Safe Choices for Troubled Teens

Residential treatment centers for troubled teens are plagued by allegations of abuse and ineffectiveness. What do concerned parents or parents in crisis do? Yes, it is a business.

Private residential treatment centers can cost as much as a year in college, or more in some cases.

Some insurance companies will cover some treatment at programs and schools accredited by Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), an independent, nonprofit organization that inspects and accredits nearly 16,000 health care facilities in the United States.

However, JCAHO’s standards are geared mainly toward monitoring surgical and pharmacological procedures. RTCs are more like boarding schools than traditional hospitals.

Articles in the New York Times and the UK Guardian document abuses at treatment centers abroad including Academy at Dundee in Costa Rica and Tranquility Bay School in Jamaica. Controversy has arisen in Tranquility Bay amid the death of a student, parent custody battles, and allegations of unlawful incarceration.Lawsuits have been brought against the Worldwide Association of Specialty Programs and Schools (WWASPS), an affiliated group of private residential treatment centers and schools that manages Tranquility Bay. And there are many complaints about other RTCs on websites run by watchdog groups, parents, and survivors. In recent years, government agencies in other countries have begun to crack down on these American-owned programs; authorities in Costa Rica, Mexico and the Czech Republic have shut down at least four WWASPS programs thus far. Survivors and parents have formed watchdog groups and mounted education campaigns to warn other families about the risks. Parents do need to proceed with extreme caution when selecting a residential program. Educational Consultants can assist and help you stay in close touch when you place your child in a treatment program.

Parents investing in and using actual educational consultants with usually obtain good results , but here again, parents must be careful. Some people call themselves consultants and yet accept financial rewards for enrolling kids in specific programs, so bias could be a problem when this is happening. It is important to ask about any commercial or financial ties between your consultant and the programs and schools they are recommending so that you can evaluate their recommendations accordingly. Unfortunately, even when a parent finds a suitable program or school, there is no guarantee that the program will provide long-lasting results. And above all, whatever you are dealing with and whatever choices you make, experts agree, parents need to avoid giving in to despair or embarrassment that keeps them from seeking appropriate help. We all fear the stigma that is attached to ‘troubled teens.'

We want to protect our teen and ourselves from the judgments of others, however, it is important to get over this fear as quickly as possible—everyone knows someone who has a child who has 'fallen apart.'

Common sense, community support, and true professional assistance from someone who is traveling to visit dozens of programs each year are your best protections against the false promises offered by unscrupulous people who stand to profit from selling you an expensive residential program that may not be a best fit for your child and your family.

Even with the best programs, the most expensive programs, the longest in business programs - One size does not fit all!

Dore E. Frances, M.A.
Founder, Horizon Family Solutions
Author, One Size Does Not Fit All - Who Knew!

Is this a parent's parenting answer book?

I have been getting a lot of emails asking about the book and if I am adding answers to parents parenting questions in the book.

The answer is no ... and yes. No, this is not a comprehensive resource regarding parenting. Yes, it does offer advice and actual program, school, wilderness treatment, teen transport service resources. Not all of these resources are alike - thereby the name of the book - One Size Does Not Fit All - Who Knew!

The intention of the book is to share the first hand experiences and knowledge I have gained as a mother, child advocate, educational consultant and family coach with other parents and referring professionals who are in a position of needing to investigate and/or recommend residential / wilderness treatment for a child, teen or young adult. You will see the extensive research that has been compiled over the last several years that shows why searching on the Internet can be so aggravating, bewildering, confusing, devastating, energy wasting, frustrating, and just plain dangerous.

For example, Google in "Behavior Modification Program" and as of the time of our research, 8 months ago, we received 580,000 pages of advertised listing. Under those listings there was included:

Behavior Modification treatment center

Hospital Based Behavior Modification program

Outdoor therapeutic treatment program for troubled youth

Positive Youth Development program

Private therapeutic residential treatment program

Therapeutic Behavior Modification program

Therapeutic boarding school for struggling boys

........... Just to name a few!

Out of curiosity I just typed it in and there are now 1,680,000 pages. That is the increase in just 8 months!

Obviously not that many new programs opened, but advertising on the Internet has surely increased.

How does a family or a referring professional evaluate the effectiveness and safety of all these programs?

How do you overcome the feeling of hopelessness when faced at looking at all these pages?

How does a caring parent make a capable choice and important decision for their child?

Those are just some of the questions that are being answered in One Size Does Not Fit All - Who Knew!

Dore E. Frances, M.A., A.C.C.

Holiday Wishes for The Troops

This holiday season, you can send soldiers and wounded troops greeting cards - even when you don't know their names.

Through December 10th, the public can send their greeting cards, with adequate postage and a return address to:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
Post Office Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD.
20791-5456

Please do not send care packages, inserts, money, or add glitter to your card.

"The eyes of the soldiers really light up when they see greeting cards sent from the American public," said Lt. Col. David Oclander. He was in Iraq around the time of last year's program and remembers seeing soldiers, even those in the most remote areas, carrying their cards around. "Some put their cards in their vehicles when they go out on patrol", Oclander said. "It really helps brighten their days, especially when they are enduring some long separations."

Please support our troops.

Dore E. Frances.M.A., A.C.C.

Tough Market Turns Schmoozing Into A Skill

Every program wants to make the right networking connections.

So does every Educational Consultant. But 2-1/2 hour lunches consume too much time and evening meetings cut into family time.

For myself, as an Educational Consultant, I am selective in choosing groups and organizations in which to give my time. I give them a certain amount of time, and if it is not working for me, I move on. With job cuts in the industry expected to continue, more programs are ramping up their networking efforts to build relationships in these bleak times.

Of course, widening circles isn't easy when a person's free time is already limited. The financial climate requires programs to shake off their uneasiness and schmooze effectively.

Especially for those that are smaller programs and have not been involved in networking before now. For any program that thinks they don't have time to network, think again. Networking is one of the most profitable activities that can be incorporated into everyday life. Creating and maintaining contacts can be strategic and needs to be focused.

It is all about developing relationships with people who can advance your business rather than just collecting business cards. Determine which groups and organizations to join. The same for Educational Consultants. It is about knowing what you need and knowing what you want.

Make a list of 8 people you want to meet or get to know better and figure out how to connect with them. Once you meet them, stay on their radar. That means staying in touch and you have to be the one that touches base with them. When you feel you are so important that they will want to touch base with you, think again. I see this error in thinking in both program admissions personnel as well as Educational Consultants. To foster relationship-building, you have to go beyond membership events or random meetings. And you cannot sit in your office waiting for the phone to ring. Well, you can, but it won't ring most likely. Distinguish yourself by being actively involved in your industry. This takes commitment and time. You have to cultivate relationships where people trust you. You cannot make that happen by attending a meeting or group event every now and again. And you cannot do that by doing nothing. Get together with small groups once a month. Make a shift in the way you think. And yes, it will be uncomfortable.

When you want to meet people, do not have an agenda. Your own agenda always gets in the way.

With limited time to network, join those professional groups or organizations that are willing to meet in smaller group settings once or twice a month rather than at just the large, overly priced, expensive conferences. Of course, the most time-efficient way to network varies by program or whether you are an Educational Consultant. Are you wanting to make connections within your profession, win new business for your program or school, or gain some name recognition?

When you want to become more visible, connect with people who share your passion and can position you to meet others who share your passion. Remember: people need to know you, like you, trust you, in order to refer to you. They need to know you exist. Regardless of your purpose for networking, there is no shortcut. It does require a plan. Most people think too broadly and join too many random groups.

Spend no less than four hours per week on networking and limit participation to no more than four groups or organizations. It is less about meeting new people than having them remember you after you have met. Learn about what your colleagues are doing and share stories. In this industry there are thousands of stories to share. Mingling can be a benefit. Mingling with others in your profession, whether a program or an Educational Consultant assists you because these people understand what you are feeling and thinking. A huge networking mistake is collecting business cards and shoving them in a drawer. Organize the business cards into a database and create relationship follow-ups. Effective networking culminates mutual success.

Create opportunities for other people and at the end of the day, it does come back to you.

Dore E. Frances, M.A.
Author, Educational Consultant
One Size Does Not Fit All

Are You Confused Yet?

Results of about 1,770,000 for Addiction Treatment Resources

Addiction Treatment Resources

Alcohol Drug Treatment and Substance Dependency (On this site it is actually listed as - Alcohol Drug Treatment and Substatnce Dependency) - They misspelled Substance!

Behavior Modification Programs

Boarding Schools

Body Image and Disordered Eating Program

Christian Alcohol Treatment Center

Commercialized Teen Boot Camps

Drug Treatment Centers, Alcohol Rehab Programs, Dual Diagnosis

Eating Disorders - Residential Treatment Options

Hospitalization and residential treatment programs

Meth Treatment and Chemical Dependence

Residential psychiatric and substance abuse programs

Residential Treatment Center

Residential Treatment Options: Military Schools

Residential Treatment Options: Therapeutic Boarding Schools

Substance Abuse Treatment for Young People

The 12-Step Program

The Dual-Diagnosis Program

Therapeutic Boarding Schools

There are literally hundreds of residential treatment centers for troubled teens available

Traditional Military Boot Camps

One Size Does Not Fit All

‘Who knew!’

Therapeutic residential and wilderness programs are not
all the same
and ….
Neither are youth transport companies

Dore E. Frances, M.A.

New Book: One Size Does Not Fit All - Who Knew!

Dore's France's new book, One Size Does Not Fit All - Who Knew!, is full of useful advice for parents. How can this book be put to use?

Q. Did you follow all your own recommendations when you took your daughter to a residential treatment center in 2001?

Dore: I assure you that I am far from a perfect parent. I learned a lot from my own experience and have taken those lessons and and many more as well as all these years of becoming more familiar with the industry, conducting my own interviews and extensive research, doing my due diligence on the road traveling at least one week out of every month to visit programs, schools, students and even camping out with a wilderness program because I believe that very child and every family deserves the best opportunity when faced with this choice and decision.

Q. What do you still struggle with?

Dore: My biggest weakness is the feelings I still carry about the industry. I would have made a different choice for my daughter back in 2001 if I had known then what I know now. That is not to say she is not successful in her life now at the age of 22, almost 23. In terms of the industry, it is different now than it was then and it will be different two years from now compared to what it is today. My most serious weakness is that I am always wanting to keep up with all the changes, which creates a workaholic.

Q. Why did you decide to work with children and families?

Dore: My mother died when I was 9 years old. I was adopted, so this sent me into a spin that lasted for many years, which is why I specialize in assisting adopted children and their families.
At about age 10 I was with my beloved grandfather, who had always been there for me, and we were taking a walk to the park, and he asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. " As long as I am working with kids like me, I will be happy," I said. I never changed my mind.

Dore E. Frances, M.A.
Founder, Horizon Family Solutions, LLC
Child Advocate
Educational Consultant

That's Right .... One Size Does NOT Fit All ....

A traditional African proverb says, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.” It also takes a village to research and write a book.

Over the years of my life, my own “village” has included hundreds of different people from attorneys who mentored me into not attending law school, counselors who gave me extreme words of wisdom of which I still use today when assisting families, a dentist who let me see that compassion is still alive, friends who have come and gone, families I have assisted over the years, my grandfather who taught me to listen and observe, my Hospice trainer when I was a grief counselor, my Aunt Dorothy who never stopped loving me, not even for a second, kind people I have met in this industry, loving people I have met in this industry, my daughter who taught me the most valuable lessons of all and is still teaching me each and every day, my mother who died when I was 9 and left me with the most precious gift of all, my 5th grade school teacher who went out on a limb for me, and so many others who have crossed my path in the last 55 years of life. I am honored by all the people that have crossed my life path, whether casually or professionally. It is with their support that I ventured into writing this book abut the intense challenges that families face with raising children of the 21st Century.

The overwhelming experiences of who I have spoken with, what I have witnessed, what has been said to me regarding treatment options in this industry is why this book is being written.

There are still so many programs that are using methods that were first developed over 17 years ago. They do not work any longer. Many other programs have the vision to think and work outside the box not only with their staff but with the kids and families they assist.

Simply reducing behavior to a manageable symptom while in a confined setting is not an option that is worth paying for. Where can you turn to when you need a quick reference or even an answer about educational consultants, family and parent coaches, or a program for a student in crisis? In One Size Does Not Fit All, I am addressing hundreds of issues that are commonly faced when dads and moms are searching for assistance. Perhaps their child has been involved in the legal system or perhaps they are struggling with an eating disorder. In any case, this book will also assist not only parents but attorneys who work with juveniles, counselors who have hit the end of the road and need to tell a family what next steps might be, health care providers dealing with a crisis and need references for a family, school counselors and school psychologists, teachers and more. The book is designed for parents with kids of all ages, from 8 to 28.

Watch here for more information.

Dore E. Frances, M.A.
Founder, Horizon Family Solutions