Define the Ideal TBS

[TheWho]

#1- Individual therapy should be provided by an unaffiliated therapist. The family should be involved and the facility should  be as close to the family's home as is reasonably possible.
#2 -Periodoc "unmonitored" phone calls should be available to the adolescents.
#3-A fixed or predetermined length of stay... or maybe a small window of 14 -16 months..... 6-9 months .... 30 - 60 days etc. depending on the school/program.
#4 -Unless the treatment is specifically approved by an outside therapist it must be evidence based and consistent with any applicable standard of care.
#5-reporting sexual and other abuse to the proper authorities (all staff that treat kids will be mandatory reporters of child abuse to the state where the abuse allegedly occured).
#6-The ability for the children to earn high school diplomas and take the PSAT and SAT's.
#7- No scare tactics
#8- No Fences
#9-
#10-




...

[Anne Bonney]

Great post…  More and more TBS’s are not accepting children with violent behaviors and with the “tough love” style boot camps starting to fall out of favor there are less options (options for the courts also) for these kids.  It is also nice to see that they are developing local services which have promise to be effective for them , transferring them to an adult facility would be disastrous.

Not really true.  The industry is just changing its marketing tactics because of the recent negative publicity.  Again, no different from what Straight did back in my time.  The Times started publishing a bunch of articles documenting the abuses, fraud and manipulation of State officials to keep its license and lo and behold, 'kinder, gentler' Straights (or differing names, but direct descendants) started popping up.  They SAY the don't use scare tactics and they may in fact be more subtle, but they're there (Exit Plans are a prime example).  The programs can't "work" without fear and isolation.

[seamus]

AMEN

[TheWho]

With the "tough love" and abuse that has surfaced in regard to "Boot Camps" the courts are looking for better places to send kids.  TBS's are not taking violent kids as much these days which is putting pressure on the system to come up with alternatives.  If these programs (Functional Family Therapy, and Multisystemic Therapy) can compete on a financial level and turn kids around at an equal or better rate than boot camps then it would be a win win for the kids and society.  It appears that they may since they are local.
Another program which is worth taking a look at is the ”Down to Earth project” which is being discussed on another thread in this forum.



...

[DieYuppieSkum]

Hey, I have a good idea. How about instead of sending kids away... Parents just fucking do their jobs and raise their young?

Gee sounds like a good idea to me.

[Botched Programming]

#1- Individual therapy should be provided by an unaffiliated therapist. The family should be involved and the facility should  be as close to the family's home as is reasonably possible.
#2 -Periodoc "unmonitored" phone calls should be available to the adolescents.
#3-A fixed or predetermined length of stay... or maybe a small window of 14 -16 months..... 6-9 months .... 30 - 60 days etc. depending on the school/program.
#4 -Unless the treatment is specifically approved by an outside therapist it must be evidence based and consistent with any applicable standard of care.
#5-reporting sexual and other abuse to the proper authorities (all staff that treat kids will be mandatory reporters of child abuse to the state where the abuse allegedly occured).
#6-The ability for the children to earn high school diplomas and take the PSAT and SAT's.
#7- No scare tactics
#8- No Fences
#9-
#10-




...

(9) That never opens their door for business so that parents are not lied to and conned by industry shills.

(10) That gives a money back guarantee with interest to the child if the child was not completely satisfied no matter how many years it is down the road when the "Happy happy joy joy" of the brainwashing wears off as well as gives the press an honest "Programs are full of shit and are only there to suck parents funds with no real success stories" statement.

(11) That do not hire industry shills to come on chat forums in a futile attempt to convince parents that there may be some validity to the lies that the shill gives saying that programs are such a fucking ray of hope for a troubled teen.

(12) That lines staff members as well as the owners and the stock holders up against a wall, and lets the unsatified people (whether they were in the program or not) stone the them to death.

(13) That petitions the government to shut down all program facilities due to the fact that they all are a bunch of abusive pricks to kids (parents included) and only suck the life and extort money from people.

(14) That only exists in the mind of a derranged psycopath that comes onto a forum where people do not like them, and only tolerates them due to freedom of speech.

[TheWho]

It is interesting, some of the feedback that I have received is for the item “Scare tactics”.  Many people do not understand what is meant by this so I thought we could make a list of examples and place it out on the forum:

1.   Some places will indicate that if the kid gets kicked out they will be sent to a tougher boarding school or program.
2.   Parents will not let them go home again.
3.   They will be sent back to wilderness
4.   Have to go backwards in the program and therefore extend their stay.

These are tactics that can be used to gain compliance/control and are sometimes used by staff.  Some are sanctioned by the school and others are not.

This may be an area that you may wish to discuss with the school prior to choosing one.


...

[Anonymous]

Don't let them fool you TheWho, they love the fact they were sent to programs, so they can whine about it for the rest of their lives and blame their failures on their parents. Boo-fucking-hoo, I was sent to a program. Get over it already you cry-baby.

[Anne Bonney]

Don't let them fool you TheWho, they love the fact they were sent to programs, so they can whine about it for the rest of their lives and blame their failures on their parents. Boo-fucking-hoo, I was sent to a program. Get over it already you cry-baby.

Damn!   I've been found out.  They're onto me.

[Ursus]

Great post…  More and more TBS’s are not accepting children with violent behaviors and with the “tough love” style boot camps starting to fall out of favor there are less options (options for the courts also) for these kids.  It is also nice to see that they are developing local services which have promise to be effective for them , transferring them to an adult facility would be disastrous.

Not really true.  The industry is just changing its marketing tactics because of the recent negative publicity.  Again, no different from what Straight did back in my time.  The Times started publishing a bunch of articles documenting the abuses, fraud and manipulation of State officials to keep its license and lo and behold, 'kinder, gentler' Straights (or differing names, but direct descendants) started popping up.  They SAY the don't use scare tactics and they may in fact be more subtle, but they're there (Exit Plans are a prime example).  The programs can't "work" without fear and isolation.

A disturbing trend that I have observed locally is a seeming unwillingness on the part of ordinary public schools to deal with "problem kids." These kids then end up in psychiatric lockups, and thence are court-ordered to behav mod facilities as they and their time in the system mature. I haven't been on fornits long enough to know this for sure, but it does seem as though we have gotten an increasing number of visits from parents who are stuck between a rock and a hard place... That is, having a kid who has been court-ordered into a facility, and the parent complies with the system simply because they do not want to lose their kid.

[Anne Bonney]

Unfortunately, that's pretty true.  I think that's the crux of the problem though (pathologizing adolescence) and if that can somehow be addressed, maybe just maybe things might begin to change.

[TheWho]

A disturbing trend that I have observed locally is a seeming unwillingness on the part of ordinary public schools to deal with "problem kids." These kids then end up in psychiatric lockups, and thence are court-ordered to behav mod facilities as they and their time in the system mature. I haven't been on fornits long enough to know this for sure, but it does seem as though we have gotten an increasing number of visits from parents who are stuck between a rock and a hard place... That is, having a kid who has been court-ordered into a facility, and the parent complies with the system simply because they do not want to lose their kid.

It is very disturbing.  It appears the school system has found a different way to flex their muscles and fight the baby sitting job they have been stuck with.  When kids were disruptive in school it use to be the parents would set the kids straight at home with a few ultimatums... now that isn’t being done because both parents work and they don’t have time.  So the new approach is that if the child is disruptive he/she must have a problem and the school sends a note home (from the school nurse) indicating the child should see his pediatrician to be evaluated... the doctor gets the message (understands the drill) he is suppose to medicate the kid (which is cheaper for the insurance companies than sending the child to another specialist or a therapist)... so he goes through his drawer of labels and picks one out i.e. ADD, OCD, ADHD, XYZ.... hangs it around the kids neck for all to see, prescribes some meds and once a child is on meds there is no going back except more and/or different meds.

The kid goes back to school and the school is happy, the parents go back to work, unhappy,after blowing a half a days vacation at the doctors office, the doctor is happy seeing he doesn’t have to explain another referral to a shrink or specialist to the insurance company so he stays within his quota for the month and the child’s personality is altered to make him happy (short term).

As the child acts out more because he is building a resistance to the meds (or his/her mind is growing in a different direction to compensate for the meds)they just up the dosage or switch to something stronger in the hopes they can keep the kid sedated long enough to get him/her thru the system to legal age.  The court ordered referrals are just fallout from a failed system…. A half decent statistician can probably predict how many kids they will need beds for a year in advance so the courts are prepared for the court cases coming their way.

Although the parents have virtually all the legal control over their children they want they just don’t realize it because the system doesn’t tell them or they don’t get (non court appointed) lawyers.   



...

[Anne Bonney]

It is very disturbing.  It appears the school system has found a different way to flex their muscles and fight the baby sitting job they have been stuck with.  When kids were disruptive in school it use to be the parents would set the kids straight at home with a few ultimatums... now that isn’t being done because both parents work and they don’t have time.

Then they need to goddamn well make the time.  That's the most important 'job' they have....being a parent.  If things are getting so bad and the parents have enough money to send them off to some expensive TBS/RTC then they can take a leave of absence and take care of their family instead of paying unqualified strangers using unproven and questionable methods of 'treatment'.




 

So the new approach is that if the child is disruptive he/she must have a problem and the school sends a note home (from the school nurse) indicating the child should see his pediatrician to be evaluated... the doctor gets the message (understands the drill) he is suppose to medicate the kid (which is cheaper for the insurance companies than sending the child to another specialist or a therapist)... so he goes through his drawer of labels and picks one out i.e. ADD, OCD, ADHD, XYZ.... hangs it around the kids neck for all to see, prescribes some meds and once a child is on meds there is no going back except more and/or different meds.

Again I put the blame on the parents.  If one of my daughters had been sent home with a request for them to see a doctor because of behavioral problems I'd tell them to get fucked!  Its oh so much easier for parents to start drugging their kids than it is to really do their job as a parent. 

The kid goes back to school and the school is happy, the parents go back to work, unhappy,after blowing a half a days vacation at the doctors office, the doctor is happy seeing he doesn’t have to explain another referral to a shrink or specialist to the insurance company so he stays within his quota for the month and the child’s personality is altered to make him happy (short term).

Yep, so why would any responsible parent allow that?

As the child acts out more because he is building a resistance to the meds (or his/her mind is growing in a different direction to compensate for the meds)they just up the dosage or switch to something stronger in the hopes they can keep the kid sedated long enough to get him/her thru the system to legal age.  The court ordered referrals are just fallout from a failed system…. A half decent statistician can probably predict how many kids they will need beds for a year in advance so the courts are prepared for the court cases coming their way.

Failed parenting.  Why is it up to the 'system' to help raise your child?

Although the parents have virtually all the legal control over their children they want they just don’t realize it because the system doesn’t tell them or they don’t get (non court appointed) lawyers.   



...

Because its easier to drug them or ship them off than for parents to do their fucking job!!!

[TheWho]

Wow, that is the closest we ever came to agreeing, Anne!!


...

[Anne Bonney]

Ugh. Now I feel ill.