(17F) I just got out of Newport Academy a few months ago. The trauma from that program keeps me awake at night, and I've just slowly been spiraling over the past few months.

I've been in residentials before from an extremely young age (9). My social development is fucked. I dropped out of high school. My friends from Newport have either died, ghosted me, or broken up with me. I feel like I'm just a little kid expected to be an adult. In the outside world, nobody knows what happened to me. I'm expected to act like a relatively normal person. At Newport, I was treated like a child—a dog. And I was okay with it because nobody treated me mean, I pretended like they were just keeping me safe to cope with the fact I was there.

I just want to stop being treated as a mental illness, and like an actual person. Not every feeling is a symptom that warrants pills, or being sent away. Everyone in my house is just waiting for the other shoe to drop to send me to a therapist.

I don't know how I can keep living like this, and I sometimes wish that I stayed at Newport longer. It didn't help with anything, it was cruel and mocking, but it felt safe and they gaslit so much into thinking everything was fine. My head just feels broken.

How do I keep living with what happened? I was okay before Newport. Now, I'm just...I don't even know.

For the past few years ive been seeing the same hair stylist, she's is great and always made me feel comfortable around her. I always have preferred longer hair, and mostly hated haircuts even as a kid. Usually i get the same one, with the same prompt each time "i like some length but surprise me. no mullets nothing crazy i work in an office". Same long hair, same trim with scissors for years.

Earlier this month, getting my pre-holidays haircut out of the way i thought i would try something new, something short. So i shook it up- i told her quite confidently "make it short". she asked if i was really sure i wanted to lose the hair, commented that she was jealous of my length. i laughed a bit and added on "i am. and surprise me like always". Her face lit up- she grabbed a ruler, measured from the back and with excitement loudly said "there's enough to donate!" and told me my cut would be completely free if i donated the hair. That sounded like a good deal to me, an unexpected free haircut? Sign me up!

She got to work putting rubber bands down the entire length of it, im watching each step, every rubber band going on one after the next. I closed my eyes and tried to stop thinking about my hair being yanked into a ponytail - it was for children with cancer i thought to myself. It was so she could keep the strands together after being cut. It logically made sense. This is easy.

That meant nothing when the clippers came out. the ponytail fell away. The feeling of the teeth of the clipper guard sliding over my head, I exhaled every bit of air out my lungs. eyes still closed i didnt move a muscle. It wasn't until she said "feels lighter doesn't it?" i took my next breath to answer. She picked up i was more nervous than usual and laughed that it was too late now to change my mind. She was right. From the moment the clipper turned on i wasn't in control.

She gave me a light tap on the side of the head, spun the chair and said "all done, what do you think?" My eyes blink open and im staring at my reflection. I saw teenage me in the same buzzcut i received then. My hair i had only seen in the reflection of glass and turned off televisions. It was instantaneous. I was back there and it was clearer than ive ever remembered. I looked away, fixed my face. I was not interested in seeing the back. I just wanted to leave. but "no" had already vanished from my vocabulary. I don't know how to even use hair product, but i said i had used it before and let her put it in. I smiled and pretending everything was fine.

Once home the personal hell i had created for myself only got worse. The fresh haircut itch began to set in. Every wipe of sweat from my neck resulted in little fragments of hair sticking to my hands. the more i kept looking at it and trying to wipe it off the faster the memories came. I could not bring myself to look in the bathroom mirror.

I told myself repeatedly it was just a haircut.

It was "just a haircut" then too.

It was not the haircut

Hello everyone!

My name is Alan Crookham, and I run a small YouTube channel called Vivid Crackle. On the channel, I largely tell stories of missing persons, kidnapping victims, and cases like that. I want to go above and beyond just telling stories I find through research online, and so I have started incorporating interviews with either survivors themselves or family members, (this is new, and the first episode with an interview comes out next week).

I recently learned about these troubled teen camps and the horrendous abuses that take place at them. I honestly can't believe I have never heard of this before. I have two sons; one is turning 18 soon, I was a youth pastor for years, and my mom (who helps me research and do interviews on my channel), has been a foster parent for as long as I can remember, and none of this has ever crossed my path. So, I am honestly shocked and disgusted by the things I have been learning.

That said, I would like to make a video about this industry, and I wanted to ask if there are any survivors of these experiences who would be willing to record a video (probably about 5-10 minutes because I would like to have a few), sharing your experience in one of these camps and how it impacted you. If we could get a handful of testimonies I feel like it could be a really powerful video. Because if I have never heard of this, I am sure so many other people have never heard of it either, and I feel like it is really important to get the word out.

Thank you for your time. If you are interested or have questions, please contact me, and we can talk about what that would look like.

Here is one of my episodes if you would like to check out the channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IawDJP7BfLU

Alan

Hello! I don't use Reddit too often. Could someone please tell me how to contact a moderator with a question, or could a moderator please contact me? Thank you!

The Greenville News

Law­suits allege abuse and decept­ive mar­ket­ing at troubled WNC ther­apy camp

• 1 Dec 2024
• Jacob Biba

ANGELA WILHELM/CITIZEN TIMES

The par­ents of a former camper who atten­ded Trails Car­o­lina, a now-shuttered West­ern North Car­o­lina ther­apy camp, have filed a class action law­suit, accus­ing the camp and its own­ers, Ore­gon-based Fam­ily Help & Well­ness, of unfair busi­ness prac­tices and caus­ing emo­tional dis­tress.

A former camper also sued the camp and relatedntit­ies the same day, Oct. 11, claim­ing staff abused him dur­ing his 93-day stay in 2021.

The law­suits, filed in U.S. Dis­trict Court in North Car­o­lina, allege the camp mis­rep­res­en­ted its ser­vices to par­ents and emo­tion­ally, phys­ic­ally and sexu­ally abused the camper.

It’s unclear if the com­plain­ants are related. An attor­ney for Trails Car­o­lina did not respond to a Cit­izen Times email seek­ing com­ment. A spokes­per­son who had pre­vi­ously rep­res­en­ted the camp also did not respond to a request for com­ment, nor did Fam­ily Health & Well­ness. The oper­at­ors of the camp have faced pre­vi­ous civil law­suits and reg­u­lat­ory scru­tiny, records show.

It’s unclear if the com­plain­ants are related. An attor­ney for Trails Car­o­lina did not respond to a Cit­izen Times email seek­ing com­ment. A spokes­per­son who had pre­vi­ously rep­res­en­ted the camp also did not respond to a request for com­ment, nor did Fam­ily Health & Well­ness. The oper­at­ors of the camp have faced pre­vi­ous civil law­suits and reg­u­lat­ory scru­tiny, records show.

In his suit, the former camper, iden­ti­fied with the pseud­onym John Doe, claimed that when he arrived at the camp in March 2021, staff stripped him down to his under­wear in front of a female staff mem­ber and per­formed an invas­ive search that included touch­ing his gen­it­als without his con­sent. After­ward, he spent two weeks alone in a cabin with two staff mem­bers. The camp billed it as a pre­cau­tion­ary quar­ant­ine period because of the pan­demic.

“He had no con­tact with peers dur­ing this time,” his attor­neys wrote. “Due to this, his men­tal health star­ted to decline fur­ther.”

Accord­ing to the law­suit, the camper, who was 18 at the time, wasn’t allowed to leave the camp; was forced to engage in unpaid labor, like clean­ing camp bath­rooms and dorms; was sub­ject to strict sur­veil­lance; and was lim­ited to just one phone call to his par­ents dur­ing his more than three-month stay at the camp.

“Dur­ing the single phone call John was allowed to have with his par­ents, John’s ther­ap­ist lim­ited what could be dis­cussed and the length of the call,” his attor­neys wrote. “If he attemp­ted to raise con­cerns about his well-being or about abuses and neg­lect by the pro­gram, his ther­ap­ist would mute the call to pre­vent that inform­a­tion from get­ting to his par­ents.”

The law­suit also says Trails Car­o­lina forced the camper to go on days-long hikes in freez­ing tem­per­at­ures without adequate food or water, and that the camp did not provide the appro­pri­ate men­tal health treat­ment he needed, hav­ing only a weekly hour-long ses­sion with his assigned ther­ap­ist. Instead, the

The road lead­ing to Sol­stice East in Weaverville March 1, 2021.

camper, who suffered from depres­sion, spent most his time with untrained staff, who his attor­neys claim made his men­tal health “rap­idly deteri­or­ate.”

Just five months after leav­ing the camp in June 2021, the camper attemp­ted sui­cide in his col­lege dorm room, accord­ing to the law­suit.

“John has suffered immense trauma and harm to his men­tal health res­ult­ing from his exper­i­ence at Trails,” his attor­neys wrote. “He still suf­fers from vivid night­mares about being forced to remain at the pro­gram without any means of escap­ing.”

The law­suit seeks com­pens­at­ory and pun­it­ive dam­ages under state and fed­eral law.

“These organ­iz­a­tions, who were entrus­ted with the well-being and safety of chil­dren and young adults, must be held account­able for the harm and injur­ies they have caused our cli­ents and their par­ents,” Kim Dougherty, an attor­ney with Justice Law Col­lab­or­at­ive, a Mas­sachu­setts-based law firm rep­res­ent­ing the camper and the par­ents, said in an Nov. 20 state­ment to the Cit­izen Times. “This mis­con­duct must end, chil­dren and young adults need to be safe and cared for in these types of facil­it­ies.”

In their class-action law­suit, the par­ents, iden­ti­fied as Jane and June Doe, said Trails Car­o­lina mar­keted its pro­gram as safe and effect­ive men­tal health treat­ment. Instead, the camp “dehu­man­ized” chil­dren and young adults, sub­ject­ing them to neg­lect and abuse.

Trails Car­o­lina “mis­rep­res­en­ted the true nature of their pro­grams, thereby manip­u­lat­ing vul­ner­able par­ents, like Jane and June Doe, into believ­ing defend­ants were going to take care of their del­ic­ate chil­dren and young adults strug­gling with chal­lenges, includ­ing sui­cidal ideations, and provide them a place to heal and develop,” the par­ents’ attor­neys wrote.

Accord­ing to the law­suit, the par­ents paid $585 a day, plus a $3,900 enroll­ment fee, for the first 42 days. Two-week exten­sions were avail­able at more than $8,000.

The class action law­suit seeks pun­it­ive dam­ages as well as com­pens­at­ory dam­ages under North Car­o­lina and Flor­ida’s Unfair Decept­ive Trade Prac­tices Acts, and Ore­gon’s Unlaw­ful Trade Prac­tices Act.

A troubled his­tory

Trails Car­o­lina’s par­ent com­pany, Fam­ily Help & Well­ness, con­tin­ues to oper­ate thera­peutic camps and res­id­en­tial treat­ment pro­grams in North Car­o­lina, Idaho, Utah, Ari­zona and New Mex­ico. Accord­ing to its web­site, the organ­iz­a­tion owns Momentum, a thera­peutic wil­der­ness pro­gram in Pis­gah Forest; Ashev­ille Academy, a thera­peutic board­ing school for girls ages 11 to 14; and Magno­lia Mill School in Weaverville, a res­id­en­tial treat­ment cen­ter for teen­agers that pre­vi­ously oper­ated under the name Sol­stice East.

In 2021, the USA TODAY Net­work detailed alleg­a­tions of neg­lect and abuse exper­i­enced by former cli­ents at Sol­stice East.

Prior to these most recent law­suits, Trails Car­o­lina, which oper­ated on a 32-acre prop­erty in Lake Tox­away in Transylvania County, has been at the cen­ter of con­tro­versy and other alleg­a­tions of neg­lect and abuse.

Two fed­eral law­suits alleging neg­li­gence in the alleged sexual assaults of two former campers were settled earlier this year. Both vic­tims claimed two other campers assaul­ted them and said staff failed to pro­tect them.

Fol­low­ing an invest­ig­a­tion stem­ming from the death of a 12-year-old camper in Feb­ru­ary, the North Car­o­lina Depart­ment of Health and Human Ser­vices announced its intent to revoke the camp’s oper­at­ing license, and the camp lost its accred­it­a­tion from the non­profit Asso­ci­ation for Exper­i­en­tial Edu­ca­tion. The boy suf­foc­ated in his single-per­son tent even though four adult staff mem­bers were present in the cabin at the time. Dis­trict Attor­ney Andrew Mur­ray declined to file charges.

The boy, who was from New York, was the second camper to die at the camp since 2014.

Still, the camp chal­lenged the loss of its oper­at­ing license, fil­ing an appeal in July with N.C. Office of Admin­is­trat­ive Hear­ings.

Then in August, the camp’s prop­erty was lis­ted for sale for $3.2 mil­lion. It’s still on the mar­ket.

Jacob Biba is the county watch­dog reporter at the Ashev­eville Citizen Times.

I hope this is alright to share here, I am not a TTI survivor but I care about this cause because I was in a position once where my parents had considered sending me to a TTI facility. They decided not to because the information on this sub made us aware of the problems with the TTI.

Back in March, this subreddit brought to my attention that McLean Hospital was a sponsor for the 2024 conference. This really concerned me, so I reached out to the hospital president expressing that concern. He replied, essentially telling me that McLean would still associate NATSAP as they didn’t see it as supporting abuse. He never replied to my follow-up email, so I didn’t have much hope that anything my was going to change. However, when I looked at the sponsors for the 2025 conference, McLean is not on the list (at least from what I can see)! I’m not saying this was necessarily due to my email, and I’m also not trying to invalidate any bad experiences people may have had with this hospital, but it just makes me hope that they really are re-examining their relationship with NATSAP.

At least we know what the official beverage for fhw companies are now.

As many of you know, I've been heavily involved in archiving and sharing information about TTI programs, both open and closed. I'm in the middle of compiling documents like student handbooks, parent handbooks, brochures, and enrollment agreements. One of my current strategies is to use their own words against them by comparing what was being marketed in brochures to what was in actual communications with students.

I'm working on a series of investigatory spotlight essays that I plan to start publishing soon (For free! Never behind a paywall!) and if any of you have documents like that to contribute, they will strengthen our case against your old program, so please send them my way! I already have what's available on Unsilenced and some more that I've found through OSINT but there's still a lot of gaps. Since policies changed over time, it would be great to have multiple years worth of documents to compare.

Please email me: dani@kidsoverprofits.org

Or if you'd prefer, you can post Dropbox links here in the comments. Whatever works best for you is fine with me. Thank you in advance!

Feel free to look up my post history, I was forced into the TTI by family readiness in Fort Riley, KS in 2010. My former step father was in the US Army as part of the Corps of Engineers. I know for a fact a lot of military kids were shipped out to these camps and RTCs but I’ve yet to see another commenter here in the subreddit talking about it. Anybody else here who was gooned from a military post? It’s been weighing on me that no one talks about it, and we need to speak up more so no more military kids are abused by the federal government and these programs.

My group therapist covertly practiced Attack Therapy. Because I was mute and autistic and had no social skills, I copied everything he did in the group as well as his advice - which was abusive and bizarre. I started talking to people in my life like he did in the group. Needless to say, it has been a disaster and impossible to stop doing. Like highly addictive. Like a PTSD reaction where I revert to talking like he did in social situations and even catch myself thinking like him.

My husband and I were browsing Netflix (America) for a good documentary to watch. I found a docuseries called "The Program" and I HEAVILY encourage those that suffered, were almost put, and have heard about the TTI. Please watch it. It will take up about three hours total of your life but will keep you informed of the industry of TTI, foster care, government systems, etc. I can't begin to describe how this docuseries has opened my mind to the TTI.

It mentioned this specific sub reddit and to my surprise.. I haven't found a single post about the Program. Please give it a watch. If you ever suffered going through the TTI, please watch with caution. Grab a comfy blanket and some snacks and buckle in for a ride.

My husband has been through the TTI since he was 12 in MA. Foster care has never been kind to him. But the Program helped him cope a little bit knowing that someone out there in the world hears the survivors of the TTI.

Spread it around. Tell your friends. Please give it a watch.

"The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping" by Katherine Kubler featured on Netflix (USA)

I went for 2.

1. Getting kicked out of my public high school in grade 9. I was first accepted to a lockdown day school which was the start.

2. A legal issue and another legal issue above.

TW: death Heartbreaking but what’s insane to me is their license is placed on “conditional status” and they still have kids enrolled. It infuriates me that parents won’t pull their kids out of a treatment facility when they clearly just faced a MASSIVE trauma. The state won’t even take away their license right away but instead gives them a fine and has them do additional training as if that changes the core issue. It angers me to my core.

Article below in case anyone wants to give it a read.

https://www.sltrib.com/news/2024/08/29/teen-dies-by-suicide-heritage/

I was forced to attend Telos U while having CIRS disorder because my parents said that if I don’t go they will stop supporting me. When I was there they medically gaslighted me and said my condition is all psychological and the nurse even said “there’s no way you are seeing a holistic doctor under my watch. They are cash cows and don’t help.” Part of my medical condition is that I couldn’t exercise and they had a rule that you had to get 30 minutes of exercise to get any of your electronics. When I was suffering from fatigue and couldn’t exercise they refused to give me my phone and when I told my parents about it they said “your just being a victim and attributing your circumstances to the external world.” My parents even went and said that if I sign myself out than I will be homeless. And guess who told them to say that script? My therapist. Do you know how I know that? Because I listened through the fucking door before he brought me in to family therapy and he told my parents that saying that would be a “boundary” and that I am manipulating them to get out. And for what? For money? That’s bullshit. And my parents don’t even acknowledge that it was abusive and traumatic and again, repeat the narrative that I’m being a victim. I still to this day have dissociative flashbacks where I’m seeing the events that happened there through a TV screen.

I was once falsely accused of saying something I never said and was placed on “target LOS” for 48 hours and when I tried to cry for help and say that I never said it my parents repeated the exact same fucking narrative. Not trying to sound aggressive but I HOPE THOSE FUCKERS GET SHUT DOWN! I’m tired of all this suffering from that whole place and what they did to me, physically and mentally! Are there any survivors of that place? I want to connect with them and fight against Telos U the right way.

I'm a very young computer nerd, and have been exploring computer science since I was age 10... I was caught in several cybercrimes by the time I was 12 or so... So, let me tell you what happened today... Whenever I was angry at teachers for scolding me or being rude to me, I used to call bomb their phone using a script, that would go to services and request SMS and Call OTPs, and I used this script to disturb the teachers whenever they scolded me... I don't know why I did this, but I did this, and this was this year... I didn't feel any guilt after doing all this to be honest... Along with that, last week, I hacked into the school's network and gained access to the school's records...

Now, I was really heavy about what I did, so I told one person, this person went and told multiple people, and then our strictest teacher and dean ma'am was teaching in class, and then waiting for us to copy from the board and making a little bit of banter, that time this dude literally shouted and told this in front of everyone and the teacher. The teacher told that she had filed a police complaint before, but if this happens next time, she will use my name... He also told that I had access to school records, but I denied that saying it was a joke, and the teacher remarked that they will take action as soon as they have solid evidence...

If something like this happens, and an investigation begins, I'll be very doomed. I was caught with cybercrime in my previous school, and if those records, and even what I did this year comes up, along with how I hacked my mother's phone and she filed an F.I.R but didn't know it was me. I'll literally be doomed... I was required to go to therapy by that school in exchange for them not taking that to court, for the entire time I was there which was 3 years... Then I left schools, and then because of my somewhat violent behavior, I was enrolled back in therapy for a year, then they had remarked that I had improved and stopped therapy...

I feel like I'm on the same track back again after healing from therapy, and feel like it would have been easier if I had been successful in committing suicide in the first time...

I know that teacher is a good person from the inside. Should I go to her, apologies and request her to enroll me back into counselling after explaining everything? Or write a letter? Will that help?

I am a survivor of the TTI and pediatric mental health systems. I have attended five different schools, two residential programs, and six inpatient treatment facilities. I am currently 17 years old, attending an alternative school that adequately meets my needs, and preparing to start college next year to study psychology. This past year has been particularly challenging—I returned to “treatment” and lost the support of the outpatient team that had helped me stay out of the hospital for many years. When I’m older, I want to create a multi-faceted nonprofit organization for youth with complex academic, social-emotional, and psychiatric needs, like myself. My vision, the Pearl-Ellen Learning Center (named after my grandmother, a child and adolescent psychologist), would take an individualized, relational, and community-based approach. It would include a special education day school for twice-exceptional youth, an intensive outpatient treatment center, a community-based group home, and a short-term psychiatric hospital offering inpatient and partial hospitalization treatment. This idea has become a passion project, and I’ve based its framework on my own research and personal experiences. I would love to share my plans with the community and hear ideas, experiences, or questions that could help me refine or expand this vision.

Pearl-Ellen Learning Center (PELC)

The Pearl-Ellen Learning Center (PELC) will be located in Westchester County, New York. This will allow our program to harness nature's benefits for healing and experiential learning while remaining accessible to city residents. 

The PELC will not use behavior modification or traditional cognitive behavioral therapy techniques. Instead, our program will be rooted in a relational therapy approach, integrating elements from mentalization-based therapy, relationally focused psychodynamic therapy, narrative therapy, interpersonal therapy, and attachment-based therapy. We will partner with local farms to provide a robust animal and equine therapy program. While medication will not be a central part of our approach, our staff will include physicians trained in holistic psychiatry and alternative medicine. Each program will also have an on-site occupational therapist specializing in sensory integration therapy and the Safe & Sound Protocol. 

Our center will serve 180 youth and families: 50 in the day school, 50 in the outpatient center, 74 in the hospital center, and 6 in the group home.

PELC Day School

The Pearl-Ellen Learning Center will include a special education day school for twice-exceptional youth in grades 6-12. The school will have a maximum enrollment of 50 students and a student-to-staff ratio of 1:2 to ensure maximum support. Class sizes will range from 4 to 8 students, with each class having at least one teacher and a classroom aide. We will also offer 1-to-1 classes for students who need extra support in specific academic areas or are interested in a course or topic not included in our general curriculum, such as journalism, child development, or personal finance.

Our school will be located in a remodeled lake house to create a welcoming, non-traditional school environment that feels like a second home. Ideally, the house will be two stories high (wider than tall) with a basement. To maintain a sensory-safe environment, we will use dim lighting and wallpaper with muted tones. Sensory materials will be available throughout the school, including fidget toys, noise-canceling headphones, and corners or closets equipped with mini trampolines, indoor swings, and bean bags. Instead of loud school bells, we will use chimes to signal the start and end of each period.

The school will feature a library, art room, STEAM lab, chemistry lab, music room, and small traditional classrooms. On the second floor, there will be a kitchen for cooking classes and for students to refrigerate and heat packed lunches. Due to the school's small size, offering a lunch service isn’t feasible. In the basement, we will have a laundry room for independent living coaching and emergency laundry needs for students with bladder control issues.

The day school will have a large backyard for outdoor science lessons and physical education, situated between the house and the lake. Outdoor sensory equipment, such as a swing set and trampoline, will be available. The school will maintain an animal-friendly atmosphere, allowing staff to bring their pets and students to bring approved emotional support animals.

Relationships between teachers and students will be central to our day school philosophy. We want these relationships to feel like collaborative partnerships rather than hierarchical dynamics. Teachers will go by their first names and dedicate time to connecting with students. Small class sizes will allow teachers to tailor lessons to students’ interests and needs.

Our individualized educational model will be experiential and inquiry-based. Teachers will incorporate gamification and active learning techniques, including virtual reality, to enhance experiential learning. The curriculum will be STEAM-focused, with outdoor science lessons and hands-on activities in our indoor chemistry lab. Middle school students will be required to take STEAM classes, and high school students will need at least one year of STEAM. STEAM courses will be project-based, focusing on coding, building, and robotic design.

We will conduct frequent field trips in the Westchester and NYC area, incorporating educational experiences, volunteer opportunities, community service, animal encounters, and social events. High school students must complete a major internship or independent project to practice academic skills in real-world settings.

In addition to experiential learning, we will offer honors-level and AP courses. Starting in 11th grade, students will receive college counseling. As a college prep school, college acceptance and preparation will be key focuses for high schoolers.

The PELC Day School will provide therapeutic support, including occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, social skills groups, support groups, executive functioning coaching, and individual counseling. Students and families will also have access to outpatient center services, such as in-home therapy, parent coaching, family therapy, and intensive counseling during school breaks. A full-time school nurse will also be on staff.

To foster community, we will hold monthly “Fun Days” where students and staff engage in activities like Halloween festivals, trips to Area 53 NYC for laser tag, or a spring day of lake swimming, lawn games, and barbecues. Students can also participate in clubs and extracurriculars, including D&D, video gaming, creative writing, private music lessons, sports teams, cooking, drama, and art.

The school day will typically run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with an hour-long lunch and recess from 12:15 to 1:15. After 2 p.m., students may have clinical services, electives, or extracurriculars. Fridays will be half-days, often featuring field trips, community service, or equine therapy at local farms.

We recognize that some students may struggle to attend full-day school due to their disabilities. To support them, we will offer flexible half-day schedules and in-home 1:1 tutoring when needed. Our goal is to help students attend school in any capacity they can manage.

The Pearl-Ellen Learning Center will provide a community-based alternative to therapeutic boarding schools for students with complex academic and social-emotional needs. Many twice-exceptional youth end up in the TTI due to a lack of suitable educational environments, leading to behavioral issues and repeated school failures. While therapeutic boarding schools claim to offer therapy and experiential learning, they often lack adequate education or therapeutic support and are vulnerable to abuse. (This is how I ended up being abused at Lake House Academy in 7th grade.) The PELC will provide a safe, supportive, and academically challenging environment to prevent the need for residential placements.

PELC Summer Program

During the summer, we will offer an 8-week academic and therapeutic summer camp for 11–17-year-olds entering grades 6–12 and an 8-week transitional skills program for 17–19-year-olds entering or currently attending a higher-education institution. We will serve a maximum of 50 campers and students during the summer session at the PELC Day School.

Our summer clinical services, supported by the outpatient center, will include individual counseling, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, parent coaching, and family therapy. The summer program will emphasize “embracing neurodiversity.” We will host neurodiversity education workshops for campers and parents throughout the summer and offer support groups tailored to specific neurodivergent experiences, such as ADHD, ASD, and dyslexia support groups.

During the day, campers will be divided into six different “tracks” based on their personal goals and IEP objectives: Language Arts Track (middle school), Math Track (middle school), Social Skills Track (all grades), Executive Functioning Skills Track (all grades), Credit Recovery Track (high school), and Credit Advancement Track (high school)

Campers will have 1–2 daily 40-minute sessions focusing on their specialized track. Academic tracks can be offered in both 1-on-1 and group formats. Campers will also choose 1–2 daily 40-minute elective activities, such as D&D, private music lessons, arts and crafts, basketball at a local park, and STEAM projects.

As with the year-round school, Fridays at the PELC Summer Program will be half days. Campers can participate in field trips, equine therapy, and therapeutic horseback riding on these days.

The transitional skills program, held at the PELC Day School during camp hours, will provide intensive independent living skills training for young adults preparing for or needing additional support in college or university. The program will also include intensive clinical services.

We will offer group classes and seminars covering essential life skills, such as: money management and budgeting, social skills, meal planning and cooking, laundry, time management, driver education, and college writing and research skills.

Students in the transitional program will receive 1-on-1 executive functioning coaching up to five days per week. Many students in the program may also choose to take summer courses at nearby colleges. PELC staff and executive functioning coaches will provide support to help them practice academic and executive functioning skills in a real-world college environment.

PELC Group Home

The Pearl-Ellen Learning Center’s (PELC) Group Home will serve youth ages 14–18 from the foster care system or unsafe home environments. We will focus on teens with severe emotional challenges and high-risk behaviors resulting from trauma, often with a history of failed placements in the foster care or mental health systems. Despite these challenges, these teens demonstrate phenomenal academic potential and motivation, even when their education has been interrupted.

Our focus will be on youth who are bright and academically motivated but may not be on track to attend university due to frequent placement changes and the failure of outpatient, residential, and inpatient programs to address their complex emotional and psychiatric needs. The PELC Group Home’s goal is to provide intensive outpatient treatment, college preparation, and community integration for these youth.

To enhance the community integration aspect of our program, the group home will be located in a residential neighborhood and designed to mimic a traditional family home. It will have a maximum capacity of six residents and maintain a resident-to-staff ratio of 2:1, including overnight, to ensure teens have support whenever needed. A licensed social worker or other mental health professional will always be on the premises.

Residents will have their own rooms, which they can personalize. Bedrooms will serve as safe spaces for residents to take breaks whenever needed. Staff may not enter a teen’s bedroom without permission to ensure that this safe space feels private and secure. The house will have a large backyard with a trampoline and swingset for sensory play. Residents will also be provided with a cell phone and laptop for communication, academics, and recreation. These devices will not be monitored unless there is a significant safety concern.

Meals will be eaten family-style in the dining room with staff, prepared by a private chef. The chef will also facilitate weekly cooking lessons for residents. A nutritionist from the outpatient center will coordinate individual meal plans with the chef to accommodate residents with special dietary needs, such as food allergies or sensory sensitivities.

Autonomy and consent will be central elements of our program. Youth referred to the PELC will only be admitted after an interview to ensure that the program is a good fit and that the youth has consented to participate. If a resident discontinues their consent to treatment, our social worker will assist them in finding an alternative living situation, regardless of the youth’s age.

We recognize that many residents will have struggled with self-injurious behavior. The PELC will employ a harm-reduction rather than an abstinence-based approach to self-harm. We respect residents' autonomy over their bodies. If additional support is requested, residents can opt into “safety support,” a voluntary intervention where a staff member will remain with them to help them feel safe and regulated. While staff may recommend this support, it will never be imposed without the resident’s consent.

Educational support will be a cornerstone of the PELC Group Home. All residents will be enrolled in an educational program. Those whose schools are within a 25-mile radius can continue attending their current schools, with transportation provided if necessary. Residents unable to remain in their previous schools will be encouraged to attend the local public high school. For those who cannot succeed in public school settings, even with IEP or 504 support, admission to the PELC Day School will be offered as an alternative. Public school, however, will always be our default option. We will collaborate with residents’ schools to ensure appropriate IEP or 504 accommodations. For residents unable to attend school due to mental health challenges, tutors at the group home will provide individualized academic support. Since our program focuses on academically oriented teens, college preparation and transition planning will be integral components. An on-staff life skills coach will help residents develop independent living skills and plan for their future. We will foster a goal-oriented environment where teens work toward short- and long-term goals they set for themselves. Our program will include on-site SAT/ACT prep tutoring, general academic support, homework help, college guidance counseling, scholarship applications, college visits, admissions assistance, vocational skills training, money management, and savings account setup. 

Residents will be encouraged, though not required, to participate in extracurricular activities and seek community employment to build vocational skills. Our recreational therapist will organize weekend and holiday activities, including hiking, camping, and creative arts therapy, though all such activities will be optional.

Our therapeutic model prioritizes relationships. During the initial months, we will focus on building trust and rapport between teens, their therapists, and staff through activities such as outings, sports, and shared meals. Residents will receive 3–5 individual therapy sessions weekly, with the flexibility to adjust based on individual needs. Therapy sessions can take place in various settings, including the therapist’s office, the group home, or via Zoom.

Family and social connections will also be central to our program. Residents can maintain contact and visit with family and friends, barring legal restrictions. Family therapy will be required at least once a month for involved family members, and parents working to regain custody can participate in parent coaching.

The PELC Group Home is intended for long-term care, but we recognize that residents will eventually transition out. Most will leave after high school graduation, ideally with college plans in place. Our social worker will assist residents in securing spots in state-operated independent living programs or transitional housing, as well as applying for government aid. Younger residents may transition to foster families or return to their biological families if circumstances improve.       

Ultimately, we hope the PELC Group Home will provide a compassionate, community-based alternative to unregulated TTI facilities for hard-to-place foster youth, offering them the intensive therapeutic care they need to thrive.

PELC Outpatient Center

The Pearl-Ellen Learning Center’s outpatient treatment facility, located in the same building as the day school, will provide therapeutic services for the day school and group home. The Outpatient Center will also offer intensive therapeutic care and wraparound services for up to fifty youths aged 0–21 and their families, independent of the other PELC programs. The Outpatient Center will serve youth with complex mental health challenges and signs of high intelligence who do not respond to traditional treatments, including neurodivergent youth with co-occurring trauma or personality disorders, autistic children with pathologically demand-avoidant profiles, children with a history of self-harm and suicidal ideation who have regressed in intensive CBT/DBT therapies or experienced trauma in inpatient care, youth with complex trauma (including dissociative identity disorder), and others. Our on-staff psychologists will offer comprehensive neuropsychological testing for diagnostic clarification for both outpatient patients and group home residents.

The Outpatient Center will run an “emerging” borderline personality disorder and mood dysregulation treatment program based on the principles of mentalization-based and somatic therapies. For children with self-harming and suicidal behaviors, the PELC will employ a harm-reduction approach, focusing on addressing triggers and root causes rather than using behavioral approaches that superficially target the behaviors themselves.

We will also offer a comprehensive autism support program for autistic children who have regressed in applied behavioral analysis (ABA) or behavior modification therapies. This program will use the DIR/Floortime model and Mentalization-Based Treatment for Children (MBT-C). Additional supports will include music therapy, nutritional counseling, occupational therapy, animal-assisted therapy, speech and language therapy, developmental relationship-focused intervention, and integrated playgroups to address ASD symptoms.

Since our therapeutic model is relational, we will emphasize the importance of the patient-therapist relationship. The first month of treatment will focus on relationship-building, including therapists authentically getting to know their patients. For example, a therapist might explore a patient’s favorite playground with them, using DIR/Floortime techniques.

Therapists will also employ developmental play therapy with younger clients and use the TheraPlay model in family sessions and parent coaching. (My TTI programs claimed to use TheraPlay but did not. I’ve researched the model's philosophy and evidence base, and I believe it is an excellent attachment- and relationally-focused, child-led therapy model for children with trauma, neurodevelopmental disorders, and attachment issues when implemented correctly.)

For transitional-age neurodivergent youth, we will offer an executive functioning coaching program to help them manage their daily lives and work toward independent living. The goal for most older teens and young adults will be to live independently. Executive functioning coaching sessions will typically occur twice weekly in the home or school environment to teach skills in a natural context.

The Outpatient Center will have on-staff physicians who take a holistic, individualized approach to psychiatry. Medication will only be considered as a last resort for children under 18. Psychiatrists will collaborate with nutritionists and psychotherapists to develop individualized treatment plans incorporating alternative medicine, nutrition, exercise, and traditional medications when needed.

Therapists and physicians will meet patients in-office, over Zoom, in the community, or at their homes for in-home therapy. Sessions will last 60–90 minutes. Stabilized youth may meet with therapists only once or twice weekly, while those in crisis may require intensive outpatient care, including 3–6 sessions per week. Therapists providing intensive intervention will maintain a maximum caseload of ten patients to ensure proper attention is given. Parents of outpatient children must work with a parent coach (biweekly, weekly, or twice weekly), and the entire family system will be involved in the patient’s care through our “whole family” treatment model.

Our “whole family” treatment model includes parent coaching, intensive family therapy, and, where appropriate, individual counseling for both parents and marriage counseling. We adhere to the philosophy that children cannot progress unless their parents progress as well.

The wraparound outpatient program will focus on diverting youth from inpatient care. The Outpatient Center will have on-call therapists available 24/7 to respond to home crises and calm parents, preventing the need for emergency services. Additionally, on-call staff will provide 24/7 in-home “safety support” for youth experiencing intense episodes of suicidal ideation or self-harm.

Our program will also prioritize patients' educational environments. We will collaborate with schools to ensure students receive appropriate IEP or 504 support and communicate with school counselors regarding the children’s needs and progress. We will also provide training for school staff working closely with the child.

The Pearl-Ellen Learning Center will offer various support groups for children and families involved in the outpatient center, day school, group home, partial hospitalization program, and inpatient facility. Groups may include Neurodivergent Identity and Empowerment, Creative Therapies, Survivors Stories Circle (for youth traumatized by inpatient/residential care), Parenting Neurodivergent Youth with Trauma Histories, Collaborative Problem Solving for PDA Families, Caregiver Burnout and Self-Care, Family Systems in Trauma Recovery, and Rebuilding Trust After Inpatient Care. Groups will be held in the outpatient center’s basement, over Telehealth, or in the recreation or main building of the Pearl-Ellen Hospital Center.

The PELC Outpatient Center will provide an alternative to TTI facilities by offering intensive, individualized, and comprehensive outpatient care using non-traditional approaches, serving as a last hope for families who might otherwise consider therapeutic boarding schools, RTCs, or psychiatric hospitals.

Pearl-Ellen Hospital Center (PEHC) Inpatient Programming

I recognize that institutionalization of a child often seems counterproductive to most TTI survivors. However, the unfortunate reality is that parents, when faced with children who are suicidal, self-harming, or unable to function, may resort to hospitalization out of fear of what might happen if they don’t. My goal is to provide an option for these children and their families that offers an alternative to traditional pediatric psych wards, which are often characterized by level systems, apathetic staff, pointless groups, and overmedicating psychiatrists—and that will not refer patients to TTI facilities.

The Pearl-Ellen Hospital Center (PEHC) will provide care to youth with complex mental health challenges and neurodevelopmental disabilities exhibiting high-risk behaviors harmful to themselves or others. Our focus will be on youth who have regressed in traditional cognitive and behavioral therapies, have a history of trauma, and have not succeeded in inpatient care due to challenging profiles. This includes neurodivergent youth with co-occurring mental health issues, autistic youth with pathological demand avoidance, and those with multiple complex mental health challenges, such as ADHD and high-functioning autism combined with complex trauma and BPD traits.

We will have four inpatient units: Floral Cottage, with six beds for children ages 5-13 and an average stay of 5-7 days; Lilac Cottage, with six beds for pre/early adolescents ages 10-14 and an average stay of 5-7 days; Crystal Place, with six beds for adolescents ages 14-17 and an average stay of 7-10 days; and the Young Adult Unit, with twelve beds for adults ages 18-21 and an average stay of 7-10 days. All units will feature single bedrooms with adjacent private bathrooms and maintain a 2:1 patient-to-staff ratio. Units will be staffed 24/7 with 15-minute safety checks. The PEHC will be entirely seclusion- and restraint-free. Staff will be trained in verbal de-escalation and non-restrictive physical intervention, with 1:1 safety protocols employed only as a last resort when a patient is an imminent threat to themselves. Even under 1:1 care, patients will be allowed off the unit, accompanied by staff.

The pediatric units will be located in home-like cottages across the campus, each with an adjacent mini playground equipped with age-appropriate features such as swings, a trampoline, climbing structures, and sprinklers. The Young Adult Unit will occupy the second floor of the main building, which will also house the intake center, cafeteria (for staff and PHP patients), and administrative offices. The Pearl-Ellen Recreation Center will include creative expression workspaces, classrooms, a fitness center, a sensory gym, a library, and a playroom.

Daily life at PEHC will prioritize a balance of structure, recreation, and therapeutic intervention. Family-style meals will be served in unit dining rooms, and “school” will consist of focused study time, 1-on-1 tutoring, and group learning sessions. Patients will receive two hours of individual therapy per day, which may take place in therapists’ offices, outdoors, or in sensory-friendly spaces like the sensory gym or playroom. The schedule will include outdoor recreation, gym time, and creative expression workshops. Family visitation will be available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Therapists will work six days per week to ensure care remains consistent and intensive, even on weekends. Admissions and discharges will occur every day of the week to accommodate families’ needs.

Our therapeutic approach will emphasize intensive therapy and problem-solving, addressing root causes rather than behaviors alone. Medication will be used only as a last resort for patients under 18. Physicians will practice holistic psychiatry and relational psychodynamic psychotherapy, rejecting the brain disease model in favor of a psychosocial approach that prioritizes therapy, lifestyle changes, and a holistic view of the patient’s needs.

Family engagement will be a cornerstone of our care model. Parents will participate in intensive coaching, support groups, and family therapy sessions tailored to their child’s needs. Discharge planning will begin immediately upon admission, focusing on identifying environmental stressors, accommodations, and strategies for successful reintegration into the community. For example, for a PDA autistic child whose hospitalization resulted from severe dysregulation due to sensory processing issues and demands at home, we might recommend sensory modifications such as noise-canceling headphones and dimmable lighting, as well as flexible scheduling and demand minimization strategies. These measures would aim to prevent future crises requiring hospitalization.

Technology access will be supported for recreation and communication, with patients having access to flip phones, MP3 players, communal TVs, gaming systems, and unit computers. Food will never be restricted, and snacks will be available 24/7 in unit kitchenettes. Custom meals will be provided for those with dietary needs, and families will be encouraged to bring food during visits.

The Pearl-Ellen Hospital Center will aim to provide safe, short-term crisis care, stabilization, and comprehensive discharge planning. By offering a compassionate and effective alternative to traditional pediatric psych wards, we hope to prevent admissions to TTI facilities and empower families to support their children in living healthier, more fulfilling lives.

PEHC Partial-Hospitalization program

The partial-hospitalization program at the PEHC will consist of four peer groups: children (ages 5-13), pre-/early adolescents (ages 10-14), adolescents (ages 14-17), and young adults (ages 18-21). The child, early adolescent, and adolescent programs will each accommodate ten patients, and the young adult program will accommodate up to fourteen adults. The average stay in our partial-hospitalization program will be 2-4 weeks. Our PHP will be open to patients stepping down from our inpatient units, other inpatient hospitals, or those at risk for inpatient care. Our PHP programs will maintain a patient-to-staff ratio of 2:1. The treatment day will run from 9 am to 3 pm, Monday through Friday. Patients will receive two hours of daily individual therapy and a minimum of 1.25 hours dedicated to outdoor time or physical activity. Pediatric patients will have two hours of focused study time each morning. Occupational therapy and nutritional counseling will be provided as needed. Some days, there may also be group activities such as peer support groups, sensory workshops, and creative expression therapies. Lunch will be provided daily in the hospital cafeteria. We will provide family therapy and intensive parent coaching. Comprehensive neuropsychological testing will also be offered for diagnostic clarification when clinically indicated.

A major focus of our partial-hospitalization program will be preventing re-hospitalization. The first 2-4 weeks after inpatient care are usually the hardest for adjustment. As in our intensive outpatient program, we will provide 24/7 on-call support for patients in our partial-hospitalization program, including in-home "safety support," to prevent the need for emergency services.

This is another vent post because it’s a unique problem I literally can’t discuss anywhere else. Topic is NSFW.

So, obviously for us gooning has a specific meaning. Before I found the connection to that term and my trauma, it was just something I rolled my eyes at- why can’t you just say you’re beating off like a normal person?

If you’re wondering how I keep encountering a term I hate that’s rather easily avoidable in this context, it’s because I’m a sex worker. The biggest part of my job currently involves a chat service where people choose their own usernames.

Naturally, Goon is part of a LOT of usernames. It’s gotten to the point that I no longer reach out when they add me and actively avoid engaging with it because I’m deep in the trauma now.

A majority of my clients are in the US, but not a strong majority. People who do my job are also not just US based. So, bringing up my trauma at work is usually not an option (not a safe one especially) and venting about this to other people who do my job isn’t an option because the TTI is a largely American issue. Other workers will probably say something about work/life balance, maybe I’m not cut out for this, etc. Which feels like being talked down to, because I’ve been doing this job longer than most who do it online and I’ve also done things that aren’t online. What can I say? The TTI taught me some usable skills.

Today one of my regulars came back with a new username. I decided to break my policy and told them that next time they remake a username, keep Gooning out of it or I won’t respond because it’s an issue of trauma for me. They were very apologetic and understanding, and I have the feeling my honesty has earned me a tip (which I keep the largest percentage of, so yay?)

Idk. I know this is a unique problem to have and there’s nowhere else to turn where people will understand why it bothers me without telling me to suck it up.

So I’m asking yall and apologize if it’s not allowed… but how would you navigate this going forward? I don’t have a clearly defined policy on the word and I don’t know if I should. Is just ignoring them until they approach me enough if I have an internal emotional reaction every time I see the word?

Just as the title states.. I want to research into them if they do exist. Thank you in advance for pointing me in any direction to find information!

I've been having nightmares about the two years I spent at Turnbridge residential in New Haven. I remember it as horrible and abusive; I don't know if I'm crazy tho and want to no if anyone else suffered sexual/physical violence or homophobia there, as well as just a general atmosphere of misery and people getting there ass beat.

I technically graduated high school a year early because I was transferred to an alternative school. It lasted for a month, but I earned a diploma when I wasn't even in high school for a two full years.

The majority of my freshman and junior year were spent at residentials. And the schooling program at both were just—they were giving nothing. Freshman year, I don't think I got any work from my teachers. I got to skip the state test, and spent most of those mere three hours scrolling through Pinterest (not supposed to do that, but...). By the time I was in sophomore year I was so behind.

Junior year, I was taken to Newport Academy. This was the one time at treatment centers where I couldn't bypass their whole "no social media" rule because Newport had their own system network. There weren't using GoGuardian or Masterlock—they BUILT it, which just baffles me. I spent three hours in a garage—my house had to drive to Sundance—on a pc staring at videos and taking quizzes. When I asked for help, the teacher there just got on her computer and searched it up. She gave me all the answers. I learned nothing and was merely clicking through everything to get done. I had to drop out of my college courses. And I returned to senior year with the exact same thing at an alternative school.

I just feel shitty with the fact I have not passed a math class on my own since fifth grade. I was in two php (that sent a lot of their patients to residentials) programs when I was nine and eleven. I missed out on not only my social development, but I just feel behind always. Everyone thinks I'm so smart for graduating early, but I'm embarrassed to let them know I was literally medically exempt. I didn't do it; I didn't earn any of this.

I'm going to trade school on Monday. It's free, govt. owned. I just really wish it worked out like I wanted.

Not to mention, Newport had this weird off-brand version of Spotify called Jengo?

https://discoverymood.com/

I believe this is a completepy different entity but I know an adult who may be coming to a 45 day program here which is supposed to just be a residential therapeutic place to reduce stress and everything and is very expensive.

But even though he's an adult I figure I should never be too careful. Does this sound like anything that can trap you here or anything?

I noticed that there seemed to be some troubled teen school with the same name.

Was sent away in the 90s- 6x (dragged out of my sleep by strangers, tricked) 1 wilderness program- 56 days One school was a sex cult- I ran away (this was scarier than combat for me) and told at age 16, the man died in prison.

I have processed through my story. It no longer grips my throat, I grieved my childhood and the parents I didn’t get. I am no contact with my family. Took me a long time to stop being suicidal about reliving the ptsd of getting sent away for decades.

I play puzzling places on occulus too
If anyone wants to play or needs someone to talk to.

Just wanted to offer bc I’m older now and feel not everyone can relate to what we go through.

Love you guys Your worth wasn’t defined by your broken ass parents anyways.

My wife recently asked me, if I could pick one song as kind of a theme song to represent what happened to me from 16 until 18. I keep coming back to the same one....I just connect with it so much. There are several lines in it that I feel directly connect with our situations. Anyways just wanted to share, hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving with whoever you call family at this point in your life. Friends or family doesn't matter, enjoy!

https://youtu.be/sZTpLvsYYHw?si=x_AgQc6FK-OBsYDj

Lowkey Tim Dupell, the rent scammer of FHW is hella paranoid rn. He's tryna figure out who's snitchin' to Reddit, but he aint got no clue. Apparently, ppl in his programs are spillin' the tea, and the company's finances are straight trash. They're in debt, and their bank's like, "Nah, we're good." Now they gotta sell off assets and cut costs. Word on the street is Fat Sue Crowell's runnin' the show, but she's just as lost as cringe Tim lol. He’s a dirty piece of snail shit.

Drunk Kate is fucking cancelled, bitch got exposed for scamming and is a whole hot mess. Sue Crowell, the human fatberg, is wifed up to Graham Shannonhouse, the Trails Carolina uber-killer who's hella extra. She aint afraid of no ghost. She should be in the slammer, but instead she's livin' large in her $3M crib while Fatty Crowell rocks them cringy astronaut fits at weddings. They're all hella toxic and straight up sus. Fuck you Graham, and your skanky ass death shacks in the sticks. Keeping the kiddos from the Feds 'cause you know you messed up big time. You did dat once before so ain’t nobody falling for that, fam.

TBH, the company's about to go belly up, for real. 💀 Tim's big mad 😤

P.S. Reddit ppl are lit!

Reminder: For your safety, please do not share personal phone numbers on this subreddit.

Posting personal information can put you at risk of harassment and may compromise your safety. Additionally, sharing phone numbers can trigger Reddit’s automated filters, potentially resulting in your account being banned.

Stay safe and protect your privacy!