Montana PBS recently aired a documentary exploring the unregulated teen-help industry in the state.
WWASPS Spring Creek Lodge Academy is featured in the program.
Future air dates have not been announced, but DVD's of the show can be purchased directly from Montana PBS.
The following announcement was posted as a courtesy to the Survivors of Straight:
In commemoration of the many losses suffered by the victims of Straight Incorporated, you are formally invited to attend a memorial service on November 11th at 6:00PM. This service will take place simultaneously in St. Petersburg, Florida, Northern Virginia and in Atlanta, Georgia. It is also possible that there will be services in Texas, Cincinnati and Boston as well.
This is an opportunity to pay our respects to the many children who were not able to survive. Though each of us may interpret our experiences differently, we have the common need to formally honor and grieve the wounded and deceased.
All in attendance will have the opportunity to speak, and to share written works, photos, music and any other works of art. There will also be time to make offerings to the deceased and to those we have lost contact with.
We sincerely hope you'll come.
Please RSVP to let us know which service you plan on attending.
For information about the Northern Virginia memorial, which will be held at 5515 Backlick Road, Springfield, Virginia, or for information about a possible service in your area, please email: marcus@fornits.com
For information about the St. Petersburg memorial, which will be held on the Gulf Pier at Fort DeSoto Park, please email: RTP2003@fornits.com
For information about the Atlanta memorial, which will be held at Noonday Park in Marietta, Georgia, please email: DOCSLOW@fornits.com
Self Medicated, the award-winning film directed by a survivor of Teen Help/WWASPS, is currently showing at film festivals around the country.
Director Monty Lapica was forcibly detained at Brightway Adolescent Hospital, and if not for a daring escape, would have been transported to Paradise Cove in Samoa.
Storyline from the Official Self Medicated Website:
Based on true events. Having recently suffered the death of his father, seventeen-year-old Andrew Eriksen's inability to cope catapults him down a path of denial, self-loathing, and emotional entropy. Once a promising young scholar, Andrew finds himself on a drug-addled path to self destruction. Resentful of his mother for her own drug addiction, Andrew withdraws only further at a time when they need each other most. His mother's last resort is to hire a company that kidnaps troubled teens and places them in a locked-down and corrupt psychiatric hospital. After being subjected to the secret physical and emotional abuses of the program, Andrew discovers the only way he will come to terms with the death of his father is to first face his own demons head-on.
Interview with Director Monty Lapica, from the Honolulu Advertiser
Learn more about Teen Help/WWASPS
Help at Any Cost: How the Troubled-Teen Industry Cons Parents and Hurts Kids by Maia Szalavitz has been published.
Covers the incredible history of a billion dollar industry, which profits by convincing parents that their teenagers require harsh residential treatment in order to survive adolescent misbehavior. It shows how these programs prosper despite lack of any scientific evidence for their efficacy—and despite research showing that their "therapeutic" techniques can do great harm and often drive apart the families they are intended to bring together.
You can order the book by clicking the photo above.
As an Amazon associate, ISAC will receive a small percentage of the purchase price.
Articles written by Maia Szalavitz:
New York Times Underplays Boot Camp Abuse
Source: ISAC Corporation - www.isaccorp.org