Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > The Troubled Teen Industry
What about "Carlbrook School"?
Che Gookin:
Google this person:
Phil Elberg..
good luck.
cooltherapy:
Just something that I posted on a blog earlier... thought that it might be relevant on fornits, too....
It took me over three years post-graduation from Carlbrook to realize what was done to me. For all of the grads/parents of grads posting shortly after graduation... JUST WAIT! Things change. Once the nightmares set in, you'll see. That's when it became clear to me.
I've been gone for nearly 5 years and still have nightmares 2 or 3 times a week.
I think that parents get on these blogs and forums to try and convince one another that they didn't make a serious mistake. You guys HAVE to believe in Carlbrook because of what it would mean if the school was, in fact, abusive. I can't imagine how that would feel - but I do know that once my parents finally heard me and accepted that maybe their view on what *I* went through for a year and a half wasn't correct, I felt so relieved.
I don't know a damned thing about Monarch but I am RELIEVED that your kid isn't at Carlbrook. A week long visit was unheard of at that school.
To recent Carlbrook grads who are surfing the internet and trying to find some support: be patient with yourself. You will not understand what has happened for a while. Don't pass judgement on anyone who has a negative view simply because you disagree. I burned a lot of bridges this way when I first graduated. There is a support group on facebook titled "Carlbrook Student's for Accountability and Oversight in Troubled Teen Field." When you are ready, join us.
Parents thinking about Carlbrook: READ THE DISCUSSION BOARDS ON THIS GROUP. I was an extremely successful student... most of this information is not coming from your standard "trouble maker."
Anne Bonney:
--- Quote from: "cooltherapy" ---Just something that I posted on a blog earlier... thought that it might be relevant on fornits, too....
It took me over three years post-graduation from Carlbrook to realize what was done to me. For all of the grads/parents of grads posting shortly after graduation... JUST WAIT! Things change. Once the nightmares set in, you'll see. That's when it became clear to me.
I've been gone for nearly 5 years and still have nightmares 2 or 3 times a week.
I think that parents get on these blogs and forums to try and convince one another that they didn't make a serious mistake. You guys HAVE to believe in Carlbrook because of what it would mean if the school was, in fact, abusive. I can't imagine how that would feel - but I do know that once my parents finally heard me and accepted that maybe their view on what *I* went through for a year and a half wasn't correct, I felt so relieved.
I don't know a damned thing about Monarch but I am RELIEVED that your kid isn't at Carlbrook. A week long visit was unheard of at that school.
To recent Carlbrook grads who are surfing the internet and trying to find some support: be patient with yourself. You will not understand what has happened for a while. Don't pass judgement on anyone who has a negative view simply because you disagree. I burned a lot of bridges this way when I first graduated. There is a support group on facebook titled "Carlbrook Student's for Accountability and Oversight in Troubled Teen Field" (I know, the grammar on that is terrible but it's too late to change - not my mistake)... when you are ready, join us.
Parents thinking about Carlbrook: READ THE DISCUSSION BOARDS ON THIS GROUP. I was an extremely successful student... most of this information is not coming from your standard "trouble maker."
--- End quote ---
Wow...it still amazes me how so many of our experiences are so similar. I was considered a 'success' too. I 'graduated' the program (certainly not school, because of the program) and for a while, swore it 'saved my life'. Then I woke up. It takes longer for the parents to have that awakening, and sadly some never do.
Welcome and thanks for posting.
cooltherapy:
Thank you!
I did some more looking around last night... I found that Carlbrook has replied to an organization called "Family Light" which had questioned some of their practices.
http://www.familylight.com/link3/3.03/3 ... ok_rep.htm
these responses (and the document that is attached under the response to Concern #6 (It says: "*NOTE: With the goal of providing a more detailed discussion of the various benefits derived from the workshop model employed by Carlbrook, a document recently drafted by the school’s clinical team has been attached to this response.") have so many claims that, while they may be true now - I've been gone for a good chunk of time, were NOT true when I attended the school.
I'm drafting a letter to send off to Family Light - although they appear to have eaten it up.
ChristopherRobb:
Anybody interested in Carlbrook please visit the site http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=121154957908461. It is a public facebook forum that discusses Carlbrook and in which people are not anonymous, thus seeks to eliminate some of the more colorful and less productive aspects trends that occur on this one. If anybody is interested in documenting what went on at Carlbrook and taking it beyond the internet (not necessarily to the courts but gaining more legitimacy for our concern) I am attempting to collect sworn affidavits about the events that went on that aim to capture the truth. If you have told the truth you can use the accounts you've already made on this site and have them notarized. It is relatively easy to do this at a bank. Collecting affidavits of what went on there is important because obviously the extreme level of discontent coupled with severity and volume of accusations merits at least some sort of review by a state agency, the courts, or a specialist in mediation/arbitration. Tell the truth and don't exaggerate in any affidavits or you will be subject to perjury. You are also potentially sacrificing anonymity. You can either post your account on the facebook website or you can send it to my e-mail, crobb@gwu.edu. I personally am glad that I went to Carlbrook in the long run. Less because of what Carlbrook did but because I did need a change of environment. There are good people there and it saddens me that their employment may be threatened by irresponsible and reckless decisions of their superiors. I do honestly believe every single person, aside from maybe one or two was convinced that they were helping us. However, this issue is bigger then whether you liked Carlbrook or the people there. This is about what is acceptable to do to people, no matter what they have done, against their will. This is about the type of breakdown that happens in many organizations that suffer from a closed, secretive management. There were several things that were unacceptable, regardless of your experience.
What was unacceptable was that Grant Price and others who ran groups and made explicitly "therapeutic decisions" has no formal training, education or certification to be providing mental health services (which is exactly what running a group therapy is doing). Carlbrook is not held to any standards in the provision of such services and that is a problem. There are a reason standards and regulations exist in this field (even if they have problems of their own). I think even those who cherished the experience realize that a lot of what went on was not OK and though intentions may not have been malicious by any party, kids were hurt and traumatized by the purposely constructed environment of acute stress and anxiety. Even if you could "take it" some couldn't. People are different. A one size fits all approach of breaking people down and building their identity back up may be useful in forming a cohesive military unit but it is not in treating kids for problems that in many instances are related to stress and anxiety in the first place. Creating an environment with the level of intensity and stress that Carlbrook did obviously will have different effects on different types of people. The degree of emotional invasiveness can also not be underestimated. Forcing people to disclose things they don't want to is simply unethical. Plain and simple. I see this as not an issue of whether or not you liked Carlbrook or certain people there. I see this as an issue of Carlbrook making egregious and harmful administrative errors and being held accountable like any other organization that provided you sub-standard services. If Johnson & Johnson sells defective Tylenol, like they did, they are held to account. Carlbrook purposely humiliated kids, engaged in arbitrary and bizarre punishment and the therapeutic relationships and incentives are certainly highly unethical if not illegal. I would like to know for certain if they are and what potential damage might have been inflicted. I would like to know if Carlbrook gave kids Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome which is a condition that worsens with age. I personally am not OK with so much of what went on at Carlbrook and think that a lack of accountability for past events or sweeping what happened "under the rug" would set a terrible precedent and would only encourage others to provide even worse services to kids. Carlbrook is attempting to legitimize and dilute a form of treatment that has been roundly rejected by medical professionals, the courts, and state agencies. Please join me in writing and notarizing an affidavit.
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