HUGE News Article About Spring Creek Lodge

[Anonymous]

Spring Creek's Short Leash
by John S. Adams, photos by Chad Harder
June 16, 2005

Above: With around 450 students, Spring Creek Lodge is the largest of Montana?s approximately 35 teen behavior modification and therapeutic programs. Students there are not allowed to fraternize with members of the opposite sex.
Below: Spring Creek director Chaffin Pullan, left, and program director Mike Chisholm, seated, say that ?intervention? rooms like this one are used to ?cool down? disruptive students. Former students say they are used as solitary confinement.

Montana?s behavior modification programs watch their troubled teen charges like hawks. Recent lawsuits and allegations of abuse raise the question: Who?s watching them?

By the summer of 2004 Janet Larson was at her wit?s end. Her 17-year-old daughter Christina (both names have been changed) was drinking, smoking, sneaking out, doing drugs and lying. Her parents were worried sick she would drop out of school, end up in jail, or worse.

So they made a difficult decision that summer, a decision they hoped would change their daughter?s life: They decided to send Christina to a private behavior modification program in Western Montana. Like thousands of parents around the country who send their children away in hopes of saving their lives, Christina?s parents were convinced they had no other choice.

Her experience at Spring Creek Lodge in Thompson Falls did change Christina?s life, but not in the way her parents expected. Less than two months after enrolling in the program, Christina was back home in southern California, dealing with what her mother calls the ?shock treatment? she received at Spring Creek, as well as the news that a bunk-mate and friend at the school had killed herself just days after Christina?s departure.


READ ENTIRE (Very Long) ARTICLE HERE:

http://www.everyweek.com/News/News.asp?no=4970

[Anonymous]

Exceprt from the article:

Earlier this month, 26 plaintiffs filed a lawsuit in a California court against WWASPS and its associated facilities, including Spring Creek. According to the 92-page complaint filed by California attorneys Edward Masry (of Erin Brockovich fame) and Henry Bushkin, Spring Creek is accused of negligence, negligent child abuse, breach of contract, fraud, assault and battery, false imprisonment, intentional inflection of emotional distress, negligent medical care, breach of fiduciary duty and conspiracy to commit breach of contract.

One of the plaintiffs, former Spring Creek student Gregory Gomez, alleges he was subjected to threats, intimidation, invasion of privacy, mental abuse and random punishment. The complaint states that Gomez?s mother was led to believe her son was benefiting from his experience at Spring Creek while he was being abused. Gomez also alleges he suffered bodily injury at the hands of Spring Creek staff members and was cut off from outside contact, thus unable to report the abuse.

Spring Creek officials would not comment on the case other than to say that they have not yet seen the lawsuit, which was filed May 27 in Los Angeles Superior Court.

[cherish wisdom]

Excellent article - but it takes about 1/2 hour to read through.  It sounds like the other WWASP type programs.  

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of it's victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busy-bodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those that torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0802808689/circleofmianithem' target='_new'> C.S. Lewis, God In The Dock

[BuzzKill]

By far the most I've seen about the suicide and the local political lobbing. I was also impressed with the way the reporters understood and reported on the risk the kids take in speaking with them - and in general how easy it is to be severely consequence.
I noticed they are forbidden to talk about the suicide or Tranquility Bay. Both a cat 4 offence.
I was also struck at how Lon was quoted.
There is a lot here to talk over - real meaty artical.

[Anonymous]

On 2005-06-16 15:40:00, BuzzKill wrote:

"By far the most I've seen about the suicide and the local political lobbing. I was also impressed with the way the reporters understood and reported on the risk the kids take in speaking with them - and in general how easy it is to be severely consequence.

I noticed they are forbidden to talk about the suicide or Tranquility Bay. Both a cat 4 offence.

I was also struck at how Lon was quoted.

There is a lot here to talk over - real meaty artical.

"

Notice how quickly the SCL rep hustled the parent through the "loan" process?

LOL ... these admissions/sales reps sure know how to "work it" don't they?!!

[Anonymous]

On 2005-06-16 16:24:00, Anonymous wrote:

"

On 2005-06-16 15:40:00, BuzzKill wrote:


"By far the most I've seen about the suicide and the local political lobbing. I was also impressed with the way the reporters understood and reported on the risk the kids take in speaking with them - and in general how easy it is to be severely consequence.


I noticed they are forbidden to talk about the suicide or Tranquility Bay. Both a cat 4 offence.


I was also struck at how Lon was quoted.


There is a lot here to talk over - real meaty artical.


"



Notice how quickly the SCL rep hustled the parent through the "loan" process?



LOL ... these admissions/sales reps sure know how to "work it" don't they?!!

"

Oooops ... this is what I meant to reply to BK's post:

Notice how quickly the SCL rep hustled the parent through the "loan" process?

LOL ... these admissions/sales reps sure know how to "work it" don't they?!!

[BuzzKill]

Oh indeed they do!
ISAC has up a little document from Teen Help, all about getting the parents involved in applying for the loans ASAP - The thinking seems to be, get the parent across that line (applying for the money) and reeling them in after that is a breeze.

[Anonymous]

On 2005-06-16 16:33:00, BuzzKill wrote:

"Oh indeed they do!

ISAC has up a little document from Teen Help, all about getting the parents involved in applying for the loans ASAP - The thinking seems to be, get the parent across that line (applying for the money) and reeling them in after that is a breeze."

Oh, thanks BK.  Say do these admissions reps get a commission for getting the parents "loaned" up?

 ::

[Anonymous]

On 2005-06-16 16:55:00, Exit Plan wrote:

"

She was caught skipping a friend?s funeral to get high. That?s when Janet decided to do something drastic.

Big deal. Is it that surprising a teen would want to avoid the problem by smoking some dope?

Christina?s parents had learned about a school in Thompson Falls, called Spring Creek Lodge, from a counselor in Christina?s drug program. The counselor gave Janet a phone number and Janet made the call.

Of course. It's always referall. That counselor is making cash referring parents I bet.

The next thing Glenda did was hook Janet up with a loan officer. There was no discussion about Janet?s financial situation or whether she and her husband could afford the $3,390 monthly tuition the school charged (not counting enrollment fees, therapy costs, incidentals and uniform expenses).

I see they added uniforms now.

Christina was terrified when she arrived at Spring Creek. After checking in she was given two tearful minutes to say goodbye to her dad, and then she was alone. For the next 42 days, Christina says she was told her parents weren?t coming for her like they said they would, that she would have to graduate the program or stay at Spring Creek indefinitely. Christina says she was made to believe that her parents had lied to her.

Yep.. happens to everyone there. I was only supposed to stay a few months too.

etter, because it wasn?t true,? Janet recalls furiously. ?That?s what the program does; it makes you lie to your kids.?



The commitment letter said Christina was expected to complete all phases of the Spring Creek program, a process that takes at least 18 months. The letter confirmed their commitment to the program, no matter how long it took.



Both parents signed.



?A lot of things set off bells in our heads,? says Janet. ?We told her three or four months. I mean, basically, she?s a pretty good kid. Now I was lying to her. We don?t want her to lie to us and now we?re lying to her. he letter was delivered to Christina, who was devastated.



?I thought my parents had lied to me. I thought I was going to be there until I turned 18.?



Janet was concerned about her daughter?s state of mind, but she wasn?t allowed to talk to her. Program rules explicitly deny parents contact for the first two months, and even then, only monitored phone contact is allowed, and only if the child has achieved ?advanced? status in Spring Creek?s program. ?

And that's why no kid will ever trust that parent again.

a child can?t graduate the program until she demonstrates to the satisfaction of Spring Creek staff that she has taken responsibility for the actions that put her in the school in the first place. She must appear to believe that the program has saved her life. As reporter Decca Aitkenhead described the program at an affiliated facility called Tranquility Bay in Jamaica in a 2003 article in the London newspaper The Observer, ?They must renounce their old self, espouse the program?s belief system, display gratitude for their salvation, and police fellow students who resist.?

[/b]



And people wonder why recent graduates spout program propoganda?

Level 1 students are prohibited from talking to Level 2 students.



?If your levels add up to four you can talk to one another,? says one Spring Creek student.

Otherwise they'll accuse you of 'run plans' and tackle you for the hell of it.

For three days each week, upperlevel students work as ?junior staff.? They become the eyes and the ears of the staff when staff are out of sight, and they ?consequence? other students who step out of line.

This is a fucked up part of the program. Making you become staff on the new lower levels. Makes me sick.

Students who are disruptive or have outbursts are placed in ?intervention.? They are taken, sometimes by force, to a room students call ?the Hobbit,? where they sit in chairs. Some kids have reported being put in intervention for days, even months. The school maintains that a student is put in intervention for 30-minute ?cooling off? periods. If they fail to cool off or remain disruptive, they may stay longer, under the watchful eye of a staff member.

Very true, people would spend weeks at a time in the hobbit when I was there. Not sure they are still using the old hobbit though, from the pictures. Cameron looks way fatter though.

?They wanted me to put my daughter on anti-depressants without even letting me talk to her,? Janet says, disgusted at the memory. ?Put her on drugs? That was the breaking point for me. I have read a lot about antidepressants in children and a lot of kids commit suicide while taking them. I didn?t even know who was prescribing these drugs. That was it for me.?

Anti-depressants were the breaking point? Get real! That's nothing compared to the damage of the overall program.

So Janet drove from southern California to Thompson Falls. Christina?s dad notified Spring Creek only hours before Janet got there, and when Janet arrived Christina?s things were boxed and waiting for her.



Unbeknownst to Janet or Christina, a mother from a community just a short drive from their California hometown was also on her way to Spring Creek. After hearing the news that Mexican authorities had raided and closed Casa by the Sea?an affiliated teen behavior modification facility located about 50 miles south of San Diego?that mother decided it was time to take her child out of the Spring Creek program. Her daughter was one of Christina?s Family members.



On that day in early October 2004, Spring Creek lost two students, and with them about $80,000 per year in tuition and fees.



Three days later, the school lost another of Christina?s Family members. Karlye Anne Newman, a 16-year-old girl from Denver, hanged herself in the bunkhouse that she?d shared with Christina only days earlier. She died just days before her 17th birthday.

We'd always hear about other kids vanishing. It was because parents would come and pick them up every once in a while. Everyone prayed their parent would show up one day.

We had been told the students didn?t know we were coming, but the students we spoke to quickly relayed that they had been placed on ?Cat-4 Silence? just minutes before we arrived at their classroom. We were told students were not allowed to speak while we were there and that talking could bring severe consequences.

[/b]



Of course. When new parents came to tour the facility it was the same thing.

?We never get to go for walks,? said one girl. ?If you even look out the window that?s considered ?run plans? and you get in trouble.?



The students said they are warned that escape is futile. They are told that the school has helicopters on stand-by, as well as dogs trained to run them down.



?They tell you, ?Go ahead and try to run, see how far you get,?? said one student.

You dont get very far, I tried. Not only will staff radio everyone to run after you, the junior staff will run after you to. How fucked up is that. Plus a week in the hobbit to think about it. I still think it was worth it though. Had to try. No there arent helicopters or dogs.. LMAO!

Representatives of teen programs feel they are best qualified to determine the breadth and scope of any future regulation. They fear that government bureaucrats do not possess the expertise or knowledge to impose effective and responsible legislation. They say that if left in the hands of DPHHS, unnecessary rules and regulations could stifle creative and effective therapeutic techniques.

Disgusting. The governemnt officials in montana need to get fucking real.

Woodbury sends out a survey every year to educational consultants nationwide asking them to rate teen programs across the nation in terms of whether they would refer children there. Only schools earning top marks are included in ?Places for Struggling Teens,? the directory Woodbury publishes. He says WWASPS programs consistently score poorly in his survey, and in recent years their numbers have hit rock bottom. One of the main reasons for that, says Woodbury, is WWASPS? practice of encouraging parents to refer other families to the program in exchange for free tuition or cash.



?[WAWASPS programs] are not thought well of in the industry,? says Woodbury. ?They are seen as very dubious.?

Big surprise. And yet parents still send their kids.

Christina recently celebrated her 18th birthday with her family back home in California. If her mother hadn?t pulled her out of Spring Creek Lodge, she would have celebrated her birthday by ?taking her exit plan.? Some students of Spring Creek, whether they have graduated the program or not, leave come their 18th birthday. If their parents don?t want them back, they try to find a ride to Missoula or Coeur D?Alene or Spokane.

I got a ride to Coeur D'Alene where I spent 3 weeks until I was able to make it back to my home city, and moved in with my sister briefly while I got back on my feet. thats why my name is Exit Plan. Fuck WWASP.  ::cheers::

[Anonymous]

bill to end institutionalized child abuse

http://www.petitiononline.com/hr1738/petition.html

please sign and forward to friends and family!!