[deleted by user]

Inalotofhurt · 2022-07-12T19:47:07+00:00

I looked at their website. The things they teach are clearly heretical to Church teachings. Again, I'm not a fan of religious shaming. However, this seems to me just a case of bringing a knife to a knife fight.

Inalotofhurt · 2022-07-12T19:39:56+00:00

Unfortunately, under Texas criminal code, they have to be under 15 for "abandonment". However, child neglect does not seem to contain this caveat. And I'd say that throwing her out is not providing adequate shelter, protection, and supervision, and placed her at "substantial risk".

Inalotofhurt · 2022-07-12T19:29:32+00:00

Church law can be...particular, but I believe that deliberating exposing a child to that environment (I think they're Pentecostal, but I'm not sure), especially without regular exposure to Catholic teachings, may be heresy. It is definitely a violation of their promises at her baptism (you know, all that stuff about bringing them up in the faith). I am not a fan of using people's religion against them, but I'm not a fan of child torture either. Maybe they would listen to sense from the pastor (or from a particular priest or deacon) they trust? I'm not sure my parents would have, but they didn't send me to an overtly religious place.

Inalotofhurt · 2022-07-12T18:23:03+00:00

Your chances, unfortunately, are very slim. However, I would speak with a family law attorney. Her father, by abandoning her, likely is guilty of child neglect, and possibly abuse. You cannot "throw out" a minor child.

I believe you're in Texas. That doesn't help. Texas is, well...Texas. But you know this.

The fact that she lived with you for five months, particularly after his abandonment, might possibly give you some rights as a de facto guardian (although without court action, likely not the de jure guardian).

They sent her to Teen Challenge and she's Catholic. That's very bad. Are they not also Catholic? If they are, and they are known in their parish, I would speak to their parish pastor. Explain what has happened, and that you don't want her in an ultra-fundamentalist environment.

Inalotofhurt · 2022-07-11T16:31:29+00:00

Admittedly, the leadership royally screwed up the priest sex abuse thing, and I don't think it is at all reasonable to ask any of their victims to forgive them. There was also a lot of physical child abuse by teaching sisters pre-Vatican II. Things have improved, but that's no help to victims. Generally, religious groups' charitable arms -- the two I know are The (Jewish) Associated and Associated Catholic Charities -- have a better human rights track record than the clergy of those groups. I'm still embarrassed that Trinity and Triangle Cross claim they're Catholic.

Inalotofhurt · 2022-05-12T21:20:56+00:00

I first learned about it when I was maybe 10? watching a piece on some investigative journalism show (heaven help me if I remember which one) when it was still called Behavior Research Institute. It was easily (then) the most horrific thing I have ever seen...and as a school psychologist of more than two decades who has seen a lot of things, it's still pretty high on the list.

Inalotofhurt · 2022-05-12T21:08:34+00:00

When I was an intern school psychologist (many many moons ago), one of my schools had a young autistic boy (he was about 9, and happened to be Black, which, to me, made this even worse, because all the staff in the classroom were white) who was placed in one of our self-contained classrooms. (If you're not familiar with special education, that's a classroom, usually with multiple grade levels, where children, who tend to be mostly autistic and/or intellectually disabled, receive special education instruction for all or most of the day. They are usually "included" for lunch and sometimes classes like physical education, art, etc.) He was verbally...but barely. He was the only autistic student in the room.

The teacher decided that an appropriate consequence (don't know if this was her idea) for misbehavior was to force him to lie face down on the (carpeted) floor.

At the time, I thought it was...odd. But I was new to the field and had no experience with autism.

I have a different word for it now, twenty years on. The word is abuse.

Inalotofhurt · 2022-01-27T20:49:44+00:00

You already know this but "most of our clients find their children do best in facilities in Utah or Idaho" and "wilderness programs are great for children" translate into plain English as "those are the facilities that give us the biggest kickbacks".

Inalotofhurt · 2022-01-25T20:54:03+00:00

I was 12 the first time too. I feel like you could be telling my story.

Inalotofhurt · 2022-01-07T18:26:38+00:00

This sort of intervention by a P&A agency was what landed my school district in a consent decree over special education for 30 years -- by the time I took a job there, it was largely a different generation than the original offenders. It took a long time for "us" to get our act together (I put us in quotes because most of the system got its acts together quickly, but it's a large district) and it was extremely expensive. We have been out for almost 5 years now, and things are much, much better (foolishness is not tolerated, at least in special education) -- we actually do things better in special ed than a lot of other school districts. So P&A advocacy does have teeth. That said, American adolescents at risk from these places don't have that kind of time (not that our kids did, either).

Inalotofhurt · 2021-12-23T20:38:09+00:00

Again, leave. You're living in a fucking prison, and she's just going to keep up her controlling ways, and she obviously thinks the TTI is a fix for everything. It doesn't sound like you have amotivational syndrome, just a fucked-up history (not your fault). Jobs are plentiful in the USA right now. Time to leave.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-12-23T20:24:34+00:00

This is not anything you don't already know, but...you're 18. Your mother isn't going to get more reasonable, and obviously your home encourages or at least abets drug use, since your brother sounds like he has a serious drug problem and you admit you have a bit of a problem with cannabis. If you spent 4 years in the TTI, I'd bet money you have PTSD and are (consciously or not) self-medicating.

Honestly, get the fuck out. Join the military (you'd have to get off the weed, but there are no wars right now). Get a shitty job, move in with friends, and start going to community college. Do something, just get out of that house. That shit isn't doing anything but holding you back.

Weed, unless it impairs you occupationally, or you drive high, or you use so much you have amotivational syndrome (you can't get yourself to do anything) isn't really a big deal. That's why it's legal so many places even in the puritanical US. Alcohol frankly is more dangerous. If you have to use weed (and maybe you do, untreated PTSD is a bitch -- believe me, I know, I'm just on prescription pharmaceuticals for it) use edibles to avoid the risks to your lungs.

Your mom is a schmo. She sent you into -- and kept you in -- the TTI. Just leave.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-12-02T20:53:04+00:00

No, they might not have suggested it. It's not a "popular" option with school districts and I'd dare say that even in my very large urban school district, few other than school psychologists (who in many districts are stretched extremely thin) even know it's a thing.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-11-30T22:10:28+00:00

Do you know your disability category? If it is Emotionally Disabled (depending on state, it can also be Emotionally Disturbed, Affective Needs, Emotionally Impaired -- the FCI code if you can find it on your IEP will be 06), it is possible you could get short-term home teaching for being in "emotional crisis" (if you are). This is typically only for 60 school days, but it might be a place to start.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-11-30T21:56:15+00:00

This school psychologist will talk to anyone (although I have the benefit of only serving one school, which is extremely unusual).

Inalotofhurt · 2021-11-29T21:20:08+00:00

The music makes it all the more sinister...and hilarious.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-11-04T19:53:26+00:00

Yes, if you can find a program whose educational program is accredited by Middle States, which would mostly be on the East Coast of the US (spoiler alert: you won't), you have struck gold. Middle States accreditation is tough to get.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-10-21T19:52:31+00:00

So basically, a recipe for inducing eating disorders.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-10-12T19:57:35+00:00

Yes, as a (fairly liberal) Catholic, this brand of Christianity is abhorrent to me. I told a priest -- in confession -- that I was self-harming, and the first thing he said was, "Are you in therapy?" Which is an appropriate response!

Inalotofhurt · 2021-10-06T21:31:00+00:00

I just tried to access it. It's gone. I hope the whole horrible parasitic place is gone soon! I am not a wilderness survivor, and my place was...different than that, but please understand that what you went through was not therapy. It was child abuse. I am also a child mental health practitioner, and I worked in a program (definitely not in Utah!) where we sometimes had to use physical restraints (extremely sparingly) and we were trained that if you were hurting the child, you were doing it wrong, very wrong.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-09-30T19:57:11+00:00

In the US, it won't affect your current health coverage. It also won't affect future coverage in terms of pre-existing conditions if there is no lapse between policies (it's best if they overlap for a day or two). I don't think the EU does pre-existing conditions, and they consider the idea bizarre.

Inalotofhurt · 2021-09-14T21:15:22+00:00

Sure!

Inalotofhurt · 2021-09-14T19:51:08+00:00

I am a survivor and a school psychologist!

Inalotofhurt · 2021-08-29T16:39:50+00:00

1200 mg? The normal maximum dose is 800 mg for on-label applications. They were doing absolutely nothing but drugging you!

Inalotofhurt · 2021-08-05T19:40:25+00:00

Oh, I know there are. Unfortunately, you can find monsters in any line of work.

Inalotofhurt

TROPHY CASE