Book: Fall of the Guardians

This book tells the story about what goes on in many religious based so-called treatment centers and boarding schools.

In a thread on reddit the author introduced the book:

Have you ever wondered what goes on behind closed doors when a “difficult” teen gets sent away? Based on real-life events from the early 1990’s, this book tells the harrowing story of Vanessa, who at age 13, was one of those kids. She was ripped away from everything she knew and sent away to an abusive military boarding school for girls run by a religious cult that promised to fix these so-called “troubled teens”.
Like most Troubled Teen Industry survivors, Vanessa and her surrogate four-year-old little sister, Jess, experienced unspeakable horrors no human should ever have to endure. But unlike most, they were able to do things no one else could. Along her way, Vanessa found family. She was the catalyst for the formation of the Guardians, a special unit in her program tasked with making the girls human again. With the help of her family and friends, Vanessa came of age while making a real difference to hundreds of other girls in an impossible situation, that is, until it all came crashing down, as the Guardians fell.
Find out what it took for them to survive their time in this cult, their successes and failures, how they finally escaped, and what came next, including a 2022 update on what happened to the girls and staff she wrote about over the ensuing years and a number of response letters from some of the others she wrote about.
This powerful and heart-wrenching book is a must-read for anyone who has ever been or known a “difficult” teen, anyone who attended a Troubled Teen program, and especially for any parent that has sent away a difficult child or is thinking that sending their child away is the best or only option.

Sources:

• Fall of the Guardians - Paperback (Amazon)
• My book is out (Reddit r/Troubledteens)

A stay at Highland Ridge Hospital

This place has been getting some attention recently and I'm loving it. Highland ridge hospital is an inpatient for adolescent and adults. When I was 14 I attempted to die and after medical care was told I was going here. This being my 4th hospital made it less scary. I arrived at 2 am ish, was admitted then went to bed. Then woken up at 6 AM being told they were changing my meds cause clearly mine were not working, I had not talked to a docter or therapist by then. I then was put on a crazy high dose of a medicine known for withdrawls if you get off of it, I also didn't know what it was at the time but it gave my motor and verbal tics.

Throughout the stay the kids were not watched and there was about a groups a day, we could do whatever we wanted. There was also group punishments including losing the TV cause someone slept in. My tics left me punching walls which resulted in significant hand injury ( I had torn or stretched almost every muscle, vien, ligament, and tendon in both hands. ) as well as being threatened to be held down and restrained, and put in a medically induced coma for these tics. On night three my peer had a seizures, and was given mystery medication ( she was pregnant, and scared for the fetus ) that night after taking some random concoction of pills I went to bed with this girl ( roommates ) I woke up at 3 am to find that I was no longer wearing anything before yhe waist and my clothes was near my head, I had no blanket covering me. The staff were to check in every 5 minutes but Cleary that had not happened and the door was open leaving me exposed. The next Morning my roommate didn't wake up for a while due to the medicine she was given. On day 6 I told a staff about the situation and was told the male staff wouldn't return to the unit and they would send someone to interview me and my roommate. They didn't tell my parents. My mom called me and asked what I was doing when I told her that I was filling out a legal complaint, she had no idea why until she talked to the staff. I had to get legally pulled out that night with a police officer escorting me out. While at the e.r there was witnesses cause me and my roommate were both drugged and It had been to l9ng to do a rape kit. I told my mom about 4he med change only to find out she wasn't made aware of it, which isn't legal at all. The case was deemed inconclusive cause of the Drugs involved ( it was a male staff giving me the drugs that night ) I then had to change meds 8 months later which led to severe withdrawals to where I couldn't function.to my understanding this place is getting shut down soon as my experience isn't the only one similar to this. I am so excited for it to no longer see patients. Edit: I forgot to write this but I was there for 6 days. I didn't see a single doctor, and didn't see my therapist once. Some people saw her twice a day.

Sources:

Utahs "rape hospital" (Reddit r/troubledteens)

A testimony about Solstice Residential Treatment Center

This testimony was located on Google reviews. All rights go to the original author

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This place may be good for learning to understand friendship but in the end I felt cheated out of mind. I became the ‘yes girl’ the one who will never say no and always listen. I know this might not sound bad but when your parent decides to constrict your feelings, tells you how you should dress, and breaks all your promises then you begin to have problems.

I turned 18 the month after I graduated and everything seemed fine but my dad began to be harsh and very controlling. I thought he had changed but more I changed as I was there to accept that he must control everything. I was at a point of strength but I couldn’t tell him my boundaries anymore, I couldn’t confide in him. I went to my friends and had to ask for their support because he would not listen to me if I was happy or sad. He began to get mad at me and proceeded to yell if I said an opinion or feeling. I started to snap and realize he had taken my entire freedom, to choose and to learn. He took away my college fund to pay for solstice and held it over me like I had to thank him. He treated me like I had to obey him like a god.. I got so frustrated with that.

I thought that Solstice would heal the bonds between my father and I but in the end it created me to be easily manipulated by my parents and authorities. I struggled to the point of going towards trying to die again, I failed and then he kicked me out. Told me to be homeless and wouldn’t let me back in. I was so depressed, I had no money and no life. I didn’t like how solstice affected my family. I wouldn’t suggest sending your kid to an RTC as it makes it hard to come back. You literally lose your own heart and soul. You end up feeling lost because you have no freedom. Always in the same room and trying to go up levels so you can leave. I did remember all my pain but it’s so hard to deal with that now because everyone at solstice only thinks of money. I know every year there’s this big thing called secrets group because a bunch of people do some really bad things, while I was there there were girls snorting bennadryl. Even girls who’ve never done drugs so they could be cool, it’s a bad idea to mix kids with drug problems with kids who have self harm problems they give cake to the drug girls for being sober and nothing to others. They even had a group right after about bullying and everyone realized that there were people just being flat out rude to each other. I don’t think this is a safe place. Honestly, just getting them a better therapist and locking the drugs, alcohol, pills, and sharp items would be better. Or even sending them to a different school to make better friends. I had such a hard time with everything that even in the beginning I was fake and lied, I even didn’t like it there.

I had a mentor who resorted to always provoking me and it honestly made me feel awful, it stressed me out and my eyes got bad because I was blindfolded for a day. After going in there I’m not even better, what also needs to happen was my parents needed help and to actually learn how to love their child. I don’t expect someone to read this but I know I opened up to this fact. I know my therapist was super kind but that was the only good part. I didn’t like anything else. I also don’t think cereal from Monday to Friday is healthy. There are a lot of things that just need to be fixed like the mentors and the program it self. I don’t think that your progress should be defined as signatures and a paragraph essay. I honestly would never go back to do that again, it was not fun and very upsetting. Also 10 feet rule shouldn’t exist, thats kinda stupid, and makeup should be allowed for all levels due to it being a stress relief mechanism for some people. If anything just be careful. Also they told the girls to write good reviews to cover up the bad ones, it’s so ridiculous they just want money because they’re being kinda sketchy.

Source:

The original testimony