The latest news, articles, and editorials from the Troubled Teen Industry . com team
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A Warning About Private Specialty Schools
Thursday, 18 December 2008 15:55
Kathy Moya
Many private schools do not have the resources to help students with learning disabilities or emotional issues. However, there is a burgeoning industry of private schools that cater to parents of students with special needs. The industry calls itself the Therapeutic Education Industry. The industry consists of educational consultants, transportation specialists, specialty boarding schools, therapeutic wilderness schools & camps, special military or boot camp schools, and specialty Christian schools.
Paul and Diana Lewis had already used an educational consultant to help their older daughter navigate through the college maze and they were very pleased with the services they received. So naturally, when their son Ryan began having some difficulties during the first semester of his eighth grade in a conventional private school, Paul and Diana Lewis once again sought the help of an educational consultant. This time they chose to speak to Steve Bozak, an educational consultant who advertises himself as someone who specializes in helping parents of children with 'special needs of any kind,' find the 'most suitable school' for their child.
Last Updated on Thursday, 18 December 2008 16:07
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Michael Palmer Buys New Building
Monday, 15 December 2008 19:35
ISACCORP - Shelby Earnshaw
Michael Palmer is reportedly in Fort Dodge, Iowa. According to information obtained by ISAC, Palmer is calling himself Dr. Michael Palmer, recently purchased a large building, and is interested in buying a vacant church.
Additional updates will be posted as information becomes available. Victory Christian Academy is a locked-down Christian boarding school for girls in Jay, Florida. Girls as young as 10 are accepted at the facility. Victory Christian Academy is also using the name Lighthouse of Northwest Florida.
Last Updated on Monday, 15 December 2008 20:09
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Understanding the Con Game
Monday, 15 December 2008 17:37
Kathy Moya
You will or may already have heard the program's sales pitch; this report contains "the other side of the story." Please make an informed decision. Origin of the Con Game The term con is used for any fraud in which the victim is tricked into losing money by false promises of gain.1 Con-game is the short name for Confidence Game. A confidence game is any trick, device or swindling operation in which a dishonest person wins the confidence of his victim in order to cheat the victim.2 Though dishonesty for financial gain had existed long before; the specific "Confidence Man" was first coined in 1849 by the New York Herald to describe the deceptions of William Thompson.3 Thompson, dressed in genteel fashion, would approach wealthy New Yorkers and after brief conversations, ask, "Have you confidence in me to trust me with your watch until tomorrow?" The mark, placing confidence in Thompson's honesty would lend him his watch, only to have Thompson never return. Thompson's arrest was a nationwide sensation and the term "confidence man" passed into widespread use, including the title of Herman Melville's 1857 novel The Confidence-Man.4 There are many types of well known confidence games, some of which are: bait and switch; deceptive contests; some charity drives that take more money than they give; and too many more to name in this document. However, we are going to focus on a few that closely resemble the con-game being played by the companies that make up the 'Troubled-Teen Industry.'
Last Updated on Monday, 15 December 2008 17:45
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From a Former Student to Parents
Saturday, 06 December 2008 08:59
Michael Crawford
In the "Troubled Teen industry", parents are preyed upon by legions of Educational Consultants insisting that without a program, their "troubled" teen will inevitably end up "dead, insane, or in jail". Parents, vulnerable in their fear, are often asked to submit unquestionably to the will of the program, reassured by the repetition of "Trust us, we know what we're doing, we're professionals, we know what's best for your teen better than you do." They are prepped to expect "manipulation'' from their teens, told that "they'll say anything to get home and run the show again".
The fact of the matter is that there are "manipulative" teens in programs, and there are genuine instances of "manipulation"; however since all "troubled" teens who criticize program or attempt to report abuse are labeled with this stigma, it is impossible for a parent to ever truly know whether or not their child is telling the truth. Staff in the troubled teen industry already know whose side parents will pick and a dispute, and this fact gives them carte blanche to do as they please to the teens without fear of repercussions. The more extreme the violation, the less likely the allegations will be thought of as credible.
Last Updated on Saturday, 03 January 2009 14:58
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From a Parent to Parents
Saturday, 06 December 2008 07:14
Anonymous
To the program parents out there, or those considering a "Specialty Boarding School" placement, let me say, I have had first hand experience with one of these programs. I do know what I am talking about. I don't want to go into a lot of detail about our family situation. I will say though, that our situation was fairly typical. I made the same decision you did (or that you're considering) probably for many of the same reasons, and with the same hopes. I want to tell you a bit of my story and explain some of what I have learned. Something that got my attention pretty early on and hoisted some red flags, was the reaction of the people on the BBS when concerns about the program were raised. I saw that it was widely accepted that none of what the kids wrote home about was true. Anything that wasn't positive about their experience; anything that might cause a parent concern about the quality of the education, or sanitation, or meals, or abuse that was reported, was dismissed as lying and manipulation.
Last Updated on Sunday, 07 December 2008 05:42
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