Thanks for the reply.
He was there between Nov 2000 and May 2002. Blaming myself is not a problem, as turning one of my children over to strangers would never cross my mind. He knows I fought for him. We were both disappointed that my efforts weren't successful.
Even though he understood what they were doing (manipulation, coercion, brainwashing) and resisted, there is no way someone could live in that 24/7 for 20 months and not be affected. My own opinion is that those who completely 'buy it' are the ones who it appears to work for. Those who continue to resist will have a great deal of confusion to sort out and suppressed anger to vent- because they have to appear to buy it, all the time knowing it's utter bullshit.
As far as him venting. They did a bang-up job on silencing him. He keeps his thoughts and feelings to himself now- a result of the conditioning. He will open up to me when we have been together long enough. It's as if they conditioned him to believe that no one wants to hear what he has to say or what he's feeling. When the time is right I'll introduce him to this site. Perhaps if sees others publicly discussing their experiences, it will encourage him to do the same.
I can imagine that relating one's experience could feel humiliating if the listener has no frame of reference. Who wants to share their most vulverable pain and have it minimized?
I can relate to, "who would understand". People just glass-over when I talk about it. I imagine that they think I'm exaggerating, and that perhaps my son really needed some 'tough love'. You really can't grasp it all unless you've been through it. I appreciate Ginger for providing this venue.
Links to some of my experience:
http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 68&forum=9http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 22&forum=9http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 9&start=20Re Bentz- he was replaced at ASR in Sept 2003:
http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 26&forum=9He started at HLA in 1994:
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... /np03.htmlI can't find anything on him currently.
The links I provided in this thread:
http://www.fornits.com/wwf/viewtopic.ph ... 49&forum=9draw a connection between HLA and CEDU. If you follow the link now, you will see that the information that I posted has been removed from the sites.
This article seems to support the notion that HLA was not patterned after CEDU, without of course mentioning the name specifically:
http://www.strugglingteens.com/archives ... sit01.htmlEducational consultants love to compare and categorize schools, and in conversations I have been involved in, Hidden Lake has often been pointed to as an East coast version of some well known West coast schools. (CEDU?) Some even take that further and conclude that Hidden Lake evolved out of the staff and experience of those older schools. (Bentz certainly came from CEDU)Leonard Buccellato is emphatic that Hidden Lake is it's own creation and did not evolve out of another system.
There are, however, some understandable similarities. For example, Hidden Lake and other schools do work with similar types of students. Dr. Buccellato points out that research and experience have shown that any successful school that works with similar students will have to have some similar elements. For example, for kids with these behavior;/emotional problems, two groups a week is not enough and four or five groups a week would be too much. Consequently, to be effective, any school would settle on three groups a week. In addition, culminating workshops are most effective about every three to four months to have maximum impact. So, he concludes, any similarities are surface only, and when you look deeper under the surface at Hidden Lake, you will find significant differences from any other schools.
(So, he changed the frequency of groups and workshops, but what about the content and techniques? That is the question.)
One of the major differences is in program length, which at eighteen months is shorter in duration than some other schools. Dr. Buccellato explained this was planned in order to avoid the program dependency some students have developed in other programs.
(While the length of the program may be shorter than CEDU, their 'guarentee' requires that the teen be placed in a traditional boarding school upon graduation- who they apparently have an agreement with. If the teen reverts to old behaviors they are returned to HLA.)
Therapeutically, the cognitive needs of the child are addressed as well as the emotional growth and development. Another unique feature of Hidden Lake Academy is its emphasis on staff credentials. Counselors hold a minimum of master's degrees in various therapeutic disciplines and/or come to the Academy with solid experience in the field. Teachers hold baccalaureate or graduate degrees and are certified, some in the area of special education. Teachers and counselors work together in teams to implement the insight-oriented curriculum which helps students achieve the highest level of success possible, both academically and emotionally.
After Len and Rudy taking me through the founding and philosophy of the school, I tend to agree: Hidden Lake Academy is unique and it's own creation. It is not a new configuration of another older system. I had a chance to visit with the two students I had referred to the school, and I was pleased with their progress. Good things are happening there. It is a good place for struggling teens.
[ This Message was edited by: Deborah on 2005-03-26 12:53 ]