so I had to come up with three options, disadvantages and advantages. Oh yeah and after I left something similar happened to a girl who got there around the same time as me who struggled with trigatalomania and they wouldnt let her leave, restrained her because she didnt want to get a buzzcut to fix her patchy hair, and put her on subtraction system the whole time she was there because of a disease she CANNOT HELP! I'm likely in the same group as your daughter and I'm so sorry to hear how she suffered. The staffs job is to keep us safe, and emotional safety is just as important as physical safety, especially in a mental health program (and one for struggling young people, no less!) Many act in by retreating, avoiding, and isolating, while others may act out through defiance, promiscuity, or substance abuse. I do know Eva Carlston was deeply harmful to our depressed, anxious child. Our therapists, teachers, and home teachers are selected, in part, for their ability to model a passionate, engaged approach to life. Students are assigned to the following groups as determined by their individualized treatment plan. If you didnt do something right away you got in trouble and once again you couldnt speak up about it or you would get in more trouble. Hannah Kay, 27, attended Lighthouse of Northwest Florida in Jay, FL from 2007 to 2011 and now volunteers at Breaking Code Silence. the skills card. Group therapy offers a unique opportunity for girls to find their place and their voice within a peer group. They strictly measure every serving of food and also force the girls to eat everything on their plates at each meal or they will receive negative consequences. Counselor Jobs, Employment in Terra, UT | Indeed.com oh story time, so a girl got on focus system which is like a major consequence. Girls are shunned and shit on in group therapies. I can't even talk about everything that happened there. Kyra says that while shes glad to have received something, what records Eva Carlston Academy has sent including her psych evaluation and notes, individual and family therapy notes, group therapy notes, a master treatment plan and discharge summary, and her academic records arent acceptable. When I was picked up they told me I didnt earn that privilege. I just want to get this out there because I dont really hear anything bad about ECA on the internet and people need to know the truth before losing months and years of their lives to this traumatizing facility called treatment. They were sneaky with our money too. I often cried myself to sleep at night out of fear. It was the second program I was sent to after enduring the hell that is Eva Carlston Academy in Utah. And, our family is undergoing intensive family therapy for the same reasons. u/parentingtaco (Reddit), 2018: (SURVIVOR) Its a damaging program based on a behavior/point system that has been proven not to work. Terrible. To meet the needs of our families, therapy can occur in a variety of forums including conference calls, in-person sessions, family seminars, multi-family groups, and Skype conferencing. I have certain trauma things and there was a staff that would run behind people, pretend to hit people and tell people to shut up. you wouldnt be allowed to speak to anyone, read a book, write in your journal, or do anything except silently work on assignments and ask for more. We were required to calculate every serving of food we ate and were very restricted with regards to how much we could have and when. As survivors of these institutions continue to speak out, the movement toward reforming them is growing ever stronger. Ive worked with ed consultants in the past and can agree with these comments. However, we later learned that faculty instituted the rules and the use of point cards in a negative way. I cant speak for every graduate, but I have had the privilege to stay in touch with many alumnae, most of whom I was able to get to know quite well at ECA. Girls are not allowed to speak about anything relating to struggles or injustices ever. Girls progress through the levels by earning points in a merit/demerit based system. I am in no way shape or form exaggerating about this stuff. L.M. Therapists would raise medications due to specific situations. Charlotte Rayburn, 19, attended Eva Carlston Academy from 2018 to 2019, and also claims she took part in hot seat sessions. Girls develop their own relapse prevention plan at the completion of the group. I am 25 now and this place still causes me extreme emotional distress. Theyre best described as really, really intense therapy, more like brainwashing. Hubbell says Courtney ran the trainings, which they also call feedback heavy. She called me up and essentially forced me to expose my deepest, darkest trauma, they say. If a student loses too much weight, she is fed Ensure rather than being allowed to eat more food. Substance abuse; Chronic . 2023 Eva Carlston Academy. I just want to get this out there because I dont really hear anything bad about ECA on the internet and people need to know the truth before losing months and years of their lives to this traumatizing facility called treatment. Survivor, Eva Carlston Academy & Second Nature Wilderness Therapy 2014 Eva Carlston Academy is a provider established in Salt Lake City, Utah operating as a Residential Treatment Facility, Emotionally Disturbed Children. Thank you for loving your daughter enough to see the harm, to believe her, and to stand up for her. My daughter has never done anything that would warrant the depravity of Eva. I have seen girls ask staff for emotional support and be rejected, being told that there were more important things for the student to do. Over a year ago, I willingly came into this program depressed, anxious, and suffering from an eating disorder and dissociative identity disorder (the latter was, at the time, undiagnosed) no behavioral problems. My name is . Communication with parents is restricted and constantly monitored Ive seen and heard of girls doing things like self-harm and starving themselves just to be able to go to the hospital so they could tell their parents the truth about how they were being treated without fear of repercussions. , I have attended ECA twice. Group members will learn to identify their addictive behaviors and thinking errors, and will master techniques to manage triggers. In order to refrain from receiving these negative consequences our daughter felt she had to hide her feelings and couldnt open up and be honest about her emotional state. This was my fucking reality not too long ago. I tried to refuse to take away points or participate in the discipline, but they made it a necessary part of the job. Eva Carlston Academy Introduces New Clinical Director Natalie Moyle If a student loses too much weight, she is fed Ensure rather than being allowed to eat more food. Of course this place is going to do anything they can to get your money. This review is based on our daughter's 12 month stay at Eva Carlston Academy in Salt Lake City, Utah. When I say this place was a nightmareit was a motherfucking nightmare on steroids. If we didnt make a certain amount of points a day we couldnt talk to people really for 24 hours and we had to sit and write essays. so first, -2000 points, then an additional -5000, then -10000, then -50000. it was horrible. Recreational activities also help build confidence and self-esteem, and provides opportunities to practice stress-reduction techniques and pro-social skills. a teenager doesnt want to go to a symphony or art gallery, let alone a teenager that is in a fucking treatment center. I still get panic attacks, flashbacks, and terrible anxiety filled thoughts. so you got 250 points for doing your room chore, house chore, and workout. Eva Carlston Academy complements intensive, sophisticated psychotherapy with a robust program of art therapy, accredited academics, life-skills instruction, and therapeutic recreation. I was in a juvenile detention center before ECA and I can honestly say I got treated better there and had more rights. After months of begging, they finally said they would take a picture and send it to my mom. i was forced twice to take my clothes off and let staff inspect my naked body though. This so called treatment center was a controlled environment that demoralized, demeaned, intimidated and caused emotional harm to me. Believe it or not there was a lot I couldnt even cover because Im typing on an LG tablet and the autocorrect is driving me too crazy to go back and edit and add more for now u/RosesSmellNice (Reddit), 4943 Wasatch Blvd, Salt Lake City, UT 84124, . When deemed appropriate by the treatment team, families are referred to the CORE Parenting Program where they learn strategies and receive support from a personal parenting coach. For some people that was enough food and for some people it wasnt. Apply to Counselor, Behavioral Health Manager, Sheriff and more! To avoid punishment, our child gave us inaccurate descriptions of how she was feeling. Staff promised that they would get me a smoothie after my surgery. The information you seek constitutes protected health information, which Eva Carlston will not divulge, even if it deprives Eva Carlston of its ability to fully address, let alone deny, these specific accusations.. Whatever therapeutic benefit there was, was trumped by the emotional abuse and cruel treatment as mentioned above. This so called treatment center was a controlled environment that demoralized, demeaned, intimidated and caused emotional harm to me. what a joke. Even our daughters therapist snuck in food for her to eat during therapy sessions. I have a history of sexual abuse, so this was particularly terrifying to me. work that could easily be paid for) at This is The Place (Kristi Ragsdales rich friends wedding venue.) Snacks are given based upon your daily score card results and often leads to girls going to bed hungry and being malnourished due to the lack of food. Makes sense that parents would appreciate the company that relieved them of 12-18 months of parenting responsibilities. yay!! Rae alleges that she had her shoes and her right to use the bathroom and shower in private taken away, and says she was isolated from the other students. we were not treated like humans, we were treated dogs. These are just a few examples of what happened to me while I was there. Another friend that left while I was there is suing for child abuse and neglect so there is definitely shit going down with this program and it is just a matter of time but dont believe the fake shit they try and say on their website about the art and the music.its a crock of shit because most of the time you cant even finish your art because of therapy or family therapy and youre always rushing because its anxiety central Just existing in that environment and forget music lessons because if you want those they cost money and they take away from school and you are forced to practice whatever instrument it is every other day and if you actually enjoy playing well then you have to have your fucking privileges I want to start a hate blog on this place so badly because I am about to graduate this amazing program for adults that has changed my life and was in no way similar to Eva Shitshow Academys approach for good reason. That was all the food they gave you after eating serving size portions of food for dinner which was at 5 pm. That same student, alleges Rayburn, tried to hang herself in her bedroom one night. Even our daughters therapist snuck in food for her to eat during therapy sessions. Kristi Ragsdale is the Founder and Executive Director of Eva Carlston Academy. those that toed the line) and they did so out of pure fear. The family is our most fundamental communities, regardless of its form, traditions, or health. it was never an appropriate time to express any emotion that wasnt submissive obedience., Residents are given 20 minutes to wake up, make their bed, have all 4 roommates get dressed, get cleaning supplies to Windex mirror, Clorox toilet, sweep/mop floor, Clorox spray sinks, take out trash, have someone check it off to make sure it is acceptable, Residents are given 10 minutes to eat breakfast. I really wonder if any of those teachers have college degrees in the classes they were teaching us let alone college degrees at all. From a review of its website and literature, this program looks promising. You needed to make 10000 points by 5 pm every day.do the math. #troubledteenindustry #breakingcodesilence #fyp. If we did not eat everything on our plates we were given a severe negative consequence. . 1. i cant imagine how horrible it would be to go through. When I was there, there were several suicide attempts, she says. , if you didnt make enough points in one day (generally either 10,000 or 5,000 depending on level in the program), you had to sit in a silent room working on essays such as the importance of managing anxiety and the importance of accepting no or making what were essential pro and cons lists on dealing with inane situations. Eva Carlston Academy Reviews - Niche Another girl who graduated with our daughter dropped from a size 6/8 to 00 pants during her time in the program. If you have after meal clean up you sweep/mop all wood floor, vacuum both rugs, wash dishes, clear and spray counters, have someone check it off to make sure it is acceptable. Adolescence is a complicated and delicate process of identity development and self-acceptance. Eva Carlston treats mental health like a gardener treats a dandelion/weed. From a review of its website and literature, this program looks promising. The program manipulated my parents into trusting them over their own daughter. my parents had to demand a private phone call with me to find out all the freaky shit that was going on and even during my so called private phone call there was this psycho staff that came in and told me if I didnt hang up that she would physically take the phone from me even though I had permission and yeah that still makes no sense to me. The nutritional habits they instill are extreme and even opposite of what nutritionists advise. I came to this residential treatment center after completing a wilderness therapy program and this was supposed to help me deal with my feelings and emotions in a positive way during my last year of high school. In fact, if you refuse to eat or take too much food, you can be punished. okay so all in all. I'd bet my house that this person will be referring other kids to ECA! It is a horrible place that profits off the back of children and teens. Privileges at Eva Carlston were given based on your phase and whether you made enough points that day. oh also on saturdays we either did photography, acting at SLAC, or volunteer work(shoveling, intense cleaning, taking down christmas lights. I was in extreme pain for a week or two. But dont let their advertising fool you its not. I was forced to stay silent about being bisexual because coming out to my peers who would talk about their boyfriends was "inappropriate". I dont. According to one survivor, if you didnt make enough points in one day (generally either 10,000 or 5,000 depending on level in the program), you had to sit in a silent room working on essays such as the importance of managing anxiety and the importance of accepting no or making what were essential pro and cons lists on dealing with inane situations. If you needed to be sent to a different floor of the house a staff screams out to another staff member. She later became the Program Director at. I'm glad that a parent can say that Eva was not a great choice. I don't know anyone who can live on 1 cup of cereal and a dozen raspberries. Kyra*, 22, attended Second Nature Wilderness Program and Eva Carlston Academy, both in Salt Lake City, UT, from January to April 2014 and from April 2014 to August 2016, respectively. Children, especially those with mental health issues, often develop these issues because of bullying, trauma, fear, violence etc. Psychotherapy for Adolescents in Utah | Eva Carlston Academy We were referred to this program by a highly-experienced and well-regarded educational consultant. Believe it or not there was a lot I couldnt even cover because Im typing on an LG tablet and the autocorrect is driving me too crazy to go back and edit and add more for now . Please dont send your daughter here. I write this review in hopes of reaching parents who are considering sending their depressed, anxious daughters to this program. It has very specific statements of what you can never do, no matter what, and very specific statements of what's required to be trained, she says. We want them to have their rights, Kay says. Certain staff had very bad boundaries, very touchy would stay way to close to you and once again you couldnt really say much because they would look at that and say oh thats being disrespectful. However, as of 2021, it appears that ECA is no longer a member of this organization. The girls cannot tell their parents what is really happening there without consequences. Dec 23. . amusingly, they would threaten us that if we didnt obey, we would be sent to a lockdown facility. however, eva carlston academy IS a lockdown facility. Some survivors are calling for total abolition of the system. I wish you all well, and it's honestly amazing to hear a parent taking their child's side in this, in believing and standing with them. This program left our child with deep scars, and she is currently undergoing specialized trauma-focused therapy to process and heal from her experience. when you are teenager your appetite goes up and down and having a growling tummy when you go bed at night is a really shitty thing to have. The addictions group teaches about the process of addiction and how addictive behaviors interfere with and disrupt lives. I finally told them everything and they were outraged. she then didnt run or anything she just had an anxiety attack and searched and searched for the majority of the time of her visit. I wanted to keel over and die. The girls are away from their families and in a very vulnerable time of their lives.The school tries to give them discipline, but ultimately it is a cold, cruel system of punishment that I believe severely damages the children psychologically. and yes-- by the time we're asked to give tours, we either are too scared to say how we felt, or we've been conditioned enough to think positively of everything that happened. Not everyone loses so much weight because metabolisms vary. Despite the fact that the program was created to help adolescents with behavioral issues, I was forced to stay for an entire year. I was still in the process of reporting this to the police. Snacks are given based upon your daily score card results and often leads to girls going to bed hungry and being malnourished due to the lack of food. If you do get lucky enough to go on an outing, youll get severe punishments for even looking in the same direction of a male. They highly monitor social calls so we had no privacy to express our true feelings with family. third, this place caused me mental and emotional abuse and many other girls also. Girls were denied social interaction for up to 24 hours or longer (mine lasted almost 6 weeks once) and expected to stay sane. Letters and phone calls with family are strictly monitored, by rule, and the girls are reprimanded for complaining to parents. We were told to just say Okay and sit there like a fucking dog. They only show five-star reviews on the website, and only positive reviews are highlighted in the blurb you see upon searching Eva Carlston Academy. amusingly, they would threaten us that if we didnt obey, we would be sent to a lockdown facility. however, eva carlston academy IS a lockdown facility. I have issues with eating which I NEVER had before. Eva Carlston Academy Employee Benefits and Perks | Glassdoor When I left ECA my eating disorder had never been worse. Typically what would happen in any therapy group, which would happen daily at both locations, is we would have some topic for the group, and normally one person or two people would share their story or experience, and once theyre done we basically all go around and berate them. Kyra says Second Natures hot seats were very similar. HausofMeow (@catlovescats95) | TikTok The program manipulated my parents into trusting them over their own daughter. However, this particular implementation of the model is punitive and had a corrosive effect on our daughter. I started to understand that there was something very wrong with what had happened to me. Recently, Rae started sharing her own stories on TikTok in the hope of getting the word out to other survivors who, like her, may not yet fully understand what they went through. Oh yippee now I get to talk about how consequences on your point card were worth 4 good actions!! I tried to refuse to take away points or participate in the discipline, but they made it a necessary part of the job. Despite the fact that the program was created to help adolescents with behavioral issues, I was forced to stay for an entire year. the tactics they pulled bordered on conversion therapy if you didnt knuckle down and let them shut you up. I was taking a longer time that was normal for me and the girl said let me see and snatched my paper and then our interaction ended in -2,000 points because I was taking too long. If you have laundry chore then you start laundry. The staff make girls work out every day, yet dont feed us enough food. One staff member took a picture of my back. It is marketed as a Residential Treatment Center for teenage girls aged 12-18. I speak from my own experience and as someone in college studying psychology. Then I asked to speak to the authorities and they told me I would have to find a phone which there were none and they told me I couldnt leave sooo wtf again. Then when the gardener leaves they slowly realize that the flower is a weed and the weeds have spread. [edit] honestly, i downplayed the stuff about lgtbq+ clients. However, this particular implementation of the model is punitive and had a corrosive effect on our daughter. There was no follow up with our parents after therapy appointments so they had no clue about our medical/mental health. So if you didnt make your privileges you ate at 5pm and didnt get to eat until breakfast at 7:45 the next day! Girls will investigate the physical, psychological and behavioral impact . [edit] honestly, i downplayed the stuff about lgtbq+ clients. okay. My daughter experienced the same exact thing. In 2005, she began working as a Therapist at Uinta Academy. Girls were denied social interaction for up to 24 hours or longer (mine lasted almost 6 weeks once) and expected to stay sane. However, the year our daughter spent at Eva Carlston Academy was significantly damaging and profoundly and negatively impactful to her. Anyone who attended, I am so deeply sorry. 425 followers. The only part of this program that was helpful was the individual therapy. If recently, I would suggest to make sure she's doing well and isn't making the usual ECA afterspirals. I remember the day my mom came to pick me up, we went to iceberg and I got a huge shake and probably drank it down within five minutes. From what we saw, the therapists are not able to influence changes to the daily milieu to advance individual therapies or even promote opinions about activities to which the are opposed.