Tough Love or Abuse?: The Troubling Truth Behind the "Troubled Teen Industry"

Raising a teenager can be hard, but outsourcing the job to “tough-love” residential treatment programs against their will isn't the answer. Sam dives into the incredibly corrupt and incredibly profitable "troubled teen industry." This is a digital exclusive.
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[@oscarorozcoorejel]

It’s very telling how these tough love facilities are so profitable and yet we still have a tough time getting actual mental health facilities up and running; literally the ones that will solve the issues with kids

[@theriffwriter2194]

JFK seen the horrendous human rights violations in the public mental Institutions so he shut them all down with the intentions of replacing the whole system with science based therapy. He was assassinated four months later. We're stll feeling the ripples today and nobody ever picked up where he left off. Talk about a butterfly effect.

[@NavaSDMB]

But but but... if you solve the issue, how will you keep getting paid to work on it? I'm remembering a video (sorry, don't remember who it was) here where a woman mentioned having had years of extremely expensive, complex, symptom-oriented treatments in the US, and when she moved to Spain her first doctor was confused she had no clear diagnosis, ordered a couple of tests, scheduled ambulatory surgery which cleared up the immense majority of the issues and put her on a (one, 1) single medication for the rest. The Spanish doctor gets paid the same for seeing each patient once in a blue moon as for seeing them weekly.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@NavaSDMB Medical services in Spain are top notch!

[@Laeiryn]

Yeah, because those have standards, require actual mental health professionals and folk trained in the developmental needs of adolescents, mandated reporters, and BEST PRACTICE instead of torture.

[@DimaRakesah]

Control sells.

[@opaqueandbluefrommyphone4339]

I managed to get one shut down back in 2003, and my parents still can't admit that they were not only wrong, but ripped off by the wilderness program and the boarding school.

[@bleh329]

People who blame their issues on their kids are un-savable. They can never be wrong, so when it's abundantly clear they made a mistake, well... it never actually happened. Shhhh!

[@louhortonsculpture]

Wow!!

[@theriffwriter2194]

Don't feel too bad. My monther has lived her entire life and never once admitted or apologized for a parenting mistake. By now, being 42 it's so hurtful. I've never gotten used to it. I have this fantasy where I'm rich and I tell her in order for me to buy her a house and a fancy car she has to write me a list of five mistakes or never see me and my two girls again. At this point I'm not sure if she would even know how.

[@marmadukescarlet7791]

@@theriffwriter2194 same. Same. Even if you never get rich, you’ll have the satisfaction of a great relationship with your children, because you made the wise choice to treat them like human beings, rather than automatons.

[@eliza6971]

I'm glad you were able to get that place shut down! It must have taken a lot of fortitude. I'm sorry your parents can't see that, but I think that's really impressive and you should be proud.

[@brooke_reiverrose2949]

These parents are creating, and sometimes inventing, their own problem. I was a relatively decent kid but was threatened to be sent to one of these places basically for not emoting in the way my Mom preferred. Decades later I’ve been diagnosed with autism. The problem behavior I exhibited was not smiling enough at her or something. Imagine how many undiagnosed neurodivergent kids have been put through these places.

[@webofstarlight]

I am so sorry you had to go through that. Wishing you peace and healing! 💚

[@johay899]

God bless You and I hope the world will change so things like this won’t happen again

[@withien7554]

That is me!! I found out about my autism very late in life. It's ridiculous.

[@MartijnVos]

Even for kids who don't have autism: not smiling enough? How is that an excuse to send someone to a harsh training camp of any kind?

[@oddanderson9131]

There’s one place I worked at one Summer (it was an art camp during the Summer I was a kitchen staff) that specialized in this stuff and the Manger of the kitchen staff basically told me they specialized in kids with ADHD. There was this one crazy story where decades ago a kid jumped out of his parents car and was hit by another car because he didn’t want to go back to that place. I don’t know how true it is but I think there are sites that talk about it, it’s called Robert Land Academy. As someone with ADHD I’m glad I didn’t work there during the school year Edit: This is alleged I don’t want to get in trouble for saying this.

[@Dot-Dot-Dash]

Dr Phil is an awful person. This is scary. How can we stop this? Shame on parents who decide not to communicate with children there.

[@adamgardiner5869]

Yup Dr Phil is the worst.

[@theriffwriter2194]

I know. There's a KZbin channel where he covers only Dr.Phil and how anyone could actually...like and admire that man just boggles my mind. Some people are such a bad judge of character it borders on mental illness.

[@StephenMatrese]

"Dr" should have quotes

[@cidb.212]

He's a quack. He tells parents they have to be the boss and stop enabling bad behavior. Hey Captain Obvious, if they were capable of doing that, they wouldn't "need" you in the first place. I think he's an arrogant, condescending blowhard.

[@pechaa]

Dr. Phil’s messaging reminds me of Bill Cosby’s. Cosby used to arrogantly chide people who are Black in particular to behave and pull themselves up by their bootstraps, even when there were no boots for miles around. Then we learned that there was something quite wrong with Bill Cosby. It seems obvious now that there is probably something quite wrong with Dr. Phil as well.

[@castlesteinway7741]

I went to a wilderness therapy and therapeutic boarding school. When Paris Hilton says that you get literally kidnapped by strangers to go there, she's not lying. And the people that took me had the gall to tell me that I would probably be back by the end of the weekend. It was actually 2 years. It is so much worse than they're making it sound here.. Traumatized me for life.

[@elizabetha5561]

I am sorry that happened to you. It happened to me too.

[@johnwalker1058]

Good god that does sound quite traumatizing. Sorry that happened to you and hope you're doing better now.

[@soniaakabonusgrandma3338]

Two years!!! So sorry you were tortured for a major portion of your childhood. Hope you find healing.

[@DimaRakesah]

I wish I could hug you.

[@katelynnehansen8115]

It took me years to stop having nightmares about it. I feel your pain.

[@gamesman0118]

I was sent to a Military Academy because I was a "discipline problem". Funny thing is it was my father's abuse that caused it so 3 years of expensive tuition did nothing but intensify some of my problems. And when I tried to reach out for help I was punished for lying.

[@ruthpittman4079]

❤

[@ChineduOpara]

Condolences

[@gamesman0118]

Thank you for your input. I did resolve the issues between my father and I. He has since passed but I let go of the hate. It can be a poison. He also got help to be a better father to my step-siblings though we were never very close.

[@ChineduOpara]

@@gamesman0118 Good for you. Sounds like a semi-positive ending. At least you got some closure.

[@Jenifer_R_]

@@gamesman0118 I'm glad you came through it with such an emotionally positive outlook. Good luck to you and have a wonderful, well adjusted life.

[@CollinMcLean]

As someone who's actually been through bootcamp... it is not therapeutic at all... There is nothing therapeutic about having every facet of your life micromanaged for months straight while routinely getting chewed out by a middle aged authority figure for sometimes made up reasons and having little to no contact with the outside world. Why would anyone think that's therapeutic?

[@Robin-bk2lm]

Yes, it's traumatic. But the US system is built on trauma. You have rights as long as you submit to the class structure and pay taxes. Try to live more simply and you end up stomped on. The rich rule.

[@lumpypillowguy542]

@@Robin-bk2lm in a country founded by rich lawyers, color me shocked

[@martinrotvig]

What you are describing is torture, which it truly is.

[@Celisar1]

@@martinrotvig no, it is not.

[@martinrotvig]

@@Celisar1 go look up what the UN define as torture. It’s not even up to debate, what OP is describing is torture. It says a lot about you, that you think it isn’t.

[@julianhyde1645]

My mother left when I was 6 months old and my father went to prison when I was 14. I was sent to 5 different foster homes in 3 different states by the time I graduated high school. As a kid, I thought it was my fault people were kicking me out. I was physically abused by two of my foster parents. I was never a “troubled teen,” and always received high marks in school, but the foster families I lived with always introduced me as a poor, troubled teen (seemingly to fulfill some kind of savior complex). I know now that it wasn’t my fault, but those 4 years were a very dark time for me. I still have nightmares at 33 years old.

[@jasonolson3133]

Me too your not alone

[@triloization]

I am so sorry for you. I hope you will find peace someday

[@nancybeveridgetaylor3256]

I am so sad to hear what happened to you.

[@cmarq817]

😞

[@lorrie2878]

Thank you for sharing.

[@berelb36]

as a survivor of both wilderness and RTC in Utah, I cannot express how amazing it is to see this talked about thank you so much. Also should be mentioned those deaths are only counted as in facility deaths, so many more of us end up dead after the fact as the trauma inflicted can be an overwhelming burden to face.

[@Lina_unchained]

I was a Trails Carolina (North Carolina) wilderness and a La Europa (Murray, UT) kid. I know exactly what you mean. I see you, I hear you and I am with you. ❤️

[@ericthompson3982]

Glad you made it out. You are valuable, by the way, and the world is better with you in it.

[@crystaledwards9878]

I’m so sorry this happened to you.

[@JENvTTI]

As one of these kids, I want to say thank you for taking on this topic. We've been trying to be heard for generations. I was kept in isolation, injected against my will, made to be silent, and saw so much worse happen to the other girls. It needs to finally end. Thank you.

[@johnwilliams1238]

Sounds more like re-education camps. They punish you until you start behaving the way they want you to

[@bladergroen]

I'm so sorry this happened to you!

[@nancybeveridgetaylor3256]

Thank you for speaking out. Bless you.

[@Jenifer_R_]

I am so sorry you went through this. May I ask if you tried to talk to your parents about what you endured? If so, how did they react?

[@Nobodyreallyatall]

@@Jenifer_R_ I'm sure the parents were the problem in the first place, that is why they dump their teen in those camps. Impossible to talk to a parent like that.

[@andlabs]

Some parents don't want children. They want blindly obedient elf slaves. This was vaguely hinted at a few times in the video, but we need to take the band-aid off and call it for what it is.

[@jasonolson3133]

True

[@justrosy5]

Agreed. Thank you.

[@LdyVder]

It's abuse and some of these parents will still mentally abuse their kids into adulthood. I'm 54 and my 76 year old mother still treats me like I'm a teenager.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@LdyVder I am so sorry. You deserve better.

[@Kpimpmaster]

I agree with you but unfortunately as long as there is money to be made no one will do anything about it

[@communitygardener17]

The theme that seems to run through these programs is to break kids to pacify them. This requires no skill, just cheap brutality. These damages will last through the child's life.

[@ckwind1971]

And, like governmental torture, it does not work.

[@lydias2012]

I worked at a motel where the kids would stay on their way to a troubled teen boarding school. Their families were super rich. They could not phone out of their rooms so they would call from the pay phone in the lobby to beg their parents to let come home. It broke my heart. On visitors days it was a who's who's of celebrity parents. This was in the early 90's. It was shut much later for abuse.

[@stevechance150]

Sometimes the "fully licensed" professional facilities are no better. I speak from experience.

[@ared-ainu]

I once talked about awful experiences in a youth psychiatry online, and I was bombarded by people telling me to stop lying. I hate people.

[@sixfeetundertheradar6080]

I was extremely lucky that the psychiatric centers I’ve gone to were good. While I was there I heard horror stories from my fellow patients

[@TheSuzberry]

So sorry.

[@patrickgarner3246]

@@sixfeetundertheradar6080 thank you for your comment. I was disappointed that Full Frontal didn’t any details about what alternatives that parents considering one of those programs have.

[@admerin6961]

I know from experience you are right.

[@suzq2744]

I’m crying. I almost got sent to a place like that as a teenager. Luckily they didn’t have a bed available at the time so I was sent to a shelter, where I ended up getting out for good behavior. The place I was supposed to get sent to ended up getting shut down years later after abuse accounts came out

[@NewMessage]

I'm alarmed that this is an industry to begin with.... But not surprised. Even kids are just another resource to the hungry maw of money.

[@keldakellie9164]

I've missed you New Message and your comment is refective.

[@Tonyhouse1168]

The rich get richer…

[@memoryalphamale]

I understand there are younglings with real issues and caring parents who truly want to find help, but I suspect there are more bad parents than there are "troubled" teens and many of these programs exist to grift from these parents.

[@irenemax3574]

Ah, younglings, such a lovely word. Yes, the bad parents will do anything, pay anything, to not have to change anything about themselves.

[@1MarkKeller]

@@blackbird5634 a rose by any other name ...

[@Handle70770]

@@blackbird5634 You have never heard the phrase youngling? It's not like it's a new word.

[@1MarkKeller]

True, the parents should have to go through the "course" to see what it is like.

[@laurensegars4504]

@@blackbird5634 it's just another name for kids. Why does someone's choice of terminology bother you?

[@PhilosopherWR]

What's even more upsetting is that a lot of these teens' 'problems' are really just things like hyperactivity, 'underperforming' grades, not conforming to gender, or even just being an 'at risk' population. Even other more-stigmatized behaviors, like having a PTSD reaction or stealing for drugs, are mental and physical health issues that should be dealt with compassionately and in a safe space.

[@PhilosopherWR]

PS A lot of the time extremely well behaved children will get put in the same groups as those who physically and sexually assault or harass their peers causing another layer of trauma. When I was a kid, I got bullied so my grades dropped. Because my grades dropped, I got put in classes and programs with kids who were cruel thus making the bullying worse. I saw the same thing happen in one of these talk shows. I felt so bad and so frustrated for one kid who more than likely had ADHD and of course he's not going to do well among kids with aggression issues. Was I angry at my bullies, yes. Am I still angry, yes. Do I want to see them broken by these camps, ABSOLUTELY NOT! That's what caused what I went through in the first place. That's just taking a kid with problems and making them meaner and then throwing the result at other kids with different situations.

[@batgurrl]

Thanks Sam for always trying to cover issues that aren’t the garden variety political topics. Having to call it an ‘industry’ is a red flag right there. Teens have been ‘troubled’ since the 1960s. This is just messed up

[@chumark54]

"Thanks Sam for always trying to cover issues that aren’t the garden variety political topics," can't agree more. This is one of the reasons I love John Oliver too. They cover all important, urgent issues in society and aren't afraid to be very vocal about them.

[@batgurrl]

@@chumark54 👍🏻agreed. Of course they are both Alumni of TDS with Jon Stewart as is Stephen Colbert the ONLY evening talk show I watch. His monologue’s are always fantastic 🤝

[@chumark54]

@@batgurrl I like Colbert too, but I feel he only talks about politics. I can't remember him talking about any other serious problems in society. And talking about politics, I'm very worried about 2022 and 2024... sigh.

[@batgurrl]

@@chumark54 it’s an entirely different format, the opening, monologue and meanwhile are based on current events that most of his viewers are aware of, then interviews. These two are ‘news shows’ and have room to cover other topics

[@CollinMcLean]

@@batgurrl And Hasan Minhaj before Netflix canceled his show for revealing how they avoid taxes...

[@tylerkochman1007]

They call the kidnapping Paris experienced “gooning”. It’s pretty normal practice for many of these programs. This industry is in desperate need of strict regulation

[@MartijnVos]

Who thinks abducting kids is a good idea? Abduction is a serious crime, often leading to the death of the abductee, so extremely violent resistance to abduction is entirely warranted. It sounds like a recipe for tragedy. Of course so is the entire rest of the industry, so I guess it fits.

[@bookbook9495]

@@MartijnVos abducting kids in the middle of the night gives them less opportunity to dissuade the parents or run away. However, it’s presented as a safety thing to keep the child from ATTACKING THE KIDNAPPERS.

[@PhilipJackson03]

I really hope John Oliver takes a look at this issue. It definitely deserves more time to be explained.

[@MultiMackD]

For real

[@MultiMackD]

Or Some More News

[@davidhollyfield5148]

How to conveniently dispose of your troublesome kids and give you the free time you want to express your spirituality. Never could it be possible that the kids are 'troublesome' because you've just wanted rid of them for all these years. Thanks for the final abandonment Mom and Dad.

[@admerin6961]

I was such an inconvienience for my parents, calling the cops everytime they beat me. They were so much happier sticking me in one of these places they went on vaccation in Miami while I was locked in an empty room for a month. I was 16.

[@kylaarmstrong-benjamin8066]

I just started looking into these behavior modification camps for "troubled youth" after learning about a friend of mine who's parents arranged her "kidnapping" and she was taken out of the friggin country and to Costa Rica at age 15, and for the first 24 hours she actually believed she had really been kidnapped! I've never met her parents, but now I really don't want to!

[@PraiseTheFSMonster]

I work in a really amazing "troubled teen" center where the staff absolutely showers the kids with love and attention. 100% of the time, their misbehavior comes from unresolved past trauma or adverse childhood experiences. The parents don't understand this or they are the cause of the trauma, so they bring them to our center to "fix" their kid. They don't realize that the misbehavior comes from a deep place and the way to change their behavior isn't punishment, but giving the kids all the care, love, and attention they've been seeking with their misbehavior.

[@johnwilliams1238]

It frustrates me to think that parents don't realize they're actually causing a lot of harm. Then the kids get sent to these centers and get treated as the source of trouble, perpetuating the trauma and making things worse. I experienced this as a child and everyone thought I was a bad kid, while my parents pretended to be victims. I believed that it was all my fault too. So much self-blame and self-hate This place you describe is the real troubled teen center that they all deserve. I hope this will become the industry standard in the future!

[@PraiseTheFSMonster]

@@johnwilliams1238 I really think it will be. It's based on trauma-informed care, which more and more facilities are basing their programs on because it's got higher success rates than any other method.

[@littlecooperdog]

If the kid is taken from everything they've ever known and institutionalized long-term against their will- that's a recipe for c-ptsd. My program had plenty of unqualified staff who got to feel good about themselves and were told they were helping kids- but the reality is they were complicit in the exploitation. A stranger's love means nothing when your whole life is ripped from you. And if you truly need help, love from a stranger is not fixing that either. Putting a kid in an institution against their will puts them under severe stress. Especially if it's like most are where kids have to earn basic human rights, like the right to speak or move freely. No kid is healing from past trauma while in that stressed, hyper alert state. Some big red flags- limited/restricted communication with their family, restricted communication with others, levels and points systems that punish a child and add time to their indefinite sentence, indefinite program length, nowhere to report abuse, minimum wage unqualified local staff with zero qualifications and related education, no limits on the type of kids they will accept, etc. A ton of kids I was in the program with were there because of custody battles, to avoid CPS because of abuse in the home, because the parent truly just didn't want to raise their kid anymore, or super religious families whose kids are questioning God. Some of the kids who were sent for help were desperately needing it but of course the purpose of these places is not to help the kids, but to convince the parents the kids are being helped and also that they need to stay for a year+ in order for the program to work.

[@littlecooperdog]

@@PraiseTheFSMonster what does trauma informed care mean- to you? Because that term is thrown around so much at this point, it feels meaningless. By its very nature, long-term institutionalization cannot be trauma-informed.

[@littlecooperdog]

Another thing I want to share with you since you work at a troubled teen center... these places are MAGNETS for predators. Do you really think all the teens at your center are safe from predatory staff? How are you sure?

[@chickenpants]

These programmes are torture centres. There has been extensive writing on this.

[@-xirx-]

Torture centres run by grossly unqualified literal Sadists (probably a lot of sadistic pedophiles roam those walled enclosures too). It is a terrifying thought.

[@MG-jj3pn]

Teens are children not trash to tuck away for others to abuse for profit.

[@lindab9274]

But what do you do when you can’t send them back to the manufacturer and can’t dispose them because you want to keep a good image of yourself? Most problems comes from parents themselves overshadowing the few parents really trying.

[@Tential1]

I've just started the video and I can already tell this isn't gonna be good. A troubled teen camp sounds like the perfect place to abuse children. No one will believe the troublemaker child.

[@alexsaltzman500]

No no. It’s definitely abuse. I don’t need to even watch this segment to know. I have plenty of friends and coworkers who have shared stories. It’s abuse.

[@kat-vl5my]

thank you for bringing more attention to this. I was sent to Wilderness & then a TTI when I was 15 for having an eating disorder. These places absolutely *break* you. There is no "treatment" - I learned to conform to expectations just so I'd have a hope of leaving. 20 years ago & I still remember the absolute dread I felt everytime I woke up in Magna, Utah.

[@colleenposley1084]

This just sounds suspiciously like conversion therapy but not about sexuality.

[@michaelccozens]

Most of it is very cultish. There's a pretty consistent pattern if your intention is just to break an individual's will to resist outside pressure.

[@kharris2393]

It's very similar, and they left it out at the beginning, but yeah sexuality/gender are often reasons kids get sent to these places. Some "conversion therapy" is just troubled teen places, but with a different name because of their specialty. I mean, they're certainly not therapy.

[@laurencornwell54]

Ironically, getting pregnant as a teenager saved me from having to go to one of these places.

[@thomassmith6344]

Hello Lauren

[@thomassmith6344]

How are you doing?

[@soniaakabonusgrandma3338]

May you find healing. And, is this guy a creeper or actually known to you?

[@kelliethorne1200]

Creeper, obvs.

[@melodygarrison7531]

Same here . I was threatened all the time with being sent away. I got pregnant at 14. My parents made me get married. He was 16. It was awful And good at the same time we were married for seven years and Still have a very good friendship and 2 beautiful grown children

[@EndeavorsDnB]

I’ve despised places like this for decades, thanks 4 focusing a story on this evil industry.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Two decades ago I worked in a business that started taking grants to mentor kids in gardens. When we made improvements in them year to year - we lost the grants. A few years later it was all we did and when we improved the lives of these families and children we lost the grants. A few more years pass and my boss stops the programs from improving their lives and just starts a grant mill. I had to leave. I haven’t looked back. Now I see what they’ve become.

[@susanbradleyskov9179]

Iif you can't figure out that tough love must be based on LOVE and ethical treatment of human beings, you should figure that out first, before sending your kid into the hands of strangers.

[@hereigoagain5050]

Homeland Security runs some unbelievable tough-love residential programs for immigrant children.

[@littlecooperdog]

It is horrific

[@Kpimpmaster]

Technically not the same thing but…close enough

[@lindapedigo5855]

May God have mercy on us

[@monicaleyva7359]

@@lindapedigo5855 I think the fact that these atrocious acts (and other far worse ones) is proof that there is no god(s). 🤷🏽‍♀️

[@gertrudewest4535]

Most troubled teens have serious parent problems. Humans are spectacular at always blaming the victims. Kyle Rittenhaus’s parents should be in court and face jail time.

[@roncaron8939]

WHERE IS HIS DAD? WHO IS THE DAD? "Ma Baker" Rittenhouse, stood by while her underage kid, used his $1,200, unemployment "Stimulation payment, to buy a gun, rather then to help with the rent and put food on the table. i'm sure she watched Vile Kyle, play his video game called "CALL OF DUTY!"

[@gertrudewest4535]

I believe it was his dad who had all the connections in Kenosha. I don’t think Kyle is a bad person Just a kid terribly misguided by adults. We shall see how he develops into an adult before we judge him.

[@roncaron8939]

@@gertrudewest4535 i've googled to try to find out any info about kyle's dad and had no luck. do you know if he ever attended the trial. do you know if his dad had anything to do with the gun? Thanks, Ron

[@GiarkReleos]

humans don't do that, only the soulless

[@jasonolson3133]

@@roncaron8939 true

[@Nkjin996]

The truth is that children who go to these institutions are highly likely to be abused themselves from their guardians or other people. Putting them in this oppressive environment only exacerbates PTSD and cause further mental issues.

[@terryberngards1579]

Thank you. Canada has a devastating history with Residential Schools. As if Religion outweighs justice. We have to remove Tax Free Status as the first prompt. A fan from Canada 🇨🇦

[@trishshepherd6952]

It's been more than 30 years. I'll never get over what they did to me, and it wasn't half as bad as what some kids went through.

[@KD-ou2np]

I'm so sorry... I know what you mean when you say you'll never get over it. I hope that you and me both can still find joy in our own lives, despite it all.

[@admerin6961]

I feel that. Same here, and it has been about 30 years for me. There is no justice for us, and that is almost the worst part.

[@Niiopii]

The parents who utilize these programs should never have been parents. You weren’t/aren’t equipped to emotionally/psychologically support your children. It’s interesting that this narrative is always about how the kids are evil however, why is it never being spoken about the parents lack of parenting ability… oh right cause then they have to ACTUALLY admit that.

[@johnwilliams1238]

You're absolutely right. Parents are the problems, but they externalize and project their issues onto the kids, scapegoating them to be the problems so they can apppear as victims

[@evilsharkey8954]

Half of the problems these kids have are from parents who spoiled or ignored them when they were younger and then wonder why they become bratty teens.

[@goflyakitefilms]

My parents wanted to send my youngest bro to one of these. He decided to run away.

[@kharris2393]

Yeah I remember my Mom telling me an old friend of hers was sending her daughter to one of these places. She kept saying her friend "just didn't know what else to do," and that it "was really a sacrifice because the place cost a fortune," and I was thinking well like she could spend that money on getting actual therapy or counseling for her kid. Besides which, I know these people and they're hardcore fundies. Their daughter might have been legitimately "troubled," or she might've just been questioning/rebelling against the incredibly rigid belief system she was raised in. Either way I'm sure having a stepfather who gives your mother an allotted amount of time and an exact budget to go grocery shopping, and doesn't allow mother or either daughter to wear pants (instead of skirts/dresses) didn't help.

[@soniaakabonusgrandma3338]

Well, they don't sound abusive. (Insert snicker, snort, and sarcastic tone.)

[@reidsusan4]

i used to volunteer ( canada) 40 years ago at a “Juvenile detention centre.” Its was so appealing. Putting really young teens in with older kids was devastating. The guards were abusive. They put them in solitary confinement all the time. 4 of us were allowed to take 8 kids out every Sunday. We took a vote of what everyone wanted to do and we would do it. Horse back, swimming, basketball etc. It was so sad to leave the other 100 kids back at that prison. They came out worse than they went in. They were all on their best behaviour with us. And it worked in that prison because they had to be really good all week to be eligible to come with us. Broke my heart. Most ended up in jail as an adult. So sad…they closed that prison but didn’t replace it with any kind of alternative help for these lost little children.

[@Lina_unchained]

Do you mean appalling rather than appealing? I just want to make sure.

[@CalamityCannon]

@@Lina_unchainedOP has to have meant "appalling" - what an unfortunate typo!

[@Lina_unchained]

@@CalamityCannon I was hoping that's what they meant, but sometimes people on KZbin can be quite shocking in their views so I had to make sure!

[@CalamityCannon]

@@Lina_unchained I hear you. The context and language in the rest of the post here were enough, thank goodness, to reassure me that it was just an unfortunate auto-miscorrect

[@5isacolor213]

as a survivor of a wilderness "therapy," thank you for talking about this. it means so much when people raise awareness for this.

[@KristinBennett]

Look into how many of these “rescued” kids end up committing sulfide after they are sent to these places. The trauma lasts forever pretty much, I’m very lucky that I was able to survive running away when I was at a particularly bad one in Oregon back when I was a teen.

[@thomassmith6344]

Hello Kristin

[@teresaweaver1012]

The separation anxiety and panic even the worst of the kids exhibited tore me up on Dr. Phil. IMO that's the worst possible thing to do to a kid acting out.

[@sventer198]

Sam, can we talk about how the US allows people to “rehome” their adopted kids with ZERO oversight?

[@bookaholicblue2169]

What!?? That's crazy.

[@ChineduOpara]

@@bookaholicblue2169 Crazy? No. FREEDOM. 😅

[@soniaakabonusgrandma3338]

Wait. What?! Can you email her to cover this? Or a proper organization like the Guardian? Or John Oliver or Vice or Klepper or someone?

[@evilsharkey8954]

I remember a case a few years back where a family sent back a messed up Russian boy they’d adopted, like they just put him on a plane and sent him back to Russia. The kid had serious problems, but the fact that they just dumped him caused an international incident. The Russians were furious.

[@YourMajesty143]

That reminds me of the scandal behind the KZbin family of Myka and James Stauffer who "rehomed" Huxley, the autistic son they adopted from China. I honestly feel like aside from a news story on rehoming, there also needs to be an expose on how rich people - especially celebs - adopt kids as a way of earning clout or to feed their savior complexes.

[@stephenspackman5573]

This seems like another example of the pervasiveness of the social legacy of slavery. The very idea of these places should not be acceptable-yet many Americans seem comfortable with viewing children as property.

[@soniaakabonusgrandma3338]

Yes! This! People are not chattel. Not kids, not teens, not women, not immigrants, not the poor, not people of any skin color or religion. We say we support individualism, when it couldn't be farther from the truth.

[@maxzomick8733]

Residential in Hawthorne NY is full of abuses and ruined me FOR LIFE .

[@dustcircle]

oowee, I was sent to one: Eau Claire Academy. Most of the kids were sentenced there from juvie criminal court, but my dad sent me there with his love: "It'll be like going away to college!"

[@1MarkKeller]

Sounds like the same problem they have with elderly care providers.

[@Robin-bk2lm]

Yes, *everything* that does not have oversight laws is abused.

[@Tulpen23]

John Oliver did a good piece on that

[@1MarkKeller]

@@Tulpen23 Yep!

[@1MarkKeller]

@@Robin-bk2lm Exactly.

[@michaelccozens]

@@Robin-bk2lm And even things that do. "Oversight laws" don't mean much if, say, you cut all the funding for inspectors (hi, Deepwater Horizon!).

[@alexd976]

Dr Phil has had a lot of bad allegations the turn about ranch was one of the biggest. A woman was sexually assaulted at turn about ranch. Also the fact his license in psychology had expired

[@lostandwastedtime]

*psychiatry

[@Handle70770]

he never had a license to expire, and it was way more than just one woman. In fact it was more than just the females. It's not even was, it still IS.

[@Eryalb]

@@lostandwastedtime "Dr. McGraw earned a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the University of North Texas, followed by a post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology from the Wilmington Institute." This is from Dr. Phil's website. He is trained as a psychologist not a psychiatrist.

[@Eryalb]

@@Handle70770 "He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, though he ceased renewing his license to practice psychology in 2006." He did have a license at one point but stopped practicing to start his Dr. Phil show.

[@alexd976]

@@lostandwastedtime I meant psychology my bad I rushed my comment

[@uthmanbaksh3530]

Parents and Dr. Phil sends kids that need therapy and counseling to facilities that will give them neither of those and will abuse them and make their issues worse. Dr. Phil should lose his show. He's practicing with an expired license for God's sake!

[@pamyuhnke8143]

Trouble teens often have troubled home. Therapy is needed for all members

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

*Capitalism be like:* creates countless and almost unfathomable problems. *also Capitalism:* commodifies those problems.

[@fl00d69]

Accurate.

[@whydoyouwanttoknowthat]

Satya

[@lumpypillowguy542]

In capitalism, the real crime is letting an opportunity go to waste without profit

[@Dogen70]

Too true

[@ronwerks]

*that one Simpsons bit voice* ever look at teens suffering from bad parenting and the consequences of capitalism and go, "how can I profit from this?" Then getting involved in the troubled teen industry is right for you!

[@Random_Woman]

My brother and I were institutionalized against our will for 6 months in the 80s when we were teens in Los Angeles. I have tried to get the information if anyone knows of the program which was called “New Life” in the top floor of St. Joseph’s medical center in Burbank please let me know.

[@PotatoChicken-gg1ju]

I remember reading a book about this in high school. It was like a "based on a true story" novel with shocking facts about these very real facilities in the last few pages. I found it horrific, and the kind of thing my dad would absolutely insist on if I had "acted out" as a teenager. Scared the living daylights out of me and disgusted me to my core. I always wondered why it wasn't in the news, thank goodness awareness is being raised!

[@nancybeveridgetaylor3256]

I am a retired psychiatric technician/med nurse who worked in maximum security forensic psychiatric facilities, Hospice and CCU. When I see these horrible places it breaks my heart. When I worked in maximum security, we treated mass murderers (as actually convicted), Sexually Violent Predators (by diagnosis and conviction) serial killers (as actually convicted) they were treated better, with more humanity, empathy and understanding than these innocent children.

[@thomassmith6344]

Hello Nancy

[@backyardadvocate9377]

A few years ago, a Fed report found deficiencies in 24 of 26 foster care/treatment residential homes. Trouble was, I couldn’t even get MA child services to identify even the TWO positive programs! The industry has more lobbyists and low rent management it’s a wonder we don’t hear of more deaths and abuse. Follow the money…and show the kids these expose’s… My experience is conscientious staffers are usually young and are too fearful that a) they won’t be believed or, b) worse, the so-called “guardians” are too worried about their own jobs and know they din’t have support of pols who benefit from political contributions.

[@stevieme8642]

I am so glad I have Jeff Merkely as my senator. He really listens to his constituents and votes the way I want him to. I always recommend emailing your representatives and letting them know how you feel about issues. They can't do what their you want if you don't tell them! And the people who are against you will always vote and contact elected officials.

[@kristinlyons6854]

I can't watch this segment but I hope others do. I was in a place like this and your parents think they are just doing what's best with out knowing.

[@wildlightarts]

Thank you for covering this. It's been going on for decades. I initially went to a college for wilderness therapy in 1996. I left the college after learning how abusive these programs are. So few people understand the compounding trauma that further harms these children/teens.

[@spigotgirl]

Actually i cant even watch this tonight. Thanks samantha, ill try to come back

[@radschele1815]

Best wishes to you. And healing.

[@ruthpittman4079]

❤

[@ninehundreddollarluxuryyac5958]

I was sent to Miami Military Academy. They saved money by making the older kids "officers" so they didn't need many staff. Those abused the younger ones. Anything of value was stolen. If one kid did something wrong, everyone had to run carrying mattresses. An asthmatic kid died because the older kids kept forcing him to run, then beat him as he gasped for breath.

[@soniaakabonusgrandma3338]

That is horrific. So sorry it happened and you had to be there. Hope you find healing.

[@RIXRADvidz]

Tell me about it. when I was 15, my parents began giving me Librium 150mg a day 50mg 3xa day. because they thought I was developing into a trouble teen, turns out I was hypoglycemic and not a drug user or alcohol abuser, that was my younger sister. but they didn't drug her, they bought her a car and gave her money, where as I had to have a job.

[@odyoddeller]

I cannot imagine being such a spineless parent that I send my kids to a stranger to “fix them”….. I’d let my kids wind up in jail as an adult than take them to be abused by strangers as a kid. If you can’t handle your kids you shouldn’t have had them

[@TheSuzberry]

Really? So how many children are you sending to jail?

[@Celisar1]

Please think before writing. Most parents want to be good parents. They start with good intentions. But various difficulties can prove to be too problematic to be overcome. Then parents find themselves unable to adequately deal with problematic behaviour, they make mistakes and things get worse. Instead of throwing these parents all under the bus they need help. Also most people don’t know their parental abilities until they have children and there is no return policy.

[@roncaron8939]

LOTS of facilities to teach parent how to deliver a baby but not a lot of places that assist you in raising a child. so many troubled kids, are placed in front of a tv set and then given video games, to replace a baby sitter. a few years back, i visited a couple that were acquaintances. they were proud to show me, how smart there 3 year old was. they took me to there bedroom. little jo was on there bed.. dad ordered the did, like he was a well trained dog. "he jo, get thhis or that video" out several bookcases of videos, the kid zeorwed in on it. I was waiting for dad to take a treat out of his pocket. the kid was 3 and couldnt put a sentence together.....

[@odyoddeller]

@@TheSuzberry terrible comment. As I said would feel better about them thinking about what they did wrong in jail then having to deal with knowing I put them through something like being sexually abused by a camp counsellor.

[@blccdcrange]

I am the age now that my adoptive parents were when they sent me off to a TTI center. They told me back then that I would understand all this when I was older. I am older, I still don't understand, and could not even imagine sending my own kids to one. No sympathy. The resources to know better existed then, and they exist now even moreso.

[@Mimi-cq4bg]

Even good camps don't ususlly help the kid because the problem usually isn't in the kid. Its in the home. Its the parents that set the tone.

[@Schmusan]

100%

[@PhilosopherWR]

Very true. I've always wondered how some parents think they are going to model good behavior with bad behavior. It makes absolutely no sense to teach a kid to control their aggressive impulses by demonstrating a lack of control over one's own aggressive impulses.

[@joeverna5459]

Reading the comments, it seems the parents need to go to Parent Camp and learn how to be one. FYI Trump was sent to military school and perfected his bullying skills.

[@cooperminion825]

Daddy probably also bribed the teachers to look the other way

[@user-pg7uj4bp4q]

you know there's a problem when the reform program in the movie Holes starts to look pretty humane.

[@soniaakabonusgrandma3338]

I was thinking that too. Sorry for the bad analogy, it reminded me of the financial crisis when banks were taking away homes written on loans with terms not able to be paid back. Then watching it's a Wonderful Life where the "evil banker" has written a home loan at 3%. Reality is worse than fiction sometimes.

[@MagnoliaPantherWoman]

Sounds similar to the foster care system, placing children in one abusive going after another. It's insanity.

[@kaceybongarzone4977]

As a clinician I've worked with younger clients who had spent time at these facilities and it is not helpful. Unfortunately parents can see that as an answer. Please share this and help others.

[@radschele1815]

Just help for the patents would be enough in most cases, or therapy for both the parents and children. Like, the government spending money for the future of its citizens

[@heavytires8354]

Some government funding does go to this. At least so in Wisconsin. The challenge academy in ft Mccoy was very beneficial. It's a voluntary 22 week course where you'll end up with your hsed when it's over. They NEVER touch you ever. 100% voluntary as in if you don't like it you can walk down to the main office barracks and they'll call your parents to pick you up. It was no walk in the park. 22 weeks of physical training and education. We did get searched coming in but it was your whole company wearing towels doing jumping Jack's to ensure nothing was brought in. Out of 150 112 graduated. It is a good program that provides real benefits. There's a reason the mantra is courage to change. They instilled in you the belief that you are responsible for yourself and it's up to you to succeed.

[@theriffwriter2194]

But that would help the wellbeing of thinking, feeling beings. Which half of the country is convinced equals socialism...or something.

[@littlecooperdog]

100%. What's crazy is how many foster kids are sent to these places, oftentimes the child is taken from a home that was too poor to properly feed and care for the kid, only for the government to spend tens of thousands to send the child to these institutions. These facilities are literally just warehousing kids, and not only are the programs abusive by nature, but they are magnets for predators.

[@adoseofcare]

I have worked at one of these places in Utah. The most stressful part of my job was my coworkers and bosses bad behavior.

[@MsAnubisia]

Between this, the pandemic, my own experiences, and the stuff I'm learning about to hopefully become a parent...the U.S. doesn't really care about children, does it.

[@AustenObsessed]

Not once it is no longer a fetus.

[@soniaakabonusgrandma3338]

The US government doesn't care about people, young through old. Capitalism rules here. Hopefully covid will start a revolution for those that do care to rise in power.

[@danielcraft1971]

Jesus... The USA is just a land full of nightmares isn't it? I am so glad I do not live there.

[@kika-ge5qr]

Right? There are some of us that are just as disgusted and question the horrors of parental behavior.

[@-xirx-]

I cannot believe people are still under the impression that the rest of the World also thinks of America as the greatest *country in the World. (*edit)

[@kika-ge5qr]

@@-xirx- I think that the USA is a land of opportunity. The thing is that all of it's craziness and problematic issues are being put out more and more for the world to see just to make a point that democracy doesn't work. There is plenty good to be grateful for.

[@-xirx-]

@@kika-ge5qr fair enough, I take your point. I worded it poorly. I was refering the American sentiment that I often hear that everyone else in the World thinks America is the greatest country in the World, and would move there first chance they got, if only they had had the opportunity.

[@kika-ge5qr]

@@-xirx- That's what's great about the USA. Anyone can become an American. I was born here,not my parents. We lived with traditions and American values. New York has over 180 ethnicities. It's a good thing.

[@markusrother5577]

The more I learn about the US the more I'm glad that I'm living in a civilized developed first world country - and not in the US.

[@YourMajesty143]

I mean, our country alone makes up over half an entire continent. When you have a place and population this size, you're bound to find problems. I'm not happy about how backwards this country has become, but that's why I stay isolated in the Midwest. There are pockets of peace and quiet depending on where you look. In fact, every country has them.

[@SuburbanSavage]

Plus insurance companies are more willing to pay for a "quick fix" gamble than cover long term care.

[@thomassmith6344]

Hello nichole

[@PhilosopherWR]

Whenever I saw something like this on a Dr Phil type show I would always wonder why they weren't talking about the parenting and just making the parents sound like victims. Those shows should be focused on training the parents.

[@williamvanscottnelson2605]

I was sent to a wilderness camp in Alabama 34 years ago when I was 13. I still have nightmares.

[@hitchensghost]

Some parents think they can just spend money to make their problems go away. They spend too little time relating to their children and they want a bandaid to make them better. The canadian experience of many older indigenous people was to forcibly take them (as children) away to be 'educated' in a 'christian'' environment run by the church. Few of these boarding schools end up helping troubled kids as they advertise.

[@evilsharkey8954]

No, just erasing their culture and heritage.

[@hitchensghost]

@@evilsharkey8954 I liked this , only because that was my sentiment also, AND that it should not have happened.

[@jessicaross2869]

I'm glad I saw this because I was actually thinking of trying one of these places for my brother. He's in a dangerous spot right now, abusing prescription medications, alcohol, ect, and has only gotten worse over the years and it makes me CRAZY to just watch him slowly killing himself. I was desperate for what else I can try to do for him and my therapist mentioned that these places are actually horror shows, I just didn't realize how terrible they truly were and I think that other parents and family members, by the time they get to this point, they are at that level of DEPERATION to just do SOMETHING, so that their child doesn't die. Its good to know the truth about these places now, but I really do understand how it feels when you cannot accept that someone you love is harming themselves and there are 0 things that you can do about it. I wish we had better resources. I wish I could save my little brother.

[@JENvTTI]

There do need to be more resources and support for families dealing with a crisis like yours. Part of the problem is that the pervasiveness of this industry has made it so less outpatient, community-based options develop. I'm so sorry you're watching your brother struggle so, and I hope he will get better and safe. 🙏

[@kellywalsh9373]

How about parents spend time parenting their own children? These places are a way out for parents with money who don’t want to spend the time with their own children which is what it actually takes to raise a human being.

[@TonGolem]

Wow, this broke my heart. This is the most horrible thing I've learned about a country which has done/allowed HORRIBLE things.

[@melissaj2915]

Sounds like what these facilities and many of the parents are doing is turning teenage mental health difficulties into a lifetime of problems... I really hate this world sometimes, it's awful how those in pain can be treated so terribly.

[@CharGC123]

Kids need to be raised by a trusted family member and experience guidance, security, stability and love. You can't raise a decent human in generic daycare where a questionable someone is overseeing your child's life... strictly for profit... while you're off doing just another job anyone else can do, for the same reason. Instead of instilling love and values in our kids, we're crippling them with alternating abandonment and overindulgence, and then trashing them when they don't perform like we want...and we pawn them off yet again! Ludicrous!

[@thomassmith6344]

Hello char

[@peace-or2cp]

We live in a culture when children are viewed as disposable; just look at the long history of the abusive foster care system for an example. And the number of kids who are hurt and killed in their own homes or by family members. And, the lack of mental health resources that are child centered. Glad that Sam and others are giving the issues more airplay, a critical first step to stopping these centers and other "respectable" centers that also abuse kids.

[@danceaholic5561]

Great piece and thanks for calling out mr phil's part in the abuse

[@Nobodyreallyatall]

The reason why these teens are "troubled" in the first place is because the teens are ABUSED and/or neglected by their families. The parents dump their "troubled" kids to avoid their responsibility, so the parents do not really care what happens to the teens.

[@creepyboners9645]

thank you so much for telling our stories. If anyone would like to help the survivors of the troubled teen industry there is a nonprofit called warriors of hope that helps adult tti survivors and their families who are struggling to heal get back on their feet.

[@danielcaceres9971]

These segments need to be longer

[@RankinMsP]

I don't get how everyone dealing with those kids doesn't have to be a registered child psychologist or at least have qualifications in psychiatry. Make it make sense.

[@Mason-jj4ww]

I think it’s important to note that a lot of kids get sent to these places by a judge or court order, often after getting in trouble at school for minor first-time offenses, misdemeanors, or possession of a substance a grown adult sold them in the first place. They’re a great example of how the school to prison pipeline literally breaks down at-risk youth from the jump, tearing kids from any community they have just to mess them up more before returning them to whatever situation put them there in the first place. Getting rid of places like this is gonna take us really re-thinking what constitutes “rehabilitation” and “justice” in a broader sense- they’re not goin anywhere as long as their existence continues to be justified by a system that criminalizes kids (and poverty and addiction and race) in the first place.

[@-xirx-]

Excellent work bringing this to light Full Frontal, thankyou

[@Teshia]

My brothers went through this. They were court ordered to go by a judge, otherwise my mom was going to lose custody. They were physically and verbally abused and all of our coorespondences with them were monitored or withheld from them.

[@kcse]

Thank you for covering this issue. It’s seriously troubling that minors do not have the right to protest commitment to a center like this. In addition to requiring proper certification training and oversight, States should require a professional evaluation with judicial review BEFORE allowing any residential commitment for any length of time against someone’s will. The minor should have independent legal representation.

[@scotiafogelsanger3806]

Thank you so much for reporting on this Samantha bee! Absolutely brought tears to my eyes, especially hearing that nobody deserves to be treated that way. I needed that. I was placed in one when I was 12 in utah, we would move from Warehouse to Warehouse so the organization could hide from the authorities and press. One of the people that was left in charge of these 20 to 30 at risk youth was someone who suffered from multiple personality disorder in a big way. Won't even get into the atrocities that happened there. I think they are so popular there because rigid Mormon thinking can't understand why their kids came out differently than they did. There was nothing wrong with me, till after I left

[@chrissanto]

If you are thinking of sending your teen to one of these places then the person with the problem is not your teen.

[@KootFloris]

Send kids to programs, because they go insane over... lack of real attention of parents, an insane society that calls being different wrong/weak/loser/difficult, lack of education that speaks to the heart and soul, only to score, compete and getting grades so teacher get good grades too. So yes, most educations, the 'normal' or alternative create obedient workers. The kids suffer, the USA suffers loss of talent.

[@chrissnineyearwildlifejour9525]

You rock Sam. We appreciate your service to this country.

[@michaeljames5936]

These sort of residential/wilderness treatment ideas, have quite a number of points in their favour, but will only produce lasting change, if the entire family has to participate. If a teen comes home, to a family, where everyone is behaving as before, it is inevitably going to reawaken old habits and behaviour. The 'bad one', often serves a number of important functions within a family and, whether they are conscious of it, or not, the other family members will act in such a way, as to try to get the 'bad one', to revert to being bad again. Sending the teen alone, fails to recognise that their behaviour, no matter, how seemingly wilful and singular, is born out of a system- family, friends, teachers.(police, courts, therapists, for some.) No one piece can change without effecting the behaviour of everyone.

[@KD-ou2np]

You're so right... how would a kid ever get "better" when they've already been singled out as the reject of their own family.

[@michaelccozens]

Erm, you realize you just asserted that these programs have "quite a number of points in their favour", and then proceeded to elucidate none of them while also explaining how the entire concept of removing the child from the family (the entire point of the "residential/wilderness" aspect of the program) is fundamentally flawed, right?