New 'Teen Trouble' Show Markets Abusive Programs!

Lifetime Network is airing a new troubled teen reality show called "Teen Trouble" that's scheduled to go on the air sometime in 2013. The man running the show is Josh Ship. By the looks of it he is NOT a licensed psychologist or family councilor and is more like a younger version of Dr. Phil. In the episode preview, he works with a troubled kid and sends him away to an Aspen Program called "Outback Therapeutic Expedition". In other words, THIS IS A MARKETING TOOL FOR ABUSIVE PROGRAMS!. Sometime in the future there will be a petition promotion to demand Lifetime not to air this program because it's endorsing and marketing fraudulent programs that are a danger to the teens placed there. Plus the kid on this sampled episode needs REAL professional and government welfare services (if any exist under the Afordable Care Act)

I'm betting that it's Aspens way of lashing back after Mitt Romney who profits from them lost the recent election. So as a result, he can not give the edge to these programs and his trophy wife will not be able to work with troubled teens as she promised as First Lady.

A Need or a Privilege?

A lot of these programs have a philosophy that take behavior modification to the extreme. Too extreme to the point that peoples basic daily needs are often considered privileges such as sanitation of food and water, hygiene, shelter, and physical comfort. These are the things that are granted in prisons because they are human rights. What inmates are not granted is TV, Recreation Sports, and snacks because they are privileges that are earned.

Owner of Copper Canyon Opens up a New Facility for Boys

The founder of Copper Canyon Academy Tammy Behrmann has opened up an all-male equivalent on the property of Robert Lichfield's old mansion in St. George Utah. The WWASPS founder apparently sold the property to Aspen Education (which owns CCA) to open up a new facility that is bound to be abusive.

The school is called Ashcreek Ranch Academy and it just opened last month and is now included in the "Targeted Facilities" list. As usual, the website has a whole list of teenage traits they consider "serious issues". There has to be as many people as possible to close this place down ASAP because it's only a matter of time before one of the boys dies in this program.

And this B!tch Tammy Behrmann should be arrested along with the closure of CCA.

Children’s Mental Health Accessibility Act is Just What we Need!

This seems like a dream come true for industry survivors and kids in need of mental health services outside of institutions. Two Senators proposed a bill called the Children's Mental Health Accessibility Act of 2012 to expand Medicaid Home Services to include youth that would otherwise need placement in a residential treatment facility's instead of a psychiatric hospital. As there are many teens who's issues do not require in patient care, for many years they were forced to go into some other facility as no government programs yet exist.

This bill will also cost taxpayers a lot less money if fewer people are housed in State Hospitals (where most survivors of youth residential centers eventually end up). And the government will have to spend less money too. More information about the bill can be read about here.

Bain's CRC Health uses cheap labor to sell out

The CRC Health Group and Aspen Education were both purchased by Bain in 2006 after several investments were made. It's interesting that Bain would purchase companies that were already abusing kids with untrained staff and innepropriate therapy. These cases of abuse had spiked after Bain took over and more people died like in the case of Brendan Blum back in 2007. He died a VERY agonizing death from a twisted bowel when staff in the program believed that he was faking.

More insight to Mitt Romneys connections to Asped Education Group and Bain Capital

Mitt Romney seems to be the voice of freedom and hope and not for other demographics. This mainly have to do with young people enrolled in for-profit education programs including programs for so-called troubled teens. Bain Capital has acquired both CRC Health and Aspen Education Group which Bain later merged the two together.

This article tells more about the notoriously abusive facilities and people who have died in these places. Because of Aspen Education Group being a part of Bain Capital, it has now been able to open more abusive facilities while making more money than ever. Hopefully those facilities won't last long as the whole industry was based off of the Synanon module of therapy which should be banned nationwide.

Now taking requests for targeted facilities

People are not really sure exactly how many abusive treatment facilities there are. So if anyone knows about some places that are not on the "Targeted Facilities" list at the bottom of the page, put them in the comment section of this update. You can however cite some proof on weather or not their abuse is top notch or from your own experience if your a survivor.

This list really counts to let the general public know about these abusive for-profits. The bigger the list, the better!

Utah Wildfires Effects on Residential Programs

Many of you know about the wildfires burning down entire neighborhoods in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah. Your probably wondering what this has to do with residential programs. Well one of the affected states ,Utah, has the largest collection of fraudulent residential treatment programs for teens and in some cases young adults.

In turn, crews continue to battle wildfire near Hurricane where Diamond Ranch Academy is located. DRA has been severely abusive for several years and don't even be fooled by it's flashy website. This is deceptive marketing at it's worst. Let's hope that the advocates and other DRA survivors have high hopes that the wildfires reach the facility and the owner's estate. We can think of it as a "spiritual arson" that destroys the bad guys so that they can't do anymore evil to these innocent teens and their parents. The same goes for other abusive programs in Utah that have failed to shutdown or be inspected by the state government.

We can feel sorry for the other people who've lost their homes in the flames as they mourn over the foundation, but not in the case of DRA. We cannot feel sorry for the owners of these programs and their facilities because they're getting what they deserved!

Warning Signs of Illegal Marketing of Abusive Programs

When searching for a program or a boarding school that you want to fit the needs of your child, one of the first things you come up with on your search engine is marketing pages for for-profit therapeutic boarding schools and/or wilderness programs and boot camps. The reason for this is that they are owned by major corporations who make big money and use it to open up new facilities and are hungry for some more. Most of them will be up in the face of desperate families and will lie to them about the program structure, length of stay, academics, accreditation, and even encourage the parents to lie to the child or the other parent. Some will even encourage the use of a so-called escort service to come and kidnap their child by surprise in the middle of the night.

Prepare to meet your Doom JRC!

As a horrific video recording from 2002 of a student being tortured after acting out was released. As many of you know, The Judge Rotenberg Center operates just like any other program for troubled teens with the exception of using electric shocks and the wider range of students they serve. People are now jumping on the "Close the JRC" bandwagon. A campaign from the Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth (CAFETY) is starting a movement called "Occupy the JRC".

• There is a news article along with a graphic video of that same student strapped to a restraint board and screaming for help as he's being shocked. http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/undercover/video-of-teen-restrained-shocked-for-hours-to-be-played-in-court-20120410

Here is a message from Anonymous about the shock torture at the school.

Hospital and behavior modification centers regarding Rick Santorum

A recent article on Republican candidate Rick Santorum and his views on the health care and troubled teen industry. He decides that people can make their own decisions and not government organizations. Unfortunately in the case of minors, it's the parents that provide placements for them and their often NOT suitable places because the government cannot provide it for them. It shares the stories of abuse of two teenager girls in two different Texas RTC's.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/21/rick-santorum-uhs-hospitals-patient-rights_n_1276403.html

Proof of what prolonged neglectful punishments can do!

A case of child abuse resulted in the death of a 9-year old girl from Alabama who was forced to run laps non-stop as a form of punishment outside her house. She later collapsed from dehydration and low sodium and blood sugar levels.

These are the exact kinds of punishments being used at private therapeutic programs specifically designed for teens. Their primitive, prolonged torture is used for therapy in many wilderness programs. If you have had no idea about what such punishments can do, this case is a clear example of what exactly happens in remote locations where these is no help from the outside world. Unlike the troubled teen industry there were witnesses, and police later criminalized that young girls care takers. If only there were witnesses of abuse in troubled teen schools and programs, just imagine the amount of media attention they would get  based on the disturbing story of this innocent girl.

Video Source: http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/alabama-family-charged-in-girls-running-death-15774533

Why HR 911 failed in 2009

HR 911 also called the "Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008" looked like it had a lot of hope of getting passed by congress as they heard the issues. But this failed to pass and resulted therapeutic programs to continue the abuse they were doing.

It began with owners of Hephzibah House and Reclamation Ranch knew this bill was a threat to their business so they gathered supporters. One of those supporters was NATSP (National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs) who joined forces to testify to congressmen, most of whom where Republican. Opposing members of congress debated that "The bill is not needed, states are best suited to handle this" saying that the federal level would hurt their businesses, thus denying that teenagers are being abused by their therapies and poorly trained staff; The result of their regulation free paradise.

There is evidence that the economy was going through rough times that caused the Republican House to fear that it would hurt unemployment even more. Thankfully this bill is being re-introduced.

Source: http://www.alternet.org/belief/152024/the_shocking_stories_of_how_christian_homes_treat_troubled_teens_?page=7

Republican candidate Mitt Romney is conected to abusive teen therapies!

Mitt Romney is BIG on his fundraisers. However there is also a stark reality to his plans and what he supports. One  of those things is the out-dated therapeutic tactics believed to torture troubled teens. Romney has a strong financial connection with child-abusing business man Robert Lichfield, proud owner of abusive therapeutic schools, RTC's, and wilderness programs known as WWASPS (World Wide Association of Special Programs and Schools). There are now only less than 5 WWASPS schools still open after the rest were forced to shut down after allegations of abuse. Also under this umbrella of abusive program support is a connection with Mel Sembler founder of Straight Inc., another company now defunct that also ran therapeutic programs. Sembler is also a close friend of the Bushes.
Source: http://reason.com/archives/2007/06/27/romney-torture-and-teens

It's so sad and sick to think that Mitt Romney is top-ranked in the polls for Republican candidates. Just imagine what it the so-called troubled teen industry would look like if he were elected president. Not a pretty sight.