The 1988 deaths in the Troubled Teens Industry

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When ever you set something in motion, there is a risk of costs and accidents. So if you plan to intervene in the lifestyle of your children just because they will live in another decades with different norms compared to those you grew up in, then learn from these sad incidents which surely have impact on those who were left behind to this very day:

Carey Dunn

Asking children to do construction work is not a good idea. There is a reason that construction workers use years to train for their trade. But of course if you can use naive families and the word of God to let them give you labor for free, it is an easy business decision. It is just like Danish building firms hiring cheap labor from the eastern Europe and ask them to remove asbestos without protection gear which is the norm today. Some will die at some time. It is only a question when it happens.

In the case of Carey Dunn, she was sent to Victory Christian Academy and put to work. Her life was tragicly cut short at the age of only 15-years-of-age. It was so unessesary but the state was too slow to intervene and around the United States even today you find states which does too little to protect minors not to mention how neighboring states like Mexico also remains to be used as location for business like Victory Christian Academy.

Source:

Falling Lumber Kills Hesperia Girl at Academy (LA Times)

Leroy A. Prinkley

Restraining minors always impose a risk of death when adults who weigh more twice the weight of the child is lying on the top of in numbers. It is not only on videos you find police abusing people. It happens in so-called residential treatment centers too and more often compared to what you see in the media. Leroy Prinkley was only allowed to live 14 years on this planet when he was killed off at a place called Western Center

Source;

Leroy A. Prinkey (Find A Grave)

James Tomas Roman

Headaches come for a reason. When a child complains it is better safe than sorry to grant them access to medical assistance instead of sleeping on it or writing it off as an attempt to escape the conditions, they are placed in. Could his life which only allowed him to live 14 years on this planet have been saved if he had been transported to a hospital sooner. We cannot know. But it raises the question whether the world needs a place like Hyde School.

Source:

Former Hyde School students now DECEASED – Total deaths is over 160!!! (Fornits Home for Wayward Web Fora)

The 1985 recorded death in the Troubled Teen Industry

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Children still die in the so-called wilderness camps as of 2024. The recent death at Trails Carolina proves that. They call the camps therapeutic but reality which can be read in testimonies from now-adult supervisors tell another story.

In 1985 wilderness programs were hyped. They were the things, parents could use when their child did not live up to their ideals.

Because it was a new line of business, the pile of bodies from teenagers who later died while being forced to attend had not piled up yet. Since then, they have tried to market security but still children die.

The insurance companies now have recognised them as scam and does not cover the costs anymore as they have no benefital value for the children.

Gregory Owens Jones

SUWS was one of the oldest firms in the business and it was here that 13 year-old Gregory died. We do not know which issues that resulted in him being sent to the program and it is really of no importance because we now know that the wilderness programs are of no value.

It was too hot and there was too little water to get for him to survive. In other countries these wilderness programs are called survival programs because not everyone survive.

So sad that a child should pass at this age but as written above, the line of business was new and not tested through blood and loss of lives at that time.

Sources:

The 1984 deaths in the Troubled Teen Industry

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VisionQuest has been in the business for many years because there is money in it.

In 1984 two teenagers died in their care. It was the not the first teenagers to die in their care nor would it be the last.

It seems to come with this line of the business – to loose a teenager once in a while. Never mind, the authorities seldom care and you can always settle with the family in court.

Mario Cano

He was 16 years-of-age when he died. It took place in a boot camp. What exactly took place is not known but some of their business contacts saw that they had to separate themselves because it could become costly to involved in the deaths. We are talking business decisions – not concerns about the children in the program.

Sources:

Leon Anger

He was 17 years-of-age when he died. Newspapers from the time describe an attempt to escape. Why he made the choice, is not explained. Back then there was no focus on investigating the past of employees as long as they accepted a cheap salary, so it is not known if he did it of fear of his life.

Sources:

The 1982 deaths in the Troubled Teen Industry

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In 1982 a lot of things happened in the world. Sadly also the death of two teenagers.

Philip Williams Jr. – 1982

15 years was all that Philip Williams Jr. was allowed on this earth. The circumstances of his death remains not fully investigated because the authorities in Maine saw no interest in investigating the death of an expensive kid in foster care. Placed in foster care at age 9 after a tragedy in the family which removed both his parents from his life the authorities at some point decided that he needed some beating and sent him to Elan School where he was placed in a so-called therapeutic boxing ring where other students were allowed to box him until his mental spirit would be broken so the counselors could turn around in his mind like it was a pot of stew.

He suffered from headaches when he was put in the ring and the beatings didn’t add any good to his condition. He was left in an office after his beating when his conditions worsened and he was driven to the hospital by counselors. There they found his condition to be serious and the doctors asked family members to turn off the machine for him to die as there was nothing they could do.

Was it the beatings or the brain aneurysm as it is stated in his records which claimed his life? We will never know because the management of the school had political ties to the very top of the system. No investigation was done. No examination was done. An expensive kid in the system was gone and the system liked the outcome.

His family has tried to seek justice but now where the school is closed the system tries to shut them down.

Certainly Elan School did have the best reputation. In populare culture it is known to have forced a confession out of a relative of former president Kennedy. They had this boxing ring where kids were allowed to single out a victim who then got beaten a lot. The facility has since been shut down and the authorities are not keen to look into what they neglected to supervise.

Tammy Edmiston – 1982

One of the two deaths at VisionQuest involving a fall from a Wagon train ended in the death of 16 year old Tammy Edmiston. She fell to her death from a bridge outside a town named Latrobe which is possible located in Pennsylvania.

The circumstances surrounding her fall has remained unknown. The death of a so-called troubled girl which still today is considered a burden to the society calls for few resources to the investigation.

We know that her organs were harvested. Her liver came to a 35 year old man. A 9 year old boy benefitted from her heart.

13 years later in 1995 another death occurred when Dawnne Takeuchi fell to her death from a Wagon train. Due to intense pressure a real investigation was made and some extend of foul play were found.

It would be natural to raise the question why the death of Miss Edmiston was not fully charted. Why is investigation into possible abuse considering troubled teenagers really a question of the strength and pressure from the relatives left behind?

While we didn’t know Miss Edmiston, we believe in the principiel that every human counts no matter who they were. May we never again experience a death which are left uninvestigated.

VisionQuest again! After the tragic loss at sea in 1980, they now had a dead girl on the highway. It is no wonder that no effort was used to look investigate. They just wanted her legacy gone and the sad part is that they managed to do it.

Sources:

Testimonies from High Frontier in Texas

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I recently saw some testimonies on Fornits from this facility. There is also an article concerning a case of runaways.

Here are what some of the former resident wrote on Yelp:

Where do I even start the High Frontier is one of the worst places I’ve been to and for y’all to say it was a couple of girls that went off rails that cost that place is shut down is wrong I was at the High Frontier in 2019 to when I got there things were okay but then it started going downhill what I started finding out the truth about the High Frontier the High Frontier sexually mentally physically emotionally abused the girls and if it wasn’t for those girls it would still be happening there were young girls who were sent there for help but didn’t get the help they needed because the High Frontier destroyed them I was sent to the heart Frontier to get treatment because I was a runaway I did drugs I did alcohol I had to live by myself on the street because that’s what I thought was best for me I was the same as everybody else there that was going through problems but for someone to say that this place was great I’m going to let you say that cuz that’s your opinion your family got treated right but you also will know the CPS kids were treated poorly and if I was to bring together a group of kids to talk about the trauma that was After High Frontier you would soon realize did this place was a horrible place I will go ahead and say did I am one of those few girls one of those few girls did y’all say that run off the rails and cause problems I did not kill that dog star was the best dog there and for you to say that we did that isn’t fair were you there when it happened we left that dog so many times we told her to go back of course she doesn’t listen cuz she’s a dog but we took care of star so for you to say shame on us did you hear the comments that were said that it should have been those girls inside of the dog you know what it was some of the girls girls are bleeding out in the restrooms waiting because don’ts to call for help because you’re scared that this place is going to shut down this would have been so much different if you would have listened and tucked in our opinions Not only was I sexually abused mentally and physically but so were other girls now don’t get me wrong the High Frontier did helping ways and there’s some staff that deserve to be there there was just some staff that should never work with kids if the settings were right in the people were respectful then there wouldn’t have been problems so y’all are horrible people for saying these things about us

DaMenezFam J.

This is not the place to send your child. As a family member of someone sent here, I can not express the trauma from sexual assault, isolation, etc that occurred within these walls. This place does not “fix” your child’s issues. My family member came back and shortly after was diagnosed with CPTSD from what happened here.

Bee M.

This “school” created havoc in my brain. I was here for 4 years!!! This idea that I can trust other “peers” is just not a realistic idea. The outline of a daily routine at this place was just horrible. I, and many others, put up a HUGE front just to make it through the day. There were quite a few of us who would get hurt and receive a punishment for it. We were never allowed to speak to the opposite gender in a realistic setting. Everyone was eventually going to be put on some medication. So much chaos there. I survived, but it’s still in my head.

Olive R.

They are the worst!!!  Dale is a Coward & does not get involved in anything.  Ronnie The ” counselor” is burned out & needs to quit!!!  At least quit skimming money from the parents!!!   He owes me 52.00 for about a Year Now & won’t give me my money back but did offer Not to charge me for The Free lodging on the premises for the parents.   Did you all catch that….. it’s “Free” but for me he would wave the 50.00 charge!!    He also started sending back all the care packages I sent my son!!   But he would tell me my son got the package.  My son would say No he did not & The package will arrive at my house.   Ronnie is an evil spiteful man.   Needless to say we took our son out of that rat hole Ronnie runs

Mary A

The High Frontier just keeps going down hill and they have NO RESPECT for parents!  They take a FULL BLAME THE PARENTS for they way the kids are and PUNISH THE PARENTS!!!
I waited 2 MONTHS to see my son who had made NO Good change but BAD change.  He learned how to Fight!  He’s sneakier and he cries a lot.  I was with him for 2 Days with no one around!  And Nothing to do!  It was Great in the being because we talked like Crazy!!!  But the 2nd day was awful because my son didn’t want me to leave without him.  I left him standing in a parking lot CRYING & Shaking AND NO ONE WAS THERE FOR HIM!  NO STAFF!!!   I was sick!!!

The food is SLOP!  Pizza & fruit loops for breakfast!!!!!   For growning teens!!!!

The worst 2 days later my son’s Theropist Ronnie, the one in charge of MY SON called me and YELLED AND SCREAMED AT ME!!!!!!  I was in my Realtor’s Office & put Ronnie on Speaker Phone so that ALL the Realtors could hear how UNprofessional He Was!!!!  This man went to school for this and has been working with kids for over 20 years and here he was SCREAMING at ME!!!   Telling me he was NO LONGER going to call me weekly!  That he was only going to write me a note.  He was punishing me!!!!!!!!  I’m 50!!!  And he was punishing me!!!  He’s the professional and should know how to calmly handle ANY sitution.  If not, QUIT!!!!  But he was Yelling and out of control!!!!!  Because he should have been with my son & I especailly on the last day when I was leaving.  Someone should have been with us!!  no parent and child likes to separate again for another 2 months!!!!!  Even I know that and I didn’t have to go 5 yrs of school to learn it! 

The Realtors are now all afraid for my son who is stuck in the High Frontier!!!!!

Mary C.

I was sent to High Frontier at the age of 16 after attending a wilderness rehabilitation center for three months. When I first arrived at High Frontier, I had a positive outlook because I wanted to be the best person I could possibly be and become better from who I once was. That was before I got out of the car. My first night there was truly traumatizing (and so was the rest of my stay). The students and staff especially were very insensitive about the way I felt, the dorms were TRASH (I am in NO way exaggerating, they looked fine from the outside but from the inside it looked like an abandoned, moldy (it had mold)and weather beaten home; they never let the parents inside the dorms… wonder why!), I had severe depression and no one helped. PPC is not a positive way of helping someone grow. It’s basically sitting in a group of people where you are begging for help and they criticize you for everything and shut you down instead of helping you. They point out your negative characteristics and don’t provide you with explanations of how to work on them. They just criticize and bully. It made me feel so bad about myself which led my self-worth and esteem to be at an all time low. All I wanted was help and they provided me with an unlimited amount of hurt. At High Frontier, I was taught to fear people and their abuse. I was taught to never trust people. I was taught to stay silent and let the mental and physical abuse push me to the edge. The staff would be very rude and careless towards our well being. When students misbehaved, they would put them in restraints that were much more brutal then they had to be. I was never personally put into restraint but after witnessing my peers go through this, I can say with full confidence the treatment was inhumane. There were fights every day, constant bullying, harassment, runaways, and true unfairness. The staff would obviously pick favorites, so I learned how to mask my true personality because at this point I was willing to be anyone they wanted me to be so I could get out of there and feel safe for once in a long while. They pushed us to the edge and the staff and peers provoked us to act out so they could file reports. All High Frontier truly cares about is money. We did not have therapy sessions, we had a five minute intervention with our group (the ones where I mentioned the constant brutal and unnecessary criticism). Once a week, we would meet with our therapists and have an hour and a half long intervention focused on one person’s problems while everyone else sat there and tried to help. The help was fake, it was all for a show so the staff could see we were “growing” and “flourishing” into being who they wanted us to be. It wasn’t about bringing out our full potential or being our best selves. It was about being exactly who they want you to be. This place will anger me forever. Throughout my time here, I forgot who I really was because I had to fake it for so long. I became someone who lost their true identity and I felt so alone because all of my real opinions and real thoughts were brainwashed out of me. No one was there for us. All anyone wanted was to get out of that Hell hole. Excuse my language, but I swear I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. The High Frontier is the WORST thing that EVER happened to me. We worked for hours in the hot Texas sun and got paid $1.50 for every hour we worked. My ultimate goal was to save up all that money so I could move out of there the day I turned 18. I truly believe that if my mother had sent me to a better place I would’ve definitely acquired the coping skills that I desperately needed at the time. In my experience, The High Frontier brain washes children into believing that they are responsible for all of the trauma that happened to them. They said we are not “victims” of trauma, we are the reason it happened to us. During my stay at The High Frontier, I got an extremely bad rash that looked like very dark purple splotches and no medical care was provided even after months of complaining and writing requests for a visit to the doctor. My ankles began to swell up and hurt very badly (to the point where it was difficult to walk), the rash spread, and I developed chronic joint pain. After three months of dealing with this ignored illness, my mother came out for a visit. She immediately saw how brutal and raw my rash was and requested to take me home immediately so I could receive professional medical help. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Lupus. The doctors said they have NEVER seen anything like this. Before diagnosing me, they ran countless tests. The immense stress and anxiety that I had at The High Frontier aroused an underlying condition that I had. The doctors say that if I hadn’t experienced this amount of stress, my Lupus would have appeared maybe later on in my life. I have never returned to HF since. I am 18 today, It has been two years and my trauma from being at HF still effects me everyday.

Margot R.

I was sent here as a child and had a terrible experience. Most of the staff has no business being around children… I still can’t trust people after the experience. I think that if my parents had found a better place for me I would have actually learned some coping skills and maybe worked through my problems instead of learning to fear people and their abuse. :( There are other great programs out there, but this is not one of them.

Anna T.

It is not something which sounds like a healthy environment.

Source:

3 deaths and counting at Diamond Ranch Academy

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A therapeutic boarding school in Utah continues to add to the number of teenagers who died during their stay at a treatment facility.

So far 3 names have been recorded and connected to Diamond Ranch Academy.

Two of the deaths look very much the same. However years apart.

A teenager get sick. The employees believe that it is a form of manipulation. If they choose to believe the teenager, they can of course be tricked but worse we are talking the price of gas for a car and the costs of a hospital visit. With the management breathing down their necks what do you think they go for?

They neglect the teenager. They let the teenager deal with the pain – often in isolation.

Many illnesses are dealt with by giving the patient rest but some requires treatment and in two cases the result was a teenager lying dead.

We are talking of at least 3 families who now have lost a relative at the facility.

Should that not result in closure?

Apparently not because we are also talking jobs. Utah is a state with no fun for most people, so why stay there? Of course if it where you have a job, you stay there.

But I have to ask? How much should the cost be? How many should die?

The authorities in Utah seem to be unable to answer that.

Let us mention the 3 deaths and year where they did happen.

  • 2009: 14-year-old James Richard Shirey. He was not taken to a hospital in time.
  • 2013: Unknown boy by suicide.
  • 2022: 17-year-old Taylor Goodridge. She was not taken to a hospital in time.

Sources:

Update

To my surprise the state of Utah actually reacted this time. So now we know that 3 could be the number. That means that places like Liahona Academy and Daniels Academy know that they only have two losses left before the state might close them down. Sadly that also means that 4 children have to die before they are closed also.

Sources:

Deaths in the Troubled Teen Industry in the 1970’s

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Most lists covering the troubled teen industry starts in the 1970’s. Of course children have died when the society tried to “fix” them before. The media coverage was however poor. How many native children died in Canada, Australia and the United States because the governments tried to “school” them in the care of religious persons. I guess we are talking in the thousands. Grave yards holding the graves of several hundred children have been located. How many children were beaten the death in the Borstals? We cannot know.

But if we start in the 1970’s new approaches hit the world. Let us try to push their limits and make them grow as persons. Let us take them out in the wild or across the country in old fashion way instead of just taking a car. Let us cross the oceans. Let not the doctors take on group therapy. We can do it just as fine as they can.

That was some of the ideas. Here are some of the names of children who died because people got fancy ideas.

Lorene Swan Larhette – 1971

She is one the earliest deaths which I have found records of where a wilderness program was involved. The purpose was to built character but instead it was at built-up to a tragedy.

They were caught unprepared in a storm and among the young people who did not make it out of the wilderness was Lorene Larhette.

She was 17 years of age when she died. She could have been a mother, maybe even grandmother today with a large family around her. It was never allowed to happen.

Due to the 39 years which have gone since the tragedy, we have no knowledge of the circumstances leding up to her participation in the course.

It does not seem like she was forced to attend but what do we know about the pressure being told how good it would look on a college application if she took part? The school was clearly not prepared to deal with wilderness expeditions.

Joy Evans – 1976

When you are going to be operated you are told not to eat some hours before. The reason is that you is going to lie on your back during the operation and you could vomit resulting in your death during the operation.

This vital lesson the employees forgot when they forced fed 17 year old Joy Evans on her back. She choked to death. Officially the local doctor wrote something else.

Joy Evans was sent to Forest Haven Asylum in Maryland when she was 8. There were no other options given to her parents by the local school district. They sent her with their hands tied behind their back.

Opened in 1925 the facility soon became overcrowded. It closed in 1991 because the public had learned too much. While it was opened it was a cheap place to stack mentally ill and others just labelled like that so the system could save money. Children from nearby children home was labelled mentally ill so the system could stuck them there in 1974.

None knows exactly how many who died at this facility. Many were adults but where properly were other kids who died there. If you know a name, send us some records so they can be remembered for as long as this blog exist. They deserve that someone will use the time on them – a thing the system would do when they were alive.

Peter A. Cooper – 1979

Back in 1979 a fire raided a boarding school up in Connecticut. The old wooden buildings which were properly from 1934 burned quickly and not all students made it out. Some were caught on the second-floor near a window and two of the students – Peter Cooper and Jonathan S. Lenoff – died while a third student suffered terrible burns. Peter was 17 and Jonathan 18. The investigation into their death and why they were where they were got buried somewhere.

A small memorial plate was set up so the death students could be remembered. For some reason it disappeared sometime after year 2000.

Of course something can be blamed on the building code which allowed a level of safety which turned out to be deadly but regardless of the reason for their death they should not be forgotten.

They lost their lives before they could outlive the potential they were sent to the school to find. Please restore the memorial!

There has been so many deaths. I have difficulties to think about the relatives and how they must miss those they lost.

Sources:

Feedback about First light wilderness

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The First light wilderness program is located in a town known to have haused the infamous Hidden Lake Academy which milked parents for years without offering other treatment to the teeangers that the one you get in any youth prison.

Nothing much is known about this wilderness program. Here are some feedback from it so far.

The program lied to my parents giving false legal information saying if i left the state of Georgia it would complicate my felony even more because the place is so depressing me and a friend of mine there tried running away and we happend to come across a car with its door open and keys inside to swindle more cash pre day during my stay there in GA 2 the boys group 1 tried to kill them selfs 1 ran away 5 times turned 18 and finally ran away they over charge the worth of this program by priceless amounts WOULD NOT RECOMMEND if you have a troubled teen it would be much more beneficial to talk to them and provide care your self or send them to a residential or rehab facility the kid who tried to kill him self was there for 90 days and got kicked out last minute and all the program did was recommend him to another program a absolute WASTE OF MONEY

David Xu

I regret taking my son here. He attempted suicide TWICE because of this program. My son isn?t the same anymore because of the trauma this program causes.

Naomi White

Several wilderness program have closed in the recent years. They have tried to milk insurance companies claiming to be a proven therapy form but the reality is that too many adults now suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as result of their stay in a wilderness program.

It should not be right.

Source:

I am religious so I am allowed to play with the boys – testimonies and articles about Pierceton Woods Academy

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I was alerted about an article where a facility named Pierceton Woods Academy tried to get employees immunity from the law just because they believe in God and are supposed to do Gods work. I believed it was a joke but it was not. First here are some reviews:

I have lived here for one year and months and highly recommend considering you options when coming to this facility. My experience was absolutely horrendous. I was not helped when coming to this facility in fact was set further behind and was given less opportunity. There were care specialists that were clearly biased and gave favoritism to other residents. Not only this, I was promised full confidentiality of all treatment information but I was not given this respect and this caused me more troubles. I was put down by other residents and I was not helped by the care specialists. I was discharged unsuccessfully because of failed polygraph in which I was forced to take by the facility and what was worse is I had been truthful, but had been called a liar. These polygraphs have caused the fall of so many residents and in my entire 14 months of stay, I saw only 1 person discharge by completion of the program. These residents are undergoing a tremendous amount of stress, I know because of the social awkwardness that I still have today. The facility also does not have a welcoming setting, I felt I was in solitary confinement . These people will walk out with more mental problems and will likely discharge unsuccessfully. In my personal opinion, avoid this place at all costs. In the mist of all this, they did offer a great christian environment but may be a problem if there were one who was not christian. The care specialists generally liked to show christian movies and shows. One more thing, the school offered had no opportunity, most of the schooling was on computer and classes offered were chosen for you, generally an elective like basic skills or Indiana studies. So complicated classes such as algebra had to be self taught on a computer. Please consider all of your options when coming to this facility, because generally any other residental is better than here.

Benjamin Green

Horrible place to work!!! They are alway short staffed. Was hired for zero Sundays and I can?t even go to church yet this is supposed to be a ?Christian? company. They do not allow me to go to church. This place is a joke. The management never helps and just lets us work short staffed. Kids are always beating up staff and running away. Setting fires. Yet no one here to help. This company is a joke! I never call off I?m always at work and they won?t even let me e cerise my rights to go to church.

Pamela Copley

Then there are news stories and of course articles about the changes in the laws they try to make. Sounds kind of sick to me. Read more in the sources section. Do you know someone who has been there?

Sources:

Testimonies from Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness

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Several Wilderness therapy programs seem to close down right now. Since they started they have tried to push and make it a recognized form for therapy. However in reality they have only caused death and larger number of Post-traumatic stress disorders among the people who was sent to them.

One of the wilderness programs was Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness. Here is what a random selected number of former participents wrote about their stay.

Truly one of the most terrible experiences of my life. I wake up screaming from nightmares about getting sent back and every time something bad happens to me I worry that I will get sent away again. Please, for the love of God, do not send your child here. They kept me in isolation from my group members for an entire month because I couldn’t make a fire. Staff would belittle us, especially my therapist, Christine. I have chronic back and hip pain from the hikes that I took there. I had an eating disorder and would be forced to hike for hours without having eaten anything for the past 2 days. There were times I collapsed and fell with my face in the dirt during hikes and staff would not help me up. I was malnourished and not provided with the proper care for someone recovering from an eating disorder. They were extremely medically negligent. I was forced to take a black box medication and was titrated at an adult rate when I was 13. I had severe tooth pain that kept me from talking and eating and it took them a whole month to take me to the dentist. They lied and told my parents they sent me as soon as they found out. There was a student who had a fly lay eggs in wounds in her hands and she was never taken to the doctor. After 2 weeks staff stopped giving her iodine even though there was still fly larvae crawling out of her skin. I could go on for pages about what I experienced at Blue Ridge, but the bottom line is that if your child is sent to blue ridge, they will be abused. Please, for the love of God, do not send your child here.

Anna Jett Winter

This place should be shut down immediately. They are abusive in every form of the word and the counselors are completely delusional if they believe other wise. Also the therapists are complete liars and use emotional manipulation to get what they want (money) from the children’s guardian’s. They tell the parent’s that their child is improving when in reality they are starving to death and being verbally broken down every single day. Blue Ridge Therapeutic Wilderness program destroyed my life and I will probably struggle with ptsd for the rest of my life.

Jacqueline Cohen

This program is extremely abusive.  I had my daughter go there when she was 16.  She went for 5 months and when I saw her again, she wasn?t the same.  There were scratches and bruises all over her body.  She was pale and thin and even had extreme eye bags due to lack of sleep and care.

I wouldn?t even wish this upon my worst enemy. Because of this program, my daughter has horrible ptsd along with anxiety and depression.

Naomi White

This place deserves 0 stars. My parents were not aware of what they were getting me into. I have had ptsd therapy for a year now and still have nightmares. I never felt safe for example i stayed up all night during a storm in light night position counting at least 100 lightning strikes and had to hike 2 miles the next day on no sleep. I witnessed one of my group mates beat up another and it was truly scarring. Girls self harmed all the time and would run away just to be brought back cut up and in horrible condition. This place is poorly run and brainwashing. I will never truly recover and i hope these sort of places are shut down forever.

Ella Rauls

I was here for about 3 months. I was only able to wash my hair once they pored water on my head after I scrubbed my hair. I lost 15lbs and have severe ptsd. When I returned home my head was so matted I had developed dreadlocks and lice I had to spend 4 days trying to salvage my hair and keep in mind my hair is relatively curly. There were kids there with much curlier hair who no doubt went home and shaved their head. I have chronic pain in my back and severe ptsd. The reviews written by ?happy parents? are not real. Please if you are thinking of sending yourself or your kids here, don?t. Do not do it.

Mira G

Do not send your child here. I am a survivor and suffer from diagnosed PTSD from this place. A lot of other people had to go through the same thing and we all know that this place causes more bad than good for us. Spending 100+ days here felt like torture and I still haven’t forgiven my parents for sending me here.
If you are planning to send your child here don’t. Do some research instead and try to help them in a nother way.

Lanci

I went here for over 6 months. They do not give you fresh water or to treat anything with it. Most of the kids at came are extremely sick, vomiting and diarrhea, the workers would brush it off and thought it was a joke. Every happy picture is staged. All in all it was a terrible experience and all it did was traumatize me

misty noneofyourbiz

It’s a cash grab.

I spent nine weeks in the woods living under conditions that aren’t even acceptable in our prison system.

One highlight of the experience is when I got sick with dystentary and they forced me to march with a seventy pound pack. When I keeled over to vomit they had me bag it up in a plastic bag and carry it due to their “leave no trace” policy.

We were constantly under physical and mental strain, and if we didn’t smile and pretend to be “learning” or “healing” they would punish us with isolation from the group or no food.

When I finally got through their program there was a transition camp for two days with my parents. The difference between the quality of life at transition camp and the regular program were night and day.

These people do not care about helping kids. They want money.

Blue Brick

I almost lost my left leg and died from infection. The infection was a direct result of the lack of care shown at this program. On top of that, they go around lying about whose behind this program truly, it is a Second Nature program which are notorious for their abusive practices and disfunction. Deleting my review will do nothing as well because I am operating on spite and I guarantee that fire burns stronger than any attempts you people can make at stopping me. I speak the truth and have the evidence to back it.

Megan Daniel

It is important that the program knows how to handle illness among the participents in the wild. It they hesitate taking the children to hospitals when symptoms occur, they risk killing the partipants. That is what happened to Sagewalk which was the scene for the terrible “Brat Camp” reality show. A boy died there. Wilderness therapy is risky. Did you ever participate in such a program and what did you take home with you?

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