomon

cedu vet. 1996-1999

RIP[ This Message was edited by: mikehunt on 2004-06-08 00:33 ]"

[Hell on Wheels]

If I knew myself as well as I do now, CEDU would have been the last place for a person like me. Things before I was even born that have layed a heavy hand on my life. Things that help explain who and what I am today. CEDU unwittingly helped the dark side of my life, by giving me the ability to make things okay. Not too many therapists out there that can give me the help I seek. I've tried. But I can't fucking work on issues from before CEDU, and CEDU issues, and current things all at the same time. I can talk til I am blue in the face, I can get deep and "real" but it doesn't do jack shit for me. Shit, all my friends try to help me, but it's of no use, they can't see inside me, nor will they understand. Maybe it is because I will not let CEDU's treatment of me and others be okay, I refuse to let it go, because I don't know how. I have tried, but I'll get a flashback, or a nightmare, or hear something and it's right there again. The only thing I know is that a 230 grain Federal Hydra-Shok will take the pain away. But I ain't going out like that, not yet. I am not gonna let them have the last laugh. I want the last fucking laugh.
And as a side note....... Therapists have their work cut out for them I guess might be part of the problem. If I can get right down to it, then they have no way of going deeper, trying to root out a problem. And I refuse to take any medicine, I have seen what that shit does to people, when they were guinea pigging kids when I was up there. And they can't give me much direction, because all I hear when they say write, or visualize, or talk to your dad, or things like that, all I hear is staff yelling, and propheets and all this shit. I truly realize that it is their job to help me, but old habits die hard.

[shanlea]

1. Laurie Saunders
2. Pam Abell and her husband Mark Williams
3. Jill and Rudy

Also CEDU-RS staff who were nice and not power-tripping(needed there cheery faces)wanda, bruce b., alex's wife, Julie... What happened to them? Did they ever get what a wacked out cult this was?

Did any of them ever get it?

I'm asking because it helps bring closure. Thanks.