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An open discussion about the troubled parent industry

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Quotes were taken from the article and related to how my facility ran.

ACAPN opposes the abduction and involuntary transport of children to facilities for confinement unless such measures have been clinically justified in specific, operational terms by a licensed mental health professional with the legal authority to do so. In the event that such tactics are necessary for the immediate protection of the child and/or society, the child must have access to an appeal process commensurate with the same right of habeas corpus available to every citizen of the United States of America.

The children at my facility were committed to the state of Georgia for a period of two years by the juvenile courts.  We recieved juvenile justice training from the state in order to "deal" with the children that came to the facility.  These children, while never fomally escorted, were always transported by their Probation Officer (PO) and left at the facility against their wills.  Many of the children would rather have been in an Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC).

Children have the right to appropriate treatment in the least restrictive available setting in the event that treatment is necessary. This setting must be one that provides the highest likelihood for improvement and that is not more restrictive of their physical liberty than is needed for their own protection or for the protection of society.

While no walls or fences were at my facility, it was far enough out (8 miles) from town that escape was impossible.  There were neighbors with guns who had no trespassing signs on their property and that included escapee's.  There was more than one time that we had to call the sheriff's office to assist us in handling the children out at the facility.  Most of the "offenses" of children at the facility was truancy (not attending school).

Prior to the child's admission a copy of their rights (written in clear and understandable language) should be given to them and explained to them verbally by a licensed staff member. A duplicate copy should be given to the child's family members(s) or guardian(s). If owing to the child's condition at the time of admission, the child has not understood his/her rights, a licensed staff member will provide an explanation to the child within 24 hours and periodically until some degree of understanding is reached. The necessity for repeating the rights communication process will be documented, signed, and dated. In the event that the child is very young, the rights should be explained to them in a way commensurate with their level of understanding.  Professional registered nurses, as directed by the A.N.A. code of ethics, are obliged to assure that the rights of children and families are in no way violated.

Didn't happen.  Not at intake, not at strip search, not at meal times, not anywhere.  Nor was it posted anywhere publically that the children could see.  The children had to recite "creeds" which are found on the Three Springs website as part of their treatment.  These creeds in no way resembled the rights of the children in the facility.  The nurses were nice, but were brainwashed as well into thinking what the administration wanted them to think.  They wouldn't believe the children and would take any form of reporting as the counselors would as "manipulation".

Prior to admission the child and his/her family or guardian(s) has the right to be informed of all institutional rules and regulations and consequence/reward structure concerning their conduct and course of treatment. These should be clearly stated in writing and a copy should be provided to all parties for reference purposes.

On our side, many of the parents wouldn't be notified their child had been transfered until the weekly sunday night phonecall to approved people (family).  I am not sure if the families recieved any written rules or regulations.

Treatment (including behavior modification procedures, therapies, educational activities) provided by any facility, including psychiatric hospitals, drug and alcohol treatment centers, residential treatment facilities, and "behavior modification boarding schools") must be professionally and clinically justifiable. This means that procedures to which children are subjected must be defensible as being within the realm of professional psychiatric standards of practice and affirmed by empirical research data as being appropriate.

This is my favorite quote because it was the one that was most often violated.  "Treatment" could hardly be considered what they would deem the standard.  I am not a licenced clinician nor am I a licenced psychologist, however I was expected to act as though i knew how to handle these children psychologically and clinically.  I did recieve training by the facility, most of which was juvenile justice rules and regulations and how to properly restrain a child using the "SAMA" method.  I do have a bachelors degree, but does that make me qualified to administer "treatment" by standards of psychological and clinical means?  NO!  Any counselor or psychologist in their right minds would NEVER send a child to the Three Springs facilities.  As a matter of fact, a psychiatrist told a counselor who worked at my facility that it was psychologically damaging for her to continue to work there.  I can only imagine what it was like for the children.

ACAPN affirms the right of children to talk and write to persons outside the detainment facility at any time during their detainment without having such communication censored or monitored unless such monitoring is clinically justifiable (and justified) for the safety of  the child or others. This right includes the right to contact an attorney.  ACAPN opposes any prohibition on barriers to communication imposed by any facility including rigid and restrictive visiting policies, policies that restrict parents from visiting their children, limited access to telephones, and barriers to mail service.

People the children wrote and talk to had to be on the "approved" list.  Incoming letters had to be monitored and searched for "contraband".  Visitors were never left alone with the children.  Short of visitation being behind plate glass, it was very similar to being in a prison.

ACAPN opposes any and all punitive measures. Children should not be physically restrained (restriction of body parts by device or by placement in an isolated, locked room) unless every avenue of prevention of harm to themselves or others has been exhausted. The successive steps employed in the prevention of aggressive behavior must be clearly stated in specific operational terms. In the event that such restraint becomes necessary it should be done humanely and in accordance to standard aggressive behavior management (ABM) protocol by persons who have been trained and who have received instruction in ABM prior to their exposure to clinical situations. Children's face and head must never be obstructed at anytime. The restraint must be applied while the child is in a supine position. Any medication administered to the child must be ordered by (physician or advanced practice nurse) and administered by a licensed professional. Children should never be left alone while in restraints or while secluded. The duration of physical restraint of any kind should extend only until the child is sufficiently in control of him/herself to no longer pose a threat to themselves or to others.  Restraints must be "broken" every 2 hours at a minimum, the child should be offered fluids, toileting, and vital signs should be taken. Restraint orders must be re-written every 24 hours after the child is evaluated by a licensed professional with legal authority to do so. All restraint procedures must be justified in writing and in specific, individual, operational (as opposed to general) terms.

Most of Three Springs policies were "hands off" and restraints were discouraged, but they failed to provide us with enough training to deal with situations where it could have escalated into having the need for restraints.  Durations of restraints were limited to 10 minutes whether or not the child was in control of themselves or not.  If they were not, they had to be released then re-restrained.

Children have the right to be cared for in a developmentally appropriate way by competent certified professionals who have had both the salient education and experience commensurate with working with a pediatric population. They have the right to therapies that are rendered by persons who have the appropriate education and training in those therapies. Treatment and therapies must be temporally and developmentally geared in such a way that they are meaningful to children.

Bachelors degree in Outdoor Education and Leadership (not certified and out of realm of taught college classes)

Bachelors degrees in business, science, math, social work, education, and any other given field that is appropriate or not appropriate to handling children.  Many times they needed the warm bodies.  When I was being interviewed, I felt coerced into coming to the facility to work there immediately.  I had just graduated college and they wanted me 2 weeks from when I graduated.

Children have the right to have access to an advocacy group (such as Advocacy Inc.) as well as access to support groups such as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. Advocacy groups and their telephone numbers should displayed in a prominent place where all patients can see them. When advocates are called, they must have free access to patients/clients.

Nope, didn't happen.  Most that was available was a "grievance" form which was viewed as a form of manipulation by most of the children.

Children and their families have the right to a treatment plan that is individually developed for their situations as well as the treatment plan for care after they leave the facility. This treatment plan should be developed in collaboration with children and families and should be monitored for appropriateness and for patient progress with their participation on a specified, regular basis by a team of therapists.  Children and families have the right to be told about the care, procedures, and treatment that they are given in terms that they will understand.

Yeah, didn't happen either.  "Treatment" was decided by the facility.  Aftercare was available but hardly ever used.

Children and families have the right to be informed about the staff members who are their caregivers. This means information such as professional discipline, job title, and responsibilities. In addition, they have the right to know about any proposed change in the appointment of professional staff members who are responsible for their care.

"Don't tell the children too much about yourself or you will find they will use it to manipulate you."  Any staff members who left the facility was not spoken of again.  The staff who left was forbidden from speaking to the children even once to tell them why they needed to leave.  In some cases the children were prepared, in others they were not.  I've felt guilty about leaving the facility the way I did, but I have since come to terms with what happened and why I needed to get out of the facility.  

Custodial parents may request that their voluntarily admitted child(ren) be released from any hospital or institution within 72 hours without any delay on the part of the facility. ACAPN opposes the use of any coercive tactics designed to compel parents to reverse their decisions to withdraw their child(ren) from treatment.  Custodial parents may request that their involuntarily admitted child(ren) be released from any hospital or institution within 72 hours without any delay on the part of the facility. ACAPN opposes the use of any coercive tactics designed to compel parents to reverse their decisions to withdraw their child(ren) from treatment. Children and families have the right to a copy of the institutional billing that is done directly to the third party payer. This billing must clearly specify in specific lay terms what service was rendered, when it was rendered, and what was charged for the service.

While the parents were not advised about their children admitted, they were warned about manipulation by their children.  Many children would talk to their Probation Officer and want to be removed from the facility.  We were made to make sure the children didn't manipulate.  I remember many times a probation officer would look at me after something a child said and I'd shake my head no.  Now, I want to warn PO's that the facility is not suitable.

Ok being out of the loop for the day forces me to quote some stuff that was way back in the thread, however I will post my take on it.  Do with it what you will.

The program at Three Springs was designed to prevent "manipulation".  It promoted group contact and enforced consequences that were not desireable.  Not only were the consequences undesireable, but the alternatives was equally as distasteful.  Some kids acted out just to get on consequence because it gave them privacy of sorts.  They didn't have to deal with the group.  If they acted out long enough they might even get discharged to a RYDC - Regional Youth Detention Center.  Most of the kids I spoke to in the program in my area (Georgia) were begging their Probation Officer (PO) or their DFCS - Department of Family Children Services - Caseworkers to "Please take me anywhere but here".  One girl's convo with her PO had her showing him her blisters on her hands that she had recieved while working and doing yard work around the facility.  When the kids were not in school, they did yardwork outside.  Mowing the lawn, weeding the walkway, gathering wood, and other such "housekeeping" procedures.  

Not to mention there were ALLIGATORS around the facility that were known to live in the ponds on campus and come up on the grounds while the kids would be on site.  How safe is that?  I didn't think so!

Expounding on the interventions TSW had set up descriptions for earlier in this thread are my own views on what we did.

GI or Group Ignore: The resident has proven so troublesome he or she is placed on group ignore. The resident is required to cook their own meals, stay at least 10 feet away from the group at all times, and carry their personal effects in a backpack. The resident showers after the group, and does everything after the group does without any of the rewards for timely behavior. The group is prohibited from speaking to the resident, and likewise the resident is prohibited from speaking with the group and counselor.

Primitive: A resident who has acted so innappropriately that it is felt they no longer deserve any of the benifits of group or campus are put on primitive. The resident sleeps in a tent off the campus under the supervision of a counselor. The counselor on converses with the resident on items of importance. The resident is required to complete work projects, follow all instructions, shower daily, and cook their own meals. The resident must show a certain number of days of consistency in order to transition off primitive.

This intervention was used quite extensively at my facility.  It was combined with the Campsite intervention (or as TSW put it "primitive")  While they wouldnt sleep in a tent, they had to cook their own meals outside.  I had some wonderful french toast with the kids that were on my campsite intervention.  More on that later.  

If an entire group showed complete troublesome behavior or disrespect for the facility, the entire group could be placed on "Campsite" which ineffect, since all things were opened with keys from the outside, their building would be locked and they would only be allowed in at night to sleep and shower.  Portapotties were on campus across a field and about a quarter mile walk from wherever the group would be "Campsited" and were frequently used as toileting areas.  The kids were made to stay outside from 6 in the morning until approximately 9 at night when they would come inside for showers and sleep.  During this time, they were made to cook their meals over an open fire and stay outside in either extreme cold or sometimes blistering heat of approximate 105 during the day, with little or no shade.

Trek: The group as a whole had demonstrated inappropriate behaviors. The group is removed from their campsite and given back packs. They are made to walk 6 to 10 miles a day carrying their own equipment. They cook their own means and are required to walk in silence. They must have a certain number of consistent days in order to return to use of their cabin and campus. During this time they are not allowed the privelage of attending school or eating in the dining hall.

I had only heard of trekking used once in an intervention for an individual resident who had poor behavior.  They made this resident carry approximately 40 lbs of rocks in her backpack and walk around the entire facility repeatedly while staff followed her in a golf cart.  Because each group we had made their own meals in their own cabins, the individual could be excluded from the cabin mealtimes.  I'm sure the trek distance was approximately 10 miles or so around the entire campus.  If one were to walk the entire campus up and down for the entire day it could entirely reach 10 miles.  This person was also put on primitive at the same time as she was put on trekking.

Stage Suspension: The resident has of course acted contrary to the norms of the program in such a mannner they loose their currently attained stage. The resident's current stage is suspended and the resident is required to re-earn that stage and privelages with the exception of privelages involving home visits.

In our cases, we could even suspend homevisits and refuse a child their home visits.

Run Risk: A student has either attempted to or expressed the desire to run away. They are immediately placed on run risk. This includes loosing their shoe laces and belt. They are not allowed access to their personal area, and must have their clothes for shower time carried by another resident. They are only allowed to speak with certain members of the group, and the counselor. They are required to be kept on link, a length of rope, with the counselor at all times. They undergo a body search at least 1 time a day, and must take their showers under the supervision of a counselor.

Run Risk was also followed at my facility.  They were stripped to all but shorts and a teeshirt and their personal underwear.  They werent allowed shoes and had to wear flipflops.  They had to stay within 5 feet of a counselor at all times, and they were sometimes put on "contact buddy" where a counselor had to be touching them/holding on to them at all times.  They were made to wear orange reflector vests so that neighboring groups and counselors could identify them as run risk.  In extreme cases they were stripped of all rights to wear clothing but their undergarments and were made to wear an orange jumpsuit.  They MAY be allowed a teeshirt for under the main part of the jumpsuit.

I wish we could have used a rope to hold them.

TSW -- you missed one!!  SUICIDE RISK-- I think you confused suicide with run...

Suicide Risk:  A resident would indicate or attempt suicide.  This could be done in a myriad of ways.  From verbally expressing it to actually making advances to doing it, the suicide risk would be placed as an intervention.  Suicide risk were also not allowed laces or belts.   They were either allowed to wear their shoes with no laces or had to wear flipflops.  Suicide risks were not allowed near their personal areas/lockers, and had to have all their personal effects taken and carried by a counselor.  The counselor had to search them for anything they might be hiding.  They had to be monitored during the showers by having part of the shower curtain down so the counselor could see the head and neck of the resident.  The counselor had to hand the resident shampoo and other such effects during their 5 minutes timed shower.  If the resident had to use the bathroom, the resident had to be stripsearched each time they went to the bathroom.  They werent allowed to lock the door to the stall and they had to have a hand in plain view of the counselor and had to count or sing or make noise to let the counselor know they were still alive.

Moving on!  Everybody with me? Next stop!!

Parents get a weekly update from their family service worker and other than that they can email with questions and they will get back with them when they can. Conferences are usely scheduled monthly and are done either on campus or over the phone. If they have a conference other than that there is usually a problem.

That never happened at my facility.  Also phonecalls between residents and family were monitored.

What would be considered being manipulative? If they have complaints about how they're being treated are they allowed to discuss those with [the parent]?  What is involved in the parent training days?

Manipulative behavior can be anything from "begging" to come home, to telling the parent or person on the phone they are being mistreated in some way.  IF they have complaints, at my facility they were allowed to file a private "Grievance" which the nurse or assistant nurse would view and decide if its something that should be taken care of by administration or not.  

Parent training days was a sarcastic remark used to describe the monotonous activities we used to do when parents would visit.  It would give the illusion that the place is beneficial to kids actually being there.  The kids were never allowed any alone time with their families and counselors were encouraged to eavesdrop and alert admin or a supervisor if a child was trying to be "manipulative".

ALL ABOARD<<< NEXT STOP>>> COUNSELING AND THERAPY

The bulk of the so called therapy is run by bachelor's degree holding counselors.  The facility psychologist met with the kids maybe 1 time a month for 20 to 30 minutes. This was most of the time to assess the need to increase or decrease medications. Bachelors degrees in any field, and most often very little to no experience working with children. The unit directors and program administrators are recruited from within the ranks of the program staff and work their way up the chain of command from Counselor 1 to Counselor 4(supervisor) and then to Unit Director and up to Program Administrator.

Yes, the same was at my facility.  I, too, am not a licenced psychologist.  One of the main guys who headed up the big facilities was a guy who was retired from the military.  He had a semper fi bumpersticker.  I am pretty sure he wasnt licenced.

So that is my take on alot of things, all in all a big bunch of bullshit.

Being a former staff i feel sorry for your daughter. I hope CPS takes your child away.  I'm sorry but Three  Springs is NO place for a child to be.  They cover up controversies and "accidents" that happen.  They don't care for the kids there.

tsw... where is owens crossroads?? in alabama obviously... was it near paintrock valley?

I am surprised i lasted as long as i did.... and i'm glad you have found solace here elaine.... message me if ya wanna chat some more

I think many times staff get brainwashed just as much as the kids into thinking the program will work or that the program is the high and mighty of all.  I still keep in contact with another ex staff member as well.  There are other ex staff that live in my apartment complex and none of them will talk to me more than a simple hello.  Its sad when people feel the need to exclude someone because they made a decision to get the hell out of a hellhole

in wayne county ga, it was not much better.. there was no hotline for them to call either

good idea!!

i dont even think dr phil has a degree