Aspen Education Group in the United States has announced that they want to restructure.
In reality it means that they are closing down residential treatment facilities because years of critical coverage has questioned whether the residents would have been better served receiving counseling and therapy at their home for a fraction of the price residential care costs.
The following programs are annouced to close:
Bromley Brook School (Manchester Center, VT)
New Leaf Academy of Oregon
NorthStar Center (Bend, Oregon)
Aspen Ranch (Loa, Utah)
SunHawk Adolescent Recovery Center (St. George, Utah)
But also Elan School is about to close. They claim that the decision was made due to a campain against them on the Internet. Did they realize that once the former residents turned 18 they would start to talk openly about what did happen?
We are living in year 2011. The Internet enables the former students to find old classmates and for them to create community groups so they can work the trauma they experienced during their stay at residential programs.
Last but least we have published the story about yet another raid down in Costa Rica.
We hope that these closures are a start where focus on treatment of problems among minors are on treatment at home and in the local community so the minors can maintain their social network while they are cured.
Sources:
Elan School closing after Web campaign to shut it down (By Judith Meyer, Sun Journal, March 23, 2011)
Aspen Education Group To Restructure Programs (Strugglingteens.com - industry marketing firm, March 24, 2011)