Back in June, Cross Creek Manor survivor Xandir O'Cando appeared at a story-telling night. Her full story was posted to reddit, where it was read by thousands.
Now she has started her own blog, The Captive Teen Parents considering sending a child to Cross Creek Manor or another residential treatment program should study her blog.
more after the jump
Posts to date
- My experience with Cross Creek, WWASP, and institutionalized boarding schools Cross Creek’s methods of “therapy” and recovery were also extremely invasive, humiliating, and in my opinion did much more harm than good. ...It has taken me so much time to recover and de-program myself from all of the lies I was fed at Cross Creek. It took me a while to realize just how badly and inappropriately I and others had been treated at this facility. My soul feels wounded from the things I saw and experienced at Cross Creek and healing will be a continual process.
- No one deserves abuse. I repeat: NO ONE Terms like “promiscuous”, “addict”, and “defiant” were pegged on many of my peers, regardless of their actual actions. Virgins could be labled sex addicts if they ever masturbated or thought about sex more than twice a day, any one who had experimented with any substance was an addict, and of course, anyone doing anything their parents or the facility disagreed with was “defiant.”....Many of the kids that I knew at Cross Creek were being abused by their parents or family members. The children would respond by running away, defending themselves, or speaking out, which their abusers were less than thrilled about. I’m sure “defiant” would be a label that would readily be placed on a victim of abuse by their abuser, or someone who wanted to control them to the extremes these facilities try to control their attendees.
- Still Trapped A place that calls itself a “treatment center” that claims to be “therapeutic” should not have people leaving with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder when it was not present before. Sending someone away to “heal” and “straighten out” in a place where they are being isolated, physically abused, humiliated, harassed, and shamed is clearly not effective. I’ve heard too many stories of people killing themselves after getting out. People are suffering and some are dying. It needs to stop.
MTV's popular series "True Life" recently aired an episode, " I'm Being Sent Away by My Parents", which is sure to re-ignite interest in these kinds of programs. Please read CAFETY's press release on the program for concerns.
Background
- Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth (CAFETY)
- Coalition Against Institutionalized Child Abuse (CAICA)
- Alliance for the Safe, Therapeutic and Appropriate use of Residential Treatment (A START)
- Download Residential_treatment_factsheet from A START
Other resources of note:
- A new website, http://troubledteenindustry.com/
- A documentary on Straight, Inc http://www.survivingstraightincthemovie.com/
The Reddit Posts
Caution: Ads in sidebar not safe for work, Interview with Xandir at Tiny Nibbles
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