Fornits
Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform => CEDU / Brown Schools and derivatives / clones => Topic started by: concerned father on March 09, 2006, 03:00:00 PM
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I currently have a son at Boulder Creek Academy, and would appreciate hearing from people who have a sense if things have changed under their new ownership and staff (much of which has remained from when it was under CEDU ownership).
This note was prompted by the fact that I received a call from the staff yesterday that my son seemed depressed. They wanted him to be tested by folks from Northwest Psychiatric Associates, likely to be followed with a presciption for "meds". This raised a big red flag with me. I am not giving any type of permission until I do some research and visit my son (that will happen in a couple weeks).
In general, I am against putting kids on meds, especially if its being done just to make things easier for the staff. I'd like to get some honest feedback from folks with knowledge and opinions on the current state of BCA.
Fire away.
Concerned Father
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Well it's an interesting question you pose and I'm sure you'll get many an interesting answer.
I can't speak with too much authority on the matter of the "New" BCA, I can say that I know a few of the staff that are working there. I was a student who attended Northwest Academy in the late '90's and 2000. I have remained in close contact with Ruth McKnight, who last I heard was the Manager (or Program Director) at either NWA or BCA. Like I said, I'm no authority figure on these matters, but I can say that Ruth is a good person and your son is probably in good hands.
As far as medication is concerned, that's a decision you are going to have to make on your own. Many will tell you that the staff at BCA medicate too easily and they're probably right. It's just something you are going to have to think about yourself. Do you want your son to be on medication or not? It might also be in your best interest to find out what medication they are suggesting putting him on, and do some research. There are many books on the market which will detail the sideaffects of the various medication. "The Pill Book" is the one that I am familar with.
I can speak from experiance that while the methods of the staff members might not always be the best, I can assure you that they only have the best intentions. I know that doesn't count for much but it's something.
Good Luck.
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Why would you spend good money sending your child to a place with no proven track record (longitudinal studies), whose therapetic methods consist of psychological and verbal abuse, with no real program tailored to the individual, with minimal contact and isolation, farcical academics, and "experimental" type therapies that are harmful to developing minds? This is a short list.
As far as medication, I would send him for an independent evaluation by somone who does not have a vested interest in the outcome. But remember, he is at that age where emotions are instable anyway. It's part of adolescence. Many of the schools just dope the kids up to keep them compliant. They won't tell you that of course.
They always say the same thing to parents if you question the program: The kid is manipulating you.
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We had a similar course of events a few years back when my son was at RMA.
For some reason, the staff thought he was depressed, I saw him as pretty unhappy about being taken away from his friends and behaviors but not clinically depressed.
I just said point blank that if him being there depended on being medicated, he'd be out by the end of the week. My parent counselor made clear that she understood it was our choice and that there were other ways to treat depression besides drugs. Then I had a conference call with the doctor (can't remember his name) and with the team counselor and somebody else.
Everyone was very agreeable to following a non-medical course, the doc actually said that he was not interested in "medicalizing" every case of oppositional behavior.
Long and short of it, he graduated, did fine, does presently do fine, has never been depressed since getting out, views his school years as a good thing overall although I bet he'd change parts of the program if he were running it (wouldn't we all).
Hope you get a good outcome. I personally think Americans are in general too quick to grab a bottle of pills to face any hardship and I don't think the long terms effects are very well documented with children and adolescents for many psychotropics. Maybe you can get by without them.
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get him out of there. it is going to ruine his life it did for me. i have ptsd from ongoing abuse from staff. this is when the brown schools was in charge. i dont think it has changed much.
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To the original poster:
Most of the people on this site won't be able to tell you much about the new BCA. Especially people claiming to have PTSD. I'm not going to get into a debate with people making that claim, but they attribute it to physical and severe mental abuse, which just doesn't take place at BCA anymore. I was there for nearly 3 years between 1999 and 2002, and never saw someone physically assaulted. The worst that takes place is the mental brainwashing and a lot of staff yelling at kids.
So I won't comment on whether to pull your child or not based on all that. I get upset when parents make the huge decision to send their kid to one of these schools and then come on here second-guessing themselves. If you're not sure about your choice, why did you invest so much money and so much heartbreak in the decision? Makes me wonder...
Anyways, I will comment on the meds issue. To say the staff at BCA overmedicate is a dire understatement. To this day, no psychiatrist outside of BCA has seen any reason to place me on any kind of medication. Yet the clinical staff at BCA suggested to my parents that I be loaded up in anti-depressants and various mood stabilizers. See the connection? If you are going to make ANOTHER huge decision, which is placing your child on a medication that WILL change who they are, I would put a little more thought into it. Get an outside opinion. DEMAND that your child be seen by a psychiatrist in North Idaho that has ABSOLUTELY NO connection to BCA.
That's the only safe course you can take. There's a chance your child may need meds, but odds are they don't.
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"This is a short list"
I'd be happy to hear a longer one, if you're willing to take the time time to lay it out. I am curious what you base your opinion on. Did you attend BCA? Work there? Heard horror stories from people who did one or the other?
Your question about why are we sending him there is a legitimate one. I could write a short novel, but will instead say that we made what we felt was the best choice we could based on the information we had, people we spoke to and consultants we hired. If we felt there was any way our son could live at home without hurting himself and putting himself at risk, he would still be here.
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"I get upset when parents make the huge decision to send their kid to one of these schools and then come on here second-guessing themselves."
I'd be more worried if parents weren't constantly assessing (or as you call it, "second guessing") their decision to send their kid away. I think about him constantly, and want to do all I can to make sure he is healthy and safe. And I want him to feel emotions--not spend his days in a medicated haze.
Thank you for your opinion on the propensity of the BCA staff to medicate.
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my advice to you is to take your kid out of that treatment center. right away. i was abused to a great extreme in the brown schools. this organizations are there just to make money. i dont think they care about the kids and there problems at all. if you have questions about what i went through feel free to pm me. i dont like to say what happened in my posts because there are ananymous users cuting people down.
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On 2006-03-09 13:12:00, concerned father wrote:
""I get upset when parents make the huge decision to send their kid to one of these schools and then come on here second-guessing themselves."
I'd be more worried if parents weren't constantly assessing (or as you call it, "second guessing") their decision to send their kid away. I think about him constantly, and want to do all I can to make sure he is healthy and safe. And I want him to feel emotions--not spend his days in a medicated haze.
Thank you for your opinion on the propensity of the BCA staff to medicate.
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Absolutely. I'm glad that there are parents like yourself, who may question their decisions about what to do for their child. I hope that your son is ok. Please don't buy the program line that if he complains to you about the treatment he is receiving there, that he is just "being manipulative." It doesn't sound like you would.
But I agree with the other posters. Best to just get him out. Have you read Help at Any Cost (http://http://www.amazon.com/o/redirect?%5Fencoding=UTF8&path=tg%2Fdetail%2F-%2F1594489106%2Fref%3Dcm%5Ftaf%5Ftitle%5Ffeatured&tag=tellafriend-20) yet? It has some very helpful suggestions and recommendations at the end of the book on alternatives to the behavior mod option.
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To the concerned parent:
I graduated from BCA in 1999 and had a great experience. It did really save my life. In regards to the meds...I asked to be on meds because of OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder). They were very helpful and listened to me about what I needed. But, if your child doesn't have any conditions like that and hasn't asked for help with depression (meds wise) I would go with your gut and tell them no. They tried to pressure my parents into doing things(they wanted me to change my name) and my Mom told them "No". they pushed her several times and she finally told them if they asked one more time she would be coming to get me. They never asked again. You are doing a good thing and I think you know that based on your post. I still thank my parents every time I go home for sending me- especially after I see or hear from other high school friends who weren't so lucky and are still in the same dark place they were at 16. I hope your family has a good experience overall. Good luck.[ This Message was edited by: Bean2 on 2006-03-10 07:32 ]
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"Please don't buy the program line that if he complains to you about the treatment he is receiving there, that he is just "being manipulative.""
No, I am in this with my eyes open.
When I see my son in two weeks, I plan on talking to him extensively away from the group setting. Anything he says that might be worrisome will be investigated, in addition to concerns that I already have. Despite all the troubles that he has had, he has never been a manipulative person, so if anybody from the school tries to feed me that line, it won't placate me.
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Thank you, Bean2 for sharing that. I'm glad things have worked out well for you.
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"When I see my son in two weeks, I plan on talking to him extensively away from the group setting. "
This sounds like a good plan. My advice to you is to take him off campus when you speak with him. This will reassure him that no one is listening in on your conversation, and will encourage him to fully open up to you. BCA staff will of course resist this idea, but he is your son, and they can't prevent you from taking him if you want to. I split form BCA several years ago in 2002. My own experience with BCA is that it is a HIGHLY ABUSIVE environment, and not theraputic at all. The experience did help me to grow up in some ways, but overall it
hurt me a lot more. I don't think I have PTSD, but I do still have occasional nightmares from that time. My advice is that you should take your kid out of BCA right away, and find him a good second chance boarding school ( one that focuses on academics, not behavior modification or emotional growth). Make sure that you listen to what your kid has to say. Be prepared to hear an earful. No matter how bad it sounds,remember that what he says is probably true. I hope this works out for you...But again, YOU SHOULD GET HIM OUT OF BCA AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!
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Concerned father-
Are you a member of a CEDU parents group? I don't know if they have one where you are located, but my parents joined one in Texas. It's just groups of parents who meet for dinner out once a month and talk about their kids (no actual CEDU school involvement in the group). My family still goes to catch up with friends they made while I was away- the group really helped them connect with some other CEDU parents and hear their advice. If you have questions I can try to find out more.[ This Message was edited by: Bean2 on 2006-03-10 10:51 ]
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"Are you a member of a CEDU parents group?"
As I understand it, CEDU folded up their tent and declared bankruptcy. BCA was sold to Universal Health Services (UHS).
Regardless, no, my wife and I are not in a "therapeutic boarding school" parents group -- and am unaware if such a thing exists in our area (Seattle).
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On 2006-03-10 11:13:00, concerned father wrote:
""Are you a member of a CEDU parents group?"
As I understand it, CEDU folded up their tent and declared bankruptcy. BCA was sold to Universal Health Services (UHS).
Regardless, no, my wife and I are not in a "therapeutic boarding school" parents group -- and am unaware if such a thing exists in our area (Seattle).
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It exists across the world. Unless the poster was referring to some "in the flesh" group that I don't know of (though small ones might exist in some regions, particularly California), they were probably talking about one of the various e-mail groups.
Parents exchange group e-mails addressed to everyone in the group, and often make friends with certain parents. I know my parents were part of an e-mail group of parents that consisted of a good 70+ parents for awhile. They got tired of it after awhile and still keep in touch with a handful of the parents.
My feelings on the whole group are mixed. As an ex-student, it's not really my business anyways, I suppose. But I think some of the parents who were a little too high up on their horses were trying to cram their beliefs down other parents' throats (Annie Hall, anyone?). Which is why I also think my parents parted ways with the group.
It's worth giving it a shot though, if you're feeling particularly concerned. There's a good mix of parents in it...some are pleased with the results of BCA, others are confused, others are very upset.
Keep in mind, though, that none of them went to BCA. Sure, they visited, but none of them WENT there. So all they'll be able to offer you is what they observed on visits (which is about as far from the truth as you can get) and how they see their children doing nowadays.
I think you'll find far more valuable opinions here on fornits.
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It's an actual meeting group...they go to Steak & Ale once a month for dinner together. It's parents from BCA, RMA, CEDU high etc...students. Most of them still go just to see each other and show pictures of their kids and talk about where they are now- it does help some of the other parents whose kids are still there...
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Concerned Father-
I must warn you about something. Your child will likely be punished for you taking them off grounds and may end up telling staff EVERYTHING you discuss. The brainwashing happening at these institutions is such that the children actually end up feeling guilty for ridiculous things. Some people don't succomb to it, but most do and end up tattling on themselves for fear that it will be found out through other means and then they will get in even more trouble.
I know that this sounds ridiculous. I feel ridiculous actually typing this out. However I know from experience that it happens.
I just wanted to let you know that it is a possibility.
-A concerned ex-student.
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I have to concur with the anon who just posted. Also, from personal experience, students who interviewed while parents visit will not be candid. The emotional and verbal barrage is simply too torturous to deal with afterward. (This also led us to confess false dirt.) Plus, the staff is prepped to "handle" the parents after your visit. If your kid badmouths the program, however civilly, there will be hell to pay afterward. For him. And he will make sure he never does it again. Because they will likely convince you he's full of shit.
In addition, the student lives in relative isolation from parents and their own idea of "normal" changes to meet CEDU or cult criteria. I can tell you right now that MANY people graduated while still brainwashed and later realized to the extent they brought into the program, and not in a good way.
Make sure their psych connections are truly independent, better yet, demand to use your own. As far as academia, ask to see the course syllabi and certification records of teachers. Also, find out what certification the staff has. In the past, many had bogus pysch accreditation from online schools like California College.
We are not kidding when we say that we seriously got science credit for chopping wood and communication credit for screaming verbal abuse en masse at people for real, imagined, or petty reasons.
You may want to check out the propheets. The version they do for parenst are soft versions. The ones for kids are way, way too intense and psychologically manipulative for minors.
Check out the legal designation of BCA too. I know my parents thought they were sending me to a school, and it was legally classified as a group home.
My parents were referred to CEDU by pastors who were also family counselors who had never visited the school or researched the program. But the brochures looked good.
Ask yourself why there are no longitudinal studies on the success rate?
For parents who hail the program. Ask them in ten years after the Kool Aid wears off, because let me tell you, for many kids it does.
I know that CEDU lied to my parents about me, lied to me about my parents, convinced my parents to do one thing they had never done to me--lie, and used the whole "deadinsaneorinjail" fear to keep me there. Along with false dirt about drug abuse. My Mom brought the program hook, line, and sinker, but Dad knew something wasn't kosher.
Anyway, good luck to you. I'm not trying to be a muckraker, but as a mother and a teacher, I understand both the desperation of trying to help your children and the treachery of an industry that often manipulates that instinct.
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to concerned father,
Hi. I am a parent of a child who attended BCA under previous ownership. There is so much to address, but your question is about meds. Were the kids overmedicated? You bet. Did the kids need medications? Most of them probably did, but I do believe they were overmedicated including my child. Seroquel seemed to be the most overused drug of choice, which acted like a horse tranquilizer.
Bottom line is that most of the kids do have some mental health issues ranging from mild to moderate depression, anger issues, bipolar, mild to moderate OCD, anxiety disorders, ADD, etc. Many times these issues do require medication.
Anti-depressants do not "sedate", so I would not be overly concerned about that. His depression could be situational, however, and that doesn't require medication. If however, his depression is not situational, anti-anxiety/depressant medications may help.
I do think that the staff are (were)too quick in requesting students be put on meds to make their lives easier. It was heartbreaking to see kids falling asleep in class on parent visits to the campus.
I think that the NW psychiatric folks are good, but they do overmedicate. Their dx's seem to be on target, however. Their suggestions in terms of what approach works best with your child, are very good.
I would be happy to speak with you more about this and answer any questions you may have. I will try to pm you to see if you would like to chat. Good luck to you.
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I want to comment on a few issues raised here, but let me first thank everybody for their input. Though the opinions vary, I appreciate what everybody has to say.
Could somebody explain to me what the "propheets" are?
Regarding taking my son off campus to talk to him, I can see where that could be a potential problem for him after we leave. All of the time scheduled for "parents weekend" is on campus, which, frankly, strikes me as odd, especially since it appears there will be multiple blocks of 2-3 hours of unstructured time. Why shouldn't we be able to take him somewhere, whether it be for a short hike or to get a dish of ice cream or something? I am going to ask this question.
I am planning on delving into the school's curriculum. I want to see what they have planned for my son, and want to see syllabi (along with examples of completed assignments) for his classes. I don't understand why he has been there for almost two months and I've yet to see any type of educational plan for him.
There seems to be a consensus that BCA overmedicates. Just a microcosm of our society, I guess. I'm prone to believing the UK's National Institute for Health, which has ruled that antidepressants should only be prescribed to young people in moderate to severe cases. I'm sure BCA won't be thrilled if I request an "independent" evaluation, if, after seeing my son and discussing the possibility with him, we decide to move forward with it. No doubt that consulting with somebody other than their regular doctor makes their job more difficult. And having my son on meds might make their job easier. But given the stakes and the amount of money we fork over every month, I'm not going to feel guilty about making either of those requests.
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Concerned - I was in a private practice that saw CEDU kids. I began expressing my concerns about inappropriate treatment I saw of kids and ultimately, I was told I could no longer be there. Period. I was sacked.
I was not allowed to say goodby to my kids; not allowed to appropriately termainate therapy. I was looking for other work - I could not quit outright, as I had a family. But it truly stung to be treated in this manner - and highly inappropriate to now allow me to terminate therapy.
Whatever you decide, do not allow them to choose his psychiatrist/psychologist/therapist... You would want him to see someone completely unrelated to the school. I do not know what the relationship is between this organization and BCA, but I would, uner no circumstances, trust them to make referral decisions for you. There are too many potential professional conflicts.
One person posted about Seroquel - this actually depends on the prescribing MD. They have their favorites.
I have just gone back to read more of the posts here and you mention Profeets. I am GREATLY alarmed at this. Profeets are inappropriate, emotionally abusive, and based on Synanon methods which have been shown to be harmful. If they are doing them there, I can only hope they are nothing like the hystrionic, blaming/shaming marathons that CEDU used to have. I never attended one - that would have been inappropriate. But the kids, staff, and administration described them. Frankly, I found it all rather alarming. They are the opposite of teaching emotional control... they are emotionally explosive.
I cannot express this strongly enough - these events, as CEDU ran them, are the OPPOSITE of teaching management, control, and appropriate expression of emotions. They are based on the harmful and destructive catharsis theory - that "letting it out" with a lot of affect (emotional expression) is helpful. Actually, what it does is intensify emotional distress, dysregulation of emotion, and the creation of false memories. In other words - your child might start "remembering" abuses at the hands of his parents or other people. I am gravely concerned.
It is inappropriate, also, for posters here to tell you that your son is manipulating you. No one here can know this. And I agree with the anon poster who said that his depression may be situational. Anyone would be depressed under such circumstances.
Please feel free to send me a private message. I am concerned.
On 2006-03-09 12:00:00, concerned father wrote:
"I currently have a son at Boulder Creek Academy, and would appreciate hearing from people who have a sense if things have changed under their new ownership and staff (much of which has remained from when it was under CEDU ownership).
This note was prompted by the fact that I received a call from the staff yesterday that my son seemed depressed. They wanted him to be tested by folks from Northwest Psychiatric Associates, likely to be followed with a presciption for "meds". This raised a big red flag with me. I am not giving any type of permission until I do some research and visit my son (that will happen in a couple weeks).
In general, I am against putting kids on meds, especially if its being done just to make things easier for the staff. I'd like to get some honest feedback from folks with knowledge and opinions on the current state of BCA.
Fire away.
Concerned Father
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another suggestion to concerned father. Join the CEDU list serve, which is a forum which includes current and past CEDU parents. You can get many of your questions answered by many intelligent BTDT parents. I urge you to join.
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As a 20 year graduate of RMA, I too will attest to the fact that the propheets are extremely damaging as Former Cedu Therapist states.
If your son has attended his "truth" propheet...I assume that he has if you are already heading up there for a visit...ask him the manner in which they get the kids to cop out to their "dirt"...primarily sexual dirt because this is the dirt that is dredged up time and time again throughout the remainder of the program to further beat the kid down to prepare him for the "rebuilding process".
This tearing down was a consistant throughout the entire program which would leave one to think..."when does the tearing down stop and when do they focus 100% on the growth aspect?
never...the tearing down is a continual process.
As hard as this is to say...here goes...I was manipulated (basically screamed at until I gave a false admission) into admitting...and ultimately believing that my sister and I had fooled around as children. I felt ashamed to be around my sister for years yet when I finally approached her to talk about it years later, she said "NOOOOOO...it was *my brother* that had and that I actually tried to protect her from him"
I started to remember the times that I had intervened when they were in a room together...yet to this day...I still carry around the baggage of "abusing my sister" because I was forced to tell that contrived story over and over and over.
My sister is ready willing and able to welcome me back into her life and has been for many years. I on the other hand still have the RMA thinking in my head.
I could go on and on about propheets...but my bottom line opinion is that they are BAD and can be harmful later in life.
You will however see people that have come out of the propheets praising the experience. This is primarily due to the fact that they started the propheet at 10:00 at night and keep you up all night...basically sleep deprivation...and we all know what we can be coerced into saying when that is the case.
Sure...instead of being in Raps the Friday afternoon before...we got to take a 3 hour nap...but in all my time at RMA none of my peer group actually took naps...we were all too nervous about what was going to happen in the propheet that night.
They will also say that the students are given a nap during the propheet. I though so for the 7 propheets I had sat in before I supported a truth propheet. During my second "Truth"...the one I supported in...when naptime came around...I was pretty tired myself and was looking forward to it. That is when I was instructed to just drink a bunch of coffee in the "break room" because we would be waking the kids up in about 1/2 hour and that had I taken a nap that I would be too tired and they needed me to be "there". So...basically...the naps were bogus...as soon as all the kids had fallen asleep...it was time to wake them up. There were no clocks...the windows were all boarded up so no light entered the room...so the kids really had no idea that they hadn't actually slept but were just being prolonged in their sleep deprived state.
sorry for the long post but if you think that your kid is a one size fits all kind of kid (which I don't by the way) then their faulty one size fits all therapy will be perfect. Oh...and for further reference, it seems that all of the programs are using the same therapeutic models and the same seminars...they may change an exercise or two but they are in essence the same "workshops".
Try starting a thread that says "tell me the ugly side of workshops" and then disregard the answers that are from people praising them because as you can see in my case...they hurt alot more than helped.
The workshops are the essence of the program.
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The propheets (workshops) instigated my decision to split. It was obvious I would have to lie about myself or bully others in order to "succeed" in the program. There is no other way. The 24 hour to five day experentials deprive you of sleep and outside contact. The music and lighting and setting are arranged in a way to induce certain moods or states. You have to have a "breakthrough" or "epiphany"... (you'll get it emotionally beat out of you.) I know of many other students who were badgered to admit false or exaggerated dirt and carried it with them for years and years afterward. I know of other students who experienced sexual trauma and instead of being able to heal or cope like they would with an ethical therapist, their experience was turned into a therapeutic sporting event, with a group attacking you en masse. Some students confessed to having sex or eating disorders or addictions rather than put themselves through the group shoutdown.
After days of isolation, intense experentials, and contrived effects, students walk out in an altered state. Many are convinved they had some sort of transcendental revelation.... Well, of course! That was the design. All cults do something of this nature. Contrived experiences that make you feel like you took part in something truly cosmic... that you uncovered the cultic version of the Holy Grail.
I'm getting sick thinking about it.
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concerned father, you may also want to read my descriptions that I have been posting here. I am currently working on a book about MY experience. It may not look at it, but if you read my posts, I have been accurate, and in my opinion fair.
I left/graduated the school just before they even ALLOWED basic medications. I won't pretend to know what a place like this is like now, but I can imagine your need to know/do more. Please know you have my best wishes for you and your family...On that note, I guess I'll tell you about what my relationship is like with my parents now. I am (jesus) over thirty now, and RMA had ceased to be an issue for me and my family for several years. In fact, now that we are communicating more it is clear that THEY DO NOW, (though they wouldn't say it even five years ago, and NEITHER would I, probably) regret the decision to send me there and keep me there, and they do, less strenuously than I, I admit, feel DUPED.
They (my parents) retain the right to say/claim that SOMETHING had to be done. It's just not my place now to make a contention to that. But here I am telling my story about RMA so many years later, and not knowing for so many years why I was so sad at times, and exaltative at others. 2.5 years was a LOOOOOOOOOONG time to be in the care of people who were NOT professionals, and in many, many cases, did more damage than good in the name of "therapy". Maybe it's different, but when I was there, those people had NO idea what the fuck they were doing. PERIOD.
-blownawaytheidahoway
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dear blownaway,
have read your latest posts - very moving. How is it that after so many years, this still haunts you so? That you have such vivid memories? I have a son who attended one of the CEDU schools, and he does not speak "fondly" (to put it mildly) of his experiences - but I don't think he is as affected or haunted as you seem to be. Please do not take this as a criticism - I am honestly just asking.
Did it take some time or years before all these memories came flooding back to you? Will your book be a catharsis for you? Do you think you will ever be able to put these memories to rest?
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I'm not blown away, but I don't think he is alone with this. In fact, I know many who years later, are still terribly affected. (I know in fact, quite a few, who don't post here because it is too traumatic to relive it). For some of us, there is a real sense of violation at a critical time of our development.
I will say that Blown Away's account of what happened is right on the nose. In fact, all of his postings were right on target to astonishing degree. I went to a different CEDU school, at about the same time. This goes to show that the problem is systemic.
I left CEDU early, and I had no one to talk to about the epxerience so I just stuffed it. When I tried to share what happened, "civilians" looked at me like I grew another head. No one could relate. It was extremely isolating to have this bizarre, cultic trauma, and not be able to process it. When I came to this site, years and years later, it was like the cat was let out of the bag. For me, this is largely validating, positive, and necessary. I am very angry that these places continue to operate with little accountability and prey on desperate parents. I am also angry that it is so difficult to express the insidous nature of the therapeutic abuse, the lack of accreditation,and how they are able to conduct abusive, manipulative, group therapies and experentials that have NOTHING to do with ethical therapeutic practice or emotional growth. It is very unsettling to me. Unfortunately, it is all too easy to blame the "troubled teen" for manipulating parents.
As far as having a son who is affected more mildly. Well, the truth is, very, very few parents of students I know on this forum or the other fora have no idea the extent to which it affected us. Very few of us discuss it with parents, mostly because the parenst don't really wnat to know. I did for the first time recently and I am very close to my Mom. I didn't blame her at all, I just let her know what happened and she was pissed at me. She did not deny my experience. She did not accuse me of exaggerrating. After all these years, it was difficult to go down that road and feel you made another mistake in your choices as a parent. At some point, you just want to let it go and say what happened, happened. But she resented being disillusioned. This has happened with a lot of parents to different degrees; some former students just sense that their parents are holding on to the old "it saved your life" lifeline for dear life, so there is no point. So we jsut keep it to ourselves... or to Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora.
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I just think it's fucking funny that the Truth actually started playing Metallica in the propheet in the late 90s and 00s, (according to testimony.)
Further proof that Metallica lost its edge and started to suck. (I stopped listening after Master of Puppets.)
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Regarding the propheets, in the last few years of CEDU they stopped that overnight, sleep deprevation crap, with the exception of the SUMMIT. (THAT was a NIGHTMARE!) However, the propheets could still be very emotionally abusive depending on who was running them. Many of the staff had little, if any, experience in the realm of psychology, in fact, very few counselors were college graduates. Quite a few were dealing with their own demons and used the kids as scapegoats.
For the concerned father, check not only the curriculum, check the status of the academic and counseling staff. Do the teachers hold the appropriate credentials? Are they teaching in the field that they are qualified to teach in , pursuant to No Child Left Behind? Do the counselors and resource coordinators hold any kind of an upper level degree that qualifies them to deal with at risk students?
Did you look into any of the non-public school residential placements on your state's approved mental health facilities? O
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Dude, are you kidding? I was there from 2000-2002, and we got sleep deprived in the Imagine, I & Me, and the Summit.
In the Imagine, we sat in that circle getting fucked with (I can't remember CEDU's logic behind the whole thing, but it was fucking retarded) for the longest time. It started at 8:00 PM and when they finally ended that part and let us go back to our dorms to sleep, it was 4:45 in the morning. And when you don't have a clock or a watch, it feels like a lot longer than that.
Same deal with the I & Me. And then of course the Summit, well that doesn't even need to be said.
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You are right about the I and Me and Imagine. I guess I just blocked out that crap, 'cause it was such crap and just an opportunity for mentally unbalanced adults to vent their frustrations on the kids...yet again! But back in the day all propheets were sleep deprived marathons so they could break you down to build you up. If I was as mentally unbalanced as staff liked to infer I probably would have gone off the edge through all that shit, but happy to see I have a good life and certainly have my act together better than those uneducated fools.