Roderick S. Hall, Ph.D., a clinical child psychologist in the San Diego, CA, area has recently discovered that sending your troubled teen to some "tough love" or "boot camp" type treatment facilities can be dangerous. In an email alert to the psychologists in his area, he writes:"I have become aware of a program in Ensenada, Mexico called Casa by the Sea that is connected with an organization called Teen Help. Teen Help also runs programs in Jamaica and Western Somoa. Their programs in the Czech Republic and near Cancun, Mexico were closed down for allegations of child abuse. Everything I have read about this program scares me. From the articles, It appears that their treatment program is to isolate the children and berate them until their will is broken and they become stepford children. From the articles, it appears that residents earn privileges by berating new arrivals until they get with the program and in turn berate later arrivals into submission. It seems to be a private detention center for teenagers. It presents itself as a treatment program, boarding school, tough love program or boot camp. I have found several articles that indicate that it's treatment methods are similar to brainwashing. Please look at the articles published at this website.* There are a number of links at this website. In addition, there is a warning about the problems with these Behavior Modification Programs that are located in Foreign Countries at the U.S. State Department Website. [See State Department warning] The children at these facilities come from the U.S. The organization uses the Internet and magazines like Sunset to find parents in the U.S. who are desperate for a solution to their child's problems and are willing to pay to send them overseas to receive treatments that would not be permitted in the U.S."
Roderick S. Hall, Ph.D.
Clinical Child Psychologist
1224 Tenth Street, Suite 208
Coronado, CA 92118
Voice 619-437-0440 Fax 619-6040
rshallphd@aol.com
* "This Website," referrs to International Survivors Action Committee (ISAC) at http://www.isaccorp.org.
See related: Teen-help operators have clout
Family behind schools with checkered record calls in political favors, critics say at http://nospank.net/n-n22r.htm
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